Page 40 of Begin Again, Part 1

"I can't," Liam said, wishing he could undo their fight. Hurtful words were said. More on his part. There was no way Eden would want to see him again. In his defence, he blamed that damn ring on her finger. It had sent him over the cliff, and for a fiendishly insane moment, he'd wanted to see her as broken as she'd left him. So he'd said every mean thing he could think of to hurt her.

"Why can't you?"

"I may have said things I shouldn't have," he admitted. "Besides, Eden's married now. She also has a son with another man. Some dirtbag who left her with the kid because she kept saying he's not in the picture. I mean, who does that? What kind of idiot doesn't take care of his kid? Anyway, her life's complicated."

"And you still kissed and fondled her?"

"I'm sensing a lot of judgement right now. And you always say this is a 'no judgement' zone." Liam crossed his arms defensively. "Besides, weren't you the one who told me to contact her?"

"That was before I knew she's married and has a child."

"But you said she's the only one who can fix me," he reminded her.

"I'm sorry, Liam, we have to cut this short." Linda left her seat to check the reception area and make sure it was clear.

She was back a moment later and waved at him from the door to follow her. It was safe for him to leave. No curious eyes lurked about, ready to sell the news of his visits to Scandal and Dirt.

"Try to spend time with Eden in a non-intimate setting. A casual chat over coffee in a public place should do it," Linda suggested as she walked him to the service elevator. "She may be the key, but you still have to look inward and figure out what it is about that night that broke you."

Liam frowned at her, bitter disappointment scorching the back of his throat. "I'll see you next week, and I expect more research on the subject. It's time you earned your keep, Linda!"

The house was quiet. Dave and the housekeepers had retired for the night, but Laura was still in his bed. Liam took one look at her and made a beeline for his study. He couldn't bring himself to sleep beside her. Not when he was so confused. Not when his mind was racing with thoughts of Eden in his arms, and his cock hardened at the memory of their kiss.

He turned on his MacBook and tried to work through the agenda notes for the board meeting. But his mind kept drifting back to Eden's reasons for leaving him.

He thought back to that night at Crush two years ago, but he couldn't remember mentioning anything about marriage to her. He could see why she would jump to that conclusion, though. Julian and Matthew had invited a few friends for a night out on the town to help him accept his future as CEO. A bunch of guys at a club, and one of them mentioned it was his last night of freedom, could easily sound like a bachelor party. It made sense that she'd run off without seeing him if she thought he was getting married. But still, whatever her reasons were, he wanted his life back, and she was the only one who could help him.

Liam hated being at her mercy and wished he didn't have to keep her around. But he'd have to tolerate her until she fixed him. So he called his assistant.

Gibby sounded sleepy and annoyed. "Yes, Mr Anderson."

"I want Eden McBride."

"You had her!" Gibby breathed sharply. "Now she's gone, and I doubt she'll come back."

"Make her come back. Give her everything she wants. Enrol her son at the daycare centre, build a play area for him on our floor, and stuff it with all the toys you can find."

"That won't resolve the problem."

Liam didn't like the certainty in her words one bit, and he told her as much. "Gibby, make this happen! We'll give her everything she wants. Clara will do all the heavy lifting, and Eden can spend time with her son."

"And how's any of that fair?" Gibby demanded. "It sounds like you want to keep Eden as your pampered princess while Clara's treated like Cinderella."

"I fail to see how you arrived at that conclusion!" Liam growled, losing his patience fast. "This isn't a negotiation. I want her."

"Sometimes, we don't always get what we want."

He held the phone away from him, tempted to smash it on his desk until it cracked or Gibby told him what he wanted to hear. He was good with either.

He took shallow breaths, willing himself not to say shit he'd regret. He'd already lost one assistant and was now trying to get her back. Pissing off another wasn't an option.

"Eden is important to me," Liam said as he spun around in his office chair and gazed blindly at the flowers and trees blooming in his backyard.

"I've gathered that much."

"No, Gibby, I don't think you know how important she is. She can help me get better."

There was a long pause as his assistant processed his announcement. Liam bit his thumbnail, giving her all the time in the world to connect the dots. He was in no rush, but he wanted Eden as a matter of urgency.

---