“I don’t want to worry him,” she insisted as her eyes fell on a photograph on her fireplace. It was a picture of her with a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties. Liam smiled when he spotted the photo. He could see from the photo that Daisy’s son loved his mother, and he would want to know what had happened to her.
“Is that him?” Liam asked, watching Daisy closely.
“That’s my Richard,” Daisy confirmed with a proud smile. “I had a whole collection of photographs on there… before…”
“Were they taken?” Liam asked, feeling anger bubble deep inside him.
“No,” Daisy shook her head. “Most of them were just smashed. I don’t know why someone would do that.”
“We’re going to get him, Ma’am,” Liam said, squeezing her hand once more. “I give you my word.”
Before they left, Liam helped Daisy call her son. The man was devastated about what had happened to his mother and promised he would be on the next flight home from London. Liam assured him that he would call in on his mother later that evening, to ensure that she was okay before he left Daisy to talk to her son.
“We need to catch this piece of shit,” Liam growled as he and Matt rode down in the elevator together. “He needs to pay for what he did to her; for what he’s done to all these people.”
“We’ll get him,” Matt assured Liam with a sigh. “He will make a mistake, and we will be there, ready to bust his stupid ass.”
As they rode back to the station, Liam’s mind wandered back to Lexi once more. As much as he hated she was with Doctor Asshole, he was relieved that at least she wasn’t living alone right now. He thought of his mother, and Amelia, Emmy and Georgie too. Until they caught this douchebag, no woman in this city was safe.
“Are you looking forward to Friday?” Matt asked, pulling him from his thoughts.
“Friday?” Liam repeated as he glanced over at him, having no clue what he was talking about.
“Finn’s bachelor party!” Matt exclaimed with a laugh. “I can’t believe you of all people forgot about that.”
“It just slipped my mind for a moment,” Liam sighed, returning his focus to the road. “And before you get too excited, remember this is Finn we’re talking about. He just wants a quiet night; a few beers and a few laughs. There will be no stripper or any of that bullshit.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” Matt replied, giving Liam a questioning look. “And you’re not going to pull some stunt.”
“No asshole, I’m not,” Liam insisted. “I gave Finn my word that I wouldn’t do anything stupid, and I’m gonna keep my promise. And so are you, Matt. Is that clear? I don’t want any funny business. Finn is not like you and me.”
“Okay! Okay!” Matt exclaimed. “Jesus, what crawled up your ass?”
“Nothing,” Liam sighed, wishing he had not sounded so pissed off. “I just want Finn to have a good night. One he is comfortable with. That’s all.”
“Fine,” Matt replied, but Liam could tell he was a little put out by his reaction.
“Look,” Liam said after they had travelled for a few minutes in an uncomfortable silence. “I’m sorry for snapping; it’s just… right now, everything is so up in the air. I just want things to go as they’re supposed to for one night.”
“Okay,” Matt replied, sounding a lot less pissed off this time. “But you know, if there is something you need to talk about, I’m here.”
“I know,” Liam replied, grateful to his partner. Still, he chose not to mention Lexi. There was no point. He needed to just get over her, and move on with his life once and for all.
Chapter 8
Lexi
Lexi was curled up on the sofa, trying to read her latest romance novel, sipping a glass of Merlot, glad to be home alone, relaxing. She had spent the entire day on the set of a photo shoot, and she was beyond tired.
She was somewhat relieved that Eric was working nights that week. Since she had bumped into Liam at the hospital the week before, things between them had been more than a little off.
Eric knew that something was bugging her, she just couldn’t tell him what that something was. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Liam. Every time Eric kissed her or touched her, she saw Liam. He was there, in the back of her mind, constantly.
Even when she was out on a shoot, or just stopping at a grocery store, he was there. She found herself searching for him, imagining every corner she turned he would be there. But of course, he was never there. Lexi didn’t know if she was more relieved or disappointed.
She replayed that day in the hospital so many times. As she had sat there talking to him, she had wanted so much to tell him about the baby. Tell him that leaving him had been the biggest mistake she has ever made and that she would regret it until the day she died.
She hated that she felt like she did. She hated that every time Eric looked at her, she could almost hear his heart breaking. He knew something was not right with her, he just didn’t know what. Lexi knew Eric was a good man, and he loved her more than she really deserved. He was the one that had finally made her happy again, so she needed to push Liam from her mind and try harder with Eric.
Still, Lexi was grateful to have a little bit of time to herself. She just wanted to get lost in the pages of her books, enjoy a nice glass of wine and just relax for the evening.
Suddenly the buzz at the front door rang out throughout the apartment, almost killing Lexi with fright. She looked at her watch and saw it was almost eight o’clock. She had no clue who it could be at her door. No one really knew she was back in San Francisco, and those that did, certainly wouldn’t be at her door at eight o’clock in the evening.
“Who the hell could it be at this time of the day?” She grumbled to herself as she climbed up from the sofa, making her way to the front door. For a moment, Liam crossed her mind, and she wondered if maybe it could be him at the door, but she knew that it was very unlikely. She reached up and pressed down on the intercom button. “Hello.”
“Good evening, Ms. Daniels,” a voice came through the intercom. “This is Mitch from the front desk. I have a Ms. Greenway here to see you.”
Shit! Lexi cried in her mind. FUCK! FUCK!
She knew that she would have to face Nikki now, whether she was ready or not.
Lexi had meant to call her before now. She really had. If she was honest, there was no real reason for her not to. She just couldn’t face her.
Lexi knew that facing Nikki meant facing her past. She could lie to Eric that she was okay; hell, she could even lie to herself. But she knew that she could never lie to Nikki. She knew one look into her eyes, and Nikki would know exactly what was going on inside her head.
She also knew, once that happened, Nikki would push her to talk to Liam once more. So, for Lexi, it was just easier to avoid Nikki, along with the rest of her troubles.
At least, that was until now. Now she had to talk to her best friend whether she wanted to or not. She knew that Nikki was going to be angry and even hurt she hadn’t been in touch before now. But then the questions would come, and things would get very complicated, very quickly.
“Can you send her up please?” Lexi said, taking a deep, calming breath, knowing she had no other choice. She turned and walked to the mirror in her hallway, checking her reflection. She sighed when she saw the dark circles under her eyes. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days, which was probably because she actually hadn’t.
She reached up and patted down her hair; then she straightened her clothes. Though, why she was straightening a pair of pajamas, she had no idea.
“It’s gonna be okay!” She whispered to herself as she walked to the front door, waiting for Nikki to make her way up to her apartment.
A few moments later, there was a soft tap on the door. Lexi took another deep, calming breath before she reached up and opened her apartment door.
“So it’s true,” Nikki said, getting straight to the point, giving Lexi a look that she really couldn’t read. “You�
�re back in San Francisco.”
“I guess I am,” Lexi replied, giving her friend a nervous smile as she stepped back to let her into her apartment. “I was going to call you…”
“And when was that exactly?” Nikki sighed as she walked in past Lexi. Lexi cringed when she heard the hurt in Nikki’s voice. “Before or after you hit the road again?”
“I guess I deserve that,” Lexi replied as she followed her into the living room. “So, I guess Landen told you that I was here? I suppose I shouldn’t be that surprised.”
“Landen knows?” Nikki asked, and Lexi cringed once more, realising she may have made things even worse. She assumed that Landen had told her about her being back. But if he didn’t, how the hell did she know that she was back in San Francisco?
“I eh… I assumed that he did,” Lexi said, knowing she needed to make things right with her best friend. “I bumped into Dylan at the hospital last week, so I figured he might have said something.”
Lexi had no clue why she didn’t mention she had met Liam too, but right at that moment, it seemed like the right thing to do.
“Eric called me,” Nikki told her as she released a long sigh, standing next to the sofa, still not looking directly at Lexi. She crossed her arms before she finally let her eyes meet Lexi’s. “He said that you weren’t doing so well and that maybe you needed your friend. Not that I feel like much of a friend right now, considering I appear to be the last one to hear about you being back in town.”
Lexi didn’t know why, but her eyes instantly pooled with unshed tears.
“I’m sorry,” Lexi whispered as tears spilled down her face. “I know I should have called…”
“Hey!” Nicki exclaimed as she instinctively wrapped her arms around Lexi. “It’s okay. It doesn’t matter. I know now, and I’m here, so talk to me.”
Lexi didn’t reply. Instead, she just cried harder. She knew she had hurt her friend, but still, Nikki cared about her. Somehow that just made her feel even worse if that was possible.
“Sweetie, what is it?” Nikki asked as she gently rubbed her back. “What’s the matter?”
“I… I don’t know,” Lexi cried as Nikki held her so tightly. “I don’t know why I am feeling like this…”
“Yes, you do!” Nikki said, releasing her from her embrace, holding her at arm’s length. “This is about Liam.”
“I… I should ha… have never come back here,” Lexi sobbed looking up into her friend’s eyes. “But how can I tell Eric that this was such a big mistake? How do I fix this without hurting him?”
“Sweetie, you need to calm down,” Nikki said, leading Lexi to the sofa, sitting them both down. “What has happened?”
“Nothing happened,” Lexi sniffed as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Not really. At least nothing that makes any sense.”
“Then why are you so upset?” Nikki asked, giving her a questioning look. “Lex, I’m here. Please, talk to me.”
“Nikki, I know that when I came back, I should have told you I was here,” Lexi began in a rush of words. “But I couldn’t ask you to keep any more secrets for me. I knew if you knew I was here, you would have to lie to Landen again.”
“And that’s why you didn’t call me?” Nikki asked, giving her friend a sad smile. “Oh sweetie, you know there is nothing I wouldn’t have done for you. You’re my best friend.”
“But so is Landen,” Lexi replied. “And I couldn’t ask you to keep something else from him. I know how hard it was the last time, I just couldn’t do it again.”
“And you knew if Landen knew, he would tell Liam,” Nikki said, knowing her friend all too well.
“Yes,” Lexi replied and nodded her head but then laughed. “But I guess that doesn’t matter now, because he knows.”
“Oh!” Nikki exclaimed, her eyes still fixed on Lexi.
“I met him at the hospital last week,” Lexi explained as she dried her face with the back of her hands. “I met him twice actually.”
“And how did that go?” Nikki asked, giving her a questioning look, but her eyes already said that she knew that answer.
“Oh, you know Liam,” Lexi said, trying her hardest to force a smile. “He was sweet and kind. He said he wanted us to be friends, but then he said all this other stuff, and all I could think about was that stupid crash and the baby. His baby.”
“Oh, Lex, Sweetheart!” Nikki said as she slipped her arm around her once more. “I know how hard that must have been for you.”
“The worst part is,” Lexi whispered as a fresh wave of tears began to fall. “He thinks I still hate him for what happened. He thinks that the reason I never came back was that I never forgave him for what he did. He is living with all this guilt, and I could have taken that away from him. But I just couldn’t. I couldn’t find the words to tell him what really happened back then.”
“What about Eric?” Nikki asked the one question Lexi couldn’t bring herself to think about. “Have you told him what’s going on? I know when I was talking to him, he sounded worried. ”
“How can I?” Lexi asked, giving her a sad smile. “He doesn’t know about Liam, or about the baby. He just knows that there was this accident once and that I can’t have kids.”
“Don’t you think that maybe you should tell him the truth?” Nikki asked, saying the one thing Lexi knew her friend would say. Nikki had always wanted her to tell Eric the truth from the start, just like she had wanted her to tell Liam too.
Lexi sighed, knowing that she had created this whole mess herself. That there was nothing or no one she could blame for this whole thing other than herself.
“Oh my God, you’re still in love with Liam,” Nikki said, sounding almost surprised by this revelation. “How did I not see this before now?”
“What? No!” Lexi almost choked on Nikki’s words, shaking her head vigorously. “I love Eric…”
“Lexi, this is me you’re talking to,” Nikki replied with a laugh. “You can pretend to the whole world that you are fine, and you are in love with Eric. But I know you. It’s written all over your face. I thought when you met Eric; you were finally moving on, I thought you had let him go… but, Lexi, you’re still in love with him.”
“It doesn’t matter how I feel,” Lexi sighed miserably, knowing there was no point in lying to her friend anymore. “I am with Eric now. And Liam… Liam has moved on…”
“The last thing Liam Murphy has done is moved on,” Nikki assured her. “He has been a mess since losing you. In fact, these last couple of weeks, everyone one has been…”
Nikki stopped mid-sentence, giving Lexi a strange look.
“It’s you!” She said, surprising Lexi with her comment.
“Me!” Lexi exclaimed.
“You’re the reason he’s been…off,” Nikki continued. “It’s because you’re back.”
“I don’t know what had been going on,” Lexi said, almost a little defensively. “But from what I’ve heard, Liam has been doing pretty great without me. Eric told me about the stories that are going around the hospital about him…”
“They are just stories,” Nikki sighed, shrugging her shoulders. “Trust me, Liam is not what you think he is. Landen said that this last week, the whole family have been worried about Liam; that he isn’t in a good place.”
“Because of me?” Lexi asked, not really sure how she felt about this piece of information.
“Okay, I don’t know for sure,” Nikki replied. “I just know, losing you almost destroyed Liam, and now you’re back, it’s like he is falling apart again.”
“That is not what I wanted for him,” Lexi sighed. “I never meant to hurt him. That was the last thing I wanted to do…”
“I know you would never hurt Liam,” Nikki stopped her mid-sentence as she reached for her hand once again. “You love him. And I love him too. I think he is the sweetest, funniest man I have ever met, but what happened, Lexi, none of that was your fault. He cheated on you; he hurt you. I know that you have forgiven hi
m for what happened that night. I just think that maybe it’s time for you to forgive yourself too. What happened was an accident. It was no one’s fault.”
“I just think coming here was a mistake,” Lexi whispered as fresh tears broke free. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. Not Liam, not Eric, and most certainly, I never wanted to hurt you.”
“You didn’t hurt me,” Nikki replied, giving her a grin. “Not really. If I’m honest, I knew why you didn’t contact me, and while I wish you had, I’m grateful that I didn’t have to lie to Landen anymore. Well, not about this anyways.”
Lexi smiled, but she didn’t respond. She knew Nikki hated not telling Landen the truth about the baby. Lexi just didn’t see the point in hurting Liam anymore.
“Are you going to talk to Liam?” Nikki asked, pulling her from her thoughts.
“There’s nothing to say, Nikki,” Lexi sighed, wiping her eyes once more. “I’m with Eric now. He understands that my life is a certain way, and that will never change. Liam had all these plans for us, plans for a life I can no longer have. I know if I tell him about the baby, he will do the right thing or the right thing as he sees it. But I can’t ask him to give up his dream of being a father to be with me.”
“I think if you just talked to him…” Nikki insisted, but Lexi stopped her.
“Nikki, Liam and I are over,” Lexi sighed, then gave her friend a big smile. “But I am glad to finally have my best friend back in my life. I really am sorry I didn’t call you before now.”
“It’s okay,” Nikki replied, giving her a warm smile and nudged against her, giving her a warm smile in return. “I’m just glad to have my partner in crime back in town.”
They both slumped back against the sofa; both lost in their own thoughts for a moment.
“Though!” Nikki finally said a few minutes later, as she suddenly sat back up. “If you wanted to make it up to me…”
“Why does that sentence make me nervous?” Lexi asked, looking up at her friend, giving her a worried look.
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