Begin Again novel Chapter 83

They were at his childhood home in Glen Eagles in fifteen minutes.

Sitting around the fireplace and enjoying their mid-morning snack, his parents were pleasantly surprised to see him when he walked into the parlour with Eden in tow.

"Sit!" He glowered at her, pointing at the loveseat in front of the French windows overlooking the back garden.

Eden hesitated ever so briefly—as if she's debating whether to challenge him or not—before she sat down.

"Mom, Dad," Liam began. "You both remember Eden, my new assistant. She has a few questions for you."

Eden nodded and stammered all over his parents. "Mr and Mrs Anderson, it's a pleasure to see you again."

"Please call me Lois," His mom laughed, her face beaming with delight. "'Mr and Mrs Anderson' makes us sound so old and stuffy, right, Clarke?"

His father cleared his throat and nodded his agreement. "Yes, of course. How are your parents, my dear? It was wonderful seeing them after such a long time. We should all have dinner together soon."

"They're great, thank you," Eden smiled demurely, "I'm sure they'd love that."

Liam jumped in before his folks could sing the McBrides' praises again.

"Aren't you going to ask them?" He demanded, glaring at Eden.

When she shook her head, he sat beside her and turned to his folks. "Do I have a wife and kids hidden somewhere?"

Lois laughed, her eyes shining with intrigue. Only then did Liam realise his foolish mistake. The silly romantic in his mom would read too much into his relationship with Eden.

"Of course not, darling. But wouldn't it be fantastic Clarke if Liam found the right woman and settled down?"

"He is getting on in years," Clarke agreed.

"That's beside the point," Liam said. "I'm not even thirty yet."

"Well, you will be in a few months," Lois winked at Eden, who in turn blushed and stared at her hands.

"And your mom and I are getting old. We'd love some grandbabies," Clarke added as he cleaned his glasses on his shirt before slotting them back on his face.

"You have two daughters. Let them give you grandkids!" Liam shot back. "You both know how I feel about children."

The ride back to the office was tense, with Eden barely saying a word, choosing instead to stare at the traffic outside her window.

Liam glanced at her a few times, wondering if he'd pushed her too far again. He really needed Linda to help him communicate with her; everything he does and says upsets her.

Back at Anderson Logistics, Eden walked ahead, her shoes clicking furiously on the tiles as she made her way to the private elevator.

Liam kept up with her short strides easily.

The minute they were inside the lift and the doors closed, Eden lost her shit on him. "Did you honestly have to take me to see your parents? Now they probably think I'm a total whack job!" She snapped at him. "Was it really necessary?"

"Completely!" Liam ignored her outburst. "If I didn't, you would have found every excuse to believe whatever lies you've come up with in your head!"

"You told me—"

"Yeah, I know what I told you. That was my fault, but why didn't you clarify with me? Is that why you've been so moody these past few days and doing everything in your power to push me away? You thought I'm married to Laura?" Liam said in a gentler tone as he pressed her to the corner, excited by the very idea of being so close to her.

Now that she knew he's not married and she isn't either—even though the lawyer's still in the picture—there's no reason they couldn't explore this very strong pull between them.