Unplugged (Blue Phoenix, #3)(63)

Ten minutes later, I take the empty mugs into the kitchen and look out of the window. Liam rests against the wall of the house, legs outstretched and staring at the ground. My reality is as big a shock to him as his is to me. A new doubt appears. What if Liam can’t cope with this situation and it’s that one step too far removed from his world?

I rinse the mugs under the tap, and then step into the garden. The cooler English summer is a relief after the muggy heat of California, but that’s the only good thing about being back here. Liam looks up as he hears the door close.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

“No.”

“Come back inside.”

“I can’t go back inside because I still want to punch that dickhead. Tell me when he’s gone.”

But it’s more than that. “What’s wrong?” I lean on the wall next to Liam and take his hand, running my fingers along the callouses from his years of bass playing.

“You shouldn’t stay in this house,” he says.

“We talked about this.”

Twisting so he can look at me, Liam says, “He still has a hold over you if you’re living here. Move out.”

“Where to? This is mine and Ella’s home.”

“I told you before, I’ll buy somewhere.”

“And I said no.”

“f-uck, Cerys!” shouts Liam and I step away, crossing my arms. “Sorry. Shit though, why won’t you let me help out?”

“I’d only be swapping relying on one person for another.”

“You mean you want to keep your distance from me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I told you how I feel, how much I care about you and Ella; and I want to take care of you. This situation is bad for you; it’ll stop you moving on.”

He’s right. I know he is, but things are early on in this relationship. I run my hands across the brickwork and look around the small garden that’s been my home since Ella was born. I moved from my parents to here and Craig; I’ve always relied on somebody else.

“When I get a job, I’ll move. I can pay my own way,” I tell him.

“When? And how long will it take you to save for a deposit?” Liam grabs my hand. “Him. Upstairs, barging into your house like it’s his God-given f-ucking right. The Cerys I know wouldn’t put up with that.”

“Liam, I’m tired, I don’t want to argue with you.”

“You know what? f-uck it. I’m buying a place. You can move in or stay here, up to you. Pay me rent if it bothers you that much!”

I stare back into his reddening face, aware of that anger that bubbles below the surface. This anger isn’t with me though; it’s with the man upstairs.

“Are you asking me and Ella to move in with you?” I ask quietly.

Confusion replaces the anger. “What?” He rubs his head. “Yeah, I guess I am. Does that make it any better?”

“I’m not sure. If it doesn’t work out then...”

“Cerys!” he half-yells again and grabs my face. “Did you listen to a word I said on the beach yesterday? This is going to work. We were meant to find each other again! I know you believe that too. I love you. Even if you end this, I’ll always look out for you because before all this, you were my sister’s best friend and a good person.”

I drop my shoulders and my guard, knowing everything he tells me is true.

“Okay, sorry. I’ll think about it carefully.”

“Jesus!” Liam bangs his head against the bricks.

Liam pulls me toward him where he’s resting on the wall and shuffles down so his eyes are at the same height as mine. “I admire your strength, Cerys. I’ve said that before. I get that your life is a confused mess at the moment, and I don’t want to make it worse. I can put this simply. Again. I love you. I care about Ella. I will protect you both whether you like it or not. Do you understand?”

Sighing, I wind my arms around his neck. “You can be very bossy sometimes.”

Liam nudges my nose with his. “And I know you like it sometimes.”

“Sometimes...”

Craig forgotten about, we stand in the garden of the house I know I’ll leave behind, and I kiss the man I would leave my whole world behind for.

CHAPTER 28



CERYS



Liam buys a place close to Phoebe’s, in one of the newer estates away from the scruffy terrace I live in now. Of course, it’s the nicest house in the area, one that’s been on the market too long because of the price. He protests he has to buy somewhere quickly and this was the best option, and I’ve given up fighting him over this.

The place is beautifully decorated with thick carpets and expensive fittings, including a dream kitchen with every appliance I could imagine.

Moving day is the first day I see the place, and Liam leads me around the already furnished house until we get to the master bedroom. I swear he’d had an interior designer in to co-ordinate the expensive brown and grey Jacquard linen and curtains, positive Liam Oliver would not buy the carefully contrasting cushions and wall art.

I push open a door at the opposite end of the large room. “En suite.”

“Not a big one,” he says.

I can’t hide my amazement. “But en suite. I’ve never lived anywhere with an en suite.”