Page 87 of Barron's Second Chance
"Do you remember that day?" She peered over his shoulder as he stared silently at the photo.
"Yeah," he croaked before clearing his throat. "I have the same picture in my room on my dresser."
He heard the soft inhale of her breath at his admission.
As he sifted through the contents of the box, the initial thrill he felt over her retaining their memorabilia started to wane as a new thought entered his head.
He'd heard about burning your ex's possessions. Shit, what if this was some closure crap that Eden was doing with him? What if she was returning their things as a way of saying goodbye to him? To them.
"Why did you bring these over?" He asked her slowly, distracting himself by fingering the chain of a heart necklace he had gotten her one Valentines. "Don't get me wrong; I'm loving that you kept this but is this your way of saying goodbye?"
Eden sighed as she sunk down next to him on the couch. His thigh tensed as her knee accidentally brushed his.
She was quiet for a moment as she watched him paw at a few items and examine them. He needed a distraction, something to do to avoid what he suspected was coming.
"Coming back to New Haven, the last thing I wanted was to reconnect with you. You hurt me so badly that just being in your vicinity was painful."
"Baby," he groaned as he abandoned all pretense of being distracted and set the box aside. He turned to meet her stare head-on. "I'm so fucking sorry. I will never stop apologizing for what I did to you. Fuck," he ran his fingers through his hair, "I've been sitting here all morning kicking myself for pushing at you so hard. Hearing all the shit you went through," he shook his head in anguish, "I'm not sure I can ever make up for what I did, but I had to try."
Eden nodded, lowering her gaze to the ground as her mouth twisted in thought.
"Josh overheard us talking last night."
He frowned.Shit.He’d forgotten all about the other man. Last night, all he thought about was Eden. Everything and everyone fell to the wayside as he poured his heart out to her, imploring her to trust him again.
"He told me he may have spilled the beans a little about my past."
"He didn't give me any details, I promise." As much as it ripped him apart to see how close she was with Josh, given the fact that Barron highly suspected that Rocker Boy's feelings ran a lot deeper than platonic, Barron did think he was a decent human. He was protective of Eden's well-being, and he couldn't fault him for that.
"I know. I was pissed at him for a moment, but in a way, I'm glad it's all come out."
His breathing suspended for a brief moment at her words.
"I've been so mad at you for so long, I don't know how else to be," she started.
"I deserve your anger, baby." He let out a somber breath, swallowing hard. It never failed to hurt hearing that she hated him.
Instead of acknowledging his words, Eden continued. "Talking to Josh it's made me consider a few things," she slowly said. "I feel like there's a reason I haven't been able to simply put you out of my mind and let you go. Part of me thought it was closure I needed, but now I'm not sure."
His heart picked up its pace, and he immediately rubbed his sternum in an attempt to slow it down. Butterflies kicked off in his stomach, but he was afraid to read too much into her words. "What are you saying?" He slowly asked.
Eden groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I don't know!"
Her silky hair flowed forward like a smooth waterfall against her shoulders. His fingers itched to run through the shiny strands, but instead, he forced himself to focus on her words.
She lifted her head and met his hazel eyes with clear blue ones.
"Okay, here's the thing. Truth be told, I had no idea what answer I wanted to give you. There were times when I didn't think you deserved an answer. My last memories of you were terrible."
Eden reached out to place her hand on his when he flinched. Immediately he turned his palm up, desperate for the simple touch of her palm in his. He felt her stiffen slightly, and he braced himself for the inevitable. Instead, she surprised him further by keeping her warm, soft hand in his.
"As I said, the last time we were together was terrible. But," she stressed, "the last few months, they haven't been...too terrible," she finished slowly.
His mouth kicked up before he hid it by pretending to scratch his chin.Haven't been too terrible. He never thought hearing such lukewarm words would give him a jolt of pleasure.
"I mean, don't get me wrong, there have been painful moments. But the more time we spend together, getting to know the man you are now, it's been...refreshing."
Damn, his girl would not give an inch. His heart was galloping toward what he hoped she was trying to say. But he didn't want to put his horse before the cart, so to speak.
