Unplugged (Blue Phoenix, #3)(65)

Liam pushes me down hard and moans, sinking his teeth into my shoulder as he comes. I shudder further and grip his hair, loving that I do this to him. I make Liam Oliver behave like this.

He sinks back on the bed and I roll off him, trembling, and glowing. Liam drags my head toward him and kisses my face. “I will never get tired of the incredibleness of f-ucking you.” He touches my shoulder. “Sorry about the bite.” But he’s not.

“Asshole. I just got rid of the last bruise.” I flick his nose.

Liam smirks his smug smirk, and buries the back of his head into the sheets. I rest my head on his chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat and splaying my hand against his stomach.

“Welcome to your new home,” he says.

****

Liam is back and forth between the States and the UK. For somebody taking a break he works a lot. Music is an integral part of Liam, I get that, but the selfish part of me would like him around more. Blue Phoenix has a tour to complete next year; what happens then? Liam gets frustrated with my inability to live in the moment, but how can I not?

Craig is pissed off I moved out of the old house, reinforcing Liam’s theory he liked the control. Now I’m away from Craig. And now I have Liam, and I realise how imbalanced my relationship with Craig was. I accepted so much of what he did because I thought without him I couldn’t cope, and Craig enjoyed having someone who let him do whatever he wanted. So when I had enough of his behaviour and fought back, Christmas happened. And when I came back for Christmas, I couldn’t accept him anymore. Now Craig’s last attempt to cling onto his remaining control has gone.

The next two weekends, Craig arrives unannounced early Saturday morning for Ella. And each time I give in and let him take her.

Liam is in London this week, working on the tracks he started in LA and I haven’t seen him since the day after we moved. I’m disappointed when he doesn’t visit the next weekend but Liam promised Jem he’d go to Ruby Riot gigs in Scotland the following week so he’s busy again. When Liam says he wishes I could go too, the unspoken is underneath; I could go if it wasn’t for Ella.

Phoebe questions why I don’t leave Ella with Craig and go. Scotland is too far. I don’t trust Craig either. The lack of interest he had in her until Liam arrived on the scene, coupled with his lack of parenting skills when he was around, means he’d probably dump her at his mum’s house when he got bored. Not that Marcella would complain about that, I’m sure.

I’ve begun my job hunt, Ella begins school shortly, and I want to find something as soon as I can. This will be my next step toward independence.

Monday morning, three weeks after moving, a letter arrives that flips my new, happy world on its head. Without discussing or attempting to come to an arrangement between the two of us, Craig has set us on the path to a custody battle. Out of the blue, he’s arranged a mediation appointment as the first step. Following a tearful call to Phoebe, she sets about helping me find who to talk to and what steps to take.

I don’t tell Liam.

CHAPTER 29



CERYS



Since the letter with the mediation appointment arrived a week ago, I’ve refused to communicate with Craig. Phoebe attempts to persuade me to talk to him; I think the fact I’ve agreed to attend a meeting with Craig is enough of a concession because I’m furious.

The woman running the meeting, Carol, takes us into a room with a plump-cushioned brown sofa and a scented candle burning on her desk. She’s dressed down in a long floral skirt and floating blue top. The calm she’s attempting to create doesn’t come into the room with us. There’s a choice between the sofa and a desk chair for us to sit on and I choose the chair, shifting it closer to the wall as far away from Craig as I can. We haven’t said a word since we arrived and luckily, he was late so small talk while we waited wasn’t needed.

After a brief introduction about the process, she asks us to discuss what we want.

“I want Ella to live with me,” announces Craig.

I can’t help myself. “What the hell?”

He turns to me, brown eyes hard. “I don’t believe she’s safe with you and your new partner.”

To my alarm, Carol scrawls something on her notebook. “What’s your concern, Craig?”

“Cerys is involved with someone who has a lifestyle that doesn’t suit children. He’s had drug involvement in the past and I worry about Ella being around this. Now Cerys has moved Ella into this man’s house.”

“You make it sound like I moved her into a drug den! That is so wrong!” I protest. “Liam isn’t involved with drugs. I would never let anyone like that near my daughter.”

“He’s been arrested for it in the past,” says Craig coldly.

“In the past!”

“Okay.” Carol sets her pen on the table. “I do have to make a note of the allegation, Cerys. The child’s welfare is at the heart of any decisions made. But I would urge you to make a decision between yourselves and I can help you mediate this.”

“I want Ella with me,” says Craig.

“No. You hardly see her, and then suddenly want her around all the time? You work full time and are on call at all hours! Who would look after her?”

“She starts school in September and my mum... her grandmother will help,” says Craig to Carol, ignoring me. “Seeing Ella on the odd weekend isn’t enough.”