Page 161 of Begin Again, Part 1

"Okay." She nodded earnestly. "No takebacks."

Before he could make her promise, she was already snoring beside him. Liam shook his head, grinning like an idiot. Tomorrow none of it would matter, and they'd be back to being their usual angry selves. But at that moment, with Eden beside him, he was deliriously happy.

His phone rang as he stopped outside Eden's place. As much as he was tempted to ignore her, he knew Gibby wouldn't call him this late on a Friday night unless it was important.

"Mr Anderson," she said, her tone as heavy as her words. "There's a crisis with one of the shipping depots in Port Alfred."

"What kind of crisis?" Liam asked, a wary look in his eyes as he watched a heavyset woman dressed in a blue nightgown shuffle out of Eden's front door and rush to his car. He unlocked the passenger door and took off Eden's seat belt.

"There was a fire."

Liam went ice cold at the announcement. "How bad is it?"

"We lost three warehouses. I'm at your place in Willow Hills right now, packing your overnight bag. The jet's being prepped as we speak."

"Loss of life?"

"None confirmed yet."

"Got it. I'm on my way!" He sighed and banged his hand on the steering wheel, startling the woman he assumed was Eden's nanny with his colourful vocabulary as he swore violently under his breath.

"I'm sorry," he smiled sheepishly.

"No problem. Bad news?" she asked as she scooped Eden out of the seat and helped her up.

"You have no idea," Liam said, reaching down for the handbag and shoes before slipping out of the car.

"I'm Brenda," she introduced herself and held out her free hand.

"Liam Anderson," he said as he shook it. His father once told him that one could tell a lot about a person from a handshake. Brenda's was warm and firm, which told him she was a friendly but no-nonsense kind of person. He figured she'd have to be, to deal with his little spitfire and her son.

"I'll carry her inside," he offered as he reached for Eden.

Brenda shook her head and held up her hand to block him. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

"Why not?" Liam was taken aback by her announcement.

"It's late, and well, you are a man."

"But I'm Eden's boss—"

"Even so, Mr Anderson, while I'm grateful to you for bringing her home, I don't know you. I can't take any chances. Please don't be offended."

Liam couldn't fault her for being cautious, but getting Eden inside the house wouldn't be easy. He tried to explain this to Brenda, but she was adamant she had things under control.

"It's okay; I'll be fine on my own. Besides, it sounded like you had an emergency. You should attend to it."

"But—" Liam tried again to help. Brenda wasn't having any of it, though.

"Mr Anderson, I'll be fine," she insisted. And to show him how okay she was, she tucked Eden under one of her fleshy arms while she grabbed the bag and shoes with her other hand.

Liam watched them hobble to the house, with Eden shattering the still silence with her off-key singing as dogs barked in the distance, and lights came on in a couple of houses along the street.

He waited until they were safely inside before he sped off, his mind already on autopilot, preparing for the shit storm awaiting him in Port Alfred.

Chapter

Fifty-One

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