Page 69 of Liam

"I am … and I'm going to assume you're Erik."

Erik scowled at me, his gaze raking over my wheelchair. "Liam is datingyou?"

"Does that surprise you?" Liam had filled me in on the conversation he'd had with Erik over breakfast. How my gender and race appeared to be a problem for Liam's birth father.

Now there was my disability—obviously a huge negative in Erik's eyes.

"Liam doesn't know what's good for him," he said.

"He's an adult. Pretty sure he knows more than you." I wasn't going to pull punches.

Okay, that was a serious glower on him. "You need to back off and leave him alone."

"And, if I sayno?"

"Then he'll find out about your criminal record. I'm assuming you haven't told him. I'm a criminal defence lawyer with friends in the police. I had them do a background check on you."

I'm sure the colour drained right out of my face.

It had been in the plan to tell Liam what happened between Richard and me—as my friend. It had been such a dark period in my life. Before I had a chance to tell Liam, we'd leapt ahead into a romantic relationship. Now, I felt trapped. I didn't want to lose him by telling him the story.

"You weren't there," I said as if that explained anything. I'd been out of control, drowning in grief. My soul had been twisted in knots. I'd lashed out—hurt people.

"So, I'm right. Liam doesn't know you're a domestic assailant."

I'd love to say it was an isolated incident, but I'd put Richard through hell for months. It had shaken me to my core when I sent him to the hospital. I had never dreamed I would ever hurt him.

I loved him.

Charges had been laid against me.

Richard had moved out.

"Do we have an understanding?" Erik asked.

"Yes," I whispered. Liam couldneverfind out. I couldn't bear to see the look of disappointment in his eyes if he found out what I'd done. The person I'd been in my anguish.

"Idotalk to Liam," Erik said. "I'll know."

I nodded—silent.

Erik left me to break down in my office.

My eyes were still red when I arrived at my friend Warren's home hours later. I rolled into his living room among the clutter and found a spot where there was nothing beneath my wheels.

"What's happened?" Warren sat across from me.

"Our relationship is getting serious."

"And that has you crying?"

"My sordid past has me in tears. Liam and I talk about everything … but I can't. I just can't tell him about what happened with Richard. Today, his birth father showed up in my office. He knew about my domestic assault conviction. He had a background check run on me. He threatened to tell Liam if I didn't promise to walk away from our relationship."

Warren gathered his hands in his lap. "Are you willing to do that?"

"I can't have Liam look at me the way Richard looked at me that night. It was an expression of pure betrayal. Liam would feel like I deceived him by not telling him before—"

"You were intimate." Warren sighed. "Because he's your boyfriend now."

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