Chapter 3
Eden
Being driven around by Davey again has its perks, one being front door service as I ran all of my errands and now the doctor’s office.
“Eden Anderson for Dr. Jonas.”
After being told to have a seat, I do my best not to look too longingly at all of the pregnant women around me.
I was hoping that the next time I came to see my gynecologist would be because I was having a baby, not to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases.
Oh how life can change in the blink of an eye.
“Eden?” The nurse calls my name, startling me out of my musings.
“We’ll get a urine sample and get you into the exam room to wait for Dr. Jonas. Hopefully that will speed things along, I know it’s the middle of your work day.” I’ve been coming here for years, they know my schedule about as well as I do.
“No worries, Jeanette, I’ve taken the rest of the afternoon off.” I reassure her as I take the little cup she hands me.
Once I’m finished and settled onto the exam table, my anxiety kicks up a notch.
I don’t think I contracted anything from Scott but you never know.
That’s how my mom discovered that my dad was cheating, though I didn’t know that until her friend told me years later.
I wish she hadn’t, it just added more to the heartache of it all.
To a young child I thought my parents were a fairytale.
They always laughed and smiled, hugged and kissed each other which at the time I thought was gross.
Now I don’t know how much of it was true or imagined by a fanciful little girl.
I mean, do happily married men in love with their wives cheat?
Scott claimed to love me and we were happy.
Though if I’m honest with myself, I don’t know that I was ever truly in love with him or if it was the life we were building I loved.
I’m hurt and heartbroken and so so angry, but not for the reasons I should be.
I feel like he cheated me out of my future family and the chance to have something I’ve never had since my parents died, and that’s unconditional love.
Outside of the Malone boys and even Lydia herself, a family and a place that I belong.
Fundamental needs. I never thought it would be this hard.
The tears prick my eyes and sneak past my lashes at the thought of starting over.
If only one of the Malone’s would finally declare their love and devotion for me, life would be so much easier.
Though I’m not sure how I could ever choose just one of them.
They’ve always been a package deal; maybe I can convince them that the four of us can live happily ever after together…
Probably not, though. The three of them have women throwing themselves at them at every turn.
With that depressing thought at the forefront, the door opens and Dr. Jonas walks in with a frown on her face. Lovely.
“Eden, when we spoke last week I didn’t expect to see you in here getting a panel of tests for STD’s.” Her tone is gentle, the frown still marring her kind face.
“Me either, Doc. I guess it’s lucky that it happened now and not after I got pregnant.” I say halfheartedly, trying to find the silver lining.
“That’s the spirit!” Her smile breaks through the somber vibe in the drab room. “As my mama always said, we don’t cry over spilt milk or men who are shit in bed.”
A shocked laugh bursts out of me. I did not expect such language to come out of my prim and proper, pearl wearing lady doctor. I so needed it though.
“Smart woman! Now please tell me you have good news for me.” I implore rubbing my damp palms over the thin paper gown.
“That I can do!”
* * *
The sun seems to be shining a little brighter as I slip into the backseat of the town car. Davey closes the door behind me and eases us into traffic. “Where to now, Miss Eden?” He asks jovially.
“I guess it’s early enough that I could go back to the office.”
“You could but the fellas are already gone for the day.” It’s so cute that he refers to them as “the fellas.”
They’re going to make me work extra hard tomorrow rescheduling everything from today. “Well then, to their place I guess.”
“Home it is, Miss.” He shoots me a warm smile in the rearview mirror.
Home. Oh how I wish.
In no time at all we pull up to their building, the doorman coming over to greet me. “Welcome home, Eden.”
There’s that word again. Did the guys tell Greg and Davey that I was moving in?
“Thanks, Greg.”
“Any packages for me to grab?” He asks, waving at Davey.
“Nope, just me.”
“The most precious package.” Davey grins. “See you in the morning.”
I wave and follow Greg inside to the private elevator that leads to the penthouse.
He punches in the code and holds the doors for me to get in.
“They’ll be happy you’re home, they’ve been checking in to see if you’ve arrived for the last hour.
” With a chuckle he presses the button for the top floor and waves as the doors slide closed.
“They’ve been checking?” I whisper to the empty elevator car.
Why? Oh god, they don’t have a woman up there do they?
My stomach roils at the thought. Already I’m reminded of why this is a bad idea.
There’s only so much a person can take in one day and I’m pretty sure that I’ve hit my limit.
I’m about to hit the stop button to form a game plan, if there is in fact a woman in there, when the doors slide open right into their opulent foyer.
Gleaming floors as far as the eye can see and three gorgeous men waiting for me.
Alone. “Honeys, I’m hooommmeee.” I joke.
Gray smiles and moves to help me out of my coat. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
“You left work?” I ask censure in my tone as he hangs my things in the front hall closet.
“We weren’t getting shit done without you there.” Dimi says, pressing a kiss against my cheek. It’s not anything he hasn’t done a million times before, every day I see him actually, but it feels different in this moment. More intimate and less of a friendly peck.
“Too much excitement this morning to try and get anything done and Marjorie can’t keep us on task the way you can.
” Mason smirks, taking my hand and pulling me further into the penthouse.
It’s massive, two stories of stunning architecture with walls upon walls of windows and balconies and marble and wood and masculine perfection. In the flesh and the decor.
“I know we said that we would take you to dinner but we weren’t sure if you wanted to leave again after being out all day so we ordered takeout.” He sits me on the buttery soft leather couch handing me a drink he picked up from the table in the foyer.
“You okay?” Dimitry asks, his gaze roaming over my face as if it will tell him all that he needs to know.
“I’m fine. Better than I was and way better than I should be.” I admit. Because I am. It’s sweet how they’re so worried though.
“You’re one of the strongest women we know, E.
” His deep voice rumbles from him. “Gray, Mason and I hated to hurt you the way we did this morning but we couldn’t keep it from you.
We hope you’re not upset with us for interfering but you’re our girl and there’s no fucking way we could sit by and let him do that shit to you. ”
“Dimitry wanted to just beat his ass but we wouldn’t let him.” Gray sits on the couch next to me. “I mean we will totally unleash the beast now if you want, but we thought you should handle it however you wanted before we stepped in.”
I laugh, “You mean like moving me out of his place and into yours?”
They don’t look the least bit chastised or sorry.
“It’s where you belong, Eden.” Mason sits on the arm of the couch. “We’ve always wanted you here, you know that.” He tucks a loose strand of my hair behind my ear.
“You have?” What does that mean? That they wanted me here as their friend? As their assistant or what? My heart is pounding So loud I almost don’t hear Dimitry.
“Fucking hell, E how could you not have known?” He settles onto the driftwood coffee table in front of me, situating himself so that his knees are bracketing mine.
“Since the day we met you, you’ve been ours.
Even back then we knew.” His soft tone is like warm honey being poured over every one of my limbs.
It’s not often that he speaks in anything but grunts and growls and as much as I absolutely love that, this side of him is effective because it’s so rare.
“So we’re doing this now?” Gray laughs. “What happened to letting her settle in?” He tosses his arm over the back of the couch behind me, enveloping me in the crisp scent of his cologne.
My eyes dart from one handsome face to the next. They aren’t typically able to rattle me so easily but honestly I feel fragile today. I’m not used to feeling this way. They must sense it because Mason takes my hand and squeezes while Dimitry goes on.
“Fuck it.” He grunts, more like himself making Gray chuckle. “Why were you at the doctor today?” He demands.
Startled, I blink slowly, “How do you know I was at the doctor?”
“Davey.” Mason supplies.
“Oh, that makes sense.” The old man does work for them.
“I wanted to just check on a few things.” I’m embarrassed to tell them, which is silly.
These three have seen me at my lowest low, which surprisingly wasn’t today, and my highest high and have never judged me.
Dimi is clearly not satisfied with that answer, his stare letting me know he expects more.
I roll my eyes and forge ahead quickly. “I wanted to make sure I was clean, that I didn’t contract anything from him.
And to ask her about my options if I decided to have a baby, without… him.”
They don’t seem surprised. “And? What did she say? Is there any way that you could be pregnant now?” Mason asks as he slips into the space next to me, crowding me between him and Gray.
I shake my head. “Slim to none. I didn’t stop taking my pills until last weekend and hadn’t even told him yet so we were still using protection as well.”
Gray cuts off the low growl emanating from Dimitry. “And the tests all came back negative.” I nod, taking a sip of the drink that Mason handed me earlier, in desperate need of the burn the alcohol brings. “And what did she say about the baby part?”
“Well, she said that there are a few options: using a sperm bank, adopting of course, or finding a donor that I know who would be willing t-to contribute.” I trail off unsure of what they’re thinking.
“Not a chance.” Dimitry says firmly. “You want a baby, we’ll give you one.”