Page 91 of Begin Again, Part 2

Aiden couldn't hold back his tears anymore. He screamed his guts out, and Eden scrambled out of her seat to soothe him.

Liam decided to make himself useful and clean up their dinner dishes. If he sat still too long, he'd do something that would land him in prison, possibly for the rest of his life.

The landline rang while he was drying the dishes. He ignored it because he knew it was his parents, and he couldn't deal with them at the moment.

He'd just returned from taking out the trash when the phone rang again. This time Eden picked it up before he could stop her, said a few pleasant words, and handed him the receiver. "It's your folks."

He watched her drift up the stairs with Aiden on her hip, his heart aching at how beaten and defeated she looked.

They had to stop, he decided as he forced his attention to the call.

"Son, I've placed you on speaker. Your mom's here."

"What's going on?" Liam asked, even though he didn't want to know.

"We tried to reach you, but your phone's off, and well, James told us about the Ivanovs—" Lois' voice trailed off.

"Since James reports everything to you, why don't you take him back permanently?" Liam growled, irritated out of his mind at the lack of control over his own life. His house was a mess, and his security detail was running amok, reporting every little detail to his parents, and it pissed him off.

"Yes, Eden and Aiden are here." He carried on, not giving them a chance to get a word in edgewise. "We're trying to work things out, and you'll meet your grandson as soon as I have some control over my life. So please don't keep calling, and don't you dare interfere in my relationship. I'll fix this shit myself."

"Clarke Liam Anderson the third!" his father bellowed. "Who the hell do you think you're talking to?"

"Dad, please." Liam sighed. "I'm fighting for my family. I can't deal with anything else right now. Scold me when I come back in three weeks, if you must."

He didn't give them a chance to make any more ridiculous demands on him. He cut the call and took the phone off the hook. He wanted no repeats.

He made his way to the master bedroom and found Aiden fast asleep on the bed, and he wondered if it was normal for babies to sleep so much. So far, since meeting him, all his son had done was scream his little lungs out or sleep.

He leaned over, kissed Aiden's forehead, and reluctantly left the room and joined Eden in the shower. She was surprised to see him, stunned even more when he reached for her, pulled her close and covered her mouth in a searing kiss as his hands travelled all over her body, caressing every inch of her skin. Within minutes, he had her up against the wall, buried deep inside her slippery warmth.

"Liam—" she moaned over his shoulder as he thrust into her hard and fast, pushing her back on the wet tiles, the jet sprays falling around them like rain. "—I'm so sorry."

"Don't ever lie to me again," he groaned as he pounded into her and wrapped her legs around him to give him more of her core.

"I won't," she assured him breathlessly, her tears mingling with his and the shower spray.

"Promise me, this was the only time," he grunted as his groin tightened in a familiar ache. "Promise me you won't ever keep anything from me again."

"I promise," she said, coming undone, her body quivering. "I love you."

He clung to her, his world shattering around him while she held him tight, her nails digging into his back.

"You are my life, Princess. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you," he said, kissing her shoulder, adding as he set her down again, "but I'm still so angry with you. Give me time."

They soaped each other, rinsed off in silence, and dried themselves in front of the mirror, lost in thought until Liam spoke.

"We should talk about the custody agreement."

"I'll sign anything you want me to sign," Eden said as she threw on a nightshirt and pulled her hair back in a ponytail.

"I don't want you to sign anything," Liam drew her in his arms and held her. "I told George and his team to hold off on everything."

"Why?" she asked, squirming out of his grasp.

He crossed his arms and stared at her. "Isn't it obvious? I was angry and not thinking straight."

"Where do you keep the toothpaste?"

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