“Did he eat?” she asked a moment later, staying at his side, making sure to keep her voice low. Going nearly on two days since she’d last nursed, her breasts were engorged. The only relief she’d gotten was ridding herself of the excess in the shower earlier. But more than anything, Eden missed the bond they shared in doing something so natural.
Jenna nodded, understanding written all over her face. “Yeah, he had a bottle just a little bit ago, and he’s freshly changed.”
Eden looked at her friend with a watery smile, unable to contain herself. “Thanks, Jen,” she said quietly.
“Oh, sweetheart,” Jenna was instantly at her side, another hug at the ready. “Eden, you know I’m you’re road dog. I would do anything for you and the butterball,” she quipped. “I’m just so sorry I couldn’t prevent this from happening. Everything happened so fast, one minute I’m holed up in the apartment with Liam, and the next, they’re telling me to open the door and come with them or something bad was going to happen to you. I couldn’t do anything about it.
“Trust me, I know,” Eden returned with a reassuring smile, pulling away and wiping her tears in the process. “Dominic’s an asshole like that. No isn’t part of his extensive repertoire. He rarely ever gives you a choice when he’s got you down.”
“So are you staying here for the time being?”
Eden looked at her. “We’re staying here for the time being. At least until I can come up with a way to get us back into our condo.”
“I don’t know if he’ll let me stay, Eden, with what I’ve experienced so far, the man doesn’t seem like he wants any sort of obstacle standing between you and him.”
“You’re staying, Jenna…that is, if it’s what you want.”
“Of course I want to stay with you and Liam. You guys are all the family I have, but—”
“But nothing. If you want to stay, then you’re staying. There’s no one else I trust more than you. We’re in this together, all or nothing.”
A little while later Eden, Jenna and Liam were in the kitchen. With Eden refusing the cook’s help in making them something to eat, both women were left in peace to fend for themselves. A task that presented very little challenge for the cooking-inclined Jenna who managed to make them pesto chicken pasta for lunch with the extensive ingredients in pantry. They ate in amiable silence that was intermittently broken by Liam’s fervent coos, clearly happy to have his mother back.
“Alex has been calling me,” Jenna injected soberly, playing with Liam while Eden washed their dishes. She noted the slight pause in her friend’s movements before the other woman quickly recovered and turned to her with brows raised, waiting for Jenna to continue. “He’s the one who told Dominic where you were. I haven’t spoken to him directly, just listened to the voicemails. He’s been bragging about it. Apparently Dominic gave him a lot of money for the information. But knowing Alex, he’s probably blown through it by now. He wanted me to join him in Vegas.”
“You’re not thinking of going…are you?”
At Eden’s lingering stare, Jenna looked away guiltily, too ashamed of what had been a momentary bout of weakness to look at her best friend. “I thought about it,” she admitted ruefully. “Seven years of bad habits are extremely hard to break, I’ve learned.” She gave a deprecating smile before continuing. “And he’s really good at telling me what I want to hear.”
Eden frowned, set the dish she held on the veined marble countertop, and hurried over to Jenna. “Jen…”
“I know what you’re going to say, Ede, and trust me it’s the same things I’ve been telling myself for years. But don’t worry; I’m not ready to be used as a punching bag again. I think he actually knocked some sense into me the last time he beat me. He’s a habit I have to kick; I’m not deluding myself into thinking it’s going to be easy, but being away from him and that atmosphere has been really good.” She leaned into her friend’s one shoulder hug with a smile. “I’m afraid you’re stuck with me for a while.”
“Please, like I’m ready to get rid of you.” They laughed, and while Eden grabbed Liam, Jenna stood to retrieve a fancy bottle of water from the stainless steel subzero that blended perfectly with the black kitchen cabinetry. The kitchen, massive in size and stocked with an extensive array of food was equipped with state of the art appliances and kitchenware. It was modern, clean and simple in its aesthetics, yet it screamed class. Its best feature was undoubtedly the center island with its beautifully veined black and white marble countertop.
It had been quite overwhelming for Jenna the first time she’d laid eyes on the mansion and had continued to be blown away once she’d stepped foot inside. She’d never once imagined herself in this sort of place and was still coming to grips with the sheer splendor of it all. Casting blue eyes on Eden who was too preoccupied with Liam to notice, Jenna was assaulted with a slight twinge of envy that rapidly went away the second it arose. She flushed guiltily, hating that she’d even conjured the emotion. Eden may have been surrounded by luxury and had an über-wealthy husband, but that didn’t mean it was a good life. All of this opulence undeniably came with a price and its own set of problems which Eden had to deal with now. But still, Jenna thought quietly to herself, it must be nice to have a mansion over your head while she contended with those problems.
Throughout the latter portion of the afternoon, Eden spent time showing Jenna the rest of the mansion. All ten bedroom and ten baths, the indoor and outdoor pools, the tennis court that was well maintained but rarely used. They proceeded to the indoor workout room, the two dining rooms, the living rooms, and lastly, the guesthouse that was separated from the main house by a breathtakingly beautiful landscaped garden that appeared to provide a sweet sort of sanctuary from the outside world. The sheer magnitude of the place simply bowled Jenna over. It wasn’t just a mansion…it was an estate. She was still trying to wrap her head around everything when they sat down for dinner a few hours later.
“This place is breathtaking.”
“Don’t be fooled, Jen,” Eden warned over her salad, “it might seem nice on the outside but not everything is all rainbows and unicorns,” she echoed Jenna’s earlier sentiment. “There’s a monster that lives in the castle with me,” she deadpanned, completely serious in her statement.
Jenna patted her hand comfortingly. “We’ll figure it out, Eden. We always do.”
Indeed they did. The impending arrival of the monster however weighed on her as time marched on and the day grew that much closer to an end.
Dominic had yet to make an appearance, and while Eden had been distracted enough for the better part of the day with Liam and the impromptu showing of her former home to her best friend, she couldn’t keep him out of her mind for too long. He was always there, right around the corner of her subconscious, lurking in the shadows and waiting to pounce. But as she’d done on previous occasions, she pushed the thought of him as far away as she possibly could so she could continue the rest of her night in relative peace. Jenna had instantly taken to the guestroom Eden had led her to just down the hall and while she occupied herself with the en-suite bathroom, Eden slipped back into mommy mode.
She’d deliberately set herself up in the room furthest away from the master bedroom she’d shared with Dominic. There was no way she was going to sleep in that room. Riffling through the large bag Jenna had brought with her, Eden was cheered to find that she’d remembered to pack Liam’s brown bear, along with several of Eden’s clothing. While she got Liam ready for bed, changing his diaper, wiping him down with a cloth and some warm sudsy water, Jenna made an appearance. She looked freshly showered, pairing her pajama shorts with a cute pink camisole. She’d gathered her damp wheat blond hair to one side so that it hung just past her ample chest.
“I needed that shower,” she cheerfully announced, walking into the room with a great big smile on her makeup free face. “Do you want me to watch Liam while you get settled?”
Eden blinked, not having even thought of herself. “Uh…” She’d showered earlier this morning and had slipped back into the clothes she’d worn the previous day, when she’d barged into Dominic’s office. It would be nice to put on a clean set of clothes. “You don’t mind?” But before Eden posed the question, Jenna had already taken Liam from her.
“Go. Relax for a bit. I can hold down the fort until you’re finished.”
Eden smiled gratefully, rummaging through the bag once again, searching for some clothes for herself. There wasn’t much of an option, so she grabbed the first thing she found. “I won’t be long,” she said before disappearing inside the bathroom. This bathroom, unlike the others, didn’t have a separate bathtub, simply a standing shower that was nearly the size of the bedroom itself. Eden wasn’t looking for luxury, she simply wanted to get clean and change her clothes afterwards. She stepped out of the shower and onto the heated ceramic tiles; the thick mist enveloped her as she reached for her towel on the rack. She made short work of drying herself and sliding into the nightgown she’d grabbed. When she finally emerged from the bathroom Eden was slightly more reinvigorated and ready to nurture her child.