A Perfect Love

by Becca Lee

  “What?” I lifted a brow in confusion and snuggled next to Liam on the two-seater outside sofa.

  “Just wondering if you were sharing.” She eyed the cookies.

  I laughed. “Yep, I already ate four inside, so I’m all good.”

  “Bloody hell, Jo, where are you putting all of that?” Liam said around a smirk.

  I shrugged. “A woman’s gotta eat, you know.”

  “But we’ve only just eaten,” Liam continued.

  I pulled away from him and shifted in my seat so I could see his face better. “Are you seriously monitoring what I’m eating?” While I knew he was half-teasing, I was also aware my once-flat stomach was already taking shape and would never return to how I’d known it. That, plus my arse were taking a serious beating. Apparently, I only had to look at an ice cream and my backside grew a centimetre.

  Mace scoffed and didn’t contain his laughter, despite my face being carefully controlled into a say-one-thing-outta-place-and-I’m-going-to-kick-your-arse expression. “Christ, Liam, do you have a death wish?”

  Liam’s eyes balked, almost cartoon character-worthy, when he realised perhaps his teasing may earn him a night in the spare room. “Shut it, Mace.” He then refocused on me. “You can eat as many cookies as you want, babe. I’ll love you despite the extra bits.”

  The whole group erupted into laughter while I found nothing funny about his statement and from the expression on Liam’s face, he quickly attempted to backtrack. “Shit, babe, that’s not what I meant. I just meant your body is changing. You have our baby growing inside of you, so it’s bound to change and that’s all right.”

  I huffed. “Oh, that’s great then, as long as I have your ‘okay’,” I air-quoted. “I needed your seal of approval to get fat when I’m having your baby. I hadn’t realised, dickwad.” Halfway through my speech, it could have gone either way. I was half-serious and would have totally kicked his arse, if I so decided, but likewise I knew perhaps I was being somewhat oversensitive. So instead, I swallowed his thoughtlessness and played him instead. I was a firm believer of keeping Liam on his toes. It was good exercise for him.

  Liam had a tendency to get growly alpha-like when he wanted to. At times, I let him get away with it. Sometimes it was hot, but usually it was infuriating. My theory was, in order to create harmony in our relationship, I would always wear the proverbial pants, allowing him to think he was in control every now and then. It seemed to have worked so far.

  “Dickwad?” Liam lifted a brow. “Did you just call me a dickwad?” I quirked my lips at him in amusement. “You know you’re going to pay for that later, right?”

  I did a little victory dance inside my head. I’d allow him his alpha moment, knowing I was going to benefit as soon as everyone left when he dragged me into the bedroom. Sometimes, alpha Liam was pretty hot.

  I burst out laughing, leaned in and kissed him briefly on the mouth. Snuggling back against him, I caught Mace’s concerned gaze. His brows were furrowed and eyes were sad. As soon as his eyes connected with mine, his expression changed and a smile curved his mouth; it didn’t, however, reach his eyes. I stared at him in question until he winked and looked away. The look reinforced my need to bring him into the fold, and I knew the only way to do that was to talk to him. But it had to be done alone, not even with Liam.

  I gave a tired wave goodbye to Preston, Ella and Kid. Liam and Mace were still drinking and talking. It was way past my bedtime, yet it was so awesome seeing the two of them together again, and I didn’t want to miss out. Things were still far from the old, relaxed normal, but the fact he was with us was a great start.

  “I’ll stay the night, if you’re sure it’s okay, Jo?” He shook another empty beer bottle in front of him. “Knowing my luck, I’d be pulled over.”

  “Sure thing. I’ll go and make up the spare room.”

  “I’ll do that.” Liam stood and kissed me on the head as he walked by and headed into the house.

  Making my way back over to the two-seater, I curled my legs under me and took a sip of my water. I looked over at Mace who was draining his beer. “I’m pleased you came over.”

  He smiled when he finished his beer.

  “He misses you, you know.”

  Releasing a shallow laugh, he averted his eyes toward the house. “I don’t think he does. He’s best off without me in his life.”

  I sighed. “Now you’re being ridiculous. And I’m sorry, Simon…”

  He flicked his gaze to me in annoyance. “Mace.”

  “As I was saying, Simon, you sound a tad like a pussy.”

  I spoke as he was taking a gulp of a fresh beer. He choked on the liquid and coughed. Once he regained control of his breathing and calmed down his spluttering, he arched his brow at me. “You know, not many people would have the balls to call me a pussy.”

  I shrugged. “Well, I’m not just anyone, am I, brother?” I grinned. “Plus, you sounded like a pussy. I just told you pretty much you need to pull your head out of your arse and start being a brother to Liam, and me, yet you whined like a little girl. In my book, that was a pussy response.” I stared at him hard in challenge.

  He glared back before his gaze softened and he swept his free hand across his face. “I know. Shit, I miss him, too.”

  “Well, stop missing him and simply be in his life.”

  He leaned forward, elbows on knees and chin leaning on his hands. “It’s not as easy as that.”

  “I call bullshit.” I gulped back the bubble of anxiety that threatened to burst at the next words I needed to say. “Stop using me as an excuse.”

  “Jo—”

  “Don’t ‘Jo’ me! I’m serious, Mace.” He smirked lightly at my slip-up before his frown returned. “I need you to stop blaming yourself for something David did.” I ignored the catch in my breath when I said his name. “It wasn’t you. You had no control over what he did. He wasn’t your responsibility. I wasn’t your responsibility.”

  He shook his head in denial. “Liam asked me to look out for you while he was dealing with our screw-up of a mother. I promised him I would. I didn’t. I was too busy getting my dick wet with a woman whose name I don’t even remember, simply to spite Abi. Shit.”

  I closed my eyes, his own agony from the loss of Abi, as well as my attack, resting heavily against my chest. The pain from that night would forever lay dormant. I’d dealt with my rape the best way I could, and Liam played a huge part in my survival. Even though there was a time I’d needed a timeout to really come to grips with all that had happened to me, I did so knowing, without a doubt, Liam would be there waiting for me. And he had been.

  When Liam’s mum had turned up at Mace’s house in the middle of the night—the middle of a party Mace was throwing—she’d immediately caused chaos. She was off her face. It wasn’t until a little while later, when David had arrived, that things had spiralled even quicker. He barged in and ended up taking a swipe at Jane, his on-again-off-again wife. It wasn’t the first time I‘d seen him high. Sometimes he’d be placid and too comatose to move, while others he was crazy aggressive. That night, it was the latter. With poison running through his veins, he was the person I detested, the person I knew had almost broken Liam.

  As David raised his fist for the second time, Liam stepped in. Immediately, he put David on his back while I stood to the side, watching in horror.

  His parents were both pieces of shit. I knew this, and most definitely, their sons knew it, too. Containing the madness, they’d dumped David on his arse outside and Mace had threatened to arrest him if he came back, while Liam had taken his mum home. We were staying at Mace’s for the weekend and he’d had far too much to drink to drive, but Liam was sober. He rarely drank. I supposed with the parents he had, it was hardly surprising he chose to remain in control.

  I wanted to go with him, but Liam was too embarrassed and asked me to stay. So I did. When he left, he spoke to Mace and told him to look after me, despite my protests and eye rolling. There were quite a
few people in the house, many who I didn’t know, but they were friendly all the same, so I wasn’t worried, especially since lots of the guys there were cops. Liam was just being his overprotective self.

  Liam had been gone for about an hour when Mace and Abi, his fiancée, had a heated argument. She ended up walking off in a huff. Concerned, I’d made to go and see if he was okay, when a woman sidled up to him and whispered in his ear. He looked to me for a moment, clocking where I was, before he turned his back to me and led the woman upstairs.

  I desperately hoped he wasn’t off to do what I thought he may be doing, but unfortunately, it turned out later that he was. After another thirty minutes, Liam was yet to return. With the heat and cigarette smoke clinging to the air inside the house, it made my drunken arse feel sick, so grabbing a glass of water, I took myself outside.

  I was relieved there was no one around. Loud music and drunken bodies were taking their toll, plus I worried about Liam. I hadn’t been outside in the dark yard for more than five minutes when his voice broke the quiet.

  “You stupid fucking bitch. Liam will get what’s coming to him.”

  I wasn’t sure how much time had passed before Liam found me, his cries breaking through my haze and pain. When I was able to pry my bloody eyes open, it was to be faced with a Liam I had never seen before. I thought I was broken. I was wrong, until I saw Liam. His face was contorted in pain. Blood smeared his ghostly-pale cheek. His pained eyes stared down at me, tears freely flowing as he glanced over my bruised body.

  But it wasn’t until I answered his question of ‘who?’ that I saw him shatter. Narrowed eyes turned hard, his jaw tightened, and his pale skin turned an angry shade of crimson. He became someone else before my eyes, and it wasn’t for a long time afterward that I was finally able to get him back.

  It sickened me that David was released. While Liam and I hadn’t discussed it in a while, I knew he was out. Nausea regularly sat in my gut at the thought, but I wasn’t afraid. I refused to be. My way of dealing with it was to show no fear, and allow no fucker to destroy what I had: my family. With Mace before me, that thought held even more significance.

  Opening my eyes, I forced hardness into their depths. “It was shit. Everything that happened was a nightmare.” I kept my voice low and soft, despite the hardness of my words. “You need to throw your stupid guilt away right now. Let it go.” I swallowed. “I forgive you.” Despite my anxiety, those three words were effortless because I meant them. I refused to allow anyone to take responsibility for something they had no control over. Living life with what-ifs was not a part of my genetic makeup, and that was the way it would always be.

  Closing his eyes at my words, he exhaled heavily.

  “Okay, now that’s sorted, get your arse over here. Give me a hug and then I’m off to bed.”

  He did as I asked and sat beside me. Before he took me in his arms, I had one last thing to say. “Just to be clear, we do not talk about this again. There is no need. Also, I expect to see you around here at least every three weeks, but as soon as your niece is born it’ll need to be more often. Got it?”

  A smile tugged at his lips. The great big man before me, arms painted in beautiful ink, face covered in a beard, was a great big softie, and I loved him. He nodded in confirmation.

  “Good.” I grinned, pressed against his chest and wrapped my arms around him. His arms mirrored mine.

  He planted a kiss on the top of my head when Liam walked back outside. “You want to get your hands off my woman there, brother?”

  I scoffed, still snug against Mace’s chest.

  “And you, woman, you better not be sniffing him or some shit. I know what your weird hormones are doing.”

  I burst out laughing and pulled out of Mace’s arms. Looking up at Mace, I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “Love you, Mace.” I drew back and winked, deliberately not winding him up.

  “You, too, Jo.”

  I stood and made my way over to Liam who waited near the kitchen door, a bemused expression on his face. Pressing myself against his chest, I tilted my head and kissed his neck. “I’m going to bed. Love you, handsome.”

  Brushing his fingers over my face, he cupped my cheek. I leaned into his palm. “You okay?”

  I nodded with a large smile.

  Kissing me on the lips, he then pressed his mouth close to my ear. “Love you. You need me to take care of you before you sleep, just let me know.”

  Heat travelled through my body and pooled in my belly. “I can wait until morning, but you make sure you wake me up properly.” I grinned, knowing he’d make good on my demand. There was rarely anything better in this world than waking up with Liam between my thighs.

  Kissing me once more, he squeezed my arse lightly. “I can most definitely do that, babe.”

  “Night,” I threw over my shoulder to Mace. “Night, baby,” I directed at Liam, accepting another kiss from him before I headed inside and made my way to bed. It was a good day. A little more peace settled over my heart knowing at last, after all of this time, Liam could rebuild his relationship with his brother.

  Chapter Ten

  Liam

  I held back from walking outside after hearing some of what Jo and Mace were discussing. They needed this time to talk; it was long overdue. Hearing how Jo put Mace in his place was not only amusing, but it made my heart swell with pride. In everything she did, everything she achieved, I was always proud of her, but reaching out to my brother sent her sweet arse into a whole new league. She was beyond a doubt the most amazing woman in the world.

  I would happily take on the pussy status she just threw at Mace by admitting it aloud, too.

  Saying goodnight to Jo, I watched her retreat. With her changing body, she was even hotter, her breasts especially. I was half-tempted to call her name, just so she’d turn around and I could watch them jiggle in her tight PJ top. I thought better of it, though, not wanting to risk her glare. With her increasingly erratic hormones, I was never quite sure how she’d handle a situation.

  Instead, I turned back to Mace and sat down facing him. We were finally alone. It was about time I found out exactly what his arrival was really about.

  “So…?” I left the question deliberately hanging, no longer wanting to sit and play ignorant. It was great he was there, especially for Jo, but all the way through drinks, I could not ignore the guilt or the dread forming in the pit of my gut.

  Mace’s face became deathly serious. “I’ve had someone keep a tail on him since I had my little chat with him.”

  “And what happened when you saw him?”

  He shrugged. “I warned him to stay away from you and Jo, and me. I also told him to back away from Mum. The last thing we need is him stirring up shit with her again.”

  He was right. While it had been a long time since I’d seen her, I didn’t want her to have anything to do with the piece of shit I had for a father. She was still a drunk. That would never change, and I’d come to terms with this a while back. But as far as I was aware, she was clean. She’d laid off the drugs, which David had brought into her life.

  “I also advised him to move states. All he needs to do is contact his parole officer to set that up. There’s nothing here for him now. Well, nothing but a hospital bed or maybe a coffin.”

  There was nothing but sincerity with his words. They weren’t vicious, and his voice wasn’t raised. While I should have been talking him down since I knew he spoke the truth, I didn’t have a drop of empathy with the thought of David leaving this Earth.

  He continued, “He’s been a busy man; going from one meth house to the next. He’s also driven by your work.”

  Clenching my fists, I forced myself to remain quiet, knowing Mace wasn’t done.

  “He was around here today while you were out. Headed into your backyard. I’ve had someone on Jo since I received the call. I have no idea what the hell he’s playing at or what he wants, but he headed down to a rundown shithole earlier, to buy drugs I assume, and
somehow the motherfucker gave my boy the slip. So here I am. That was about an hour before I came to you.”

  I forced myself to remain calm rather than shouting at the top of my voice and throwing my bottle across the veranda. That would most definitely get Jo out of bed. I forced a deep, calming breath in and out while I attempted to keep hold of the rage threatening to spill out. “You think he’s coming back here?” My jaw ticked as I spoke. “He’ll be in breach of his parole, right? Any drug test, he’ll fail, plus being near our house.”

  “No idea if he’ll be coming back here, brother. I just wanted to be here until I manage to get my hands on him tomorrow, which I will. It may be nothing, but the fact that he’s no doubt high as a kite concerns me.” He remained quiet for a moment. “And yes to the parole. What do you want to do about it?”

  Lifting my arms, I placed my hands on top of my head, clasping my fingers together. The only thing that prevented me from calling the local police station, or getting Mace to call it in to his friends still on the force, was the fact I wanted words with him beforehand. Once I had, I would make the call so he’d be thrown back in jail, where he belonged. “As soon as you find him, tell me. I’m going to be there.”

  “You sure about that?”

  I gave him a hard stare.

  “Okay, Liam. I’ll let you know. You going to tell Jo?”

  A deep sigh escaped. I was tired. Tired of keeping stuff from Jo and damn tired of worrying about her. “After tomorrow, I will. She’ll find out sooner or later anyway. I can’t keep crap from that woman.”

  Mace laughed. “Ain’t that the truth.”

  I smiled a fraction before standing. “Thanks, Mace. I’m going to bed. You good? Know where you’re staying?”

  He nodded.

  Heading inside, I turned before sliding the door closed behind me. “Just so you know, I agree with what Jo said to you earlier. You need to step up and be an uncle, and I need to pull my head out of my arse and stop blaming you. I’m sorry, brother.”