Begin Again novel Chapter 30

Eden didn't know how she managed to drive home in the emotional state she was in. She couldn't even remember leaving Anderson Logistics. She must have, though, because she only realised she's home when a perturbed Brenda dashed out of the house and ran up to the car.

"Is everything okay? Did you forget something?" The sitter asked as she pried open her door and helped her snap off the seat belt.

Eden heard her questions, saw her lips move, but she couldn't process. Her mind was too tired to compute, let alone form coherent thoughts and translate them into spoken words.

"Did something happen? Are you hurt?" Brenda carried on as she pulled her out of the car and flipped her around a few times, checking for any visible signs of trauma.

She paused and frowned when she couldn't see anything wrong.

"Say something," Brenda asked. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Eden sighed and touched her chest.

Yes, she was hurt, right there, in that place where her heart used to be.

But she gave Brenda her brightest smile and assured her she was great in a voice that was oddly calm and bubbly.

Everything was okay. Peachy even.

But the minute she stepped inside the house and Aiden looked up from his toys, staring at her with his father's eyes, Eden burst into tears and ran to the bathroom, locking herself in there for the better part of the hour while she cried herself sick.

Brenda correctly assumed things had gone wrong on her first day. She let her cry her eyes out in peace while she took Aiden outside to play.

While Eden was still a blubbering mess on her bathroom floor, Sienna called to check how her first day was going and immediately knew things had gone up in flames at the office when she heard her wobbly voice.

"We'll stop by after work. For now, take a long bath and stuff your face with anything you can find."

Eden took her friend's advise and had a long bubble bath but skipped the face-stuffing. Hungry as she was, she couldn't bring herself to eat anything, not when her heart was so heavy and dark with sadness.

She paid the sitter and promised to call her the next time she needs someone to look after Aiden.

Alone with her son, they played with his toys on the living room floor and read his favourite book over and over until he fell asleep.

Her friends stopped by later that night for a bitch-fest over Chinese takeout and non-alcoholic wine while she gave them a detailed account of her confrontation with Liam.

"He's such a jerk. What an asshole. A total dickhead!" Sienna cussed and fumed and fussed, calling Liam every horrible word she could pull out of her very extensive vocabulary.

"But he's a very hot jerk," Lydia was always the voice of reason, and Eden had to agree she wasn't entirely wrong.

It's been hours since she left Liam in his glass and chrome castle, but the butterflies in her tummy still somersaulted at the memory of being in his arms again. They'd burned so brightly in that meeting room, the sparks between them were so intense they could have lit up a thousand wildfires.

But no matter how delicious his kisses were, and how she wished she could have stayed a little longer in his embrace, Liam's anger and hatred for her were just as palpable.

She couldn't close her eyes without seeing the look of disgust on his face when he saw Simon's ring on her hand.

No matter how hard she tried to banish them, his words, his wild assumptions about Aiden, kept playing in her mind over and over, like a broken record.

Every time Eden recalled his feelings about their night, she had to hold herself tightly because she was so afraid if she let go, she might lose the fragile grasp she still had on her sanity.

She couldn't unravel again.

She'd done enough of that earlier.

"So what are you going to do?" Cassandra asked, playing with the tips of her freshly cropped locks while she shoved fried rice in her mouth straight out of the carton; they'd chosen to forego plates because quite frankly none of them liked doing dishes.

"About what?" Eden asked, staring at the new haircut. She still couldn't believe she'd chopped off her gorgeous long hair.

When Cassandra sent a message in the group chat announcing her plans to go radical, they all thought it's a joke. The ash-blonde pixie cut suited her, though; it made her look years younger.

"About the job of course," Lydia sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I think it's safe to say it's off the table now," Eden replied.

She was back to square one; she had to double down on her freelance work. No corporate would hire her as a personal assistant with her three-months experience. She should have known something was fishy with the interview at Anderson Logistics, but blinded by foolishness and wild ambition, she'd ignored all the warning signs.

"Imagine if he finds out about Aiden," Sienna closed her eyes, shuddering at the thought. "I can see him waging an all-out war. If he's so furious with you over a hookup, he'll surely kill you for keeping such a huge secret from him."

"I don't think he'd care to be honest," Eden shrugged, blinking back her tears, praying she doesn't start weeping again. "He was very clear about how much he regrets our night. He called me a mousey librarian and admitted he would never have touched me if he wasn't drunk!"

Eden glanced at it anxiously, making sure it's empty, she didn't want any spills on her floors.

"Imagine if Liam was the bachelor?" Lydia sparked to life and sat up, tucking her knees to her chin. "I mean the whole of Rock Castle would be begging for a rose and flocking to the bachelor house."

Eden threw up her hands in frustration. "He's married! And if anyone mentions him again, they'll have to take a shot of something. I'm so over him, please!"

Lydia chuckled, her eyes shining bright with glee, "Now, that's a game I can get behind."

"Pity we don't have any alcohol, though," Cassandra sighed, a look of longing in her eyes. Wine, beer and any alcohol really, were all high up there on the list of things she loved the most.

"I think you deserve a new boyfriend," Sienna said, changing the subject, they'd discussed Aiden's father long enough. It was time to move things along.

"Yeah, Edie," Cassandra agreed. "You wanted to see Liam, and now that you have, and we've concluded you guys can never be a thing, it's time to move on."

"Not this again, guys," Eden shook her head. "The last time you brought up a rebound, see where that got me."

"Touché," Cassandra sighed and sat back, her arms behind her head as she stared up at the ceiling.

"I'm setting up a Hot Connexions profile for you, you can thank me later," Lydia announced, refusing to give up on Eden's love life. "Trust me, okay? You'll be dating in no time and having the best sex of your life."

Eden laughed, but she highly doubted she'll have the best sex of her life ever again. That ship long sailed with Liam.

She tried to wiggle out of Lydia's plan. "Maybe I was too rash, let's pause on the dating."

But her friend wouldn't take no for an answer. She was already completing the signup form and asking her all kinds of very personal questions.

"Look at it this way," Lydia tried to sell her the dream. "If it doesn't work out, you can friend zone them and make them your handyman."

She didn't want to entertain the idea, but Eden found herself looking around the cramped living room. She'd barely begun to set up the place, ninety percent of her stuff was still in boxes, and she was yet to go up the roof to assess the damage. So it was for that reason alone she agreed to sign up with Hot Connexions.

She needed a handyman.

A boyfriend would be a bonus.