Page 87 of Begin Again, Part 2

"Right now?" he asked, his eyes straying to the clock in the living room.

It was 10:15 PM. A bit late for a serious chat.

"Yeah." Eden smiled. "No better time than the present, right?"

Liam's gut clenched, and the alarm bells in his head went off at her tone. He didn't like it, and he didn't like seeing her so subdued.

Where was his sassy Princess, the woman who constantly pushed his buttons and tested his limits? He wanted to see that woman again.

He crossed the room and dumped the soiled shirt on the couch.

"Come here," he said as he pulled Eden up to her feet and held her close, resting his chin on top of her head as he tightened his arms around her.

Maybe he was impulsive for bringing her over, especially since it was his last night with her for a while. Letting her go in a couple of hours would be harder than anything he had ever done.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, trying to delay their chat even though it was as inevitable as his trip.

He'd wanted this talk. He'd wanted them to clear the air. But now that it was finally happening, Eden seemed so deathly calm and prepared for it, maybe too prepared, he wished they could postpone it until after his return because it was bound to get ugly and brutal. He was so afraid that by the time they laid everything out in the open, there'd be nothing left of their hearts.

"—No, I'm not hungry. I can't seem to hold anything down tonight," Eden said.

Liam didn't hear her, because he'd already released her from his embrace and was now looking through the fridge. He grabbed some veggies, and a tray of chicken his butler or one of the housekeepers had the sense to defrost.

"I'll make you soup," he announced, turning back to her with a nervous smile. It had been a while since he made anything, and had likely gone rusty. But, he wanted to cook for Eden at least once. If Ivanov followed through with his threat, he might never get another chance.

"You like chicken soup, right?" Liam asked, pulling out pots and knives and a chopping board from the cupboards. "It should settle your tummy. You threw up quite a bit in the car."

"I'm sorry," Eden whispered and stared at her hands on her lap.

"It's okay. Matthew will get the car cleaned—"

She shook her head. "No. I'm not apologising for that. I mean, I should. And I will when I see Matthew. But that's not why I'm sorry right now."

Frowning, Liam crossed his arms and stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Two years ago." Eden looked up, her eyes glistening with tears. "I'm sorry for not telling you about Aiden. I'm sorry for running to the Blue Mountains when I should have stayed and fought for our family. And I'm sorry for drawing up the custody agreement without your input. It's all my fault, and I know that, and I'm so sorry."

Her words left Liam speechless for several minutes, and he leaned on the counter, blinking away his tears, the searing ache in his heart worse than anything he'd felt in a while. He took too many shallow breaths in that minute or two while waiting for her justifications. But they never came. He'd expected some screaming and maybe some tears and excuses from her. But what he didn't expect was her raw honesty and determination to take accountability for her actions.

"Why?" Liam asked when he was sure he'd swallowed down the lump in his throat. "Why didn't you tell me when you found out you were pregnant?"

Eden released a long ragged sigh as she went to the sink to rinse her mug. "I didn't want to ruin your life."

"Ruin my life? How?" Liam whipped around and stared at her.

"I thought you were married, remember? When we met, you told me—"

"I know what I told you!" he yelled, startling them both with the sudden spurt of anger in his words. "I know what I said that night."

Knowing they'd lost so much time because of a misunderstanding, something that they could have easily cleared up had she been brave and asked for clarity instead of running to the back of beyond, didn't sit well with him. But as much as he wanted to blame Eden for everything, he had to own his part. If he hadn't resented taking over as CEO so much, maybe he'd never have uttered the words that created all this confusion, and maybe the misunderstanding between them—

"I came to find you...to tell you about Aiden," Eden cut through his thoughts. "I think there was a board meeting that day, and I saw you with a woman I assumed was your wife."

"I told you the only woman I've taken to a board meeting is my mother," Liam groaned in his hands.

Eden still had her back turned to him, but he knew she was crying from the sound of her tearful sighs. "I know that now. But back then, I didn't. And looking back, I should have summoned the courage to come up to you and tell you."

"You're damn right you should have. We lost so much time, Princess, and for what?"

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