Chapter Fourteen
Eden
Picking out clothes was not usually a hardship for me. I dressed for style or for comfort, but almost everything I owned fell into both categories. Except, maybe, for a couple pairs of shoes I reserved for occasions when I wanted to look hot but knew I wouldn’t be on my feet very long.
Dressing for an evening with Milo’s family had me stumped.
He insisted it was low-key, just a relaxing night with his brothers, his nephew, and his sister-in-law. We’d be eating pizza, playing video games, and lounging around Maverick’s living room. All I’d managed to do so far was pull on a pair of charcoal gray leggings.
I was still staring blindly into my closet when my doorbell rang.
“Shit, shit, double shit!” I yelped, grabbing a tunic-length green sweater and yanking it over my head as I ran toward the door. “I’m coming!”
When I threw open the door, Milo’s gaze roamed over my features, immediately spotting the panic that threatened to choke me. Instead of waiting for me to throw on my coat and join him on the porch, he gently nudged me back into the apartment with one hand on my belly.
“I couldn’t decide what to wear,” I whispered.
“Eden,” he murmured, stroking his fingers along my jaw. “Take a breath.”
Caught in the soft look in his eyes, I drew oxygen into my lungs and exhaled on a sigh.
“You look perfect, but this is just us hanging with my brothers. Carter will probably have pizza sauce all over his shirt by the time we finish eating. Maverick will most likely be in sweatpants because he spends his weekdays in suits and ties. You have nothing to worry about. There’s no one to impress, okay? ”
That edge of panic receded a bit, more due to his touch than the reassurance itself. I closed my eyes and leaned into his hand, sighing softly when his thumb swept across my cheek.
“Right. Okay. I just need my coat.”
“Hey,” Milo whispered as he tipped my chin up. “I know what will help you relax.”
There was no need to ask what he meant, because he showed me, dropping his head to capture my mouth in an achingly sweet kiss. I was realizing that very few things couldn’t be helped by one of Milo’s kisses. It ended too soon, but I let out a slow breath when he drew away.
“You’re a magician,” I told him.
He grinned. “Go on, get your coat. Mark and Libby are picking up the pizzas.”
On the ride to Maverick’s house, I twisted my fingers together to keep from tapping them against my legs, but after parking the car in his brother’s driveway, Milo lifted my hands to his lips and kissed each one in turn.
“They’re going to love you. Especially if you ruin my record of destroying them all during the tournament. No pressure, though.”
I laughed and the knot of tension eased another notch. “Right.”
“Did you hear from Addie about the big date last Friday?”
“Only that it was fantastic. I guess they really hit it off. Addie can be a handful, but she has the biggest heart of anyone I know. I want her to be happy.”
Milo smiled over at me. “Olivia is always digging for details about you, but she tends to be suspiciously close-lipped about her own love life. Even so, she texted me yesterday with nothing but heart-eyes. I hoped that meant it went well.”
Carter greeted us before we got two steps into the front hall. “Uncle Milo! Eden! Come in, come in.”
“Sorry guys, he’s hyped up on sugar. Made the rookie mistake of stopping for candy while we were out shopping earlier,” Maverick said as he clasped Milo’s shoulder. He then leaned down to kiss my cheek and muttered, “Rookie mistake.”
Oh, god. They were a cheek-kissing family. Okay. I could do this.
I managed to smile, but Milo caught my elbow and widened his eyes at me until I huffed a laugh, then we followed Carter and Maverick into the living room. He held me back just enough that his brother was out of earshot.
“If you don’t want him touching you, just tell me. I’ll let him know,” he murmured in my ear.
I shook my head. “It’s fine. Just surprised me.”
“I’ll warn you right now, Libby is a hugger. It’s rubbed off on Mark over the years, but no one’s going to force physical contact on you, Eden.”
“Milo, it’s fine. Really. Addie is as touchy-feely as they come, but Rob is pretty reserved and my brother…well, we never hugged, so I wasn’t expecting it. I promise you that I’ll let you know if I’m uncomfortable, okay?”
He studied my face, then nodded. “Can I just mention how gorgeous you look in this sweater? Your eyes look extra bright tonight.”
I gave him a warning look as we reached the overstuffed couch, but as soon as we were seated, Carter took over the conversation, telling us about the neighbor’s new foster puppy and his quest to convince Maverick that they needed a dog.
He was still talking when I heard the front door open and close.
“Do you like dogs, Aunt Eden?” he asked, then his face went slack. “I mean, Eden.”
The newcomers had reached the living room just in time to hear it and I felt the weight of everyone’s gaze on my face.
I had no intention of embarrassing the kid, and some hidden part of me was touched to be called aunt.
It was one more tiny symbol of inclusion, of welcome, tattooing itself on my heart.
I leaned toward Carter and said in a stage whisper, “Don’t tell Jiji, but I’m usually more of a dog person.”
Milo squeezed my knee as everyone laughed. Mark and Libby moved further into the room and we stood to greet them. I almost snorted when I saw that Mark was very blonde. The three of them somehow shared those gray eyes, each as handsome as the last, but all with such different hair colors.
“Eden, this is my other brother, Mark, and his significantly better half, Libby,” Milo said.
Despite his earlier warning about hugs, both of them only shook my hand. Libby was the most stunningly beautiful woman I’d ever seen, with smooth brown skin and gorgeous black curls, but it was her smile that went the distance toward soothing my nerves at meeting Milo’s family.
“It’s so good to finally meet you, Eden,” she said warmly. “I can’t wait to come check out your store, I’ve heard it’s fabulous. I’m planning to stop in on my next day off.”
“Libby is a doctor. She runs the clinic in town,” Mark told me.
“And you have your own store, right?”
He smiled broadly. “Davies Soap Emporium, yeah. Maybe we can do a collaboration sometime. It’d be cutting it pretty close for this Valentine’s Day, but I bet we could create some kickass gift offerings for future holidays.”
Milo grumbled under his breath, “Comics would be hotter.”
The rest of that knot in my chest released when the brothers started roughhousing and Libby moved closer to my side, rolling her eyes at the tangle of limbs before turning to wink at me.
“Welcome to the chaos.”
The Davies crew took their game nights seriously—we decimated the pizzas Mark and Libby had brought, then got straight to the video game tournament. Even the ribbing between brothers had a gentle edge to it, an undercurrent of a love so strong, it nearly bowled me over.
And somehow, they kept me from feeling like an outsider, gently pulling me into their teasing. Addie and her friends had always welcomed me into their group, but this felt different.
Like I was actually a part of it all, rather than being included by default. Like I was valued for who I was, rather than who my cousins happened to know.
I won enough rounds in fighting games to secure the praise of the family, then joined forces with Libby to insist on a different game.
We switched over to MarioKart and an unspoken alliance grew between me, Libby, and Carter.
Between the three of us, we kept the Davies brothers from winning a single race.
“I think it’s time to declare a new family champion,” Mark said finally, lifting a beer to toast my success. “To Eden.”
“To Eden!”
Amidst the chorus of cheers, I stood from the couch, dipped a little curtsy, and dropped back down next to Milo. He tickled my side, but his expression was soft as he tugged me closer to him on the cushion.
“You’re a total badass, Eden Campbell.”
Though I wasn’t sure I believed him—about being a badass or about being bold and decisive—I decided to embrace it. I might not see it yet, but if other people did, who was I to argue?
Besides, I’d spent my life feeling like an outsider, never quite fitting in even with my closest friends, who happened to be my cousins. Here among Milo and his family, I felt like I was part of something bigger than myself.
Only time would tell if that feeling would last.