Page 68 of Begin Again, Part 2

She knew she sounded convincing, but her words couldn't be further from the truth. They were both so far out that trying to make their way back seemed impossible, and after today, she wasn't so sure they could. They'd pushed each other too far.

Chapter

Twenty-Five

ALL HIS LOVE

Liam changed into casual clothes as soon as he got home and headed to the nursery, where a crib, changing station, and rocking chair sat in various stages of completion.

He picked up his tools and got down to work. But an hour in, he was still nowhere close to putting the first leg of the crib. No matter how many times he read the assembly instructions, he couldn't get the bolts and screws to fit.

"I give up!" he grumbled as he kicked a spanner on the floor and sent it soaring, wincing when a sharp pain shot through his big toe. Fixing cars was so much easier than building a nursery for his son. But it was a project he planned to see to completion.

He called Eden again. But like the previous five times, her phone rang for a long time before the voicemail lady picked up. Sighing in frustration, he called the nanny, and she confirmed Eden wasn't home. As far as she knew, she should have been at work already.

"How's Kool-Aid?" he asked. "Is he behaving? Does he need anything?"

Brenda assured him his son was doing well and had everything he needed.

Except me, Liam thought sadly, his anger at Eden roaring back to life. If she hadn't—

"Mr Anderson," Brenda said hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"I know it's not my place, but when will you meet him, sir?"

"Soon," he promised, and ended the call before she could quiz him further.

He waited two years to learn of his son's existence. Three more weeks weren't much in the grand scheme of things. So he'd resigned himself to meeting Aiden when he returned from his trip. If he saw him now, held him, and got a whiff of his sweet baby smell, he'd never leave. And as much as he wished he could postpone his tour, he couldn't. Two thousand people depended on him for their livelihoods. He couldn't drop the ball again, like he'd done with the trucks. In the meantime, he'd finish his slow-going DIY project.

He approached the mess on the floor again, realising his mom was on to something when she stopped by to check on him earlier in the week. He should have just bought the already-assembled pieces. But he'd wanted to build something from scratch with his own hands and pour all his love and time into this room. It was the least he could do, give his son the love and time he wasn't able to in the first two years of his life.

Liam's phone rang. Thinking it was Eden, he scrambled to his feet, his palms growing clammy as his heart rocketed. But all his hopes were dashed when he picked it up from the changing station and saw it was Julian.

"Dude, where the hell are you? Why did you cancel all your meetings?"

Liam made up vague excuses. His cousins still didn't know about Aiden, and if he told them about his DIY project, they'd rush over and try to help. He couldn't allow that. His son's nursery was his little project, a manifestation of his commitment to a tiny human being he fell in love with at first sight—

"Is everything okay?" Julian asked.

"Yeah, I just have a lot of work to catch up on before I fly out," Liam lied and promised to check in later before he hung up.

He pondered the mangled pieces on the floor for some time before picking up the instruction booklet again. After fifteen minutes of wrestling with the screws, he gave up on the crib, convinced the store had sent him a bad batch. But since he was stubborn and defeat didn't exist in his dictionary, he turned his attention to the rocking chair with newfound energy.

With proper focus and dedication, Liam was done in two hours. He stood back and surveyed his handiwork, immensely proud of his achievement. If this didn't earn him a gold star from Eden, nothing would. But he had to show it to her first, and he couldn't if she kept ignoring his calls.

He checked his Apple watch, growing even more agitated when he saw the time. 12:05 PM.

"Are you kidding me?" he fumed. Eden should have called him back already. She was testing his last resolve with her stubbornness.

The doorbell rang. Grumbling under his breath, Liam went to get it, wishing he hadn't dismissed his staff for the day.

Julian waved the two beer cases as soon as Liam opened the door. "We came to keep you company. You're welcome!"

Matthew sprung out of the shadows with a pizza box in his hands. "Surprise!"

Liam was more annoyed than surprised. He didn't want company, but he invited them in. "Please, make yourselves at home."

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