Loving Eden (12 page)

It didn’t appear that Mason was interested in any type of family bonding. He was strictly here for the business aspect of the Palm. I walked along the road, not wanting to cross paths with the uncle again.

I was surprised to see Grey’s truck in the driveway.

I jogged up the stairs. “Honey, I’m home,” I called through the kitchen. It was funny and cliché, but I liked saying it.

I placed my bag at the kitchen table and walked to the bedroom. I could hear the shower running. Two weeks ago, I would have stripped down to my birthday suit, pulled back the shower curtain, and wrapped myself around Grey’s hard, wet body, but it wasn’t two weeks ago. I wasn’t sure how he would take it. Every little thing seemed to annoy or frustrate him. I couldn’t tell anymore where the boundaries were that kept me from entering that sphere that set him off.

I noticed he had moved the TV back to the empty living room. There were twenty good reasons why he shouldn’t lift heavy things while his leg was still healing, but I wasn’t going to start our evening with a lecture. That got us nowhere. I decided to go for a run. I changed into my running shorts and shoes. I scribbled a note on the kitchen counter and let myself out the sliding glass door.

Twenty minutes in and the wind picked up as I turned near the end of the island for my run home. I was too busy mulling over all the problems I was facing to realize storm clouds had been circling overhead. The first pelt of rain felt good on my hot skin, the next ones came in rapid succession. I dug my feet harder into the sand, trying to make it back before the bottom fell out, but I was too late. By the time I got to the landing, I was drenched and the storm was only getting started.

I took the stairs two at a time and threw open the door. Grey was sitting at the kitchen table. His expression changed to concern when he saw me walk in. He picked up the crutches and hobbled toward me.

“Darlin, you ok?” His hand slid down my wet cheek.

I nodded. “I wasn’t paying attention to the storm clouds. Just a little wet.” I pulled the tank top away from my stomach. I was drenched all the way through, and standing in air conditioning made me shiver.

He laughed lightly, something I hadn’t heard in a while. “Yeah, I’d say you got caught in the storm.”

I waited for him to offer to help me out of my clothes or just start to do it himself, but he stood there watching me, studying the water dripping off my skin. I inhaled deeply, wanting him to claim me with his mouth, his words, anything. He was so close, I could almost feel his breath along my skin. It would only take one move and we would be tearing at each other, tangling our hands in each other’s clothes, surrendering our bodies to each other. Just one move. He only had to make one damn move.

He rocked back on his crutches, his eyes moving to my face. “Why don’t you go get cleaned up and we’ll order some dinner?”

My eyes flashed to his. I suddenly realized I might have more problems than I thought. How had things gone so wrong? I bit my bottom lip and brushed past him on the way to the bathroom. I couldn’t let him see me breakdown, because that was the only thing I could think of doing.

I
paced in front of baggage claim. Taylor’s plane landed five minutes ago and I couldn’t wait to see her. A month was a long time to be away from my best friend.

She broke through the slow travelers in front of her and ran toward me.

“I’m here!”

I hugged her harder than I had anyone in my life. “How was your flight?”

“Too long.” She frowned. “You are just too far away. I’m ready for you to move back home.”

“I know.” I pointed her toward the luggage carousel and away from her last statement. “But no problems?”

She shook her head. “Not one.”

I was glad her first trip to Texas was different from my experience. Everything that could happen to me seemed to in less than twelve hours.

“Where’s Grey?” She looked around the pickup area.

“Oh, he’s working. Since he took off a week after the accident, he can’t really get away.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “He said to tell you he’ll see you tonight for margaritas.”

“Margaritas? My favorite.” Taylor wedged herself between two men and retrieved her flowered bag from the rotating luggage carrier. “This is it. I only brought one bag.”

I smiled. “All right, let’s get your fall break started.” I led her into the bright Texas sun and to my car.

I turned the key for room twenty-four. It seemed like the perfect place for Taylor to stay. It was only steps from our beach deck and it faced the water. We still didn’t have a couch and there wasn’t any guest furniture in our guest room. I couldn’t very well roll out a sleeping bag for her on the floor.

“Wow, this is cute.” Taylor gushed over the quaint space. “I love the pink tile.”

I giggled. “Finally, someone else who appreciates retro-chic.” I pulled a luggage rack from the closet for her.

“Are you kidding? This is adorable.” She fluffed a pillow then hopped on the bed. “And the bed is cushy too.”

I tried not to blush. I used to share that bed with Grey.

“I’ll let you get settled, and then we can walk over to Pete’s for drinks and dinner. Grey said he’d be home by five. That gives you an hour. Is that ok?”

She walked across the room and unzipped her bag. “Yep. I’ll be ready.” She held up a cutoff top. “Do cowboys like these kinds of shirts?”

I laughed. “The cowboys aren’t going to know what to do with you. See you in an hour.” I hugged her again before heading home.

It felt good to have Taylor next door. She was a piece of home, a piece of my life that I was trying desperately not to miss. Texas was supposed to be my home now.

I changed into a pair of fitted jeans and the boots Grey bought for me. I hadn’t worn them nearly enough. It was warm, so I opted for a black tank top. Sleeveless was best on these Indian summer nights. I shook my hair down around my shoulders. I thought I looked like any other Texas girl. Only, right now, I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

Grey hobbled through the door, banding his crutches on the frame. “You look dressed up for something.”

I twirled on my heels. “Drinks? Dinner?” I scowled at the puzzled look on his face. “Taylor is here.”

“Oh shit.” He sat on the bed. “I forgot that was tonight.”

“We talked about it this morning. How did you already forget?”

“I’ve been playing catch up all day. Never thought about it again after you mentioned it.” He braced himself with one crutch. “I’ll take a shower and be ready in ten minutes.”

He staggered to the bathroom.

I could let him off the hook. Tell him I’d make it a girls’ night, but that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted Taylor to see how happy I was with Grey. That I moved for all the right reasons and that fairy tale endings did come true. Although, what kind of fairy tale was I living? I landed on my back, taking up most of the bed.

“Darlin?”

“Yep?”

“I left my jeans in the closet. Could you bring them to me?”

I moved off the bed and walked to the spare room where Grey kept his clothes. All his jeans looked the same to me, so I randomly grabbed a pair.

I knocked on the door and shoved them through. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” The door closed again.

I stared at the barrier between us. Since when did we dress behind closed doors and always shower alone? I sighed and walked to the kitchen. This wasn’t the love I was excited to show off.

Taylor’s eyes widened as we walked into Pete’s. She wasn’t used to all the cowboy hats, country music, or sunsets on the sound.

“This is amazing.” She stood next to the bar.

I wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “How about a sunset table and a pitcher of margaritas?”

“Let’s do it.” We walked arm in arm to one of the front water seats. Grey maneuvered through the tables with his crutches.

Maybe I should have moved some of the chairs out of the way to make sure he had a clear path, but he had made it clear over the past two weeks that he could do things on his own. He didn’t need me.

The margaritas were the perfect mixture of salty and sweet. I didn’t think Mac had ever made a better batch. I grinned as he walked toward our table.

“How’s everyone over here doing tonight? Eden, this your friend from North Carolina?”

“Sure is. Taylor, meet Mac, best bartender on the island. Mac, meet Taylor, the best roommate a girl could have.”

“Nice to meet you.” He shook her hand. “Hope you have a great vacation in South Padre. Grey and Eden put you up at the Palm?”

Taylor took a sip of her margarita. “Yes, I love it. The place is adorable.”

“Good. I’ve got to get back to the bar. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“Nice meeting you, Mac.”

I reached for the pitcher and poured another round for Taylor and me, making sure to fill the blue glasses to the top.

Taylor turned to Grey. “So, what’s the deal with your secret uncle showing up?”

“Taylor.” I nudged her arm with my elbow.

“Oh, sorry. Am I not supposed to bring that up?”

Grey shifted his hurt leg with both hands. “I don’t know, Taylor. I haven’t talked to him much. Eden probably knows more about him than I do.”

Her eyes darted to me.

“That’s not true. I’ve only talked to him a handful of times.” I dove into my margarita.

“Well, I want to meet him.”

Grey’s expression became sourer. “And why’s that?”

“Because how many people do you know have a mysterious relative show up out of the blue? It’s reality TV stuff.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think Mason’s that exciting. I don’t want you to be disappointed when you see him around.” I was admittedly holding back details about his sparkly eyes and chiseled jaw. One look at him and Taylor would melt.

“I just want to see him. You know I’m curious.”

Grey rolled his eyes. “You should get your chance since he’s staying at the Palm.”

“He is?” Taylor questioned me.

“I thought I told you that part.” I couldn’t remember how much of the story I had relayed to her. Ever since Grey’s accident, life had been a blur.

The margaritas were going down faster than they should. I reached for the pitcher, ready for my third one.