He ran his hand over his head and let it slide to the back of his neck. He and Charlee weren’t together and would never get back together. Yet, he couldn’t get her out of his head. He couldn’t get her out of his heart.
“There is someone else, but not the way you think,” he rushed to say. “I was engaged almost two years ago.”
Her eyes rounded. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
He had never mentioned Charlee because he wanted to forget and move on from that time in his life. He also didn’t tell her that he was embarrassed to admit that a woman who claimed to love him, had chosen a job over him.
“Liam?”
“Because it was my past. I had moved on.” He strolled over to the brick fireplace where there were framed photos of her and her extended family. “Me and my ex were over long before you and I started dating.”
“Is this why you never introduced me to your family, because you were still hung up on your ex?” she asked as if not hearing the part about him moving on. “Did you keep me hidden because you knew we weren’t going to last?”
He didn’t miss the bitterness behind her words, but he didn’t respond. He hadn’t introduced Charlee to his family either. Not because their relationship was a whirlwind that totally caught him off guard. No, that wasn’t it. He never took either of them around the Jenkins clan because the last time he took his girlfriend to meet his family, it ended up being one of the most humiliating days of his life. Since then, Liam vowed that the next time his significant other met the Jenkins family, it would be at his wedding.
“So you’re still in love with your ex,” Amber said, snapping him back to the present. “Why is this coming up now?”
“Because I saw her recently and realized I still have feelings for her, even though she and I have moved on.”
He didn’t know what to do about Charlee. He couldn’t go backwards, especially knowing that she would never have room in her life for him. When they were together, her career meant everything to her. He doubted that had changed, and he never wanted to risk coming in second again.
“I…I can’t be with you while I’m still trying to work out my feelings for her,” he explained. “You deserve better than that.”
“Damn right, I do.” Amber swiped at her tears and shook her head. “Only I would fall in love with someone who’s in love with someone else,” she choked out.
Regret crept through Liam. If he was honest with himself, deep down he knew he hadn’t gotten over Charlee before he and Amber started dating. But he thought dating her would help him move on.
Amber blew out a noisy breath. “I think you should leave.”
He approached her, but stopped short of touching her. “Not like this. Not when you’re so up—”
“Please. Just go.” She raised her teary-eyed gaze to his and the sadness he saw was like taking a punch in the gut. “I’ll be fine.” She headed to the door and opened it. “Have a good life, Liam.”
Seconds ticked by while he stayed rooted in place. He didn’t make it a habit of hurting women, and he wished that things could’ve turned out differently. He had hoped that she would understand.
Yeah, I’m an idiot.
What woman would understand him being with her while being in love with someone else? How the hell had he expected this conversation to turn out?
He walked out the door, but stopped and turn. “I really am sorry. I never meant...”
The door closed in his face. She hadn’t slammed it, but closing it softly had the same effect.
Serves me right.
Chapter Seven
Liam preferred peace, order, and no drama in his life. Yet, his mind was a jumbled mess as he left Amber’s place and drove to a construction site to meet with his cousin Martina.
The disappointment he’d seen on Amber’s face had gutted him, made him wish that he hadn’t gotten involved with her in the first place. In his mind, he knew that breaking up with her was for the best, but it still didn’t make him feel any better about the situation.
I need a break from dating, he thought as he turned onto the land that his cousin Nate and their uncle Ben were developing. A few years ago, they had partnered and started a property development company, and now it was booming. This was their second major project, with another one in the works.
Liam parked and glanced around the sub-division that would eventually hold large single-family homes, as well as numerous townhouses. Construction had already started. Two of the model homes were complete, and the frame for the first row of townhouses was currently going up.
Stepping out of the car, he was immediately greeted by the chugging sound of heavy equipment, people yelling out instructions, and the smell of vehicle exhaust and dirt. He grabbed his hardhat from the trunk. He didn’t venture out to job sites often, but always found it fascinating how so much went on and got done at the same time.
A loud whistle pierced the air and he turned. His cousin, Martina, stood outside of a model home, waving him over.
Liam headed in her direction, trudging over rocks and dirt and glad that he had thought to wear a pair of work boots.
“Thanks for coming, Cuz,” Martina yelled over the drilling that was taking place nearby. “Let’s go inside. It’ll be a little quieter.”
Liam followed her into the house, taking in the changes that had been made since the last time he was there. While she headed to the kitchen, he wanted to see how the rest of the home was staged. He stuck his head into a bedroom and then another before checking out a guest bathroom.
“Wow, the interior decorator did a good job,” he said, strolling into the kitchen after his quick tour. Martina was standing near the center island where a set of blueprints was spread open.
“I agree. Everything is coming together nicely.”
“So, what’s up?”
“I figured it would be easier to show you some of the changes that Nate and Uncle Ben want versus trying to explain them over the phone.”
Technically, Liam worked as an independent contractor, giving him the flexibility to set his own hours and come and go as he pleased. But he always made himself available whenever he was summoned by either Nick, Martina, or Nate. His attention went to the blueprint, the plans for one of the single-family homes. He had drawn them up over eight months ago.
Martina tapped a finger on the design. “You never cease to impress me with your skills.”
Liam jerked his head up, shocked by her compliment. “Thank…you,” he said slowly, bracing himself for an insult that was sure to follow.
Anyone who knew Martina Jenkins-Kendricks knew that she didn’t dole out compliments often and any praise coming from her was huge. Insulting people was her thing, especially family members. Even though she and he got along more like brother and sister, he still wasn’t exempt from her occasional needling.
“Yo ass ain’t gotta act so surprise. You know you’re good.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I know, but it ain’t often that someone of your caliber says something nice about my work.”
As the second in command at Jenkins & Sons Construction and a master carpenter, Martina was a perfectionist. It showed in everything she did, especially carpentry work. None of them could deny that she was the best at what she did and expected everyone else to be just as good. What she hated more than anything were slackers, and she didn’t have a problem in calling any of them out.
She tsked. “I’m cool with giving compliments when they’re deserved. It’s just so rare that they’re deserved.”
She tugged on her baseball cap, part of her usual work uniform that went along with the J & S T-shirt, jeans, and steeled-toe boots.
“Anyway, Uncle Ben and Nate are thinking that they want to offer at least one home that doesn’t have as much of an open floor plan. I was thinking the way the layout is on this one, it wouldn’t take much tweaking.”
“The city already approved these plans,” Liam said, looking to see how much work it would take to ad
d some walls and reconfigure this particular house. “Are they sure they want to go through that process again?”
“Yeah. They know it’ll take at least a month to have them approved, but Uncle Ben said whatever it takes.”
“All right, then. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I’d like to see,” she started when her phone chirped, signaling a text message. She dug the device out of her back pocket. “That’s, Gram. It still trips me out that she’s texting now. Remember when she said that she would never respond to text messages? That if we wanted to talk to her, we’d better pick up a phone and call.”
Liam smiled. Katherine Jenkins was the queen, and no one dared to defy her.
“Anyway, I’ll call her back. Oh, before I forget, she was looking for you Sunday. She’s starting to get a little ticked that you keep missing brunch. So what, you think you too good to hang out with the rest of us?”
Liam shrugged. “I was there a couple of weeks ago. Unlike the rest of y’all, I ain’t tryin’ to be there every week.”
Sunday brunch was a big deal for the Jenkins family. Their grandmother insisted they all come together every Sunday afternoon and eat, hang out, and spend quality time together. Liam used to attend on a regular basis out of obligation, but for the last few months, he’d been limiting his visit.
He loved his family.
He enjoyed eating.
He even appreciated the camaraderie.
But he hated crowds.
They had always had a large, close-knit, boisterous family, but over the last few years, with all of the marriages and babies being born, the number of people seemed to have doubled. Despite the massive size of his grandparents’ home, every week it felt smaller and smaller with all of the additional family members. But that wasn’t his only reason for limiting his visits.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were hiding something,” Martina said as if reading his mind.
Liam shook his head. Sometimes this woman had the uncanny ability to see through the walls people constructed around themselves. She was what some would refer to as a busy-body, loud mouth, can’t keep jack-shit to herself, pain in the butt family member. Normally, the two of them got along great, but Liam was a private person. He didn’t go around sharing everyone else’s business, and he sure as hell didn’t go around blabbing about his own.
“I have nothing to hide,” he said nonchalantly.
Martina folded her arms across her chest and leaned her hip against the counter. “Well, you better tell me what’s going on with you. Otherwise, I’ll just have to make something up. I haven’t had any good gossip since I found out Sumeera, Liberty, and Toni were all pregnant at the same time. That’s been almost a year ago now. I need some news. So speak up.”
Liam shook his head. God, she got on his nerves, and he wasn’t doing this with her today.
He returned his attention to the blueprint. “Instead of you trying to pry into my personal life, why don’t we—”
“Hold up. Wait a minute.” She stood upright and dropped her arms to her side. “Don’t tell me this has something to do with that Sunday Royce showed up. Now that I think about it, you haven’t really been around much since then.”
Unease crawled down Liam’s spine at the mention of his cousin. Leave it to Martina to notice everything.
She jammed her hands onto her hips, her mouth agape. “That’s it, isn’t it? That’s why you never bring a woman around the family, and that’s why you’ve been missing more Sundays than you’ve attended.”
“Let it go, MJ,” Liam warned.
Growing up, he’d been just as close to Royce as he’d been to his own brother, Adam. But one fateful Sunday afternoon had changed all of that. Royce had committed the ultimate betrayal, and he was the last person Liam wanted to discuss.
“You do realize that what he did happened like a hundred years ago, right? We were kids.”
“We were grown.” They had all been college age.
“Well, whatever. It was a lifetime ago. He lives like three or four hundred miles away, and besides a couple of months ago, he hasn’t been to Sunday brunch in years. I think it’s safe to say that—”
“Drop it, Martina,” Liam said under his breath, trying to rein in the anger slowly inching its way to the surface.
Most people looking in from the outside thought the Jenkins clan was perfect. Thought the family didn’t have some of the same issues as most families. Thought just because they were well-known and respected around the city, that drama didn’t reside in their family.
It would blow their minds if they knew the truth. Betrayal. Extra-marital affairs. Yeah, if they knew half of what went on in his family, they’d definitely look at the Jenkins clan differently.
This particular incident that his cousin felt she just had to bring up was a moment in Liam’s life that he’d rather forget. Finding your cousin in a bedroom screwing your girlfriend had a way of changing you. Unfortunately, when Liam caught them in the compromising position, Martina had been with him. It was because of her that he hadn’t killed Royce.
But out of all that had happened back then, what surprised him the most was that Martina hadn’t mentioned the incident. Not to him or anyone, which was shocking. Normally, no secret was safe with her, but she never said a word. Until now.
“I can’t believe you’re—”
Liam pounded his fist on the counter and glared at his cousin. “Martina, so help me… If you don’t shut the hell up, I will strangle you,” he said through clenched teeth. Some days, talking to her was like talking to a concrete slab.
“Fine! Geesh, you don’t have to get your shorts all twisted. I was just making conversation, but for the record, let that mess with Royce go. That girl isn’t worth it, and I’m sure Royce hasn’t lost any sleep over it and has probably gone on to steal someone else’s girlfriend. You…”
“Dammit, MJ! We either discuss the changes Uncle Ben and Nate want, or I’m out of here.”
She huffed out a breath. “Okay, I’ll drop it, but this ain’t over. We will discuss this again. Now let me tell you the changes I want done to this plan.”
*
An hour later, Liam left the construction site, more than ready to get away from Martina. She had a knack for getting under his skin. Of course, she hadn’t dropped the topic of Royce. She might’ve been trying to be encouraging by telling him he needed to forget about that situation, but all that did was remind him of Royce’s betrayal.
He had never been good at forgiving or forgetting. The only reason he didn’t often think about his cousin was because Royce and his brothers had relocated to Chicago years ago. As far as he was concerned, Royce could fall over a cliff and he wouldn’t go looking for him.
Liam drove in the direction of his favorite coffee shop. A few minutes later, he pulled into the small parking lot. Once he was out of the car, the sun’s merciless heat bore down on him and beads of sweat graced his forehead. The average temperature in Cincinnati that time of year was eighty-two, but at the moment, it felt more like a hundred degrees.
Anxious to get into the air-conditioned building, he hurried across the lot, but slowed when he rounded the corner of the building. He almost bumped into the homeless man sitting a few feet from the entrance.
Despite the heat, the guy wore a dirty, gray hoodie laden with dark sweat stains, along with dark jeans and winter boots. How could someone stand to sit in the hot sun, covered with winter clothing and not pass out? Just as the thought crossed his mind, a slight breeze in the air carried the stench of sweat and mustiness past Liam’s nose.
Holding his breath, he quickly dug into the front pocket of his pants for his money clip and removed a few bills. Life was tough enough when you had a job. He couldn’t imagine how hard it must’ve been living on the streets, trying to hold onto hope that things would one day turn around.
He dropped a five, and five singles, into the beat-up hat that the man held with filthy hands.
> “God bless you,” the guy said, making eye contact before quickly looking away.
Seconds later, Liam entered the building. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and sweet treats with a hint of cinnamon greeted him at the door. Baristas calling out orders and the hum of several conversations, laughter, and dishes clattering, filled the air. This was the perfect distraction for what ailed him. For a Saturday afternoon, there were more people than he expected. The mom and pop shop was popular in the neighborhood, still hanging on despite a Starbucks moving in a few blocks away.
“Well, if it isn’t one of my favorite Jenkinses,” Anabelle said, smiling when he finally reached the counter.
The laugh lines around her eyes and mouth were the only giveaway that she was pushing seventy. Otherwise, she didn’t look a day over forty. She and her husband, Sam, had been a fixture in the neighborhood for as long as he could remember.
“Hey, Mrs. Anabelle. How’s it going?” Liam asked.
“A little busy, but I’m doing all right for an old lady. How’s the family? I haven’t seen your grandpa in here lately.”
“Everyone is doing well, and you know Pops. He’s always busy with some type of work even though he’s supposed to be retired.”
They talked for a few minutes longer before Anabelle took his order and he stepped to the side. While he waited, Liam glanced around, hoping to spot an empty table but didn’t see anything. It wasn’t until he had his coffee and cream cheese danish did he notice a man and a woman sliding out of a small booth on the other side of the room.
Skirting around the lines and a group of teenagers heading to the door, Liam was careful not to jostle the hot liquid in his hand. He made it to the table before anyone else could snatch it up. Once he was settled, he took a careful sip of the steaming, hot liquid and sighed. It didn’t matter that it was eighty degrees outside, he rarely went a day without a hot cup of coffee and that one made number three.
Pulling out his cell phone, he scrolled through news articles displaying on his screen. He stopped at the one about a popular rapper and the latest trouble he’d gotten into. Part way through the article, the hairs on the back of Liam’s neck stood and a sensation he hadn’t felt in weeks raked over his skin. The air shifted. He knew without looking up who had just walked into the building.
Unplanned Love Page 5
