Page 88 of Begin Again, Part 2

Eden turned to look at him. "I know this doesn't change anything. And it won't bring back the years you've lost with Aiden, but I didn't keep him from you out of malice. I genuinely thought I was doing what was best for all of us, and I didn't want to ruin your life, Liam. You didn't sign up for baby when we hooked up. I chose to keep Aiden, and I didn't want to saddle with you the responsibility of raising a child you didn't want."

"How could you even think I wouldn't want him?"

"I was wrong. I know that now," Eden buried her face in her hands and broke into gut-wrenching sobs.

Liam wanted to reach for her and hold and tell her they'd be okay. They'd work through everything. But it wasn't just two days or two weeks or two months. It was two years without her and their son. He didn't know how she had spent the last two years. But they were the longest and loneliest for him, and there was never a single day that Eden wasn't on his mind. He'd missed her and ached for her with everything in him. Some days, he'd hated her, but in the depths of that hate, he'd loved her too.

"What changed? Why did you come back?" he asked as he turned on the cooker and watched the blue flame roar under the brass stockpot.

"Grammy died." Eden crossed the room and sat down again. "And I missed you. I know it's crazy, considering I didn't know you, but I missed you every day I was gone. I missed being in your arms. I missed your kisses. And I missed how safe and at peace you made me feel that night."

"It's not crazy," he whispered. "That's exactly how I felt. I missed you every day you were gone."

He'd missed Eden until he hated her. He'd missed her until he loved her. He'd missed her until he thought the feeling of missing her would drive him insane.

Liam carried on, holding her gaze. "Sure, when you came back, I was angry at first, but I realised I wanted a life with you. I wanted you in my life. I was ready to commit to you."

"What does that mean?" Eden asked, her eyes wide with confusion. "What do you mean by that? Are you saying you don't want 'us' anymore?"

He picked up a knife and furiously chopped the chicken pieces into smaller bits. "I don't know what I want now, to be honest. I don't even know if there is an 'us' Eden. I fucking told you to end it with the lawyer, but he keeps showing up everywhere. I told you the flowers have to stop, but every damn week a fresh bouquet pops up!"

"Isaac is a good friend, and I didn't know I'd run into him tonight," Eden whispered. "He knows where he stands with me. You know what, I don't even know why I'm explaining myself."

"That's just the thing," Liam snorted. "You never do."

"Wow!" Eden said. "I know it might not seem like it right now, but Liam, I'm still the same person you met two years ago, and I know I made a terrible mistake, but I want you in my life. I want you in Aiden's life, and we can still have the life you imagined."

"How?" Liam asked. "When I can't trust you? This isn't two days or two weeks or two months. It's two years of memories and milestones I've missed."

"Why do you think I came back? Why do you think I allowed Sienna to convince me to go for the interview at Anderson Logistics, and I ended up taking the job even when I didn't have any experience?" she asked softly. "Because I stayed away from you until I couldn't. Even when I thought you were married, I still wanted you, and I wanted you to have a relationship with Aiden. I planned to reach out to you once I'd settled in."

"Yet you went through such elaborate pains to keep us apart," he reminded her. "How many times did I ask to see Aiden's photos? How many times did I ask to meet him? But you consistently declined my requests and denied my attempts. Did you tell Lydia to hide his videos?"

Eden hesitated ever so briefly before she nodded. "I didn't want you to find out about him from a vlog."

"Unbelievable." Liam threw his hands in the air and looked through the fridge for more stuff to add to the soup. He never followed any recipes when he cooked. He liked to experiment, and so far, all his experiments had proven to be big hits with Matthew and Julian.

"I'm sorry. If I could take it all back, I would. I wanted to tell you so many times, but the timing was never right."

Turning to her again, Liam continued when he was sure he could speak without losing his shit. "You know what's the worst? I asked you if Aiden's mine, and you looked me in the eye and told me he's not. How do you lie like that with a straight face? What else have you lied about? How am I supposed to trust you when I don't even know if you're telling the truth or not?"

"I was angry. I said the first thing I could think of to hurt you..."

The sounds of their son fussing in his room crackled through the monitor. They both stared at it for a second, maybe two, before reaching the same decision.

"I'll check on him," Eden said.

"No. I'll go. Take over the cooking," Liam said, and something close to panic flickered in her eyes.

"What?" he asked.

Eden stared at her feet, mumbling softly. "I don't know how to cook. I mean, I can make basic stuff like toast and eggs, rice and veggies—"

"I suggest you learn fast then," Liam said and turned to the stairs.

Chapter

Thirty-One

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