Begin Again novel Chapter 130

Eden stayed a little while with James, demanding answers, an explanation or a hint of the alert level of the shit storm she was in. But Liam's head of security was not at liberty to reveal anything.

Dissatisfied with his lack of cooperation, Eden stormed off, almost bursting into tears of relief when she walked into her living room and found her friends crowded around the couch, gawking at a passed-out Liam snoring peacefully.

She glared at his sleeping form, properly pissed off with him for making himself so comfortable on her new couch. But the traitor in her, the one driven by her heart and not her head, wanted to reach down and brush his tousled hair away from his face.

Brenda rushed up to her from her bedroom, a worried expression on her face as she twisted and unclasped her hands in front of her. "I'm sorry, Eden, he just came in before I could even stop him. He kept saying something about being home at last before he passed out on the couch. He's drunk!"

"Brenda, we've talked about this. No strangers in the house!"Eden said with as much patience as she could muster.

"But he's not a stranger. He's Aiden's—"

Eden quickly covered her mouth with her hand before she could say the words. "Don't say it!"

"How did you even know, anyway?" Lydia turned away from the couch briefly to glance at the nanny.

"Well, I figured it out when he dropped Eden off that one time after her bender. He looks just like Aiden," Brenda whispered, still wringing her hands in front of her, her big brown eyes filled with panic and worry. "Anyway, I didn't have the heart to drag him out of here."

"Did he see Aiden?" Eden asked, her heart soaring out of control again as she held her breath, waiting to hear her fate.

Brenda shook her head, her silk bonnet sliding off her head. She fixed it up real quick, smiling sheepishly. "He was already sleeping when his father arrived."

"Don't say it!" The other three warned her this time.

"Fine! But look at him. They look the same!" Brenda insisted as she crossed her arms defensively over her ample bosom. "Anyone with eyes can see they're related."

"So he didn't meet Aiden?" Eden wanted to make doubly sure she could still salvage this hot mess of a situation. Judging from the heavy stench of alcohol reeking from Liam, he had drunk a whole distillery, and the likelihood of him remembering any of this was slim. But she couldn't take any chances. Not when she didn't know the levels of his memory recall.

"No. the little one hasn't stirred since I tucked him in for the night."

"Good!" Eden said, a wave of relief and joy rushing through her body with such force, it left her swaying on her feet.

If she played her cards right, Liam would leave her place none the wiser.

"Thanks, Brenda. I'll handle it from here," she added, dismissing her for the night.

"Are you sure?" The nanny asked, her plump face tight with uncertainty.

"Thanks for today," Eden said, ignoring her words of caution. She didn't need anyone to tell her she was living on borrowed time, and the longer she stayed close to Liam, the more she ran the risk of him finding out about Aiden.

"Good night," she called over her shoulder as she turned off the light and slipped out of the room.

Clearly disappointed with her poor life choices, Brenda barely acknowledged her.

Eden returned to the living with newfound energy and conviction. If she wanted all their lives to carry on uninterrupted, she had to act fast and get rid of Liam. But one look at her friends still hurdled around him like they were performing some ritual or holding a seance told her it was going to be easier said than done.

Crouched on the floor, her elbows on the edge of the couch, her hands in her chin, Lydia had a front-row seat to all of Liam's hotness.

"Can't we keep him?" She asked.

"He's not a puppy," Eden snapped. "He has a mansion and a penthouse he needs to go back to. Wake him up right now."

"No," Sienna shook her head. "You can't disturb his Royal Hotness while he's resting. Look at how handsome he is when he's asleep. Tell me you're not tempted to keep him."

Of course, she was. She wanted nothing more than to snuggle up to Liam and nestle in his arms. But she was still fuming over the way he went radio silent for almost a month; he couldn't just come and go as he pleased. Her house was not a home for cowards. And he had proven he's a coward when he chose to run instead of letting her in after their disastrous attempt at making love in his office.