Page 60 of Begin Again, Part 2

"I'm still so furious with her, Mom. I don't think I can forgive her for what she did," Liam said.

Before today, he was ready to commit to Eden and hand his heart to her. But now, he couldn't see past her betrayal.

"Do you love her?" Lois asked.

Liam nodded. "With every breath in me."

"Then you'll find it in your heart to forgive her," she said as she gave him a long hug. "I know you're hurt, angry, and disappointed. But don't let those feelings get in the way of your happiness."

"Remember, it's not just about you anymore," Lois added when they eased apart. "Think about Aiden."

As Liam watched his mom slide in the back with his father and their car pull away, her words weighed heavily on his mind. His son was all he'd thought about from the moment he knew of his existence.

Chapter

Twenty-Two

THE EXTREME

Their cold war lasted three days. It would have been longer if Eden hadn't decided to grow a pair and confront Liam. After wearing the tiles thin with all her pacing outside his office, she finally plucked up the courage and knocked on his door. She knew he was free. He'd cancelled his 11:00 AM and offered no reason. Since he was the boss, she never asked because she was already skating on thin ice.

She waited two minutes to be invited inside. Liam's disembodied voice, drifting from the other side of the door, sent an exhilarated spark up her spine, and she closed her eyes, remembering all the blissful moments he'd said her name, the way he'd touched and kissed her. God, she craved his kisses as much as she missed the way he called her 'Princess'.

"Keep it together," she told herself. Getting distracted when she was so close to an important negotiation wasn't the smartest of ideas. She needed all her wits about her for their chat. So she took a deep breath before flinging the door open.

Liam sat behind his messy desk, his tie carelessly strewn beside his thick stack of files. His rolled-up sleeves showed off the reddish hairs on his forearms, but she'd drool over that another day. The beard, goodness—no—the stubble, was doing things to her she never imagined were possible.

She always thought facial hair wasn't her thing. Boy, was she wrong! The three-day stubble on Liam's face made him all the more dangerous for her sanity. When he looked up from the report in his hand, and their eyes collided, Eden thought she'd faint right there from missing him. Other than a terse text message the morning after their fight, demanding all the photos and videos of his son, there'd been no further communication from him. No attempt to see Aiden either. And no explanations.

"You wanted to see me?" His face was impassive, his voice, though, held an edge she hadn't heard in a while, and she knew then she had an uphill battle on her hands. Liam hadn't even begun to forgive her, and as she stood there, staring back at him with apprehension and sadness, she wondered if he ever would.

"So?" He leaned back in his seat, hooked his hands together behind his head, and brought his long legs up on the desk.

"I wanted to talk about the custody agreement." She smiled, or at least tried to. But it never made it to her face. His death glare shot it down quickly.

"Did you get a chance to think about it?" She forged on, even though she was a little unnerved by the tiny muscle twitching on his jaw the longer she remained in his presence.

His face hardened as he gritted his teeth. "I told you, you'll hear from my lawyers soon."

"I was hoping we could settle this without involving third parties," Eden said, her breath evaporating in her chest at the fury burning hot in his eyes.

"It's a little too late for that, don't you think? You've already consulted your lawyer. It's only fair you afford me that same privilege."

"Isaac is not my lawyer. He just helped me—"

"Don't you ever mention him in my presence again!" Liam snapped as he swiftly got on his feet. Eden took a few steps back, convinced he'd come around and throttle her. Surprisingly, he stayed behind his desk, his fists planted firmly on the surface.

"He knows about my son!" The inhuman sound rumbling in his throat chilled her as much as the accusations swimming in his eyes. "Isaac Jones knew about my son before I did! He had play dates with my son. He took him to the park, and God knows where. How the hell does that make sense in your head?"

The calm, adult conversation Eden had hoped for descended into thirty minutes of harsh accusations from him and sniffled apologies from her.

"I'm so sorry, Liam." She wailed in her hands, her tears breaking through. Three days was the longest she could pretend she was okay. "I know I'm wrong. I made a terrible mistake, and I'm trying to fix it. Please give me a chance to fix this."

"You could have ended this shit show at any time, Princess, and you chose not to."

"I'm sorry." Eden bowed her head in shame.

"So am I," he replied. "My legal team will be in touch with you soon. If there's nothing else, I suggest you return to your creative plan for Ms Edwards' onboarding."

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