Page 22 of Begin Again, Part 2

"Mr Anderson—"

Eden clearing her throat behind them snapped him out of his catatonic state. He pulled away from Laura, well aware things weren't looking good for him, as he turned around to look at her.

"Oh, Eden, it's so good to see you again!" His ex smiled sweetly at Eden like they were old friends, making no attempt to move away from his side.

The weight of what she'd just done hit Liam hard. She kissed him on purpose. Not because she wanted him or missed him. But to create doubt in Eden and mess with her head.

For the first time in three years, Liam saw her for what she truly was—the viper his cousins had always warned him about—and he wanted to throttle her. But he was above laying his hands on a woman. So he stood there, looking guilty as sin, and watched the mangled train wreck unfold.

"Laura," Eden returned the smile before turning to him. "I'm sorry to interrupt—"

"You're not interrupting anything, Princess," he said, silently pleading with her not to read too much into what she saw. But the anger and hurt shimmering in her russet pools told him Laura had succeeded in her mission.

She continued, holding his gaze steadily. "Mr Randolph's ready to make the amendments to the contract, sir, and he needs you back inside."

"I'm right behind you," Liam said, painfully aware that his perfect night had just gone up in flames. He should have pushed Laura away when he had the chance. Now he had Hurricane Eden to contend with, and it was the last thing he needed, especially after their hot encounter in the restroom.

Eden threw him a slight nod, and turned on her heel, but not before wishing Laura a pleasant evening.

As Liam watched her make her way back inside the restaurant, her head held high, her movements graceful, he couldn't help but be proud of her for holding on to her composure, especially in the face of Laura's dirty tricks.

Turning back to his ex when they were alone again, he asked. "What the hell was that?"

"I'm sorry, they still don't know we broke up, Li," Laura said, grinning like a Cheshire cat. She wasn't sorry at all.

"You know damn well I'm referring to the kiss. You did that on purpose because you knew Eden was there, and you wanted to mess with her head, right?" Liam said.

"Maybe, maybe not!" Laura shrugged and flipped her hair extensions over her shoulder.

"You are evil!" He snarled, and shoved her aside, but she held on to his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

"It's not my problem if she's insecure and easily jumps to conclusions!" She pouted, fluttering her eyes at him.

Liam breathed in hard and warned her sternly. "Eden is more of a woman than you'll ever be. Don't even think about playing mind games with her, and quit showing up in front of me."

"I just came to have dinner with my friends, and I didn't know you'd be here."

Liam held up his hand, refusing to entertain her. "I don't care, Laura. And you need to tell your friends we are done. I can't keep covering for you and pretend we're still together every time we bump into each other."

"I know, I'm sorry, it's just so hard to let go," she tried to explain, but he cut her off.

"You are making it even harder." Liam shook his head firmly. "If you don't stop this shit, you'll leave me no choice but to get a restraining order."

"You wouldn't!" She gasped and took a step back from him, fear and worry shrouding her eyes for the first time since he ran into her.

"I don't want to, but keep forcing my hand."

"Why is she here?" Laura whined, her sadness burning hot in her luminous eyes. "Why are you taking her to meet clients? That used to be my job. I was your plus-one."

"That role has now been filled, as you can see," Liam said. "And don't make things any more awkward than they already are."

He didn't give her room to argue. He pushed her aside again and headed inside the restaurant.

When Liam returned to their table, Randolph was on a call, and Eden was chatting with Kayla.

She tensed up the moment he took his seat beside her, but he still reached for her hand under the table anyway, and she promptly swatted him away. He kept trying until she gave in.

He absently played with the charms on her bracelet for some time, thinking about the sun charm representing Aiden's father. Not for the first time since Eden told Linda about the origins of the bracelet, he wondered if he was the sun—

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