Page 9 of Royal Bargain

“You’ll be safe with me,” Liam says, grabbing his phone. “No one will touch you as long as you’re under my protection.”

“That seems like a bit of a stretch,” I mutter. I doubt that Liam can stay around 24/7, especially if someone from his side finds out I’m there and decides to “pay me a visit”.

But realistically, I have no other choice so when Lily finally finishes feeding, I put her down and begin packing my stuff up.

Liam helps me pack, muttering about the sheer quantity of items I have for Lily, including a comment about how many clothes a baby that small possibly needs.

I feel the irritation grow, suddenly reminded of why we broke up in the first place. Liam had this way of grating on my nerves, always questioning me at every turn.

“She needs this many clothes because she’s a baby,” I snap, keeping my voice low to prevent waking Lily up. “Babies are messy. Do you even realize how much work it is?”

“I can handle it just fine,” Liam mutters, angrily shoving baby clothes into a suitcase. “Can you?”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I ask, a hand on my hip as I stop in the middle of putting my laptop away.

“Nothing,” Liam says. “Let’s get going. I want to be out of here before dark.”

I let the comment slide as we finish packing up, heading out just as the sun starts to sink below the horizon.

The drive to his place is silent, and my stomach is in knots the whole time, worrying that my father’s men already know where I am and that they’ve been following us. I don’t feel secure until we’ve stepped inside Liam’s place, breathing a sigh of relief.

I’d only been here a handful of times before. We spent most of the time in neutral locations, too afraid to be seen coming and going together for fear of retaliation from our families.

My eyes rake over the space. It’s open and airy, with large windows that take up almost the entirety of one wall. The furniture is all very square and modern-looking, with a lot of wood accents and a minimalist design. A set of winding stairs comes off the kitchen, leading up to a lofted bedroom with more floor-to-ceiling windows.

I stand in the kitchen for a moment, breathing in and out as I try to envision Lily and me living here. There’s plenty of space, but it’s not very well suited for a baby.

And the mess.

My skin prickles as I take in the sight of stacks of plates on the coffee table, several half-drunk bottles of water scattered across the dining room table, a pile of laundry strewn across the living room floor, and the bag of trash waiting by the back door.

Even though Liam was being an ass, he was right that mess and I don’t get along very well. I hate when things are disorganized or out of place. It makes my skin crawl, and the itch to tidy up rises inside now that I see it.

“We need to set some ground rules,” Liam says, carrying Lily’s car seat carrier into the building.

I take her from him as he begins the process of setting up her bassinet in the living room. He pushes it over a discarded wrapper, and it crinkles, making me wince.

“Like what?” I ask, sitting down to feed Lily again.

“Well, for one thing, under no circumstances are you to leave this place alone. You and our daughter are to stay put unless absolutely necessary,” he orders. “If itisnecessary, you’ll go with me or one of your new bodyguards.”

I prickle at his insinuation that I’d be stupid enough to put myself in danger but nod, unwilling to let him think that I’d put up a fight about something so stupid.

“Fine,” I say. “Anything else?”

He stands in front of the bassinet, arms crossed. “This is about protecting Lily. That’s theonlyreason you’re here. I’m her father, and it’s my job to keep her safe. I just want to make sure we’re on the same page. That means you and me? We aren’t a thing. You’re my roommate, nothing more.”

“You and I,” I murmur. “Not you and me.”

He groans. “Seriously? This isn’t grammar class.” He rolls his eyes and stomps off to get the rest of the stuff from his car.

This is going to be a disaster. I can already feel it in my bones.

The next few days,as we adjust to our new circumstances, it’s clear that any romantic notion I might have once had aboutliving with Liam back when we were dating was little more than a delusion.

For one, he seems to constantly be tripping over his own sneakers, which he leaves in a heap by the stairs. He leaves his hair in the sink after he shaves, and his dirty laundry pile never seems to grow any smaller. We bicker constantly, and Lily’s unpredictable schedule leaves us tired and tense, which doesn’t help.

Living with him is turning into a nightmare.