by Trisha Grace
It was way too warm to be wearing a jacket in the house.
He hung the jacket over the back of his chair and started eating.
“Helena,” Elias started.
Helena pulled her back straighter.
At that moment, Liam contemplated throwing his brothers out. He didn’t want Helena to be subjected to an interrogation. She didn’t deserve that. She didn’t ask for it.
But she’d insisted on doing this.
“So, your brother is something, huh.”
Helena stared back at him without a word, then laughed. “Yeah, he is.”
“What do you do?” Cassian asked, and Helena smiled before answering. Killian, Elias, and Cassian asked Helena about her work, her life. There wasn’t anything he hadn’t already known, and she didn’t seem to mind answering their questions, so he just sat back and watched her talk.
“What’s Bobby to you?” Trevor asked. Of course, this ever-watchful brother of his was the most direct of them all. Among all of them, he and Liam were the quietest. Elias talked enough for all of them.
“I’ve known him since we were children. He’s my brother’s friend.” She raised her hand before Trevor could ask another question. “Yes. Now I’m here to help throw him out.”
His half-brothers’ eyes all turned to him.
“It seems you left out a bit of your story,” Killian said.
“I told you Bobby sent Nigel to catalogue everything before the old man died.”
“You didn’t say he was throwing you out,” Elias added.
Liam frowned. “Then why do you think he’s doing it? He has too much time on his hands?”
Cassian sighed and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “He does have too much time on his hands.”
Helena pursed her lips and flashed an apologetic smile toward him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you hadn’t told them.”
Liam shrugged. “It’s no secret that Bobby hates me.”
“He hates all of us,” Elias said. “The ones who dare to exist and burst the bubble of his perfect little life.”
“Don’t worry,” Helena said. “I’ll talk to Mr. Eolenfeld—Edward Eolenfeld. Liam won’t lose this place.”
Trevor shrugged and finished up the onion rings. “Maybe it’s a good thing. You’ve been stuck here long enough.”
No one else said anything.
Liam turned his attention to Cassian when he felt his stare. He blinked as he locked eyes with Cassian. This was the first time in a really long time that his brother looked right at him.
Cassian widened his eyes, seemingly trying to hint at something.
Liam had no idea what it was, though.
Then Cassian subtly cocked his head toward Helena, who was rubbing her hands up and down her arms.
Now that Liam noticed, the whole place was rather cold. Someone must have adjusted the thermostat.
Cassian made a move to adjust his jacket, only he wasn’t wearing one. He had given it to Liam.
Liam swallowed a sigh. He grabbed the suit jacket off the back of his chair and draped it over Helena’s shoulders.
She pulled it closer around herself and smiled, but her brows twitched as she drew a deep breath.
Liam arched a brow, and she shook her head.
“You have a place, right?” Killian leaned forward on the dining table. “Liam could stay with you.”
“My small apartment is already overcrowded.”
“You have roommates?”
“My brother.” She licked her lips. “And sometimes Bobby stays over—always on the couch,” she said as she turned to Liam.
“You let Bobby stay over?” Trevor asked.
“I don’t let him. My brother has the key to my apartment. Bobby tags along with Nigel.”
Elias smirked. “Cut Bobby off. If you want us to trust you, then cut Bobby off.”
Liam swallowed.
Helena put her utensils down and dropped her gaze. “I can’t.”
“Because of your brother,” Liam said. As much as he hated that Bobby had such a complicated link to her, he didn’t care. He didn’t care as long as he could have Helena.
He stretched his hand across the table, moving toward hers.
But Helena pulled hers back. “Not just that.”
Liam felt his chest tightening.
“When I was in college,” Helena said, staring at the dining table, “my roommate dragged me to a party. I don’t drink, so this guy brought me a cup of apple juice.” She clenched her fists. “I thought he was being nice and I drank it.”
Liam waited, but not once did she look over at him.
And he hated it.
Liam wanted her eyes on him. He didn’t want her to hide, not even from herself.
Flexing her hands, Helena licked her lips. She pulled the suit jacket closer before tipping her head up. “The guy slipped something into my drink,” she said, looking only at Liam. “I realized it when I couldn’t speak properly. I was slurring my words. The world was swirling.” She was still looking at him, but her gaze was far away.
Liam reached over and took her cold hand.
“The guy dragged me upstairs.” She pursed her lips and swallowed hard. “The worst of it was that I could see and know what he was going to do to me, but I just … couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything to stop it.”
Liam struggled to keep his face straight, to keep his rage from revealing itself in his face.
This was why Helena had trust issues about eating food that didn’t come sealed from a restaurant or factory.
“You have a name?” Trevor asked, the controlled anger clear in his voice.
“He didn’t get to do anything. Before he could, Bobby hauled him off. He’d heard I was going to a party, and he was there. He saw me getting dragged up the stairs.” She drew a deep breath through her nose. “I guess he knew me well enough to know immediately something was wrong.” She closed her eyes. “I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if Bobby weren’t there.”
Liam gave her hand a squeeze.
She sighed heavily and opened her eyes. “It wasn’t just that. Bobby made sure that guy got kicked out of school. No one demanded a statement or report from me. No one questioned if I had been drunk and just regretted my initial consent. No one asked me what I was wearing or why did I even go to the party in the first place.” She looked right at Liam. “Bobby saved me from that guy, then he erased that guy’s existence from my life. Years later, Nigel told me that Bobby made sure the guy couldn’t get accepted into any other college. He made sure the guy couldn’t get hired anywhere. Maybe he didn’t deserve to have his entire life destroyed, but I have to admit that I am …” She licked her lips. “I’m eternally grateful to Bobby for what he did, and he never once brought it up again.”
Everyone fell silent when she did.
“I hate Bobby for what he did to you,” she finally said, breaking the silence. “But I … I can’t cut him off. I …” She closed her eyes. “I’m sorry.” She slipped her hand from under his, pushed her chair back, and stood.
Liam grabbed her arm. “We need to stop doing this.”
Her brows drew together.
“Stop walking away from each other.” He got up and cupped his hand against her face. “I hate him for what he did to me.” Liam pressed his forehead against hers. “But I’m eternally grateful that he was there to protect you when I wasn’t.”
Even if Liam had been there, he wouldn’t have had the power or resources to do what Bobby had done for Helena.
Helena’s lips curled.
“So you repay Bobby by leading him on all these years?”
“What?” Helena broke away from Liam and turned to Trevor. “I didn’t do that.”
“You let him stay at your apartment.”
“As I said, I don’t let him. Nigel comes over to stay, and sometimes Bobby comes along with Nigel.”
“You do know Bobby owns quite a few properties. Why do you think he’s sleeping on your couch?
”
“He’s just lonely.”
“And you let him think you’ll be there for him when he’s lonely.”
“That’s what friends do.”
“He doesn’t want to be friends with you, Helena. I’m sure that’s obvious enough.”
Helena licked her lips.
“That’s enough, Trevor.” Liam put his hand on her back. “We’re done with lunch.” He leaned closer and spoke to her. “Go back to your room. I’ll deal with them.”
She glanced over at his half-brothers, as if she wasn’t sure if she should leave him alone with them.
That made his brothers smile.
“I’ll be fine.” He tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’ll be right up.”
Neither he nor his brothers said another word until Helena was out of sight. “Did you guys mess with the thermostat?” he asked as he sat down.
Elias smirked and cocked his brows. “It worked, didn’t it?”
Liam shook his head. “Cut it out.”
“You’re serious about her.” Cassian leaned forward, propping an elbow on the dining table. “You heard what she said. If you do end up with her, you’re probably going to have to deal a lot with Bobby.” His half-brother locked eyes with him again, and Liam realized he didn’t mind his attention on him.
Liam used to flare up whenever his brothers looked at him. Those flare-ups often led to one of the many fights they had.
They’d all stopped doing that. Until now.
None of his other brothers said anything. Everyone seemed to be waiting for his reaction, except there really wasn’t anything to react to.
In the week that Helena had been here, Liam had grown used to her looking right at him. She’d made him see something he hadn’t been able to—that his scar didn’t have to define him. He didn’t have to be the beast Bobby made him out to be.
“Being linked to Helena means being linked to Bobby, and it seems the Eolenfeld,” Cassian continued. “Are you sure you’re okay with that?”
Liam had never told any of them of the abuse he’d suffered from Bobby and his mother. But they had all been to that household, they could guess. And Bobby never hid the fact that he was the one responsible for the scar on Liam’s face.
“Of course he’s fine with it,” Elias answered for him. He hooked his hands behind his head as he leaned back on the chair. “Didn’t you see them just now?” He looked over at Liam, as did the rest of his brothers.
For a moment, all they did was look at him.
And Liam let them.
“Go for it,” Trevor said, and Liam arched a brow.
“I thought you guys didn’t trust her.”
Trevor jerked his chin toward the rest. “They don’t.”
“You didn’t either,” Killian said.
“I changed my mind.”
“What the hell.” Elias threw his hands in the air. “Go for it.”
Killian nodded. “Even if she’s only after your money and you end up losing everything to her, we can earn it back.”
Liam rolled his eyes.
Cassian’s head bobbed up and down. “Go for it. As long as you’re happy. Whatever the cost, it’s worth it.”
“Right, thanks for giving your permission,” Liam said dryly.
Elias shook his head. “Not permission. But you’ll definitely need our support. I still stand by my thermostat idea. Made you look chivalrous.” He waved a hand. “You’re welcome.”
“Great idea getting her the clothes,” Killian added. “She must like them. She wore two different outfits in a day.”
“She was bored.”
Cassian frowned. “You weren’t with her?”
“No, she said she had to work.”
“But she ended up trying on clothes.”
Liam didn’t like the skepticism in Cassian’s voice. “I think she was upset with me.” He ran his hand through his hair.
“What did you do?” Killian asked.
“Nothing. She said she’d say yes if I asked her out.”
His brothers all leaned in as if they expected a juicy piece of gossip.
“And?” Elias broke the silence.
“What was there to say? I don’t go out.”
Cassian sighed. “Not even for her?”
“I was caught off guard.”
Trevor’s eyes narrowed. “So you’d go out for her?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.” Liam hadn’t really thought about it. “Yes. No.” He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Elias waved it off. “What happened after that?”
“She said we didn’t have to go out out.”
“And?” Elias asked again and rolled his eyes. “Stop making me drag it out of you.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
A collective sigh echoed around the dining table.
Cassian brushed his fingers across his forehead. “Ask her out. You don’t have to go out out; she already said that. You can have dinner with her here.” He stood. “We’ll handle the rest.”
“Just go ask her out,” Elias said.
“Now?”
“Yes,” Killian said, exasperated. He pushed himself from the table. “Dinner tonight, before you push her away completely.”
Liam was getting whiplash at the change of direction. His brothers had insisted on having lunch with her because they didn’t trust her. Now they were making sure he didn’t lose her?
Trevor got up as well.
“I know where to get dinner,” Cassian said to Killian.
“Wait.” Liam stood. “She has some issues with food.”
Trevor smiled. “I think you got that covered.”
“I need to ask you something about the rehab place you went to,” Liam said to Trevor.
“For her brother?”
He nodded.
“I can set it up for you. Just let me know when he’s ready to go.” Trevor put a hand on his shoulder, and Liam dropped his attention to it.
His half-brothers hadn’t come into his life until his mother passed away, and they hadn’t really hit it off at first. In fact, they often ended up in physical brawls. Elias and Cassian were the ones who kept coming back, kept pulling the rest of them back.
Eventually, they learned to give each other space. They learned to respect each other’s decisions—well enough to carve out a business empire that would soon rival the Eolenfelds’.
In spite of that, Liam wouldn’t say that they had been especially close. In fact, this was the first time they’d actually all sat down and had a meal together.
“Don’t worry,” Trevor said. “I doubt you messed up too badly. She looked as if she wanted to kiss you when you did what you did with the food.”
“What did he do to the food?” Killian and Elias asked at the same time.
Trevor didn’t answer them, and they were still making a ruckus as they headed out.
Cassian put a hand in his back. “Ask her on a real date. Do it now.”
Liam glanced up the stairs. She already said she would say yes, right? There was nothing to be nervous about.
Except his heart didn’t seem to have gotten the memo.
Chapter 12
So you repay Bobby by leading him on all these years?
Helena couldn’t stop thinking about what Trevor had said. Was that what she had done all these years? She’d never thought about it that way. She thought she was being a friend.
But perhaps Trevor was right.
“Hey.”
She looked toward at the door and smiled at Liam.
“I knocked.”
She didn’t even hear it. “Are they gone?”
He nodded.
“How badly did I fail?”
He sat next to her on the bed. “It wasn’t a test. They were just being nosy.” He tucked her hair behind her ear. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Just thinking about what Trevor said.” She waved it off. “Thank you.”
He arched a brow.
“For what you did with the food.” She’d been so focused on telling herself to just get over herself and not embarrass Liam that she didn’t realize what he was doing. Then he’d ever so casually switched their food after taking a bite of everything—without even knowing the reason behind it.
Liam hadn’t made a big deal of it. He simply did whatever was needed for her to feel at ease, and that somehow superseded all the romantic gestures she’d read about in books and seen in movies.
She cupped his face and leaned over to give him a peck on the cheek. “Thank you.”
He shrugged it off as if it was nothing, which only made what he did so much sweeter. “I spoke to Trevor about the rehab place. I know we never really ended that conversation, but if you want, Trevor will set it up for Nigel.”
“I need you to leave.”
He blinked. “Leave?”
“Yes. Leave the room.”
“I wasn’t trying to force you to—”
“No. I need you to leave so I can swoon without embarrassing myself.”
His lips curled and he laughed. “On that note.” He cleared his throat. “Do you want to have dinner with me?”
“Sure. What do you want to eat? I can cook.”
“No, I mean like a dinner date.”
Her brows rose.
“Not out out. Just … But a date.”
She tried to bite down on her lips, but those treacherous appendages refused to stay put. “But I have nothing to wear.” She chuckled at the same time he did. “Yeah. A dinner date sounds great.”
“Full disclosure, Elias and Killian are involved, so it may go a little crazy.”
“As long as they don’t turn the place into a haunted house. I don’t do those.”
“I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“I hung your jacket up in your closet.”
He nodded.
“Was that yours?”
“Why?”
She shrugged a shoulder. “It didn’t smell like yours.” Helena realized how weird that sounded only after saying it. “It seemed different from your sweater.” And his bed.
“Good different or bad different?”
“No good or bad. Just different.”
“It’s Cassian’s.”
“But you were wearing it, and it was on your chair.”
He ran his hand through his hair. “When they got back after buying lunch, he insisted that I wear it.”
