Page 22 of Begin Again, Part 1

"You know she means well. She wants you and Liam to give it a shot."

"Give what a shot? It was just a hook-up." Eden said as she cleaned up their plates and closed the box with the leftover pizza. "The only thing I want is for Liam to meet his son. I was wrong to leave without telling him about Aiden. But Grammy's death made me realise the importance of family. Aiden deserves to know his father, so I'll reach out to Liam."

"What about the ring?" Sienna glared at the ring on Eden's finger. "It's been two years."

"I like it. It keeps all the flirts away. Everyone assumes I'm married—"

Sienna's phone rang before Eden could finish justifying why she still wore the ring when her ex was now married and had a baby on the way. She listened to her friend's end of the conversation. Something about a celebrity cheating scandal.

"Sorry, I have to run. Big scoop!" Sienna said when she was done with her call. She raced to the living room to grab her bag and denim jacket, pausing long enough to kiss a still-sleeping Aiden on the cheek, before dashing off to chase her dreams.

Eden watched with a wistful look in her eyes as her friend drove off. They'd all made progress in their careers. Lydia was a second lead in a daytime soap that no one watched, and a mega influencer. Sienna had an entertainment column in Dirt, one of the country's top-selling tabloids. Cassandra's pastries were sold nationwide, and she'd struck a deal with a few bakeries. The money was so good, she'd opened up Chefs Kiss, her culinary studio.

Everyone's lives had progressed, but Eden was still paddling along. She didn't regret having Aiden, but falling pregnant had set her back in her career by at least five years. She'd have to work twice as hard to catch up with her peers.

Feeling sorry for herself, Eden ran to her car to grab everything they'd need overnight. More blankets, her laptop, toiletries, and their nightwear.

She made a makeshift bed on her bedroom floor, changed Aiden into his pyjamas, and tucked him in. After their long drive, she desperately needed to freshen up, so she headed to the bathroom. It was small, and the fittings were old-fashioned. But they'd have to do until she could revamp it. A clawfoot tub was at the top of her renovations list. How else would she soak in bubbles after a long day at her demanding but fulfilling imaginary job? She giggled at her silly thoughts and brushed her teeth before stepping into the shower.

She spent a long time in there, playing with the ring. Maybe Sienna was right, and it was time she let it go. But no one gave her judgy looks when they saw the ring. No one questioned Aiden's existence, even though they'd never seen a man around them. They all assumed there was a tragic story behind his absence, and they weren't wrong. The real reason for holding on to the ring, though, was simple. She felt naked without it, and for the last two years, it was her safety blanket, one she wasn't sure she was ready to let go of yet.

Aiden was awake when Eden returned to the bedroom. She fed him some yoghurt, helped him brush his teeth, and changed his diaper before tucking him in again. He was wide awake, though, watching her with mild curiosity while she applied for jobs.

She sent her CV to several companies, praying at least one would call her back for a junior assistant role. But with her three-month experience, she wasn't holding her breath. So she scoured the Creative Marketplace and searched through the freelance job listings. There was nothing for children's books, but she sent bids for a comic book and a graphic novel. Within minutes, both authors asked her to send through her portfolio. By the time she turned off the lights, she'd secured both jobs.

"We'll be happy here, Aid," she told her now sleeping son as she kissed him on the forehead.

Chapter

Eight

FIX ME

Liam sat in his therapist's office, contemplating their relationship. It was clear, after two years and countless sessions, they'd exhausted all options.

"You said you could fix me," he said as he watched a guy tee off on the rooftop of the building across. His posture and the way he held the golf club were all wrong. Liam had an uncontrollable urge to fly through the window and show him how it was done. Golf wasn't something you played half-assed. Your form had to be perfect. Otherwise, you were ruining the classic image of the sport.

"Liam, we've talked about this," Dr Linda Swartz said in her monotone voice. It helped calm restless, agitated patients most days. Today, he was agitated and restless. But no amount of coddling from her could soothe him.

He reluctantly returned his attention to the monochrome room. Linda didn't believe in a life of excess. It showed in the minimalist way she'd done up her corner office on the fifth floor of Medical Mews, home to several medical experts.

Liam remembered seeing something about a plastic surgeon somewhere inside this six-story glass and chrome building. It was time he popped by his floor. If he could give people fake breasts and butt lifts, his little problem should be a piece of cake for Dr Paul Reiner. Surely he could fix him.

"Unless you confront the root cause of the problem, your fear of intimacy will continue to persist."

"Are you even listening to me?" Liam released a heavy sigh. "I don't have a fear of intimacy!"

Laura, his 'on again' girlfriend, would disagree. He wanted to have sex with her. But every time it came down to crunch time, he couldn't get aroused.

"Don't you think you should refer me to someone?" Liam suggested. It was clear that talking about his problem wasn't working.

"We've tried that." Linda's eyes clouded with sympathy Liam knew she didn't feel. How could she understand his feelings of crushing defeat every time he wanted to perform but couldn't? Linda wasn't a man and didn't have erectile dysfunction. Or a girlfriend who fought with him because her needs weren't being met.

She was right, though. Consulting various experts, including urologists, was all he'd done these past two years. All ten renowned doctors in their fields couldn't help him. Not one of them had a cure. But they'd all assured him his equipment was in good working condition. There was no medical reason he couldn't get it up.

His quest for answers had led Liam down the path of sex therapists and 'love' gurus. He'd even tried all kinds of massages. But nothing had worked. Something in him was irrevocably broken, and when he began seeing Linda, she promised she'd fix him. That was two years ago. He was still waiting.

"How's the search going?" Linda asked as she scribbled something in her notebook.

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