I remember at Liam’s birthday party, I made a jokey comment to him that he was spending a lot of time with Julianne and neglecting his other guests. He pulled me very close and whispered in my ear, ‘She’s my boss, for fuck’s sake! Of course, I’m going to be attentive. She signs my bonus cheques! Honestly, sometimes you’re just so clueless. Half the time, I don’t even know how you even managed to get a degree. You need to grow up and stop being so neurotic and jealous.’ It looked to anyone watching as if he was cradling me in a loving hug, but I could feel the tension coming off him in waves, and I didn’t want to make a scene in front of all his friends. I found myself wondering, What the hell are you thinking, Chloe, this is crazy. You can’t keep doing this. It was one rule for me and another for Liam. As soon as I talked to a man, he was by my side in an instant, and he watched me like a hawk. But nothing was going to spoil my euphoric happiness about the baby. The little life inside me was all that mattered.
