Her lips tip into an amused smirk like she just won the Kentucky fucking Derby, and it takes every ounce of self-control I can muster not to bitch slap the look off her face. I’ve never been prone to violence, but I’ll make an exception.
Before I can give in to my urges, Liam takes my hand and squeezes. “Let me handle it, baby.”
I glance down at where our hands are joined and steady myself. It won’t do any good to rip this cunt apart, no matter how much I want to.
“Are you blackmailing me?” he asks through gritted teeth.
“I wouldn’t call it blackmail. That sounds too—vile.”
“You’ve always been a piece of work, Bree, but this is low even for you.”
She pulls out her phone and scrolls, flipping the screen so we can see the video she captured of me and Liam on the beach. I’m on his lap, moving back and forth. You can’t see any details, but it’s not hard to fill in the blanks. My head is thrown back, and his face is pressed against my chest.
She swipes over to photos of us walking together outside Rosies, hand in hand. Some with Aiden between us, and others with Liam kissing me as Aiden skips down the sidewalk ahead of us. We look like a happy family, but I know the press would have a field day with these. The photos alone will bring unwanted attention to Aiden, but that video—it could ruin everything.
“You would do this to your own kid?” I ask. “You know this is going to be devastating for him.”
“He’s just a kid. He won’t understand.”
“You don’t even fucking know him.” The words fly out ofmy mouth, releasing my anger on behalf of the most incredible kid and the father who stepped up when she failed him. “You abandoned him.”
Liam’s hands find my shoulders and slide up and down my arms in a soothing motion, lending me the strength to continue.
“What do you want?” I ask. “How much money will make you go away and never come back?”
Before Bree can respond, Nico’s blacked-out SUV pulls into the drive. Connor and Nico step out at the same time.
“Everything ok here?” Connor asks.
“We’re good. Can you go in and check on Aiden?”
He gives me a curt nod and disappears inside the house.
Nico crosses his arms over his chest, his feet shoulder-width apart, close enough to intervene if necessary.
“Wow. You’ve got yourself quite the little entourage, Ruby. Do they all take you at the same time? Or does Liam get to watch?”
Liam tenses behind me. “Watch your fucking mouth when you’re talking to my woman,” he growls.
She makes a show of checking out her cuticles as if she’s mulling over some arbitrary numbers in her head, but I’m certain she's had this planned out long enough that she’s already got a sum in mind. “I could let this go for… let’s say… two million.”
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Liam growls, shoving me behind him.
Nico steps closer, but I shake my head.
I place a hand on Liam’s spine to turn his attention back to me. “I’ll do it.”
“Ruby…” His voice is laced with tenderness. He turns and glides his thumb along my cheekbone.
“I’ll do it. I don’t want this to cause any problems for you and Aiden.”
“Don’t. We can handle the fallout.”
“Maybewecan. But I can’t. My reputation is already in danger. The pictures are nothing, but that video…”
Liam weaves his fingers through mine and kisses my palm. He keeps hold of me as he addresses Bree again. “We need time. Meet us Wednesday night at Rosie’s. Six o’clock. You’ll have your answer then.”
“I look forward to it.” As she’s walking away, she glances back over her shoulder, eyes scanning Liam and me. We’re now locked in an intimate embrace. “You can do better,” she says.
