Page 120 of Begin Again, Part 2

"They are," Eden agreed as they watched father and son in their matching superhero capes attract curious looks from everyone around them.

"What about you? Are you happy?"

"I am..." Eden replied, her voice faltering.

"But?"

"I'm so scared it's just a dream, and I'll wake up in the Blue Mountains, and Liam won't be there. I'm so happy, Brenda. It almost seems too good to be true. And I'm so terrified that all this love and happiness will be ripped from me."

"By who?"

Eden shrugged and sighed. "I don't know."

"You need to relax and enjoy being in love," said Brenda. "I mean, look at that fine specimen of a man!"

Eden turned and followed her line of vision, her heart leaping out of control as the butterflies in her tummy began their frantic dance at the sight of Liam with Aiden now sitting on his shoulders. Their son seemed to love the view from up there so much, he kept waving at everyone around them as they made their way back.

"And if you're not careful, one of those hungry women drooling over Aiden's father will gladly step in," Brenda teased.

"Not on my watch!" Eden shook her head, laughing. But she couldn't ignore the thirsty stares thrown in Liam's direction as he made his way back to them.

"Good, you're still wearing the hat," he said, tapping the brim lightly before handing Brenda the paper bag with the refreshments.

"I don't want water. I want a cape." Eden turned up her nose at the bottle of sparkling water, and no matter how long she stood there, with her arms crossed, refusing to budge until she got a cape, Liam wouldn't give in. He made her take photos of him and Aiden instead. A few included Brenda and his security team.

Feeling left out, Eden asked, "what about one with me?"

"Don't worry; we'll Photoshop you in," Liam smirked.

But James was happy to do the honours. He took tons of photos of the three of them. Most were fun and silly. But there were a few serious ones, worthy of family portraits, that Eden wanted to print and frame.

"Where's our first stop?" Brenda asked as she took Aiden and placed him in the stroller. Liam checked the time and confirmed the dolphin show was about to start. He gathered them all up, and they rushed to the sanctuary. For half an hour, Aiden was captivated by Flipper, the dolphin, and his handler. Next, they moved on to the aquarium, where they spent the bulk of their outing.

"Mommy," Aiden was in his element. He pointed at the shoal of kaleidoscopic fish in the tank. "Nemo!"

"Yeah, baby, that's a clownfish." Eden kissed his cheek. "Good job, Aid!"

"Who's Nemo?" Liam asked as he snatched her water bottle and took a long sip.

"Are you serious?" Eden gawked at him, thinking he was messing with her. But he looked as blank as a clean sheet of paper. "You don't know Nemo?"

"No." Liam shook his head, and she spent five minutes giving him a detailed summary of the movie.

"Why would you let Kool-Aid watch something so sad?"

"Liam!" Eden clapped her hands in front of him. "That's all you took from this?"

"What else was I supposed to take from it? A baby fish got separated from his parents—"

"Argh!" she hit her forehead with her palm. "What about the beautiful friendships Nemo and his father build along the way as they try to make their way back to each other? What about their journey to self-discovery? What about all the life lessons?"

"He's a baby fish. He had no business running around and getting lost!"

"I give up," Eden threw her hands in the air and walked on, unable to believe she'd just spent five minutes discussing a movie about clownfish. She needed better hobbies. "You need to watch the movie. It's one of Aiden's favourites."

Liam's phone rang, and he waved it at her to show her the caller ID, his irritation crystal clear as he picked up the call. Eden listened to his end of the conversation for almost a minute as he directed his cousin to their spot inside the aquarium.

"We're here!" Julian shouted from around the corner before Liam had even hung up. Seconds later, Sienna and Lydia trailed behind him arm in arm, followed by Cassandra and Matthew. They all hugged each other, while the brothers gave Aiden their undivided attention.

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