Chapter 24 Liam
Liam
The front door to Roman’s townhouse swings open and he greets me with a tired smile.
“Hey, mate,” he says, lifting his fist for a bump.
“Morning,” I reply, scanning the entryway. “Zoey around?”
Zoey and Roman met at a similar time to me and Tash, in their mid-twenties. But Roman moved to London eight years ago, right before Zoey fell pregnant with Melody.
“She’s out with her running club at Hyde Park.” He leads me inside toward the kitchen, where the smell of bacon and eggs makes my stomach growl.
“Smells incredible,” I say.
“You want some? I’ve got extra in the pan,” he offers.
“Cheers.”
“Great game last night,” he says, slicing into his toast. “You happy with the win?”
“A win has never tasted so sweet,” I say, rummaging through his drawers for a plate. I help myself, serving up a dish as feet thunder down the staircase. Melody and Finn come zooming into the kitchen. Finn slides across the tiles in his fluffy socks and crashes into my side.
“Oof!” I wrap an arm around him, ruffling his hair. “Morning, buddy.”
“Da!” His eyes sparkle. “Melody showed me her magic cards, they’re so cool!”
I look to Roman, who shrugs, smiling as he sips his coffee. “They’ve been up since six looking through them.”
“Really? Maybe we can get you a deck so we can play together,” I say.
His eyes widen. “Really? That would be so much fun!”
“Of course. I’d love to play with you.”
He looks to Melody. “Did you hear that?”
“Uh-huh!” She nods enthusiastically. “Come on, I’ll show you my favorite booster pack!”
“Maybe you can save that for next weekend, Mel,” Roman says. He turns in his seat, studying me with a sly smile. “You’re looking pretty chipper this morning. What did you get up to last night?”
Before I can answer, Finn pipes up. “Did you speak to Miss Anna?”
I freeze. Roman’s mug stops halfway to his mouth, his eyebrows shooting up.
“Oh?” Roman says. “Who’s Miss Anna?”
Ah, shite. I open my mouth to explain, but Finn beats me to it.
“She’s my teacher! I heard them speaking on the phone the other night.”
You’re bloody joking me.
“How much of that phone call did you hear, bud?” I say, despite my heart rate galloping.
He shrugs, nonchalant. “Not much. Just before I went to bed.”
A breath tumbles out of me. Thank God.
Roman’s eyes lock on to mine, amused. “Your teacher, is she? And why exactly would your da be speaking to your teacher?”
The bastard is enjoying this.
“Because she helps him… or something like that. I dunno,” Finn says simply, focusing his attention back on Melody.
Roman’s smile turns wicked as he mutters, “I bet she does.”
“All right, Finn,” I say, patting his back. “Why don’t you grab your bag so we can go home?”
“I’ll help!” Melody says, dragging him upstairs.
The moment they’re gone, Roman leans back in his chair and folds his arms, waiting.
I release a long sigh, scrubbing a hand down my face. “It’s not what it sounds like,” I say, knowing full well that’s a lie.
“No?” His smirk tells me he’s not buying it for a second. “Look, we’re both adults—”
“Christ, Liam. Are you shagging your son’s teacher?”
“It’s . . .” I search for the right words, but slump my shoulders in defeat. “Yeah.”
He takes another sip of coffee. “How long has this been going on?”
“It’s not… we’re not . . .” I shovel a bite of egg into my mouth, buying time. “It’s not like that.”
“You’re not like that,” he repeats with a Cheshire Cat smile. “So, she just helps you over the phone?”
“Oh, piss off.”
“Why the hell does Finn know about you two?” Roman asks, leaning forward.
“He doesn’t.” I set my fork down, releasing a breath. I launch into details, explaining everything. Our one-night stand, Finn running away after Josh tried to waterboard him, the search, and how Anna stayed on the phone with me that night, talking me through calming him down when he couldn’t sleep.
Roman’s expression shifts completely, turning serious. “Shit, mate. Is Finn all right?”
“He is now. I’ve set him up with some help.”
“Good.” His brows shoot to his hairline, shaking his head in disbelief. “I had no idea any of this was going on. I’m so sorry.”
“He seems to be doing much better now. The kid who was bullying him got expelled, we’ve spoken to a pediatrician, and Anna’s just… good with him, you know?”
“So this isn’t just about getting your leg over, then,” he deduces.
I shake my head. It’s not. I respect her too much to play with her like that. Hell, I like her.
“And he has no idea about you and the teacher?” he asks, bracing his forearms against the kitchen counter.
I take another bite of egg. “He doesn’t know we’ve slept together. He just knows she helped him through a rough patch. I think he just assumes we’re mates.”
“And are you?”
Shit. Are we? We get on well, I think she’s grand. I like her company. She isn’t just a random woman I’m shagging. She’s… better than that. But we’ve had our conversation, established our boundaries, and we know what we’re doing—what this is. “Yeah, I guess we are friends.”
“Friends. Right.” His tone makes me think I’m deluding myself. “And how’s that working out for you?”
I open my mouth to speak when—
“Ready!” Finn announces as he barrels down the stairs again.
Roman catches my eye as I stand. “Just be careful, yeah? Don’t bite off more than you can chew. You’re toeing a dangerous line. You can’t be putting your reputation on the line for a bird. If this gets out . . .”
He’s right. Of course he’s right. And it’s nothing I haven’t thought about myself. I know where my focus lies.
“Of course I will. We’re being careful,” I say, my tone defensive.
This is just a way for us both to blow off some steam. I can handle it without getting too attached.
I think.