Page 99 of Begin Again, Part 2

"Here you go, Kool-Aid, the breakfast of champions!" he announced as he stepped back into the living room and placed one of the bowls in front of his son. He joined him moments later, and they sat in front of the aquarium and watched the fish while they ate their cereal.

Liam did most of the eating, and Aiden did a lot of the babbling as he ranted about something or other. Once or twice Liam caught something about fishy and Nemo and Mommy. They were still eating when Dave walked through the front door with an armload of groceries.

"Mr Anderson," his butler screeched with excitement as he dumped the bags on the counter. Liam's meltdown and the stunt with the barstool earlier were a thing of the past, and he knew the forgiveness he'd earned so quickly had everything to do with his mini-me sitting beside him.

"He looks like you, sir," Dave said as he knelt down and tried to take Aiden's hand. Before Liam could warn him not to, Aiden was already on his lap, holding on to his neck for dear life with his little arms, his tiny body shaking violently as he screamed his head off.

"No, Daddy!" he wailed on his chest, and Liam spent a long time assuring him he was safe, and Dave wasn't a bad man trying to snatch him away.

"I'm so sorry, Dave," he apologised to the butler when Aiden had calmed down. "He's still getting used to everything. He's still cautious around me, so don't take it to heart."

"Of course," Dave nodded and returned to the kitchen to pack away the groceries.

"I should warn you," he called out from inside one of the cupboards in a muffled voice. "A few reporters are camping outside the estate in Willow Hills. I asked security to take care of them, but they can't since they aren't breaking the law."

"Thanks," Liam said, rocking Aiden in his arms. The bloodhounds were the least of his problems. "Dave?"

"Yes, sir?"

"What do babies eat? We don't have anything for Aiden to eat," he said, a deep frown wrinkling his forehead. "I mean, I didn't expect to bring him home last night, and I gave him cornflakes now, but he only drank the milk. Should I go and get something? What do I even get—"

He would have slipped into a full-blown panic if Dave hadn't stepped in quickly, placing his hands at his sides as he gently shook him. "Relax, sir. Babies eat anything their mothers give them. I'm sure the missus will know what to give him when she wakes up."

"But what if he wakes up again before she does? What do I then? What do I feed him?"

Dave chuckled. "He's a baby, not a gremlin. He won't wake up and start demanding food."

Liam knew his words were meant to comfort him, but they left him feeling even more unsettled and made him realise how painfully underprepared and ill-equipped he was for fatherhood. He knew nothing about being a dad, and so far, his experience with babies only extended to the daycare centre at Anderson Logistics, and his contact with the children was minimal.

"If you aren't sure what to do, ask the missus," Dave offered his wisdom pearls.

"One last thing, what's a 'Nemo'?" he asked.

The butler gave him a blank look and shrugged. "I don't know. Is it important?"

"I think so," Liam nodded. But he'd figure it out later. He had to prepare for the board and PR meetings. He checked his emails for the agenda notes, and his anger sparked to life again. Even though he'd explained the stuff with his therapy and Ivanov to his parents, both issues were on the high priority list.

"He's out, sir. Do you want me to take him upstairs?" Dave offered, nodding at Aiden snuggling on his chest.

"That's okay. I'll put him down in a bit," Liam said as he sent one more email to Clara, letting her know he'd attend the meeting virtually. With work out of the way for the moment, Liam returned upstairs, tucked Aiden in, and took a shower to begin what he knew would be the longest day he'd had in a while.

Chapter

Thirty-Three

KILL THE STORY

Eden was jolted out of her long dreamless sleep by the unrelenting heat splashing through the windows. For a head-splitting second, she lay comatose, staring at the ceiling, thinking about last night, afraid to even twitch because even the slightest movement left her feeling sore and tender. There was a reason she ran to the Blue Mountains and hung on to her panties for two years. That reason was now 37 000 feet in the air, somewhere halfway across the world, sipping fancy cognac in his private jet.

"Whee!" Eden squealed with excitement as she flung the covers over her face, replaying her long chat with Liam last night, and all the unholy things they'd done afterwards. When he said he didn't think he could trust her anymore, she thought they were done, and it was game over for them. But heavens, her guardian angel had pulled a rabbit out of a hat and turned things around. Now, she was utterly elated and at peace, and completely head over heels in love.

She couldn't wait to tell her friends. But first, she had to check on Aiden. Yeah, where was her son? She wondered as she sat up and squinted at the baby monitor on the bedside table. He'd barely made a peep this morning.

"Let's do this day!" She said as she rolled onto her stomach, and felt around the end table for her glasses, but found her phone instead. She brought it very close to her face to check the time.

09:15 AM, and apparently, the world had gone up in flames while she was passed out in loved-up bliss. She had forty missed calls and an impressive number of texts, friends and foes demanding her attention. She ignored them all since she was as blind as a bat without her glasses.

She jumped out of bed, and felt her way through the room, looking for her sleep shirt. It wasn't appropriate attire to prance around the house in, especially with Liam's housekeeping staff around, but she couldn't exactly leave the room naked.

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