Page 80 of Begin Again, Part 1

Liam waved them off at the entrance of the quaint Mexican restaurant in the food court. "Only temporarily."

Yes, the plan was always to get Eden back. He didn't expect it to be so soon, though. Julian's announcement about her new boyfriend had sped things up.

Gibby pressed her lips together as she yanked him aside to call him to order. "You can't do this. Clara's hired to take care of all your needs, personal and otherwise."

"And I told you, Eden will look after me. What is the issue?"

He'd keep her so busy she wouldn't have time to go on dates and hold hands with the lawyer. There'd be no playdates with their kids and no playing happy family either. He'd shut this shit down fast.

"I wouldn't have an issue if Eden was still your assistant. She won't come back to work for you. Not after humiliating her the way you did." Gibby crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot. "And I still don't know what happened with your therapist and why you've excluded her from your sessions, but if I have to guess, you pushed her too far like I was afraid you would."

Liam tried to protest, but slumped his shoulders in defeat. Everything she said was spot on, and she wasn't done. "You can't keep pushing Ms McBride away and expect a different result every time you mess up. I thought you wanted to get better?"

"I do!" Liam said, careful not to raise his voice.

"Then get Eden on board ASAP and end this thing with Linda," Gibby said. "The longer you keep seeing her, the more you risk people finding out. I won't be here to handle the aftermath."

"I'll fix this," Liam promised, looking over his shoulder at his parents as they watched them with immense curiosity. "I'll talk to Eden. We'll come up with a treatment plan. She'll fix me. And everything will be okay. You don't have to worry about me, Gibby."

But Liam was worried when he entered the restaurant, his assistant's words haunting him throughout the meal with his parents.

He never wanted to confront it, but the longer he kept up with his therapy sessions, the bigger the risk of his secret coming out.

God forbid if his father found out he saw Linda and learned the actual reason for his weekly sessions. It would cripple him. None of the Anderson men had ever suffered from erectile dysfunction, as far as Liam knew. He was the anomaly. The bad code. His father would see him as a weakling.

Then there was the financial fallout. The board would review every decision he'd ever made the minute his mental health came into question, never mind that his brain worked perfectly fine, and the issue was just with his dick—

"Darling, are you okay?" Lois asked, her eyes soft with worry and concern.

Clarke also threw him a worried look.

"I'm okay, Mom, just a conflict with the schedule," Liam lied as he drained his wineglass and played with his food.

"Your father has some news to share!" She clasped her hands, beaming. He hadn't seen her this happy in a while. She looked years younger. He liked it.

Clarke spread out his medical results on the table, a huge grin lighting up his face.

Liam quickly scanned the report, relief surging through his body. He laughed tearfully, his eyes bright with tears. "Congrats, Dad!"

"Now that he's in remission for the second year running, we're thinking of travelling for a while," Lois said excitedly.

"When?" Liam asked as he toyed with his untouched plate of chicken fajitas. He had no appetite, and his mind was on the 36th floor, on the woman he'd given away in a fit of anger. Now he had to figure out a way to get her back. Eden wouldn't return willingly, that much he knew. She'd put up a fierce fight if all their battles since she joined Anderson Logistics were any indication.

"Right after the family fun day," Clarke replied, breaking through his thoughts.

"That soon?" Liam couldn't hide his shock. The company's annual picnic was still months away. But since he relied heavily on his parents' support and guidance to keep the company running like a well-oiled machine, their planned trip was too soon.

"Yes, darling, there's no better time than the present," Lois said, smiling when Clarke leaned over to kiss her nose.

Liam cleared his throat, feeling like a third wheel. He always did when he dined or lunched with his parents, which was why he sometimes brought Gibby or Laura with him.

"How are things? Still seeing that lawyer?" Clarke asked, almost as if he could read his thoughts.

Liam had dated Laura on and off for three years, and brought her home for dinner a few times, but his father never referred to her as anything other than 'that lawyer'. It had bothered Liam in the past. Not so much now, since she wasn't in his life.

"We broke up," he announced.

Lois was ecstatic. She clasped her hands, her eyes shining with joy. "That's wonderful news, honey!"

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