Page 56 of Begin Again, Part 2

This was a major lesson for him to not think with his dick in the future.

Cheerful and chatty by nature, James and Stephen were unusually quiet on the drive back to Willow Hills. Liam wasn't exactly in the mood to figure out the reason behind their long faces. He had a pretty good idea, though. Both men were less than thrilled with how he handled his confrontation with Eden. They'd be glad to know that made three of them, but he'd carry all the regrets.

Liam didn't want to admit it, but Linda was right about everything. He should have given himself time to process and accept the truth before rushing to Eden's place like a madman. And he certainly should have given her time to acknowledge her mistakes. But now, he'd backed them both into a corner, and he saw no other way out. The only way to go now was forward.

He snorted, thinking about a bumper sticker he once saw, proclaiming hindsight was always 20/20. It was a hell of a cliche, one he could never relate to because he always prided himself on his ability to predict how a particular situation would unfold. His foresight had failed him spectacularly this time around when it came to the stuff with Eden. If he'd just calmed the fuck down or walked away—

"Sir, we are here." James snapped him out of his thousand regrets, and Liam looked up at the house. The place looked welcoming enough, with all the lights ablaze. But he didn't want to be there. It wasn't home. His home was on the other side of town, probably still crying her eyes out in her living room. He gently rubbed his chest to ease the knot in his heart at the thought of an inconsolable Eden.

He should call her and reassure her they'd get through this. It would take time, but they'd work through all their issues. But God, he was still so livid with her. Where did he even start with forgiving her?

"Sir, would you like to go somewhere else? Green Point perhaps, or return to Forrest Creek?" Stephen asked as he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in time to the jazzy beat playing on the stereo and the gentle rain thrashing the car's roof.

The engine was still running. All Liam had to do was say the word, and his driver would gladly end all their misery and take him where his heart wanted to go. But he and Eden had butted heads enough for one night. Their hearts couldn't possibly take any more bashing tonight. So he thanked Stephen for the offer and slid out of the car.

"See you in the morning." He waved goodbye at the two men and trudged up the front steps.

He was mentally and emotionally drained, and should wait until he was clearheaded before making snap decisions that would have huge financial implications. But he made one anyway, calling his legal and financial advisers as soon as he'd settled in for the night.

The team of three lawyers, four bankers, and a portfolio manager were at his place in no time. They had a work-in dinner while they went over all his financial affairs and amended his portfolios and life policies.

Things got a little tense when Liam showed them the custody agreement Eden had drawn up.

"It's a standard agreement," George Whitman, his lead lawyer, said as he perused the document. "You both get joint custody of your son."

"I know that. I can read."

George scratched his head, a troubled look in his eyes. "Then what's the issue?"

"It doesn't work for me. I want my son here full time."

"You mean you want sole custody?"

"I'm sure that's not the only way to get Aiden here permanently?"

George pressed his lips together, stifling a sigh.

"Spit it out." Liam snapped. "I don't have the whole night."

"Sir, that's the only way, and unless Ms McBride is deemed unfit, there's very little chance you'll get full custody."

"I want my son and his mother under my roof by the end of the week. I don't care what you do, how you do it, or how much it will cost. But let me be clear, George, you have seven days to get me a solid agreement."

"Mr Anderson, custody agreements take time—" One of his advisers, a pretty, blue-eyed blonde, cautioned. "Perhaps you should consider talking things out with Ms McBride?"

"You are fired!" Liam growled and pointed at his front door.

Her pale eyebrows shot up, confusion flickering on her face. "Excuse me?"

"Eden hid my son from me for two years, and you still want me to be nice? The time for being nice is over. No more Mr Nice Guy!"

"The courts will have to be involved, and we don't recommend going that route," she explained, and for ten minutes, Liam had to hear why a full custody agreement had very little chance of happening. At some point, he switched off and pulled out his phone to check his schedule. He didn't want to hear Bethany's excuses. He paid her handsomely to navigate the legal cesspool on his behalf.

Annoyed by her know-it-all attitude and unimpressed by her incompetence, Liam finally put away his phone. "Beth, don't make your problems mine. And all of you, listen carefully. There's no way in hell my son will split his time between two homes. You'll come up with a solution that will be mutually beneficial for Eden and me without involving the family courts. I don't want full custody. I simply want Aiden and his mother here full time!"

"But—"

"Tell me, Beth, do you still like having your million-rand retainer?" Liam smiled coldly. "And your country club membership, do you still use it?"

---