Page 27 of Begin Again, Part 2

Hours later, when Liam opened his eyes again, Eden sat on the edge of the bed, hurriedly throwing on her clothes.

"What's going on?" he asked groggily.

"I have to go," she said.

He checked the time on his phone and groaned. 2:45 AM.

Ordinarily, he'd be getting up in thirty minutes to start his day. But today, deliriously spent and blissfully numb from their lovemaking, Liam didn't understand why they were awake at such an ungodly hour. They should be snuggling, and he should be spooning her.

"It's late; come back to bed. I'll drive you home in the morning," he offered.

Eden wasn't having it, though. "Go back to bed. I'll call an Uber."

Liam scratched his head, confused by this sudden turn of events, his irritation levels at her stubbornness creeping up at unprecedented speeds. He'd hoped to have a lazy start to his day with her in his arms, and maybe some breakfast and dessert in bed. But Eden seemed eager to run away from him. Again.

"Come on," Liam tried again to change her mind. "Look at the time; it's late. Just come back to bed already!"

Eden was adamant about leaving as she bit her lower lip, a thoughtful look in her eye. "I have to be home when Aiden wakes up."

Liam got that, and he loved her even more for always thinking about her son first, but a part of him couldn't help but worry.

"Is everything okay? Are we okay?" he asked, even though he wasn't sure he'd like her response. But, he had to know if their night was as breathtaking for her as it was for him.

Sure, he'd managed to make love to her without messing up, and he thought their encounter was phenomenal. But maybe Eden didn't feel the same way, and maybe that was why she wanted to get the hell out of his place, like the devil himself was chasing after her. So he steeled himself for her response, his anxiety mounting the longer she remained silent.

"Eden?" he prodded her as he sat up, hating how emotionally raw and vulnerable he felt. He'd never felt so unsure about anything or anyone in his life.

She looked up from her shoes and smiled at him, nodding quickly. "Of course we're okay. We're perfect."

Almost as if to convince him how okay they were, she leaned over and kissed him fully on the lips.

"Marry me," Liam said when they came up for air, startling them both with his impulsive proposal. He knew it was too soon and way too early in the day to make such a life-changing decision. But since he'd already thrown the idea out there, he might as well go all in. So he went full steam ahead, well aware of how ridiculous he sounded. "We can go to the courthouse and get our marriage registered, and later we can have a proper wedding."

"Are you drunk?" Eden paused and threw him a suspicious look.

Yes, he was drunk on lust and could still be pussy-whipped, but in the few hours he had her in his arms, Liam had realised he wanted their arrangement to be more permanent. He wanted to go to bed with her beside him and wake up with her in his arms.

"I want you in my life, Eden," he said, pulling her back down on the bed. "And since you don't want to move in with me, I must make you my wife."

"Whoa!" She flew out of his grasp and stopped in front of the sliding door, a small frown in her wary eyes. "I don't want to be your wife."

"Why not?" Liam was perplexed by the notion she didn't see herself as Mrs Anderson.

Eden crouched down to tie her manly shoes. "Because you want to marry me for all the wrong reasons."

"Says who?" He countered as he got up and stalked around the bed, not in the least self-conscious at his nakedness.

Blushing like a new bride, Eden turned away from him. "You can't marry someone for sex. And throw on some clothes!"

"That's not what you said last night." Liam chuckled as he stalked off to his walk-in closet and threw on a pair of jeans.

He carried on teasing her when he returned to the bedroom. "If my memory serves me correctly, you begged me to take off my clothes."

"I did not," Eden mumbled over her shoulder as she ran downstairs, her face as pink as the lacy lingerie set she wore under her clothes.

She was sitting at the breakfast counter when he came down minutes later with a gift box in his hands. He set it in front of her.

"What's this?" she asked, staring at the box with intrigue and some apprehension.

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