Page 4 of Lost in You (The Monroes 3)

Chelsea had taken every bit of money she’d saved and bought the old Civil War–era home on the edge of town. Liam and his brothers had had no clue what she’d wanted to do with the place when she’d made the investment and she’d passed away before she could tell them. It was only after she was gone when they discovered her detailed notes on the dream she had for the old plantation. Their free-spirited sister was gone, but he’d do whatever he could to make sure her vision lived on.

He’d tried to avoid this town at all costs after the accident. He’d actually done a pretty stellar job, but now his family needed him. Liam thought he could just be a financial partner and stay in Savannah, but when he’d asked for time off to help with the renovations and start-up, he’d been given an ultimatum. As much as he wanted to stay in Savannah, even he wasn’t that much of a jerk to turn his back on his family . . . on Chelsea’s dream.

She might be gone, but she was still the glue that held the family together. When Zach, Sophie, and Liam had been in the accident, Chelsea was the one who kept trying to offer support, to offer advice. When Zach had been sent to prison for a year because of the drinking and driving and all the injuries Liam and Sophie endured, Chelsea had been the one to beg Liam to go visit Zach. Liam hadn’t been able to bring himself to go, hadn’t been so willing to forgive. Still, Chelsea had wanted her family back together; she’d not been able to handle all the tension, the brokenness.

Liam couldn’t keep dwelling on the past. He’d worked hard to get beyond all of that and getting swept back to that time threatened what he was living for right now. As much as he wanted to help his brothers with Bella Vous, Liam also wanted out. He didn’t like being in this tiny town. He’d gotten so used to being away, had created a life that worked for him. He was too vulnerable, too exposed here, where everyone looked at him—at his face—and instantly remembered the accident.

There were just too many emotions associated with this place. Losing his mother at a young age had ruined ever going back to his hometown, over an hour away, and the accident when he’d been in his early twenties had put a dark stain on Haven. Being here pushed him way too close to a past he’d outrun—and way too damn close to Macy.

How had he let his soon-to-be sister-in-law talk him into living above Macy’s store? Sophie was a real estate agent, for crying out loud. Surely she knew a slew of places that were perfect for him. But for a few months he’d been living in Macy’s old apartment, right above where she worked. Thankfully she was usually gone by the time he got home and he had a separate entrance up the back of the building.

But tonight he’d needed some stupid putty and had to face her. Stubborn woman thought he’d just let her come in and fix the sink? He could fix a damn sink.

When he’d first come back to Haven, he’d listened to her talk about her dates. He hated the jealousy that speared him each time he overheard her talking to Sophie or Cora. The other two ladies were his future sisters-in-law and Macy’s closest friends. Damn it. There was no way to avoid her entirely.

She was literally in every aspect of this new life of his. Another reason he needed to get out of Haven and back into his comfort zone—because he sure as hell wasn’t comfortable here.

One night he’d been returning from the resort and she’d been coming in the back door. It was late, the sun had set, and they’d started a simple conversation, which turned into an argument. He honestly couldn’t recall the contents of the argument now because the fact he’d lost his mind and nearly kissed her overrode everything prior. He’d gripped her face, in an attempt to shut her up, but the second he leaned in, his lips barely brushing against hers, he pulled back. She was too much temptation and he had a whole host of issues that kept him detached. Besides, he didn’t want to stay in Haven forever.

Getting involved with Macy on any type of physical level would only lead to one or both of them getting hurt.

Being a financial backer for Bella Vous was all the commitment he wanted, but he couldn’t just leave his family in a bind, so he’d stay until they found another chef. Of course, he’d have to actually tell his brothers to start looking for a replacement, and he wasn’t quite mentally prepared to have that conversation with them.

But he’d been unable to save his mother from the brain aneurism, unable to save Chelsea from her skiing accident, so here he was paying some sort of penance in an emotionally warped way because he needed to do something to justify all of this guilt.

The only time he ever had complete power over anything was in the kitchen. What started out as a hobby with his mother had quickly turned into a passion. Some might have seen this as an immediate man-card removal, but they didn’t know the science that went into cooking, the skill, precision, patience, and control.

The control. Every facet of his life came back to that.

A shrink would get lost inside all the various tunnels and sharp turns in Liam’s mind. Even Liam knew that he was a mental mess. He was well aware of the fact he clung to his profession in an attempt to keep that bond with his mother, but it went so much deeper than that. His mother’s dream had always been to open her own restaurant, but they’d been too poor for her to even consider such a notion.

Somewhere along the way, Liam had inherited that need to have his own place. And while he didn’t own anything of his own in Savannah, he had been the head chef in the city’s most sought after restaurant. Everything that he’d made for himself was back in Savannah, waiting on him to return and pick up where he’d left off.

On a sigh, Liam cursed himself. Between the Macy mind games and thinking of why he chose to be a professional chef in the first place, he was having a Dr. Phil moment with himself. And if that wasn’t the most pathetic thing ever, he didn’t know what was.

Liam grabbed the spices he needed and started mixing together his own concoction. He’d had the greatest idea for an herb bread and dipping sauce, but he needed to try them out privately first. He had two very important ladies in his life who were all too eager to sample his made-up recipes.

A year ago his youngest brother, Zach, had reconnected with sweet Sophie. Their reunion had been bittersweet as they were all still reeling from the death of Chelsea, who’d been Sophie’s best friend. Sophie had played a huge part in getting Bella Vous up and running, and out of the clutches of the mayor, who wanted to turn the house into some stuffy museum.

Then Zach had discovered a runaway teen hiding out in the old house during the renovation stage. Brock had been abused, emotionally and physically, and Zach, who didn’t do commitment, suddenly found himself taking the boy in. Add in a stray dog who had puppies in his laundry room, and Zach had an instant picture-perfect family.

Liam couldn’t help but laugh at his brother, who had always avoided any type of relationship at all costs. Their childhood home was now filled with a moody teen, dogs all around, and a woman who doted over Zach’s every move.

Liam ignored the tug of jealousy. What did he have to be jealous of? He didn’t want that life. Not at all. But his younger brother Braxton had found himself falling head first into love as well, and Liam was beginning to wonder what the hell was in the water in this town.

Just before Christmas, his college professor brother got tangled up with the town’s new masseuse, who just so happened to be the heiress to a chocolate company known around the globe. The most shocking part about Cora was the fact she was blind. Not that her lack of sight defined her by any means; the woman was so talented and she could rely on her other senses to hone in on those around her. There was constant praise from clients at the resort. Cora was helping to get their name out there, and Liam couldn’t be happier for Zach and Braxton.

Happy endings weren’t for everyone, though. Liam adored the women his brothers were bringing into the family, but he wanted his old life back. He wanted to be out of this little town. He hated walking down the street and having people stare. The old people who knew the story behind his scar looked at him with pity, while the newbies who had no clue what had happened often looked at him with repulsion. Yeah, the scar wasn’t a pretty sight, but what could be done at this point? Plastic surgery would only fix so much, and no way in hell was he subjecting himself to more pain, physical or emotional. He didn’t need to be pretty to pursue his goal of owning his own restaurant.

No, he’d live with the ugly reminder of a night that still haunted him. If he’d only insisted on taking the keys. If he’d only been more forceful and adamant about being the driver, perhaps there wouldn’t have been an accident. He wouldn’t have a scar, Sophie wouldn’t have a limp, and Zach wouldn’t be a felon.

But nothing could be done now. The past was over and Liam needed to move on. And he had. He’d gone to Atlanta, had attended culinary school, and made a name for himself in Savannah. He’d been just fine working behind closed doors where he could hide from the world and do what he loved.

Unlike Zach and Braxton, Liam actually had had an amazing upbringing with his single mother. She was the first woman he’d ever loved, the one who always put her needs last and often went without new things in order to pay for Liam’s spot on the Little League team or for those karate lessons. He didn’t realize at the time just how much she had sacrificed.

Liam pulled the dough from the refrigerator. He’d mixed it the other evening and sat it inside, knowing it needed to chill for a while so he could mess with it later. He needed this outlet, needed to escape. And though he worked all day at the resort preparing meals and snacks for guests, when he was home he still found the task relaxing. Not many people could say they loved their job this much.

When a passion coincided with a career, there was so much joy. At least, there should be.

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