I move so I’m sitting at the edge of the couch and can see right into Eden’s eyes. “Are you serious?” I ask quietly. “What are you saying?”

  Eden’s voice is shaking. “I know we’ve only known each other a few months, but would you want to move in here with us?”

  The breath catches in my throat at her question. “That’s a massive step, babe. Is that what you want?”

  Her face is expressionless. “I want to know what you want, Vito. I need you to just tell me the truth.” She looks down at her hands. “I feel like ever since I moved into this place, you’ve pulled away a bit.”

  I reach for her hands, and we lace our fingers together tightly. “Eden, I’m not just here for the good times. I’m not that guy, the one who bolts the second things get boring or serious or hard.” I bite down on my lower lip, trying to find the right words. “I want to be here for you, no matter what you’re doing.”

  It’s then I realize that I have completely and totally forgotten about Michelle’s offer.

  “Shit,” I say and slap my forehead. “Babe, I’m a fucking moron. You see what I mean? I forgot to give you a message.” I lean back against the couch and sigh. “I’ve got to take ten steps back. So, on the day of your closing, Michelle asked if we could talk.”

  Eden’s body immediately stiffens, and I know I have only a couple seconds before I shatter her trust in me.

  “Now, look, I’ll show you my phone, babe. That was the only time I’ve talked to Michelle in five years since our divorce except, of course, for the day we ran into her at the college.” I reach for my phone, which is sitting on the coffee table, but Eden stops me with a hand on my arm.

  “I don’t need to see. I trust you more than I’ve ever trusted anyone.” The words are coming out of her mouth, but they don’t quite match the look in her eyes.

  That’s not good enough for me.

  “Uh-huh,” I say, shaking my head. I pick up the phone and swipe the screen. “I want you to trust me completely.”

  She smiles, a sad, thin thing. “I do trust you completely, but it means everything that you would offer to show me proof.”

  “How the fuck did we get on this topic?” I ask, crinkling my brow.

  “You said you forgot to give me a message,” Eden reminds me.

  “Right.” I scroll to the last text and show it to Eden. “Michelle asked me to give you a message the day the house closed, and I seriously forgot. It left my mind the second I walked out of there, and now I don’t even know if the offer still stands.”

  “Offer?” She sits up straight and now does peer over my shoulder as I text.

  Me: I’m a fucking idiot, but that’s not news to you. I completely forgot to mention your offer to Eden. She bought a house, and with all the moving and shit, it slipped my mind. I’m with her now. It’s been a month, though, so before I tell her, I just want to ask if the offer is still open?

  I click send and turn to Eden. “I’m going to tell you anyway,” I say, “but I don’t know what I’m going to do if shit’s changed and I screwed you out of a great thing.”

  She looks at me, her beautiful eyes squinting, as if she’s trying to read the honesty there in my face.

  “First of all, I’m so sorry it slipped my mind, and I didn’t tell you sooner. I get so focused on work, and then when I’m not on the job, I am all in whatever else I’m doing. And for the last month, that’s been you.”

  She giggles and I nod.

  “After you took Michelle’s class, she had me out to her office. Said she thought you were really smart and that with some guidance, you could do great things.” I shake my head. “Now that I’m saying it out loud, I wonder if part of me wanted to forget the offer. Wanted to put as much distance between Michelle and you as I possibly could.” I meet her eyes, and there’s no hiding how I’m feeling when I say this. I feel the emotion like a physical pain in my chest. “Her receptionist is pregnant. She’s actually married to my chief’s son.” I grin, but then the seriousness of what I have to say comes back to haunt my words. “Michelle wanted to know if you wanted the job. You can work either part time or full time covering for the receptionist while she’s out on maternity leave. It’s a paid job, of course, and you can try doing what she does for a few months before you spend the money committing to college and a degree in some financial shit.”

  The look on Eden’s face transforms from playful to stone serious.

  Before I can say anything, my phone rings. The caller ID shows it’s Michelle. “You mind if I talk to her?” I ask.

  She nods, and I click to connect the call.

  “Hey,” I say.

  “Hey.” Her voice is loud and bright. I notch down the volume a bit so she doesn’t wake Juniper. “I’m good. Is Eden with you?”

  I nod at her, and Eden greets her. “Um, yes. Hi, Michelle.”

  “Hey.” She laughs. “You know I gave you my number in class that day, and then I spoke to Vito about the job. When I didn’t hear from either of you for a month, I figured that was your way of telling the ex to go fuck herself and mind her own business.”

  I immediately set the record straight. “Michelle, this was all me. You know my memory and how I get when I’m working.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” she says. “I do know, and I wouldn’t blame either one of you if you weren’t interested in anything that had to do with me.”

  Eden is leaning forward, looking really conflicted.

  “So, no pressure, but I just saw your text. My receptionist is officially going on leave in two weeks. Unless she goes into labor sooner. She’s a little flexible on her date, but she wants some time to fix up the nursery a bit more before the baby comes. If Eden is interested, we can try to get her in as soon as possible to do some training with Gennie. I’ll handle the rest once Gennie’s off.”

  “Here,” I say, picking up my phone and taking it off speaker. “Michelle, I’m going to give my phone to Eden. Let you two talk. I literally just mentioned this two minutes ago, so she may have questions.”

  I offer the phone to Eden, and she takes it. Then she stands and paces through the living room while she talks.

  I get up and wander back to the bathroom, wasting time while they talk.

  After a couple of minutes, I head back to the living room. Eden is sitting on the couch, looking down at my phone in her hands.

  “You good? All done?” I ask.

  She nods, so I come join her on the couch. “You didn’t have to leave,” she says.

  I hold up my hand. “This is between you two now. I was just the messenger.”

  Eden sets the phone on the coffee table and gives me a confused look. “I don’t know what to think,” she admits. “It’s weird, right? Your ex-wife offering me a job?”

  “I’m sure Michelle is excited to meet someone who has an interest in what she does. It would only be weird if you…” I have to stop myself from saying the words.

  “If I what?” she presses.

  Ah, fuck. I can’t get away with not saying it now. I’ve gone this far. I drag a hand through my hair and tug it at the roots. “I don’t want to lose you, Eden. I don’t want you to go to work for Michelle and then realize that I’m not good enough for you.” I look her in the eye. “I’ve been through that once, and babe, I don’t want to be your rebound guy. I don’t want to be the guy you lean on until you find something better.”

  Eden’s face sets into a mask of pure anger. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her like this.

  “Something better? You think I would ever find someone better than you?” She stands up and paces the living room, pointing an angry finger at me. “All this time, I’ve been feeling like a second-class citizen, worried that you’re going to get sick of me. I don’t have a family and a thousand siblings. I don’t cook like your father does or want to stay home and raise kids like your mom did. When are you going to realize how damaged I am and just leave me?”

  She’s breathing hard, her face is flushed bright red, but I can tell there’s sadness right under the surface of the pain.

  I stand and cross the living room, taking her in my arms. “I feel like we need to talk. Really talk,” I say. I lead her back to the couch, and we sit together, our hands locked. “I don’t care if you can’t cook. My brother owns a restaurant, and my parents always have way too much food around.” I lift her hands to my lips and kiss her knuckles. “What I love about you is that you’re real. You’re flawed. I am too. You know that. I’d rather wear pajamas than pants. You don’t expect me to be anything but what I am. You accept my work schedule, my sleep schedule. What I’m afraid of is that changing.”

  She squeezes my hands tight. “We’re both going to change over time, at least somewhat,” she says. “I’m a single mom. I come from a really messed-up family. I don’t want to make the same mistakes my parents did. I want to be a different person in five years and maybe even an even more different person five years from that. I want more in life.”

  Something in my chest breaks open when her voice trembles.

  “Listen to me.” I cup her entire face in my hands. “You’re everything. The way you love your daughter. The way you love me.” I lean forward and rest my forehead against hers. “I want you to be happy, Eden, and if you want this job, you’ve got to take it. I want to support you in everything you want to try. I just don’t want you to outgrow me.”

  We’re quiet as the honesty of what we’ve said fills the space between us. I know too well there are no guarantees in life or love.

  I don’t know what I need from her. Maybe just for her to understand. Maybe that’s all we can promise each other. At least right now.

  “I don’t know what to say,” she admits. Her beautiful eyes well with tears. “I want to grow with you. Not away from you.”

  “All right. So, let’s tackle one thing at a time. Do you want the job?” I finally ask. “You think it’s the right thing for you?”

  She nods slowly. “It sounds perfect. I can cover for Gennie for a few months. If I don’t like the field, I’ll find out before I waste money on tuition or student loans. I’m going to need support, though. Babysitting and someone to come home to so I can share stories about my day. I want the job, Vito, but I want you too. I want you to share it all with me. That’s the only way we won’t grow apart, if we’re doing it all together. But I know it’s a lot. I’m a work in progress, but I’m a package deal. Me and Juniper. Do you think you can handle us all the time?”

  I almost can’t say the words. I wish like hell Junie were awake so I could hold both of my girls in my arms. “It feels like something is missing not having this conversation with Junie right here.”

  I blink fast, and Eden reaches out a hand to stroke my cheek. “That’s how I know…” she says, tears streaming down her cheeks. She smiles and says, “See? You’re already the man I want and the father figure Junie deserves.”

  We grab each other then and cling together in a tight hug. I bury my face in the length of her hair and just breathe her in.

  She’s younger than me, but this woman is smart. She knows herself. She understands that life hands you pain and opportunity, and somehow when it’s all bundled together, you’ve got to make the decision to be happy.

  Everything with Eden is an easy decision.

  I don’t have to decide to be happy with Eden. It’s as if just being close to her makes every minute, every day, good.

  In a weird way, I already feel like we’re family. It’s like our circumstances are just catching up to that reality.

  “Can I say something?” I ask, pulling away just enough that I can whisper in her ear.

  “Only if I can ask you something after.”

  “I love you, Eden. You are so damn easy to love. And I love your daughter too. I love what we have, and I’m in this, no matter how scared I am.” I kiss her lips, a soft kiss wet with our shared tears.

  “Move in here?” she asks. “Live with us, Vito.”

  I’m quiet as I think about it. I know what my answer is. I feel like I have always known this was coming. Is it possible I’ve known someplace deep down ever since the days she invited me to look at houses?

  I moved back in with my parents after Michelle left, and over the years, it’s been easier to stay there than it would have been to think about trying something new.

  “I have a few conditions,” I tell her. “I’m going to pay rent and half of all the costs—groceries, baby shit, and everything else. I’m going to carry my weight. In fact, more than my share of it. I make more than you right now, and I want to help make the money you have last longer so you have more options.”

  She doesn’t say anything, but her face lights up. “Okay. What else?”

  “This one I’m serious about,” I tell her. “I need my own bedroom. Not for every day, but when I’m off shift and need to crash or when I just need to sleep. I don’t want my schedule to fuck up yours. I’ll sleep with you every chance I can get, but I need my own room so that we can both get space when we need it.”

  She’s beaming now. “I have extra rooms.”

  I nuzzle my face against her neck. “So, you taking the job?” I ask.

  “So, you moving in?” she asks.

  “You going to rearrange everything in the whole house again now that I need a bedroom?” I ask.

  “You know me so well,” she whispers.

  I groan, but then I pull her close. “There are parts of you I still need to know better.”

  “Which parts?” she asks.

  And then I take her upstairs so I can show her.

  16

  Eden

  I wake up before sunrise and my mind is spinning, but my first thoughts are of Junie. I squint at the image on the baby monitor on the bedside table.

  Juniper is sound asleep, her little foot poking out from under a light blanket.

  I roll over, and that’s when it hits me. I’m alone in bed. I roll over and touch the cool sheets. Vito slept over last night, but he’s not next to me.

  My heart speeds up a bit at the thought that maybe he’s not sleeping because he’s not comfortable here.

  Maybe he’s having second thoughts about moving in. I take a deep breath and kick back the covers. I’m awake now, so I may as well face whatever this is. I am wearing my favorite paper-thin sleep tee with the wide, loose neck and soft pajama pants. I tiptoe down the stairs and find Vito in the kitchen, sitting in the eat-in nook with a sheet of paper and his phone in front of him.

  “Babe.” He brightens as soon as he sees me. “You’re up early.”

  I pad over to the table and tuck into the cozy bench seat on the opposite side of where he’s sitting. “I could say the same to you.” A little bit of tension leaves my belly at the happy look on his face. “Are you okay?”

  “Better than okay,” he says. He gets up excitedly and scoots next to me on the bench. “Do you want coffee? I made some.”

  He grabs his empty mug and heads to the coffeepot, but then he shakes his head. “Shit. I drank the whole pot. I’ll make more.”

  I get up from my seat and take the empty pot from him. “I’ll do it. You tell me what’s got you so excited that you’re awake.”

  As I scoop up the grounds and fill the pot, Vito grabs the sheet of paper off the kitchen table. He sets the paper down on the counter and explains the notes he’s made. “I’ve lived with my parents for the last five years and I’m a little ashamed to admit it now, but I’ve never paid my parents a penny in rent. I buy groceries every now and then, but…” He rubs the sexy scruff on his chin. “I’ve been a deadbeat son, but that means I’ve banked a ton of money.” He points to a figure on the piece of paper. “I’ve been putting my money away and honestly never thought much about what I’d do with it. My truck’s paid off. I’ve got no debt.”

  He meets my eyes, his bright and full of excitement. “We can use my savings to pay for your college. You don’t have to worry about running out of the money in your trust. You can save all that for Juniper.”

  I shake my head and click the coffeemaker on. “Vito, I would never, ever let you pay my way through college.”

  He holds up a finger and smirks, his lips a full, sexy smile. “I thought you’d say that. So, I crunched some other numbers.” He flips the paper over. “If we use my cash to make some upgrades to the house—new bathrooms upstairs, for example, we can throw some work at my buddies who do contract work on the side, so you know there’ll be guys in the house you can trust. Then, when the work is done, you can get your house reappraised and maybe take out a loan against the equity.”

  I watch him in amazement. I’ve heard of things like this, but I have no idea how any of this stuff works. This is exactly why I want to learn. “Vito, but then your money is tied up in this house. What if something happens? I’ll want to pay you back for the money you put into the house.”

  Vito drops his sheet of paper on the floor, then bends to pick it up. When he stands, his face looks strained. “Something happens? Eden, what’s going to happen?”

  I step closer to him and wrap my arms around his waist. “I don’t want anything to happen, but I don’t know about things like this. I don’t ever want you to feel like I screwed you out of your money.” I bite my lip, thinking about the vile, horrible things Nathan’s wife said at the mediation.

  Vito sets his phone and paper on the counter and grips my hips in both hands. “I’m not like Juniper’s father. And I’m going to take all the time I need to show you I’m a very, very different man.”

  “You already have,” I say, lowering my head to rest against his shoulder. “You’ve been up thinking about how to spend your money on me.”

  “On us,” he corrects. He tugs my hips closer, and I can feel the firm lines of his body against mine. “When I wake up in the morning at my parents’, I’m in their house. But when I woke up this morning, I was so excited I couldn’t sleep. All I could picture was the playset we can put in the back for Juniper. The new bathrooms we can install.”