Page 69 of Begin Again, Part 2

It was their first visit since he bought the penthouse, so they insisted on a tour. Both whistled in appreciation as they took in the state of the art open plan kitchen and dining area leading into the living room.

There wasn't much else to see downstairs, apart from the guest rooms and bathrooms, so they drifted upstairs to check out the rest of the house. Before Liam could even stop them, Julian was already inside the nursery, a startled look in his eyes as he turned to him and asked. "What's going on? Is this why you skipped work? To build Aiden a nursery?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"So, was Eden impressed? Was she blown away by your handiness?" Matthew smirked.

Liam slumped in the rocking chair and said, "she hasn't seen it yet."

"Are you planning to show it to her?" Julian asked.

"After the trip, I guess." He shrugged.

"You still haven't made up, have you?" Matthew rubbed his chin, a contemplative look in his eye. "Liam, it's been days since Fashion Week and the shit with Laura. Why haven't you begged for mercy like I told you?"

"It's complicated," Liam said. As complicated as it was, he updated them on the circus that had become his life—from finding out he was a father to his latest skirmish with Eden at his lawyers' offices.

His cousins were stunned out of their wits by his revelations, and nothing was said for some time.

"Jesus, Liam!" Julian was the first to get over his shock. He reached for a beer on the floor, popped it open, and swallowed it down in one go. "How the hell do you unleash your fucking lawyers on her?"

Matthew was just as unimpressed. He fumed and spurted out his outrage. "After all the shit you put her through, you still want to fight her for Aiden? If Eden doesn't forgive you for this bullshit, I won't blame her. You've pushed her too far this time."

"What about me? Hasn't she pushed me too far?" Liam asked. "Don't I have a right to be mad? Which part of she kept Aiden from me for two years, didn't you hear? I missed out on so much of his life. I'm not in one of my son's memories. The way I see it, I have more reasons to be angry than Eden."

Matthew and Julian nodded, but didn't say anything. It was just as well because the longer Liam listened to their outrage, the more agitated he grew, and thoughts of reconciling with Eden vanished.

He drifted to the window, lost in thought, as he blindly watched a butt-naked couple jump inside a hot tub on the rooftop of the building across.

"I guess this is the part we congratulate you," Julian said as he joined him in front of the window, and they watched life carry on.

"Here," Matthew said from behind them and threw a beer can at Liam.

He caught it swiftly, popped it open and held it away from him while the liquid gushed out and trickled to the floor. When his stomach rumbled, it occurred to him that he hadn't eaten anything the whole day. So he mindlessly reached for a slice of pizza and gobbled it up, washing it off with his piss-warm beer.

"Why didn't she tell you?" Matthew brought up the one issue Liam had struggled with since learning the truth about Aiden. "Why didn't she tell you two years ago?"

"She still hasn't given me a proper explanation," he scoffed and finished off his beer, acknowledging for the first that maybe that was the main reason he was struggling to forgive Eden. Maybe if he knew why she vanished with his son, he could understand her thinking and start working on untangling the knot in his heart like James suggested.

"So, what are you going to do?"

Liam gave him a rueful smile and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Getting through to Eden would be harder than climbing Mount Everest. But he'd pushed her over the cliff, so he'd have to take the plunge himself to bring her back.

"Well, don't worry, dude, leave it to me," Matthew smiled. "You and Eden will be talking in no time."

Liam nodded absently, his attention on the crib again as he picked up his tools. Like he was afraid, his cousins insisted on helping him, and ten beer cans later, when they finally left him alone, the crib was fully assembled. All it needed was the hypoallergenic mattress he'd ordered online. The store said they'd deliver it in a day or two. He was still waiting.

Liam took a photo of the nursery and sent it to Eden, certain it would spark some kind of reaction from her. When none came, his irritation levels crept up so high he was sorely tempted to rush to Forrest Creek. But he'd learned from his mistakes. A little patience would go a long way.

Chapter

Twenty-Six

LESS IS MORE

Eden was thoroughly engrossed in her marketing presentation when Matthew knocked on her door. She beckoned him inside with a quick wave of her hand, barely looking up from her screen.

"I wanted—" her former boss began, but she held up her index finger to stop him.

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