Page 106 of Begin Again, Part 1

"No, James, we can't. No code names!" Liam pinched his nose. "And she's not the missus!"

"Alright, alright. You are no fun!" James grumbled. "Anyway, Para—I mean, Ms McBride is safe and sound at home now. Her friends showed up fifteen minutes after you left, spent half an hour on the rooftop, and drove her to her place."

"Was she still crying?" Liam hoped not. All that sugar should have at least calmed her down.

"She seemed happy, sir. She was laughing and talking when her friends took her to the car."

Liam shot out a sigh of relief, the pressure in his chest melting away. "Thank you, James."

"Should we keep a team on her?"

"Why?"

"I thought she's important to you?"

Liam fell silent, irritated by the implication. But he was more annoyed with himself, and the realisation that his growing feelings for Eden were so obvious for everyone to see that even his head of security had picked up on them.

He refused to allow this thing, whatever it was, to spin out of control. He had to shut it down fast, and it would serve him well to remember Eden had one job. He couldn't—shouldn't—allow his heart to sway him.

He took several shuddering breaths before he spoke again. "There's no need to stay on her. She works for Anderson Logistics, and I was worried about her. Don't read too much into it."

"Yes, sir."

"And James, stop thinking. I don't pay you to think!" He barked and hung up.

Still annoyed, Liam returned to the living room and paced in front of the TV. "Can you believe him? He's becoming bold!"

"Who?"

"James," Liam growled at the brothers.

"What did he do?"

"He had the balls to assume Eden's important to me, so he wanted to keep a team on her."

"Isn't she, though?" Julian asked.

"Even if she is, it's not his place to point it out!" Liam fumed, properly pissed off that he was explaining himself.

"What's riling you up so much?" Matthew asked as he pushed Julian to the floor and stretched out on the couch. "Is it because James can tell Eden's important to you? Or is it the fact that the woman in question is Eden?"

"You know damn well it's the latter!"

"Why?"

"Because she bloody well left me bleeding, man, and—" Liam's words trailed off, and he stared outside the window at the shimmering lap pool on the deck.

"And?"

"And I'm still furious with her and her mood swings. One whole month she froze me out, and just when I think we've kissed and made up, she pushes me away again," Liam said, shaking his head. "Anyway, if she wants me to stay away from her, I'll do that. I'm done with Eden and her shit."

"Yet you ran all over town, searching for something to make her feel better. The same way you followed her in your car after your disastrous session with Linda to make sure she was okay."

"She's my employee. I was worried about her. I couldn't leave her distraught on the rooftop," Liam explained. "I do have a heart, you know."

"Right," Julian clapped his hands. "Since we all know you hate Eden and plan to stay away from her, can we continue with the game?"

"Sure!" Liam plopped down on the coffee table and picked up his gamepad. If they thought he was competitive before, he showed them no mercy this time.

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