Page 119 of Barron's Second Chance
"No. It was," she firmly stated. "He overheard me say something to my dad about the state of our relationship. I-I," she faltered and closed her eyes in shame. "I shouldn't have said it."
Kelly was quiet over the line. So quiet that Eden was sure she had lost the connection.
"You shouldn't have said it because he overheard it, or you shouldn't have said it because you didn't mean it?"
Eden mulled over the question, the answer dancing in front of her in bright neon, further fueling her guilt.
"Can I ask you something?" She asked, ignoring Kelly's question.
"Sure."
"You remember when we first told you that we were dating again...we said that it wasn't serious?"
"Hmm," Kelly's disapproving tone came over the line, causing Eden to give a small smile in amusement. Kelly made it perfectly clear that she thought this whole "casual dating business " was a load of malarkey.
"How do you see our relationship now?" She stroked her necklace, tracing the delicate "E" with nervous fingers.
"Oh! Um…," Kelly thought for a moment. "Well, I certainly hope you're past the casual stage," she started, not realizing the impact of her words. "Barron hasn't really divulged any details. He's just assured us that things were better than good. And that he loves you," she added.
Eden closed her eyes against that truth. He didn’t say those words to her often, and she knew it was because he didn't want her to feel any pressure from him.
"So, yeah, I see your relationship as going well. Amazing, really. I hope you don't mind, but Susan and I have discussed how happy you both are."
Everyone was so sure about the status of their relationship. From the outside looking in, they appeared like an average, loving couple.
But behind closed doors...they were so muchmore. They gravitated towards each other like iron to magnet. Their lovemaking always felt like an intense, sacred experience. She was left wholly sated, both in body and mind. They were dynamite as teenagers. But as adults? They touched corners of each other that had never been explored.
She would be lying if she didn't admit that she was initially worried about how she compared to the other women Barron had slept with. But after their sex marathon in her apartment, where they fucked on every fuckable surface, thoughts of other women - Lissa, Tracey...faceless women that had come and gone - faded into oblivion.
"I know my son loves you," Kelly continued. "He's always loved you, even when you were apart."
"Yeah," Eden croaked. "He told you that?" She had trouble believing that Barron confided in his mom over their breakup.
"Well..." Kelly's hesitant voice came over the phone.
"What?" Eden slowly pressed her.
Kelly sighed. "He'll kill me for telling you this, but a few years ago, I borrowed his laptop, so I could show him something. I forget what it was now," she mused.
"Oh, god, he was watching porn."
Kelly let out a bark of laughter at that answer. "No, sweetheart!" She giggled. "But he probably wished he was after what I saw."
Eden frowned. She wasn't sure she wanted to know, but curiosity got the better of her. "What did you find?"
"You."
Eden's eyes widened in surprise as she swiftly dropped the pendant from between her fingers. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"His history was filled with runway shows and interviews you'd done. His search bar had your name on there a few times...it was clear he spent a lot of time watching you on repeat," she finished, sounding awkward.
Eden raised her brow in surprise at that statement. She had done a lot of runway shows over her career. The notable shows almost always appeared on YouTube, and she knew of a few high-profile fashion channels that featured her runway looks. There was only one channel for which she had done a sit-down interview, which was part of their'day in the life of a model'series. She was asked to feature after being named 'The New Face' of the season. Of course, she jumped at the opportunity to be featured by such a reputable fashion label.
The exposure helped build her brand and was the catalyst for some wonderful things happening to her, career-wise. That interview occurred quite early on, within two years of her moving to New York.
Far from feeling uncomfortable over Kelly's revelations, she instead felt a pleasurable warmth spread over her body. Like stepping out from the shade and into the warm, inviting sun.
"Eden?" Kelly pressed nervously.
