22. Eden
TWENTY-TWO
EDEN
“Thanks for the…ride…” I mutter, distracted as Teddy’s house comes into view. Cash rolls to a stop at the curb.
“Don’t mention it,” he says. “But do mention to that fucker that the amount of miles I’m putting on Giselle for his sake is getting a little out of hand.”
I have to rip my eyes from the beautiful home, all brick and white trim, the landscaping immaculate. Cash is grinning goofily at me, the big brother I never had or wanted. I hate admitting I’ve fallen for his charm, too, and I can see why him and Teddy are so close. Reaching over, I pat his arm and smile softly.
“Trust me, I’ll make sure he repays you tenfold.”
He winks at me. “Knew I liked you. I’ll be back at five.”
Anxiety curdles the toast and coffee in my stomach, but I broaden my smile and nod, popping the handle and jumping out. He’s quick to drive away, tires squealing on the wet pavement, and I’m left alone on the curb, so nervous I could puke. Nervous, because the clock is ticking away the hours until I have sex with Teddy. Scared, because I’m about to meet his mom, and he speaks so highly of her, I know she’s super important to him.
And terrified, because when Cash picks us back up, our first stop isn’t the gymnasium of Seattle Prep. It’s the hospice center where my dad is slowly dying, and I’m about to introduce a guy I really fucking like to him.
So taking a deep breath, I step off the curb and into the grass, striding across the lawn in a beeline to the front door, my finger punching the bell before I can talk myself out of this. Bouncing on my heels, praying Teddy answers, the door unlocks and slowly pulls open. Why does time always seem to stand still in these anticipatory moments?
I’m met with his eyes set in a beautiful woman’s face, her hair as inky as his but beginning to gray. She beams at me, ushering me in with a wave of her hand. “Eden, come in, come in, sweetie. Teddy is just showering. Not sure what that boy gets up to, but he was covered in dust this morning.”
I follow her in, my heart racing so quickly I might actually faint, and the moment my feet grace the pristine white tile, I toe off my shoes with haste.
“S-sorry, sorry,” I say, bending to pick them up, cradling them to my chest like they’re my child.
She laughs gently, giving my arm a squeeze before she rubs her hand gently up and down in a calming manner. She really is stunning, an age old, classic type of beauty, like Audrey Hepburn. I can see where Teddy gets his looks, and my cheeks flame to life at the thought. I feel grimy, wearing my oversized band hoodie and holey skinny jeans, my hair thrown into a sloppy bun atop my head.
“Come on in. Would you like anything to drink, eat?”
I’m starving, but I’m just going to pretend I’m not.
“Umm…no…no thank you,” I say, obediently following her to the massive kitchen. Everything is so clean, so neat and tidy. I wonder if Teddy’s room is the same.
Pausing awkwardly at the end of the counter, I wait and watch while his mom goes to the fridge and produces a jug of lemonade and a tray of crackers, cheese, meat, and fruit. My stomach grumbles, and I hug my shoes tighter to my torso in the hopes that it muffles the sound. She slides the tray onto the counter next to a plate of fresh chocolate chip cookies, and my eyes begin to water.
It’s…overwhelming, being around someone I’ve never met, but someone who is being so kind to me.
“I remember being nervous before my prom, too, and I made the mistake of not eating,” she says, pulling the plastic wrap off the top of the meats and cheeses. “I fainted during the photos and ripped my dress. Don’t make my mistake.”
She pours me a glass of lemonade and holds it out expectantly. Chewing my lip, I bend and slowly place my shoes on the ground, taking the cool glass from her and having a sip. Sweet tartness paints my tongue and zaps through me.
“Thank you, Mrs. Poe,” I say softly. She grins.
“Call me Tara, honey. The way my son plans to woo you, you may as well start calling me mom.”
My eyes nearly bulge out of my skull, and I cough, stunned when I shouldn’t be. Teddy had to learn his behavior from someone, and as Tara laughs, I know who it was.
“Mom, stop scaring Eden away.”
I turn toward his voice sharply, my subconscious reaching out for him like a frightened child seeking their parent after a night terror. He ascends the stairs from the basement, toweling off his hair, wearing gray sweats and a band tee. My mouth runs dry, my eyes dipping to the bulge below his waistband before I can stop myself. It’s…big. And I am just now wondering how the hell it’s supposed to fit inside me.
Why did I even bother to wear panties if I knew they were just going to be ruined the second I laid eyes on him?
“I am not,” Tara chastises, piling food onto a small plate for her son. “Eden, sweetie, is there anything you don’t prefer? Teddy is about to steal you from me.”
She points to the tray as my cheeks flame so hotly I begin to sweat, and I shake my head. She smiles, casting Teddy a coy look, and makes me a plate as well, only by the time she’s done, mine is heaping .
Teddy takes both the plates, nodding his head toward the basement. “Don’t worry, she’s going to come bother us sooner rather than later anyways.”
Eyes wide, I glance at his mom, wondering how she will react to his sarcasm. She just rolls her eyes, plucking a cookie from the tray and taking a bite. “I can still ground you, Theodore.”
“I’d like to see you try!” he trills as he jogs down the steps, me sheepishly following. The basement is cool and dark, and he leads me down a short hall, taking a left into his room. Soft music spills from speakers that seem to surround the perimeter of his walls, the paint a deep, navy blue. His bed is larger than mine, an oak frame supporting it, a soft plaid duvet tucked neatly into the wood. To the wall directly across from his door is a desk, devoid of anything except for a lamp and a stack of weathered books. Posters and string lights cover patches of the walls, some bands I recognize, others I don’t.
But the best, most comforting part is the scent. It’s him amplified by a thousand, and I wish I could just crawl into his bed and sleep until all the dark and gory parts of my life pass me by.
I’ve never slept so soundly before the night he held me. Of all the things to look forward to on this day, you wouldn’t think sleep would be a priority, but it is. To end such a momentous night in his arms in a place that brings me peace and comfort? I could think of nothing better, and for the first time in a long time, I feel content.
He slips our plates of food onto his desk and tosses his towel in a hamper near another door from which golden light and steam spills. He turns to face me, hands gripping the edges of his desk behind him, a sinuous smirk playing at his lips. “She likes you. A lot.”
Swallowing hard, I cross my arms and nod. “Well…obviously. I’m sure the other girls you brought home were vapid and annoying.”
His eyes dance like the blue flames at the bottom of a fire.
“You’re the only girl I’ve ever introduced to my mother, and the only one I plan to. So no need for jealousy, baby.”
Oh, god.
A tremble begins to take root in my core and flare out through all of my limbs. Why does he have to look at me like that? And say such things? Especially because…he can’t really mean them, right? Bristling, I snap at him. “Don’t lie to me.”
He strides across the room, eating the distance between us in two steps, a voracious sneer on his lips that ignites something deadly in his eyes. Before I can even gasp, his long fingers have curled rather gently over my throat, and he walks us back until my shoulders hit the wall. Blinking up at him in utter shock, that mad glint in his eye slowly fades, hiding behind simmering annoyance. As though I just provoked the Antichrist, but something about me made him back down.
“I’ll never lie to you, Eden. So remember that when I earn your secrets.”
Gulping against his palm, I can do nothing more than nod quickly. When he gets like this, the only thought in me is to obey. In my past, I would have done so out of fear, but with Teddy…I do it out of trust. After what happened the other night, where he protected me, where I knew he was willing to kill to keep me safe, it’s easy to trust him.
I’m free to fall, because he won’t let anything happen to me.
He smirks, eyes flicking between mine, the storm clouds departing in his gaze and the sun shining through. “I’d love to keep you pinned here all fucking night, until you begged for me to stop, but we’re on a tight schedule, little ghost. C’mon.”
Head positively spinning as he turns away and walks nonchalantly into his bathroom, it takes my body a minute to react to those wanton words. My tongue feels thick, unable to move, my legs are trembling, and my nipples are as hard as they’ve ever been. The electricity that precedes a devastating storm crackles through my veins, and I follow without a second thought, addicted to this man in a way that I seem to know stretches even the most subjective view of normal.