Monster(53)

His money was the reason why she’d married him, but love had made her stay. She found herself missing him more and more, craving not only his touch, but his presence as well. He had a very wry, often times self-deprecating humor was incredibly endearing. Eden loved the warmth of his smile and how it softened his otherwise hard features, she loved the sound of his laughter and how it formed crinkles at the corner of his devastating green eyes. She enjoyed his company and loved that he took a genuine interest in everything she did. They’d started off so wrong, but now Dominic was attempting to right those wrongs, and it was impossible for Eden to continue denying him another chance at her heart when he seemed so determined to have it all now.

Releasing a long sigh, Eden unfastened the lid from her favorite lotion and applied a generous amount to her skin, paying extra care to elbows, knees and the heels of her feet. A grimace touched her lips as she felt the bit of callous there and knew she needed to visit a nail salon as soon possible.



“Come here, Liam, come to Daddy.”

Eden stopped short at the threshold of Liam’s nursery, a bottle of milk in hand, she silently watched father and son. Liam lay prone on his tummy, arms extended in front of him, legs intermittently kicking behind him, head raised in avid interest of what his father was doing. Dominic, for his part was on all fours, positioned just a few paces in front of Liam, a motley assortment of toys placed between them, more incentives for Liam to crawl. “Come on, Liam, come get your toy.” Dominic wiggled the stuffed monkey rattle and it appeared that was enticement enough to prompt Liam into action. There were squeals and excited coos as he used his chubby arms and belly to drag himself forward, his legs kicking excitedly behind. “That’s it, son, come to Daddy, come on.”

Eden’s grip on the bottle tightened as a beaming smile touched her lips. This sight alone was enough to obliterate her previous bad mood. She remained silent, unwilling to disturb such a pivotal moment. “Come get Mr. Monkey, Liam. You can do it.” And he did. It took him some time, stopping every now and then, but Dominic’s encouragement kept him moving until finally he reached his father who joyously scooped him up and threw him up in the air. “I knew you could do it, son.” Dominic held Liam up and stared at him, his pride so strong that Eden could feel it standing where she was.

“My heart drops every time you do that,” Eden said quietly, waiting until Dominic caught Liam in his arms before making her presence known. “You’re not working today?” He wasn’t in his usual business attire, but he was no less handsome in tailored Chinos and the checkered shirt that brought out the green in his glimmering eyes. “I thought we would take Liam to the fall festival in town.”

Her amber eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected suggestion. “Sure,” she murmured, blinking owlishly at him. “That would be great.”

He was allowing personal greed to rule his decision; old habits that would undoubtedly take some time to change, but Dominic could not let her go. Not yet. He wanted a little more time with her. It was an inevitable end, but one that he would postpose for another few hours. Dominic wanted to give himself this last day before he unshackled her from his side.

They walked down Main Street, Dominic holding Liam while Eden walked beside them. “I love the fall,” she imparted with a smile. “It’s like nature’s perfect painting. The beautiful colors of the trees, the cool weather and there’s like this sense of comfort in it. It’s like coming home. You know?” She looked at him and flushed noting the imperceptible grin of his face. “I sound silly.”

He touched her arm to halt their progress. “Not silly,” he said firmly, “I love hearing you speak of the things you love. It allows me to see the world through your eyes, and there is nothing better for me than this.” His candor and the intent way he peered at her further heightened the color in Eden’s cheeks. She said nothing, but her heart managed to say enough when he interlaced their fingers.

“Tell me more,” he ordered gently, and she did with a secret smile as they continued their stroll.

The sign of fall was everywhere, but no more than at the heart of the Langston Fall Festival held at Langston Square. There were a multitude of tents with an array of games, food, and drinks to attract the milling crowd. Eden, Liam, and Dominic visited nearly every tent. They bought a small basket of apples after sampling fresh apple pies. Eden had her face painted along with Liam’s, a cat and a cute little puppy respectively. Dominic however declined. But he redeemed himself by winning them some stuffed animals, and by the time they returned home, it took Eden three trips to the car to retrieve all of the things Dominic had won.

“Have dinner with me.” He captured her wrist before she could turn away and made the request.

“Ok.” No was a word temporarily erased from Eden’s vocabulary, at least when it came to him.

She found him out on the veranda later that night, a table set for two reminiscent of the evening he brought up the divorce contact. An odd feeling trickled down her spine making Eden suddenly uneasy. She ignored it, however, when his paralyzing gaze landed on her, and she forgot to breathe. Her heart skipped like a school girl in love and made a desert out of her mouth. He was brooding, and as she neared him, Eden could tell that something was upsetting him.

“You look lovely.” His husky compliment made her feel beautiful even though she only wore a simple summer dress and sandals.

“Thank you,” she said shyly, tucking her hair behind her ear. He pulled her chair out for her, and she shivered when he ghosted a kiss against her cheek, the scent of his cologne hitting her in the right the spot.

“Is everything alright?” she inquired over their first course, setting down her glass after taking a long sip of the port.

“Is Liam asleep?” he asked in lieu of answering.

“Yes, I came down as soon as I put him to sleep. Jenna has the baby monitor,” Eden replied with a frown. “Are you okay, Dominic?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Taken aback by the coolness of his tone, Eden looked at him trying to find something in the flinty hardness of his gaze or why he suddenly appeared so grim. “You look like you’re angry.” She licked her lips nervously. “Did I...did I do something to upset you?” She felt stupid for asking it, and even stupider when she realized exactly how much it suddenly mattered to know whether she’d upset him in any way. If it was her, then she wanted to fix it. If it was someone else, something else than she would fix that, too.

“No, you have done nothing to upset me.” His gaze softened and Eden was allowed to breathe. “I’m was just thinking.”

“About what?” she urged.

“Nothing in particular,” he replied evasively. “Have you found a suitable apartment yet?”

The question stopped Eden’s heartbeat as cold sweat thickened across every inch of her skin. She blinked owlishly at him, like she just got caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to. “Am I being followed again?”

“Yes.” No hesitation. “Hate me on this all you want, but as I have said, I will not compromise when it comes to your safety.”

“I don’t hate you.” I’m more than likely in love with you. That last bit she kept to herself though she felt the burn of those words on her tongue. “I was going to tell you about it. I was just afraid of how you would react.”

He angled a brow. “And how exactly is that?”

“Like this,” she murmured, “cold and distant. I wasn’t planning on moving any time soon.” She attempted soothingly. “I just thought that...”

“You should have somewhere to go when our contract is over,” he finished for her. “I’ve always admired that about you, Eden. This very thorough ability you have to plan ahead. It’s a trait that will take you very far.” It was hard for Eden discern whether he was being sincere or was insulting her in that roundabout way he used to.

She couldn’t remember the rest of dinner, but she knew it tasted like ashes, and she guzzled down the port to wash it away, only to realize a short time later that the taste in her mouth had nothing at all to do with the venison. When he asked her to follow him inside, she felt like an inmate on death row who’d just been given her last meal and now faced capital punishment. Their trek was a short and silent one, and when they entered his office she watched him walk around his desk to retrieve something from the locked drawers.

“I’ve been battling with myself for weeks about this,” he waved the folded piece of paper in his hand as he approached her but did not come any closer, “even now, I’m not sure I want to give it to you. But it’s the only way I know to show you that I’m trying to change.”

Dread poured ice water in her veins and while anxiousness pushed her heart into a full gallop. She tried swallowing around the constriction in her throat, but even that proved difficult. “What it is?” She was too afraid to ask and even more afraid to hear the answer.

“The divorce document, signed, sealed and reluctantly delivered,” he quipped without much humor, extending the document to her. It took Eden a short eternity before reaching for it with trembling fingers. She unfolded it and looked down without really seeing much of anything, except his signature at the bottom of the page and the seal that made it official. “You don’t have to worry about the contract. Everything we have agreed on will be upheld. I have transferred everything I took from you back into your possession.”