Page 109 of Begin Again, Part 1

The place was too big for one person. It needed people, laughter, and joy, and maybe a toddler who ran everywhere and broke things. It needed love. And the thought of ending up alone and miserable, like Matthew was so convinced he would, terrified Liam as much as his conflicting feelings for the woman whose hurt and tears he could still taste at the back of his throat even long after he left her on the rooftop.

Chapter

Thirty-Six

WANT YOUR FRIEND

A gentle tap on the door pulled Liam away from his laptop, and he was surprised when Eden walked in with a file in her hand. He didn't expect to see her before the marketing meeting after lunch, and he certainly didn't think she'd want to come to his office willingly after their last showdown in this room. This sudden turn of events pleased him.

He openly gawked at her, taking in every little detail, from her side-swept hair to the black knee-length dress and the matching shoes on her feet.

Was she always so pretty, or did it happen overnight? Was that even possible? Good grief, why was he even noticing how pretty she was when he should still be annoyed with her?

"Mr Anderson," Eden said from the door, and he waved her over.

"What can I do for you?" he asked, praying he wouldn't say something stupid to mess up this golden opportunity. Now was his chance to make things right and start working on his plan to win her over. Matthew's warning about the lawyer had bothered him the whole weekend, and he came to a firm conclusion. There was no way he'd push Eden into Isaac Jones' arms and allow whatever he was trying to start with her to flourish.

"The research you asked for on influencers," Eden said, and dropped the folder on his desk. "If it's too late, you can always discard it."

It was too late. His research team had already compiled all the data. But he didn't have the heart to disappoint her.

"You could have emailed it," he said, hoping his voice was gentle.

It wasn't. Eden seemed ill at ease as she looked at the furniture in the room and her pretty shoes. "I didn't know what you preferred. Anyway, thanks for lending me your blazer. It's at the dry cleaner. It should be ready in a day or two. I'll return it soon."

Liam didn't care about the jacket. She could keep it for all he cared. After all, she'd kept his shirt. One more item, maybe his pants, and she'd have a full outfit of his. What he cared about was her headspace.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "Did you get home okay Friday night? Do you want to talk about what upset you?"

"I'm great, thank you, Mr Anderson," Eden mumbled, her eyes still on everything but him. "You don't have to do a wellness check."

"This isn't a wellness check. I'm genuinely concerned about you," Liam crossed his arms and stared at her, wishing she'd look at him, even if it was only briefly. "And since we're alone, there's no need to be so formal. You can drop the title."

"That wouldn't be appropriate, sir—" Eden tried to slot her walls firmly in place again, but Liam demolished them with a quick flick of his hand, waving off her rant. He'd taken just about all he could of her awkwardness.

"Look at me," he commanded, and when she didn't do as he asked, he rose from his seat and walked up to her.

Eden moved back with each step he took towards her.

"Stop!" he warned her. "And that's an order."

The edge in his voice made her think twice. She paused mid-step, her shoulders sagging in defeat.

Liam's heart leapt out of control when he finally stood in front of her, every part of him aching for her. "Look at me."

Eden finally looked up, tears glistening in her eyes.

He pulled her close and wiped them away. "Look, I know I haven't been good to you over the past few weeks. The stuff with Linda, I admit I could have handled it better. As you know, I need you for my recovery, and the last thing I want to do is push you away. Please give me a chance to fix things."

He kissed her forehead, and when Eden grew rigid in his arms, Liam knew it would take a lot more than a sorry to get into her good books.

"This is not appropriate." Her words were like a bucket of cold water over his head, and for a wild minute, he thought he'd imagined them.

"I know you held me on the rooftop of La Famiglia, and that was my fault. I shouldn't have allowed that." Eden carried on, raising her chin stubbornly. "But I thought I made myself clear, sir. You shouldn't touch, hold me or kiss me in any way. You are my boss."

She was right, and as much as it pained him to let her go, he released her from his grasp.

"That's another thing we need to talk about," Liam said. "We were fine last week. Sure, we should have talked first and cleared things up. But we kissed, and I thought we made up. What the hell changed overnight? We were okay when you left me in the elevator. What happened?"

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