Page 51 of Barron's Second Chance
"You have a relationship with him?"
Eden nodded. "The best. But we wouldn't have gotten to this point without him acknowledging his wrongdoing, my mom encouraging the relationship, and me forgiving him."
She wrapped her arm around Rayna. "I'm not going to tell you what to do, sweetie; this is your journey, so you take your time with it. But just remember that your dad loves you; he didn't leave you; he wants to be in your life. You have two parents who love you a lot, and that's a beautiful thing. It sounds like he misses you."
"He does. He keeps apologizing for hurting mom but says he still loves me and wants to see me."
"Keep an open mind. When you're ready, you reach out to him and let the healing process start. But it should be on your terms. Just because you're a kid doesn't make your feelings any less valid. Just keep the communication open."
And just like that, she was hit with a sense of deja vu when those exact words were asked of her by Barron.
True, she didn't owe him anything, but she had to admit, as taxing as it had been reliving their high school days with Barron at lunch, she also remembered the happy memories. Not only as a couple but as the friends they had been first. She missed him, despite the world of pain he caused her.
So here she was, taking her own advice and opening up the lines of communication.
Where that would lead, she didn't know.
It was quiet in The Homestead, which wasn't surprising given that it was early Wednesday evening. Just like the first time she had walked through the doors, she immediately felt welcomed by the warm ambiance and delectable scent of food.
A blonde woman and a dark-haired man were behind the bar, so she approached them first. She wasn't close like that with Barron anymore to go barging into his office.
She did try to text and call him first but had yet to receive a reply. Ironic that the one time she actually wanted to talk to him, he was difficult to reach. Eden decided to track him down before she lost her nerve, so after first checking with Kelly, she deduced that he was probably at his office.
"Hi," she called out to the blonde woman first as she placed her hands on the bar.
The girl glanced up at her voice before a look of recognition flashed in her eyes. Eden's own drifted down to her name tag.
"Tracey," she smiled.
She expected a friendly smile back, so she was a little taken aback when Tracey gave her a look that could only be described as hostile.
Her smile wavered a little, but Eden pushed on. "I'm looking for Barron. Do you know if he's in?"
Tracey regarded her with cool eyes while slowly running a towel around the rim of a glass.
"You don't have his number?” Was all she said with a lift of her brow.
Wow, Barron really needed to screen his staff better.
"I do. But he's not answering."
"Maybe he doesn't want to talk to you."
Eden's head reared back at that bite of a statement. "Uhh..."
Before she could respond to that, the dark-haired man intervened.
"Hi," he greeted with a big smile.
That was more like it.
He reached across the bar and offered her his hand, which she gladly shook. "You're Eden, right? Barron's mentioned you before."
She tried to ignore the rush of pleasure she felt at his words, but she had to admit, it did feel good to know that he'd mentioned her to other people.
"Yes, hi," she greeted him warmly. Her gaze flickered down.
Ian
