Page 120 of Barron's Second Chance
Eden licked her dry lips as she sought a response. "Wow," she whispered, "that's so -"
"Creepy?"
Sweet.
"Err..."
Kelly gave a sound over the phone like she was smiling. "Notcreepy," she concluded in satisfaction.
Eden gave a genuine smile for the first time since Barron confronted her and stormed out. Hope in taking that next step bloomed on the horizon. "Definitely not creepy," she confirmed.
Kelly sighed. "Honey, whatever happened between you two tonight, please know that Barron loves you. You're his dream girl, his one regret in life. He'll forgive you for anything as long as you're with him."
A weight lifted off her shoulders. Eden knew what she needed to do. No, she didn't think Barron should forgive her for anything just because he fucked up their relationship first. They had come too far and grown up a lot - both separately and together - to fall into a tit-for-tat relationship.
However, the tidbits fed to her by Kelly helped absolve any lingering fears she had about taking that next step. Suddenly, Eden was eager to get off the phone.
"Kelly, I need to go."
"Yeah, you do," Kelly's smug voice soothed.
"I'll let Barron know you're looking for him."
"Don't bother, sweetie. If tonight goes how I know it will, his dear old mom will be the last thing on his mind." And with that, she rang off.
Eden's finger hovered over Barron's number, but instead of dialing it, she scrolled back on her call history. As much as she wanted to hear Barron's voice and snuggle into the warmth of his embrace, there was something more pressing she needed to do first.
"Honey?" Her dad's puzzled voice came over the line. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, Dad, I'm fine. But there's something I need to tell you."
Forty minutes after she called her dad, who unfortunately wanted to have an in-depth discussion about why she chose to get back together with'that douchebag,'Eden finally pulled up to Barron's complex.
She called The Homestead first to ensure he wasn’t locked away in his office. When Barron hadn't answered her calls or texts, that was where she first thought he went since he often kept his phone silent while working. She was relieved when the manager on duty confirmed that he hadn’t holed himself in his dingy office. Hard to make a romantic gesture with the muted sounds of patrons and staff floating in the background.
As she approached his front door, Eden shook out the jitters from her hands. She was nervous. So fucking nervous. She couldn't get his sad and defeated face out of her mind. She just hoped he was receptive to her and that he was ready to talk.
Just as she reached up to knock on his front door, it flew open. Eden was startled and stepped back in defense.
"Fuck!" Barron jumped when he caught her mid-knock. His eyes adjusted to her standing there and widened in surprise. "Eden, baby, I was just -"
Eden took a deep breath.
Here it goes.
"You're an amazing son to your parents; you help your mom out anytime she needs you; you still hang out with Bailey; you volunteer your time coaching soccer and helping the community; you're a mentor to young men; you started a business from scratch and worked tirelessly to make it a success."
Eden paused to take another shaky breath. She could see Barron standing there, frozen. His brow was puzzled, and his mouth was slightly agape in shock. She powered on before she lost her nerve.
"You've owned up to your mistakes; you humbled yourself to my mom, Sofia, and Ryan even if they weren't receptive - especially Sofia," she added with a wry smile.
Barron's eyes softened as he soaked in her words.
"You kept your promise to me that you would always make me feel wanted and loved, and you've gone beyond to make me feel secure while we were apart."
She twisted her hands nervously as she met his gaze. Barron's mouth tightened as if attempting to keep his emotions at bay. God, she felt like that poor man fromLove, Actuallywho stood in front of his best friend's wife holding up those stupid placards, declaring his undying love for her. She just hoped their ending was better than his. Nevertheless, she had to get this out.
"Do you remember when I agreed to try again? I told you that you might not like the person I am today. I was worried that I wouldn't live up to the memory you carried of me in your head. Do you remember what you did? You listed all the reasons why you still love me. So...that's what I'm doing," she simply stated, allowing Barron to come to terms with what she was saying to him.
