Begin Again novel Chapter 202

Isaac was already seated at a window table, with Zoe beside him in a high chair, when Eden walked in with Aiden.

"I was starting to think you'd stood me up," he said as he got up from his seat, gave her a quick hug and placed her son in the other high chair.

"Traffic was a nightmare," she smiled apologetically as she sat down and spent a few minutes browsing through the menu even though she knew she'd get a chai latte. She always ordered a chai latte.

"So, how did it go with the attorneys?" Isaac asked as he rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward.

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask," Eden said, her eyes lighting up when their waitress returned with their hot drinks.

"That bad, huh?" Isaac said when they were alone again.

"It was horrible," Eden nodded and watched Aiden babble away with Zoe for a while before she filled Isaac in on her crazy week.

He listened intently and drummed his fingers on the table, his eyes giving away nothing the whole time she spoke.

"So, this is where we are. He wants us to move in with him," she said as she toyed with her cup.

"What are you going to do?" Isaac reached for his espresso and took slow, measured sips.

"I don't know." Eden shrugged. "I've taken so much from him, and all he wants is for us to move in with him. It's not an unreasonable request."

"But?" Isaac's eyebrows shot up, his eyes lighting up with curiosity.

"But I'm terrified." She admitted. "I'm shit scared of losing so much control and giving up so much of myself."

"Edie, it's just a house," Isaac took her hand. "It doesn't define your strength and independence. That's all inside you."

"But what if things don't work out with Liam? What then? Where would I go? I need to have a place I can call my own. It's bad enough I haven't done shit with my life. My career is a mess. My finances are equally fucked, and now if I move in with Liam, he'll insist on taking care of me, and I can't allow myself to be so dependent on him. The thought of losing so much control and giving him so much power over me terrifies me."

It terrified her to such a point she began hyperventilating, and the nasty red bumps on her skin from earlier were back, and she felt like throwing up, but she held it in.

"Hey, easy there," Isaac said gently. "Slow breaths, Edie. Nice and slow. No need to panic."

Eden nodded and tried to breathe through her nose while she tugged at her collar and absently scratched at her neck as her gaze wandered through the room, trying to find something to distract herself.

"I'm sorry." She said when she was sure she could speak again without breaking out in cold sweat.

"Maybe you should talk to Liam about all of this," Isaac suggested.

"And say what?" Eden laughed.

"Everything you've just told me."

"Yeah, maybe," Eden nodded, but she knew she wouldn't. Liam was—He had his life together. He was a billionaire, for goodness' sake. How could he possibly understand her midlife crisis? Was it even a midlife crisis when she was only twenty-six and hadn't experienced much in life?

"Anyway, what did you want to tell me?" She blinded Isaac with her biggest, brightest smile, changing the subject as she checked the time on her phone. She had told Jace she wouldn't take longer than half an hour. They were fast approaching her cut off time.

"I'm leaving Rock Castle soon," Isaac said, flooring her with his announcement.

Eden sat in numb silence for a second or two, convinced her ears were deceiving her.

"Edie," he took her hand and held it. "Did you hear what I said?"

"I don't understand," she whispered. "Why? When? How?"

His words hit home, and this time Eden couldn't keep it together, she burst into tears, and for a long she cried silently in her hands, realising she didn't want that for Aiden too.

"Hey," Isaac handed her a pack of Kleenex. "It's not too late to turn things around, Edie. And by the sound of it, you guys have. You just have to push a little more, and you'll both be so happy."

She nodded and wiped her tears, blew her nose and came to a decision.

She spent the last two years running and hiding in the Blue Mountains, and in a way, she was happy with Grammy and Aiden. But she didn't live boldly, never took risks, never put her heart on the line for anything, and all she had managed to do while playing it safe was to rack up too many regrets.

Isaac stood up, pulled her to her feet and walked her to Jace's car.

"I'm always a phone call away. You know that, right?—" Isaac said as he gave her the longest hug they'd ever shared. "—And this isn't goodbye."

Eden nodded, but she knew it was. They'd never see each other again, and she couldn't help but want to bawl her eyes out at the loss of a friendship that had snuck up on her so unexpectedly but had come to mean so much to her in such a short space of time.

"Go! Anderson's waiting for you." He opened her door and pushed her inside, making sure she had her seatbelt in place, and Aiden was comfortable in his car seat before he turned and waved as he walked away.

"Where to, missus?" Jace asked.

"Wherever Mr Anderson's sleeping tonight," she replied as she took Aiden's hand and kissed it.

"Of course," Aaron smiled at her in the rearview mirror. "He'll be very happy. He wants you and the little one close to him."

"Aiden's nanny—" She began.

But Jace was quick to ease her worries. "Someone will bring her to the penthouse later."

"Thank you," Eden said and eased back in her seat and closed her eyes, wondering why there was a 'good' in 'goodbye'.

There was nothing good or wonderful about endings and farewells.