Begin Again novel Chapter 207

"Good, you're still wearing the hat," Liam tapped the brim lightly before handing Brenda the plastic bag with their refreshments.

"I don't want water. I want a cape," Eden turned up her nose at the bottle of sparkling water he'd opened for her.

But no matter how long she stood there, with her arms crossed, refusing to budge until he got her a cape, Liam wouldn't. Instead, he made her take photos of him and Aiden, and a few included Brenda and his security team.

Feeling left out, Eden asked at last, "What about one with me?"

"Don't worry; we'll photoshop you in," Liam smirked.

But James was happy to do the honours. He took tons of photos of the three of them. Most were fun and silly, but there were a few serious ones worthy of family portraits that Eden wanted to print and frame.

"Where's our first stop?" Brenda asked as she took Aiden and placed him in the stroller.

Liam checked the time and confirmed the dolphin show was about to start. He gathered them all up, and they rushed to the sanctuary, and for fifteen minutes, Aiden was thoroughly captivated by Flipper, the dolphin, and his handler.

They moved on to the aquarium next, where they spent the bulk of their outing.

"Mom," Aiden was in his element. He pointed at the shoal of bright fish in the tank. "Nemo!"

"Yeah, baby, that's a clownfish," Eden kissed his cheek. "Good job, Aid!"

"Who's Nemo?" Liam asked as he snatched her water bottle and took a long gulp.

"Are you serious?" She gawked at him, thinking he's messing with her. But he looked as blank as a clean sheet of paper. "You don't know Nemo?"

"No," Liam shook his head, and she spent five minutes giving him a detailed summary of the movie.

"Why would you let Kool-Aid watch something so sad?"

"Liam," Eden clapped her hands in front of him. "That's all you took from this?"

"What else am I supposed to take from it? A baby fish got separated from his parents—"

"Ugh!" She hit her forehead with her palm. "What about the beautiful friendships Nemo and his father build along the way as they try to make their way back to each other? What about their journey to self-discovery? What about all the life lessons—"

"He's a baby fish. He had no business running around and getting lost!"

"I give up," she shook her head and walked on, unable to believe she'd just spent five minutes discussing a movie about clownfish. She needed better hobbies. "You need to watch the movie. It's one of Aiden's favourites."

Liam's phone rang, and he waved it at her to show her the caller ID, his irritation crystal clear as he picked up the call. And for almost a minute, Eden listened to his side of the conversation as he directed his cousin to their spot inside the aquarium.

"We're here!" Julian screeched from around the corner before Liam had even hung up. Seconds later, Sienna and Lydia trailed behind him arm in arm, followed by Cassandra and Matthew. They all hugged each other while the brothers gave Aiden their undivided attention.

"What's with the hat?" Lydia asked.

"It's her punishment," Liam replied before she could. "She wasn't supposed to tell you we're here, and since she caved, she has to wear the hat of shame the whole day."

Her friends burst into peals of laughter while his cousins looked crushed.

"You didn't want us to come?" Julian sounded very sad. "But it's the weekend. We always hang out on weekends."

"I see you at the office all the time," Liam groaned and walked on, the brothers following behind him.

"So did we gatecrash your date or what?" Sienna asked, looking just as crushed as Julian. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I tried to. But apparently, whatever you had to tell me was too damn important to wait," Eden reminded them. Turning to Cassandra, she continued. "Before you fill me in, though, what's up with you and Matthew?"

Cassandra suddenly looked very uncomfortable, and for some reason, Brenda struggling with the back wheels on the stroller seemed way more intriguing than their conversation. She crouched down to help the nanny.

"There you go, Brenda, all good," she smiled and wiped her hands on the front of her jeans before turning to Eden again. "He's my student."

"What student?" She asked, watching Brenda and Aiden pause in front of Snorkeler's Lagoon, where a group of kids under the tutelage of a snorkelling instructor seemed to be having the time of their lives.

"Have you forgotten I run a cooking studio?"