Page 21 of Barron's Second Chance
"Mr. and Mrs. Carter," she smiled. She was genuinely happy to see them. Since the whole blow-up with Barron, she rarely got to see the two people who were like second parents to her. At first, she didn't want to associate with anything to do with Barron. But as the years drifted by, they reconnected but not at the comfortable level it used to be. Eden always felt on guard, like at any moment they were going to mention that Barron was married or had a kid. Not that she cared. She just didn't want any mention of his personal life touching her. She knew they felt the cooling in their relationship and realized how hard it must've been for them, too - losing someone they considered a daughter.
When her Mom told her of Kelly’s idea to include female-focused classes in her summer programs, Eden knew that the Kelly she grew up around would not hesitate to call and enquire with her directly. That was why she asked her Mom for Kelly's number. This was her way of breaking the ice, hopefully for good.
When Kelly picked up her call, Eden relaxed at the sound of her voice. It was just like old times, except they had so much to catch up on. Before she knew it, an hour had flown by, and she had yet to get to the root cause of her phone call.
"Hi, baby," Kelly greeted softly as Eden bent to kiss her smooth cheek before leaning in for a hug. Kelly was still a gorgeous woman with a chin-length blonde bob and the same hazel eyes as her son. Tears sprang as she smelled the familiar floral scent that she always wore.
Eden glanced up at Gavin Carter, smiling at the handsome older man before he, too, enveloped her in a big bear hug. Barron got his height from his dad, for sure. The man towered over everyone he met. He still had a bulky but lean build, and she noticed a few dustings of silver throughout his caramel-brown hair.
"Hi, sweetheart," he greeted before ruffling her locks. She giggled, swatting at him playfully.
"This is such an awesome surprise," she said as her mom approached her side. She wrapped her arm around her mom's shoulders and leaned her head down to rest her cheek briefly on top of her head. While her mom was tall, Eden was taller and inherited both her parent's heights. Her dad was 6'4, and her half-brothers were already showing signs of catching up to her.
"Can we eat now?" Ryan quipped before they all laughed and made their way further into the living room.
The dining room table was loaded with food, and Eden didn’t hesitate in abandoning the group to swipe up a few chips. While she ate healthy most of the time, if she wasn't preparing for a show, she usually ate whatever she wanted within reason. She still regularly worked out to keep not only her body fit but her mind as well.
After Barron, Eden spiraled big time into a world of sex and parties. She had wanted to erase the image of Barron and Lissa from her head, to prove to herself that she was over him. The world of modeling gave her easy access to decadence and overindulgence in vices that were detrimental to her. She had discovered fame and fortune relatively young and had no qualms in taking advantage of all its trappings.
She overserved herself with alcohol and regularly partook in risky sex. It wasn't until Sofia witnessed her about to leave with a man she barely knew that she intervened and encouraged Eden to seek help. After that wake-up call, Eden sought counseling. She realized she was suffering from depression, an emotion she had neglected to address after her break up with Barron. She had lost someone she loved dearly as a friend and lover. With that, she also lost two parental figures in her life and tried to mask that hurt by looking for acceptance and love in the wrong places and with the wrong people.
She became teetotal for a long time and celibate, only breaking the seal when she dated Joshua. She used exercise to keep her mind focused and clean. She also started journaling, using her diaries to expel any emotion that became too heavy for her - whether positive or negative.
Ryan bumped her shoulder as he reached down to swipe a celery stick through some hummus. "How are you feeling, hon?"
"Tired but good." She grabbed a couple of pita chips and turned to survey the group of people scattered around the room. "Nice to be back for summer. Kinda feel relaxed for the first time in a long time."
"Yeah, Ibiza is so stressful," he joked.
She giggled as she grabbed a pink frosted cupcake and gave it a tentative lick. "You know what I mean. I don't have to be "on" so to speak. My other friends are great, but the days are filled with talking about work and partying on some rich guy's yacht while updating our Insta pages."
"What a snooze fest." Ryan rolled his eyes.
"C'mon, you've met my friends. They're sweet, but the friendships can be superficial. There's nothing like coming home and vegging out on caramel-flavored popcorn with my two besties and watchingReal Housewives."
"Amen, sister." She grinned and high-fived him.
"So tell me about this new dude you're dating. Kicked Bobby to the curb already?"
"First of all, dating is a strong word," Ryan told her before launching into his latest dating escapades. Sofia joined them, and before long, she had eaten two cupcakes, a handful of pita chips, and half a bowl of grapes.
Eden moved away from the table to avoid further temptation and sat down to chat with her mom and Mike. She knew her mom was considering asking Mike to move in with her. They practically spent every night together, so it seemed like the next logical step.
As much as she loved her dad, she knew he hadn’t been the best partner to her mom. He tried his best, but they were young parents, having Eden straight out of high school. While her mom grew up fast, her dad always felt like he was missing out on his party days. So most nights, he was out drinking with his friends rather than dealing with a nagging girlfriend and needy toddler. He hightailed it out when she was three and stayed out of her life for several years. It wasn't until he met her stepmother, Wendy, and settled down that he apprehensively entered her life at ten with an apology and a shit ton of presents.
Her mom, as hurt as she was by what her father put her through, set her pained feelings aside and gently encouraged her young daughter to be receptive to her dad's reparations. Her dad now lived in Bakersfield with Wendy and her two half-siblings whom she adored.
She felt someone sit down beside her and gently touch her knee. Kelly smiled as Eden reached down to clasp her hand in hers.
"Thank you so much for agreeing to do this, Eden. You've always been so lovely."
"Of course." She squeezed Kelly's hand before releasing it. "I'm honestly happy to do it. I've always enjoyed your summer classes. Your tennis lessons were my fav. Still can't serve for shit, but it was fun banging those balls at Barron's head."
The light in Kelly's eyes dimmed a little. It was like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room at the mention of his name. Eden cursed herself for her slip of the tongue. She had been careful not to mention his name in the past, so she was a little rattled that the fond memory and his name came so seamlessly out of her mouth.
Eden cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject. "So, um, I wanted to discuss with you the classes I'm going to talk in. It's three, right?"
Kelly jumped at the opportunity to move on. "Yes, oh my goodness, Eden, as soon as I posted that you were a guest host, I got almost four hundred comments. I had to create a waitlist, but we haven't had any pullouts. There might be a few last-minute cancellations, but the classes are sold out."
