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“Is that okay, Ella?”
Ella nods. “I have lots to show him.” Oh, great, she’ll pull out every souvenir she got from Disneyland.
Reluctantly, I return to the lounge. Liam stands in the doorway, jaw hard. “I am this fucking close to smacking that guy,” he says, holding his fingers a centimetre apart.
“That wouldn’t help,” I say, relieved he didn’t hear what Craig called me. If he had, I doubt Craig would be upright anymore.
“I know. A couple of arrests for assault and you soon learn self-control,” he says, voice hard.
“I can’t imagine you getting arrested for assault!” I say with a half-laugh.
He looks at me curiously. “Maybe I was young and stupid. Maybe I hide it well. But if that dickhead so much as touches you.”
I stroke his face. “He’s not worth the fallout, Liam.”
Liam pulls my hand away. “I’m waiting in the garden until he leaves. If you need me, come and get me.”
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 because this is one step too far removed from his world?
I rinse the mugs, 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 coming back here. Liam looks up as he hears the door close.
“Are you alright?” I ask.
“No.”
“Come back inside.”
“I can’t go back inside because I still want to punch that narcissistic dickhead. Tell me when he’s gone.”
But I sense his mood is 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.” 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.”
“Fuck, Cerys!” shouts Liam and I step away, crossing my arms. “Sorry. Shit. But why won’t you let me help out?”
“Because I’ll only swap relying on one person for another.”
“You mean you want to keep your distance from me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask in shock. “No.”
He runs a hand across the top of his head. “I told you how I feel—how much I care about you and Ella—and I want to take care of you. This whole fucking situation is bad for you. He’ll stop you you moving on.”
Liam is right. I know he is, but I’m scared. 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 until you save for a deposit?” Liam grabs my hand. “Him. Upstairs, barging into your house like it’s his God-given fucking 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?” His lips thin. “Fuck this. I’m buying a place. You can move in or stay here. Your choice. Pay me rent if staying in my house bothers you that much!”
