Page 113 of Barron's Second Chance
"...soItoldyourMom not to get me anything for Christmas. But she let it slip that..."
Barron nodded along to what Susan was saying to him, but his eyes kept darting to the kitchen.
To Eden.
He watched as she cleared the table, rinsing off the dishes they had used for lunch and stacking them in the dishwasher. He had tried to help her but had been shooed away to keep Susan and Mike company.
He wasn't trying to help her to be polite. He just craved her company, even if it was working side by side doing menial tasks. Some might call it creepy or possessive - toxic, even. But he didn't give a shit. They hadn't seen each other in person since his surprise birthday party, so he took any opportunity to stare at her.
Eden's lovely face was concentrated as she grabbed a dishcloth and started wiping down the table. Her breasts gently swayed underneath her light cotton buttoned-up shirt, causing Barron to shift a little in his seat.
"...so now I'm thinking I should get her this cute bag I saw..."
"Uh, huh," he nodded as Susan continued her chatter, his mind quickly dipping out again.
Not for the first time today he wished he had Eden alone. Better yet, he wished that she was staying with him and not back with her Mom and Mike.
She was home for Thanksgiving, and he had hoped she would stay with him. But his hopes were dashed when she explained that it made sense for her to stay with her Mom since she wanted to help with meal preps. He was disappointed but understood. After all, his Mom had commandeered him to help with her army of dishes. He knew how seriously they took their cooking and hadn't made a fuss when Eden informed him where she was staying.
But Thanksgiving was three days ago. When he again broached the subject of her staying with him, she said that she had already unpacked and didn't want to do it again, and wasn't it enough that they saw each other every day anyway?
In normal circumstances, some might say that he was moving too fast - but their relationship was anything but conventional.
They'd known each other since they were barely out of diapers; they started dating at fourteen and had known each other intimately since they were fifteen. Yes, they had some years apart, but once they decided to date again, they slotted comfortably into each other's lives with a newfound intimacy that had only grown deeper as adults.
They had also been dating since the end of summer. That was basically three months. He knew couples that were married in lesser time than that. The geographical distance didn't hinder them either physically or mentally. It only brought them closer.
At least, that's the impression he got on his end. He still needed to find out where Eden's mind was at. He could only go by her physical cues. Inviting him to stay with her in New York, flying in for 48 hours to throw a surprise birthday party for him, texting, calling, and video chatting with him every day. When they made love, it felt like two souls interconnecting - coming together in an explosion of love, passion, and a close intimacy that could only be replicated with her.
All these examples were all he had to go on because every time he tried to lean into the subject ofthem, she'd kiss him and tell him that she was happy and wanted to be with him. He could only take that to mean that she was...happy and wanted to be with him. Only him.
"...so what do you think?"
The last sentence of Susan's rambling finally penetrated through to him and he came out of his Eden-induced daydream. He glanced at Susan who was eyeing him expectantly. Mike was smirking beside her, aware of where his attention had really been.
"Sorry, what?" He sheepishly asked.
Luckily Susan wasn't offended and gave him an amused smile as she glanced from her daughter to him. "I take it your mind was elsewhere," she softly laughed.
He ran his hand down his face, weary from the emotional unpacking he had been doing. "Sorry, it's just good to have her home, ya know?" Nothishome, sadly, but at least they were in the same zip code, albeit temporarily.
"I know, honey." Susan gave him a sympathetic glance before her eyes darted to the kitchen. "How are you two?" She asked in a low tone. She waved her hand before he spoke. "You don't have to go into detail, but are you two doing good? She gives me nothing whenever I ask. She's turned so private lately."
Barron's soul deflated at her admission. Eden was super close with her Mom and acted like they were more friends than parent and daughter. So if she wasn't sharing the status of their relationship with her mother, he really was at a loss.
Barron swallowed past the lump in his throat and tried to give Susan an upbeat smile. "Things are good. I love her, and that's all that matters."
And it truly was. As much as he yearned for her words of love and commitment, he knew deep down that she felt it. Their chemistry, the invisible band that kept yanking them together, was too strong for it to be one-sided. He could wait. He could.
"I can see that," Susan agreed.
Barron's heart warmed at the affectionate smile she gave him.
Another relationship that was back on track was his and Susan's. He would always feel guilty for what he did to Eden and, by extension, how Susan perceived him. To have her welcome him back into her fold again, without question, felt amazing.
"I'm just going to put the washing away," Eden interrupted.
He watched her bend down to pick up the clothes basket by the couch. If they were alone, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from reaching across to give her ass a playful tap.
