Page 99 of Begin Again, Part 1

Chapter

Thirty-Three

IS ANYTHING EVER REAL

Mystified by the last three minutes, Liam watched Eden dash off. One minute she was crying buckets on his chest, and the next, she was babbling all kinds of strange things about Laura.

He stared at the emergency exit, debating whether to follow her or not. She was clearly distraught, but as her least favourite person, he should let her be.

Shrugging his broad shoulders, Liam turned to the bar where a bottle of something—cognac, maybe bourbon—with his name was waiting for him. But, he paused when total panic churned in the pit of his stomach, threatening to suffocate him.

"Jesus Christ!" He groaned. She wouldn't. But this was Eden. Anything was possible with her, especially in her emotional state.

Without thinking too much about it, Liam ran after her, bolting through the emergency exit and up the stairs. By the time he reached the rooftop, he was out of breath and out of his mind with worry, and had made a resolution to hit the gym harder. His four weekly sessions weren't cutting it anymore. He collapsed against the door, enjoying the cool metal on his back as he caught his breath, his heart racing again at the sight of Eden standing too close to the ledge.

Even from the back, she was breathtaking, with her hair fanned out behind her, her floral dress billowing in the breeze like a curtain.

His legs shaky, his entire body drenched in sweat, and his pulse dangerously high from holding his breath because he was afraid to make a sound in case he startled her, Liam approached her.

"Eden—"

"Go away!" she said, not bothering to turn around.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure we can talk about it."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"It's not worth it. Think about Aiden!"

The mere mention of her son got her attention. She spun around and glided away from the ledge, her eyes flashing angrily behind her glasses. "What are you talking about?"

"Killing yourself—"

"Why would I do that? Are you insane?"

"Me? Insane?" Liam was a little dismayed by her attitude. He didn't run up ten flights of stairs to be insulted. "Isn't that why you're here? To jump off the building?"

"You can't be serious! How did you even come up with that?" Eden shook her head in annoyance at him and returned her attention to the millions of stars sprinkled in the dark sky. "I told you I needed a minute. I had something in my eye."

It was a clear lie. She was crying a river just now. He didn't imagine that or the crazy questions she'd asked.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Liam asked, staring at the graceful line of her back and tiny waist.

"Don't pretend to care, Mr Anderson," she snapped, some of her angry words snatched by the gentle wind blowing through her hair. Why did she cut it again? He liked it long.

"I don't care. But you are my employee, and a wellness check is a right thing to do," he lied. Eden was more than an employee. She was integral to his recovery. She couldn't fix him when she was broken or dead. He needed her alive, well and healthy.

"I'm not on company time right now."

"Eden—"

"It's Ms McBride to you, sir."

Her comment irked him to no end. She was putting up her walls again, barricading herself so he couldn't reach her. And if anything, he had seniority, but he'd let it slide this once.

"Step away from the ledge. I can't leave you here."

"Why?"

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