Liam's POV
The words hit me like a slap the moment I settled behind the wheel. "You don't want me bonding with your wife."
My mother's voice carried that familiar edge of accusation that made my teeth grind together. I turned the key harder than necessary, the engine roaring to life.
"Because I know bonding is the last thing on your mind, Keeley." The words came out clipped, controlled. "What did you say to her while I was gone?"
Something had shifted in the kitchen earlier. I could feel it the moment I walked back in. Vivian's smile seemed forced, her answers too quick and rehearsed. When I pressed her about it, every instinct told me she was holding something back.
"I said nothing inappropriate," my mother replied, her tone defensive as she clicked her seatbelt into place. "I simply invited her to dinner. Me and Mya would enjoy her company."
I reversed out of the garage with more force than the maneuver required, my jaw working as I processed her words.
