Chapter Twenty-Eight
Eden
Milo hadn’t really needed my apology, even if I’d definitely needed to give it. I still owed one to Addie, though—and it wouldn’t be as easy as showing up at her door with an overnight bag.
I decided to close the store for an extra-long lunch break, stopped to pick up a gift certificate that would cover a nice meal for Addie and Olivia, and stepped into the small offices of the rape crisis center where my cousin worked.
She spotted me across the room and immediately pulled off her headset. “Eden, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said quickly, “and this time I really mean that. I’m sorry to interrupt. I was just going to drop this off for you.”
Addie looked at the envelope in my hand, then back at my face. When she didn’t reach for the gift certificate, I pushed it into her hand. She slid a crimson-tipped nail under the flap and blinked in surprise.
“What’s this for?”
“To thank you, and to say I’m sorry. Really, truly, immensely sorry. I love you and I appreciate every second you’ve spent being there for me, not just these past couple weeks, but for my entire life.”
Addie’s lips parted in surprise—Milo wasn’t the only one who knew I was no good with expressing things verbally. I thought the spiel sounded ridiculous, personally, but then my cousin’s eyes filled with tears and she threw her arms around me.
“I love you, babe. Always and forever,” she whispered against my ear.
“Ditto,” I mumbled, squeezing her tight.
Abruptly, she drew back, her dark eyes opening wide. “Oh, while you’re here, come with me!”
Addie dragged me through a honeycomb of cubicles that I’d never find my way out of on my own, then rocked to a halt next to Monique’s desk. A slender Black man was seated in front of her with an array of fliers spread across the desk.
“Eden, have you met Arnaud?”
My eyes flew wide, seeing him out of his element. “Oh, yes. Hi. How are you?”
Arnaud was the owner of the martial arts school I attended, up at the other end of Main Street.
All of the women’s self-defense classes were taught by female instructors, so I hadn’t had him as a teacher yet, though I’d seen him around while I was working at the front desk.
He was almost always wearing track pants and a black t-shirt with the school’s logo on it, but today he was dressed in dark jeans, a trim lavender button-down, and a perfectly tailored blazer.
“Eden, lovely to see you. How are your classes going?”
“They’re amazing. I’m taking a little break while we get the store up and running, but I’ll be back as soon as I get into the swing of things.”
“Excellent. I’m glad you’re here—we’ve been brainstorming some women’s and LGBTQ+ self-defense seminars, but we’ve gotten some feedback from clients who are hesitant about walking into a gym that’s primarily staffed by men,” he told me.
I blinked at Addie, then at Arnaud, who flashed me a killer smile. “Okay.”
“So,” Addie said pointedly, “I realized we know someone whose shop has established itself as a safe space for anyone who walks in, and who happens to have enough room for a decent sized group to meet in.”
“For a self-defense workshop? That’s…actually amazing,” I mused. “Absolutely. I’d be more than happy to host that kind of thing.”
Arnaud rose to his feet. “I would love to work with you on this, Eden. These ladies saved my little sister’s life after she was assaulted, and I’ve been trying to find a way to pay it forward.
We’re actively working toward making the school a more welcoming place, but the instructor I took over from was not very open-minded.
There’s still work to be done in shifting our legacy. ”
“That sounds like a wonderful goal,” I replied. “My classes have been incredibly empowering, and I’d love to share that with a wider audience. Addie and Monique can coordinate a schedule with you, since they’re involved in all of our other events. Tuesday is the only weeknight that’s booked.”
My cousin squeezed my elbow; Olivia had been hesitant to impose, but between Addie and Milo, they talked her around. Game nights were officially taking place at Garden of Delights, starting that very night.
Arnaud shook my hand and thanked me for being open to the idea, Monique kissed my cheek, then Addie walked me back out through the maze of cubicles and out to my car.
“I always knew you’d do amazing things, Eden,” she said softly.
“You guys are the ones making a real difference.”
“Babe, if you can’t see the difference you’re making, you need to open your eyes. We’re a team, and we’re all kicking ass here.”
I laughed and hugged her. “Okay, that I will accept, but only if we get some cool team shirts.”
“Oh, I’m so on it,” Addie said, grinning at me. “I’ll see you tonight for gaming?”
The flinch almost caught me unawares, but Addie saw it. She grabbed my shoulders and stared into my eyes for so long, I thought she was practicing telepathy.
“Everything is going to be fine, babe. I promise.”
I managed a small but honest smile and nodded. “Everything is going to be fine. See you tonight.”
Milo showed up even before Dueling Dragons’ closing time that afternoon. I was in the middle of tidying up the floor, trying to keep myself occupied so the anxiety couldn’t settle in.
“What are you doing here already?” I asked.
Instead of answering, he strolled up to me and dropped a kiss on the side of my neck, then rubbed his chin back and forth to tickle me with his beard. I couldn’t fight the low hum of pleasure rising in my throat, but I felt his lips curve and wondered if that had been his goal all along.
“I wanted to be here when Liv showed up so I could help her set up. You’re giving us a free space to use on a weekly basis. I don’t want you to feel like your business is suffering because you’re trying to do two things at once.”
“Hmm. You’re incredibly thoughtful, did you know that?”
He laughed and turned me in his arms so he could kiss me properly. When he drew back, he said, “It’s come up once or twice. Besides, I had an ulterior motive.”
I raised a brow and replied, “Oh?”
“I wanted to take a look at the new merchandise, see if there’s anything else to add to my Valentine’s Day list,” he murmured.
Heat rose in my face—the man certainly did enjoy the lingerie sets I’d worn for him so far. “Right. Well then, be sure to note down any favorites.”
Milo grinned, kissed the pink spots on my cheeks, and disappeared into the back room where the table was waiting to be unfolded. I turned to survey the store, playing a guessing game with myself to figure out which items he would pick.
And which ones I would surprise him with even before Valentine’s Day rolled around.
Addie and Olivia came through the front door just before I locked it, but they’d told the rest of the players to come around the back.
While none of the others minded missing out on the nerdy setting of Dueling Dragons in order to play here, a few of them were intensely shy, especially about walking through a shop full of underwear.
Addie told me she’d never seen so many blushing dudes in one place when Liv presented the proposed change of location.
After I finished up out front, I hit the lights and joined the group in the back room. Milo snagged my hand and tugged me into his arms.
“So, how will we entertain ourselves? Should we stay in here and listen, or would you like to join me in the breakroom? I seem to recall seeing a cozy chair in there that should fit both of us.”
“Oh? What would we do, all alone in there?”
He leaned down until his lips brushed my earlobe. “I have almost two weeks of missing you to catch up on. I’m sure I could come up with something.”
Laughing, I gave Addie a wave and pulled Milo into the breakroom.
It wasn’t much, just a mini fridge, a tiny microwave, and a couple of thrift store armchairs, but it was private.
I took Milo’s statement at face value, but after he positioned me on his lap and spent fifteen minutes kissing me, I finally saw through his plan.
“You brought me in here as a distraction, didn’t you?” I demanded.
His smile was too sweet for me to hold onto any irritation. “I thought it might be a good idea to take your mind off things. Just for a bit.”
I shifted to look him in the eye. We’d come this far—time to get the rest out. After a deep breath, I forged ahead.
“There’s not some tiny part of you that says, ‘If only I were dating someone else, my shop wouldn’t have been vandalized?’ Buried deep down in a place where you might not think it’s a big deal right now, but in five or ten years down the road, you resent me for it?”
“Eden,” he said gently, “we need to unpack a few things here. First off, no. Hell no. There is no part of me, at any depth, that blames you for any of this. Second, I love that you’re thinking about five or ten years down the road, but I wish you saw it in a better light.”
I blinked at him. “A better light?”
“Yeah, like us living together for real and carpooling to work so you don’t have to worry about stealing my parking spot.
You officially accepting the role of Jiji’s mama.
Our stores both thriving so we can hire people to help out while we take a vacation somewhere.
Maybe, eventually, marriage and babies if you’re interested in that kind of thing. ”
“Oh,” I breathed, overwhelmed by how much I wanted that.
“Right. So, there’s that, all of which warrants a discussion when you’re in the right mindset, okay? But third, Eden, we need to talk about your parents.”
My head jerked. “My parents?”
Milo stroked my cheek with one finger and said, “Yes. Is that something they did, sit on a grievance and throw it back in your face years later?”
For a solid minute, I sat frozen, staring at him. Milo was patient, giving me the time and space to process. Even when my gaze grew unfocused and my lips parted, he stayed quiet.
“Those assholes,” I hissed.
“Eden,” Milo began, but I surged to my feet and started pacing the tiny room.
“I can’t believe I never saw that. When I was younger, I felt like everything they said to me, all the strict religious crap and hellfire threats, trickled right off my back.
I’d come out here and vent to Addie about some of it, then I’d let it go and feel better.
I didn’t realize how much stuck inside me. ”
Milo stood, watching me carefully. “I don’t know how you could grow up in that environment and not internalize some things.”
I spun to face him. “Libby was right. I need a therapist. Oh my god, Milo. Their bullshit cost us almost two whole weeks!”
“Two weeks where you learned how many people have your back, Eden,” he replied. “And you’re right here with me now. That’s all that matters.”
“Yeah,” I mumbled, face-planting against his chest.
His arms wrapped around me without hesitation, enfolding me in his warmth. The rapid shift of emotion inside me made me dizzy, but all of it was underscored by how very grateful I was to have found the man before me.
Eventually, I tipped my head back to meet his gaze while rewinding and replaying the conversation in my mind. While the past had cluttered my head until I couldn’t see clearly, Milo had been looking ahead to the future.
Our future. Together.
I let a new sensation curl its way through my chest, forcing out all of the guilt and fear until the only thing left was my blossoming love for this man.
“So,” I ventured, “you’ve been dreaming of marriage and babies?”
Milo grinned sheepishly. “I was really hoping you’d focus on the vacation part first.”
“I think I could get on board with that.”
All of it, really, but that was a conversation for another time—when whatever threat loomed over us had been vanquished.