Page 129 of Begin Again, Part 2

Forty

HAUNTED ME

Liam stopped by the nursery to check on Aiden after their shower. His son had kicked off his blanket, but his plushie was still firmly at his side, his tiny hand wrapped around the bear's arm.

He leaned over the crib and kissed him on the forehead. Aiden opened his eyes and sighed sleepily. "Daddy?"

"Yes, baby," Liam smiled as he covered him up with his blanket.

"Nemo sleeping?" Aiden mumbled before he closed his eyes again, and he was out like a light.

"Yes, he is. Sleep tight, Kool-Aid," Liam said as he kissed him again and dimmed the light before leaving the nursery, a regretful look in his eyes.

He'd barely spent time with his son, and the next few weeks weren't going to be easy either once he got entangled with the Ivanovs. But he didn't want to be that guy, the one who never had time for his kid. A lot would have to change for that not to happen, starting with his work hours.

"I was about to call a search party," Eden looked up from the paperback in her hands when he walked into their bedroom.

"Missed me already?" he smirked as he threw the towel on the floor and slipped under the covers.

She placed the book on the bedside table and took off her glasses. "You are not sleeping with me naked. You'd better get dressed!"

"Are you going to stop me, Princess? You know I sleep naked." Liam laughed and drew her in his arms. "Anyway, when are you closing up your house?"

"I'm meeting the estate agent this week, but we have to go back soon," she replied.

Liam tensed up, not liking her announcement at all. "Why? I thought you were moving in with me."

"We are, but a lot has to happen before then," she replied. "I don't even have my work clothes, and I'll have to borrow one of your shirts tomorrow."

"A lot like?" Liam asked. It sounded like a lot of excuses and delaying tactics to him. But after Eden ran him through her detailed checklist, from finishing the renovations to deciding what to do with her grandmother's furniture, he realised she was right. Moving house wasn't as simple as packing up one's bags.

"Then there's the issue with the house itself. Do I sell the place or rent it out? What do you think?"

Liam was too tired to think. But he replied anyway, "I think you should do what makes the most sense."

"Selling it makes more sense," Eden said. "Then I can help Cassandra with her studio."

"What's wrong with her studio?"

Eden filled him in on her friends' struggling business. He must have passed out while she was talking because he was awakened by the sounds of her heavy retching some hours later.

He reached for his phone and checked the time.

04:13 AM.

He pushed the covers aside, ready to check on Eden. But the bathroom door creaked open, and she crawled out, looking like a zombie from one of those horror shows.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" she asked, as she dragged herself onto the bed.

"Nah, I was awake," Liam lied and opened his arms for her. She snuggled close, resting her head on his chest.

"We're going to the hospital today," he announced.

"No." Eden shook her head, refusing to entertain him. "There's no need. You have too many important meetings, so we can just stop at the pharmacy on the way to work."

The argument Liam didn't see coming spun out of control quickly, and for a tense few minutes, they both lost their cool.

He couldn't understand why she didn't want to get help, and Eden insisted she didn't need to go to the hospital. She was perfectly okay.

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