"I don't remember giving you a choice, Princess," he told her firmly, leaving her no room to argue. "You've been throwing up a storm since last night, and you hardly ate anything this morning. I'm sure if I call your folks right now, they'll tell me you didn't have anything to eat there."
"Fine," she relented as she covered her eyes with her hand and groaned softly. "Just a small sandwich."
"I'll be back in a bit." Liam dimmed the lights and made his way out of the room.
Downstairs, Dave was still struggling to get rid of Mrs Stone. Liam ignored them and made Eden something to eat.
When he returned to the bedroom, Eden was on the phone chatting with a real estate agent. He placed the tray on the bedside table and left to check on Aiden.
"He sleeps through the night, sir," Brenda said from the doorway as she watched him watch Aiden sleep. "And if he wakes up, I'll attend to him. That's why I'm here."
"Thanks, Brenda." He picked up Aiden's stuffed toy and placed it inside the cot. "But I don't mind checking in on him."
"Okay," the nanny nodded and turned to leave.
Liam stopped her. "Do you know anything about Eden's time in the Blue Mountains?"
"Like?" Brenda frowned.
Liam paused, suddenly at a loss for words. He wanted to know what Eden went through when she brought Aiden into the world, and why she almost died. But knowing her, she'd never tell him any of it out of her misguided belief she was protecting him.
"Never mind. It doesn't matter." Liam gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He doubted Brenda would know anyway, and even if she did, it wasn't her place to share.
"Good night, Mr Anderson," she said, and as quietly as she'd appeared behind him, she was gone.
Liam lingered in the nursery for a few more minutes and neatened up his son's room. He picked up the LEGO® blocks, threw them in their plastic crate, and dumped the other toys his cousins had bought Aiden in the huge toy box in the corner. If his son was as messy as his mom, Liam figured he'd be cleaning up after the two of them a lot. But he didn't mind. Their mess made the place feel lived-in like a home should.
When he returned to their bedroom, Eden was absently nibbling on her sandwich and watching reality videos on her phone.
"The TV should be here in a few days," he said as he sat on the edge of the bed and held her hand.
"Whose idea was that?" Eden pointed at the mirror in front of the bed. "Don't you know anything about feng shui?"
Liam chuckled and held up his hands innocently. "I told you I didn't do much with the place, so I'm guessing it was the previous owner's doing?"
For some reason, the mirror seemed to trouble her a lot. "But why?"
"I can think of a few reasons," he winked at her. "And I could show you. But you're not feeling well, so I guess it's your loss."
A pink-reddish blush tainted Eden's neck and cheeks as she hid her face in her hands. "Goodness, do you only think about that?"
"By 'that', do you mean sex? Well, don't you?" Liam chuckled and took the tray from her, relieved she ate half a sandwich.
"No, I don't!" she retorted.
"Hey," he said as he scooted closer and pulled her hands down. "If the mirror bothers you so much, we'll remove it. It has to go anyway to make way for the TV."
"Good. It creeps out."
"Come here." Liam pulled her in his arms and rested her head on his chest. "I'll protect you from the mirror ghost."
"You'd better," she sighed contentedly and fell silent, and Liam didn't feel particularly chatty either. So, he turned off the lights, and they held each other in the dark, both happy to listen to the other's heartbeat.
"I saw Isaac today," Eden said after some time, stirring him back to life with her announcement.
"I know," he replied as he unconsciously tightened his arms around her. "Jace told me."
"Does he report everything to you?"