Chapter Twenty-Seven
Milo
Late that night, Eden finally explained what had been driving her reaction after Libby stitched her up. In hushed tones, she confessed the worry weighing on her heart, her fear for my safety, her guilt over bringing me into what she considered her mess.
My heart broke for her even as hope flared blindingly bright inside me.
If she was willing to suffer that misery to keep me safe, then I wasn’t wrong to believe she was in love with me, whether she said the words or not.
“I should have told you about the note on the brick,” I murmured against the top of her hair.
“Even if you had, I think I still would have reacted the same way. I can’t bear the thought of you getting hurt, especially not if it’s because of me.”
Carefully rolling over so I could study her expressive face, I shook my head. “None of this is because of you, Eden. You’re not responsible for anyone else’s behavior, and if some asshole thinks he can get to you through me, we’re going to prove him wrong.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
I slid my hand along the sleek silver nightgown I’d refused to peel off her body before making love to her. “By the way, I fully approve of surprises like this.”
Just when I reached the bottom of the fabric, she said, “Your mom helped me pick it out.”
I froze. “What?”
“She came to the shop while I was sorting the shipment. She kind of…talked me through what’s been going on in my head since that night. And then she bought a red—”
I jerked my hand away from her hip to cover her mouth. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence, you little monster.”
It hadn’t even been two weeks since she asked for space, but the sound of her laughter was the sweetest thing I’d ever heard.
Her whole body shook with the force of it as she burrowed into me, trying to muffle the giggles bursting from her lips.
I let it wash over me even as I buried my face against her neck and tickled her with my beard.
This—this was what I’d missed. The unfettered joy of having her in my arms.
She fell asleep wearing the nightgown and nothing else, but it was rucked up to her waist, leaving one hip bare for my fingertips to explore.
Only through sheer force of will was I able to wipe my mother’s involvement from my memory.
I refused to think of anything but the way it shimmered as Eden’s body moved over and under me.
Those images filled my mind until I finally drifted off with her tucked against my body, and waking up to her in that same position was a slice of heaven I’d been afraid I might never get back.
“Is it morning?” she mumbled into my chest.
“Unfortunately, yes, but it’s Sunday, so you can stay right where you are.”
“I’m sorry it took me so long to come around, but I’m also not sorry the timing worked out this way. I love Sundays.”
I laughed into her hair. “My favorite day of the week.”
For a minute, she was quiet, then she asked, “Do you know whether the police have any leads?”
“No, though a guy at the cafe across the street got a partial license plate when the car paused out front. The police are still looking for witnesses, so we just need to sit tight. It wasn’t like it was midnight. People were out and about. Someone had to have seen something.”
“Okay,” Eden whispered.
“Tomorrow, you should come in and see what Carter did with the plywood. I think you’ll love it.”
“Okay.”
The word was stronger this time, more like her usual self. I rolled onto my side, keeping her leg draped over my hip, and kissed the tip of her nose.
“So, what should we do with our day? Stay in bed? Make some cookies? Go out for brunch?”
“Will Jiji murder me in my sleep tonight if we spend the day in bed?” she asked.
As if summoned by the question, a plaintive meow came from beyond the closed door and we both started laughing. Eden curled her body into mine like she was seeking shelter, so I tightened my arms around her until she glanced up at me, still giggling.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” she said, “but I’d be happy just lounging around today.”
“We’ll invite him in after breakfast.”
If it weren’t for Jiji, I probably would’ve kept Eden right there for as long as humanly possible.
With the comforter tucked up around our shoulders, we were encased in a warm cocoon together, shielded from the reality of the world outside this bed.
Eden shifted slightly, not to look up at me, but to nuzzle her face into my throat.
“I had an idea,” she said softly.
“Lay it on me.”
“I know there’s a certain ambiance in your shop, but what if Olivia ran her games out of one of the back rooms at mine? None of our meetings or events have been on Tuesdays, so I’ll just make sure we don’t schedule anything when she’s got a game night.”
Her lips brushed over my skin as she spoke and sent a zing along my nerve endings, but the words kept me from focusing on that sensation.
I wanted to move her up onto the pillows so I could see her eyes, but if she needed that distance to speak without getting anxious, I would happily give her that.
“Eden…that’s a really sweet offer, but are you sure? I don’t want to intrude on your space.”
She drew a shaky breath and whispered, “I don’t mind. I don’t need that much space most of the time, and…”
“And what, doll?”
“It’d be safer. You’d be safer.”
My arms tightened around her. “Eden, we’re safe.”
“Yeah,” she replied, but the word was hesitant.
“If it will give you some peace of mind, then I’ll talk to Liv and we’ll give it a try this week, okay? Even if it’s just until the cops catch the person responsible for smashing the window. Sound good?”
“Yeah,” she said again, stronger this time.
“Good, that’s settled. Now, I’m going to go feed my cat so it’s not me who gets killed in my sleep, then I’m going to bring you breakfast in bed. We’ll eat, have some coffee, fool around some more, and have a nice, relaxing day.”
I shifted out from under her, tucking the blanket tightly enough that no cold would seep in while I was gone.
When Eden smiled up at me, my heart clenched like a fist in my chest before it loosened into something warm and profound.
I pulled on a pair of flannel pants and leaned down to drop a soft kiss on her forehead.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
“For the kiss? Any time.”
“No, for everything. I mean, and the kiss, too. But mostly for being awesome.”
Cupping her cheek in my hand, I gazed at her, noting each and every difference that had come over her in our time apart.
The little nicks in her skin had faded enough to be almost indistinguishable.
Even though her stitches had been removed this week, the gash across her hand was still a vivid pink.
But she was here. She was healing.
“I love you,” I said softly, stroking my thumb over her cheek.
Eden didn’t return the words, not aloud, but she nuzzled her cheek into my palm. I felt the slow curve of her lips just before she kissed my hand. Her expression was open, those hazel eyes unguarded. It felt like a gift, being trusted with the soft center of her without a single barrier in sight.
I would move heaven and earth for this woman.
“Stay right where you are. I’ll be back with coffee,” I told her instead.
After all, we had to start somewhere.
When it came time for me to head into work on Monday afternoon, I convinced Eden to come in with me. Since our reunion, any mention of Dueling Dragons had garnered a certain reaction that concerned me. She’d go utterly still, her muscles tensed like she was preparing to flee.
We needed to overcome her fear of the store itself, and fast.
I held her hand as I let us in the back door, then slipped my arm around her waist to guide her inside. “Deep breaths, doll,” I encouraged as we moved along the hallway.
“I’d settle for any breaths,” she muttered.
If she could joke, she could handle this.
As I greeted Rafael, Eden’s gaze shot straight to the front window, now repaired with a shiny new piece of glass, custom cut to fit the frame and paid for—thankfully—by my insurance.
She stared for a good minute as we stood behind the counter, then I squeezed her hip and pointed toward the far wall.
Carter usually painted small canvases, but he’d risen to the challenge of working with the larger surface of the plywood sheet.
Two dragons, one blue and one purple, each with metallic accents that made their scales shimmer, curled together around the base of a stone lighthouse, gazing lovingly at one another.
The blue dragon had slate gray eyes with silver edges, while the purple dragon’s were the perfect mixture of bronze and gold.
“Oh my god,” Eden whispered, moving around the counter to get closer to the painting. “That’s us.”
“Good catch. I didn’t even realize what he was doing until the very end, when he finished the eyes. He modeled it after the Spruce Hill Lighthouse up on the lake. Have you been there yet?”
“No, I haven’t. This is incredible. Do you think he’d be up for a job?”
I blinked in surprise. “You want him to paint some naked women for your shop?”
“No, I want my own set of these dragons. Smaller, maybe. I’ll pay him,” she said, still staring up at them.
“I think he’d be happy to paint something for his Aunt Eden.”
She sucked in a breath as she turned to me. “I like that.”
Rafael called out that he was leaving, but Eden didn’t so much as glance in his direction when I waved to him. With wide eyes, she stared up at me, looking like I’d just gifted her the moon. It was impossible not to close the distance between us and kiss her.
“I love you.” The words burst from her lips as soon as I lifted my head.
For a second, I paused, letting them stroke over my skin and settle deep inside my chest, then I yanked her against me and captured her mouth again.
I was still kissing her, exploring her like it was the first time all over again, when Carter flew through the front door.
“Aunt Eden, you’re back! Did you see my dragons?”
We broke off, looked at my nephew, and burst out laughing.