Page 125 of Barron's Second Chance
"Doctor O'Connor."
"Doctor O'Connor. Maybe she can guide us on how to navigate that. You said she gave you coping tools; maybe she has some advice for us that we hadn't thought of?"
Eden slowly nodded in agreement. "I mean, it couldn't hurt. She already knows our history, so we don't need to rehash all of that. We can focus on our current relationship, the fact that we might not be in the same city for a while, and what our dynamic will look like going forward. What we expect from each other."
The more Eden thought about it, the more it sounded like a no-brainer. "Yeah, I'll see if she has space free in the New Year."
"Perfect." Barron leaned forward, meaning to give her a quick peck. Instead, Eden slid her hand behind his neck and held him still as she deepened their kiss.
"Thank you," she whispered against his mouth. The fact that he was willing to put the work in, and not just lip service, made her feel appreciated and loved.
"You're welcome, baby." He gave her one last hard kiss. "Now!" He said as he settled back down in his seat. "How am I going to win over your dad?"
After the air was cleared between them, and they consummated their newfound,seriousrelationship many, many times, Eden promptly moved in with Barron. At least temporarily while she was home. But it went without saying that she would stay at his place whenever she was in New Haven.
She didn't have any work between now and Christmas, which she was thankful for. But she did have London Fashion Week in February, and there was always the possibility that the odd job could pop up. She never refused work since her career didn't have longevity. But she let her agent know that she was unavailable for any new projects that would take her out of the East Coast, at least over the holiday period.
She didn't want to be away from Barron so soon after they finally made it official. She loved being in their little love bubble. She wasn't ready to burst it yet and enter into the real world. They would stay up late talking about everything and anything. They did it often, but with their declaration of love out in the open and cementing the barriers of their relationship, she felt their love form a deeper bond.
Before she knew it, Christmas had arrived. Eden was excited to visit her dad, stepmom, and siblings, but it was the first time in a while that she and Barron would be separated. They discussed him coming with her to Bakersfield, but ultimately decided it was best he spend this Christmas with his parents.
Eden always tried to be in California for Christmas to be with her siblings. And where Eden was, Barron would be there alongside her. This meant that for the foreseeable future, he would most likely be spending most Christmas' away from his own family. Besides, she joked, it would give her a chance to sing his praises to her dad in an attempt to get him to warm up to Barron.
On Christmas morning, Barron FaceTimed her as she and her family were opening their presents. They had already exchanged gifts prior to her leaving for California. Barron got her a beautiful, simple silver tennis bracelet and matching stud earrings. She knew just by looking at them how pricy they were and bemoaned him spending so much money on her - even though she fell in love with the set on sight.
It was then Barron's turn to give her the side eye when he opened his gift and found a beautifully wrapped black and gold Gucci watch. Eden's face heated.
"We never established a price limit," she argued, realizing how hypocritical she was being.
Barron laughed softly as he leaned over to kiss her. "I love it, baby. But next time, let's not go over a thousand, yeah?"
Eden made no such promise but kissed him sweetly to appease him.
Her siblings, Max and Charlie, adored Barron without question. Admittedly, she did spend the days leading up to Christmas filling their heads on how awesome her boyfriend was, much to her dad's chagrin. Barron also got the kids gifts which went over well. He even got something small for her dad and stepmom, which her dad begrudgingly accepted.
After Barron had been enthusiastically bombarded with questions by Max and Charlie, her dad swiped her phone out of her hands.
"I want to talk to him," he firmly told her after she protested.
"It's okay, Eden," Barron's unwavering voice came through on the line. He wisely refrained from using the pet name he usually called her. "I want to talk to your Dad, too."
And with that, her Dad strode out of the room for privacy. Anxiety churned inside of her at what he would say to Barron. She knew her boyfriend could handle whatever came at him, but they had moved past his teenage indiscretions, and she didn't want them brought up again.
"Don't worry, love," Wendy, her stepmom, patted her hand in comfort. "I had words with your Father to go easy on Barron. Let him get his 'don't hurt my daughter, or I'll hurt you' speech out of the way."
Twenty minutes after her dad took her phone, he handed it back with a small nod. Of approval? Of thanks? She didn't want to know.
"What did he say? Are you alright?"
"Baby relax," Barron smiled with no hint of annoyance. "It was fine. He just wanted reassurance that I had grown up from the 'boneheaded boy I had been' - his words."
Eden groaned as she rolled onto her belly. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. We had a nice chat, and we understand each other now."
She didn't even want to know what that meant.
The New Year arrived just as quickly as Christmas. Eden had one job she accepted during that time, which took her back to New York. This time, however, Barron came with her. She introduced him to her friends, and they spent a lovely yet filthy weekend locked away in her apartment.
