Page 207 of Nobody's Girl

“Let him go, David. I want to give him a hug,” Toni says. He moves back and she grabs me up. “I’m so happy, Eden.”

I allow her to hug me until she’s content, then I pull away from her and sit down. “Now we need to figure out when we should tell her who and what she really is. I have what I wanted—her to agree to marry me on her own. Now she has to be told and I could use your advice on that,”

David walks over to me and places his hand on my shoulder. “The time is near. It needs to be soon. I admit she’s progressing a lot better than I anticipated, but that news will be shocking.”

I rub the back of my neck in frustration. Again, through my fault, she will suffer when she hears the truth. Fear and anxiety as well as disbelief will assault her emotions.

Who takes the news of turning into a giant bird well?

Toni gets up from the chair she’d taken. “It’s been too long. I’ll go get Alyssa and send Kyle on his way,” she says.

“No, leave her alone to do what she has to. I trust her and didn’t expect her to be able to do this quickly,” I tell her. “She needs time to give them both proper closure. I’ll not have loose ends, and it takes time to tie them up. She really does love him. It may be hard for you to understand, but I do. She and I are built a bit differently. Love and compassion for others are so strong it makes us put our lives on the line to help people. She let him in her heart and he will dwell there forever. He’ll forget her in the near future, but she’ll never forget him.”

Toni crosses the room, sitting next to me. “I’m sorry we did this to her and you. We will surely pay the price when our time comes.”

I frown at her and take her hand. “Toni, you will not have to pay for anything. It’s okay. We got past it, didn’t we? If anything, it proves she loves me even more, in turn making me love her even more. You see, having her choose me is so much better than her being made to marry me. It’s a small price to pay for her happiness.”

Toni and David raise their brows. “I guess you’re right, Eden,” Toni says with a smile. “I’m glad she has you. A better partner there’s never been. I was a fool to think Our Creator wasn’t directly involved. Even the faithful have times of doubt.”

“It’s late and you two should go to bed,” I tell them. “I’ll wait here for Alyssa to finish her business with the boy. I’d like privacy with her once she’s done. She’ll be hurting and I want to be the one to help her through this. If she knows she can trust me with something this delicate it will give her greater faith in me, making us stronger.”

They agree and leave me alone. My mate is in the next room with another male. While I should be jealous and mad, I’m not.

The sound of the door to the dining room opening turns my attention to the light which flows into the dark hallway. My mate follows the boy as he leads her into the living room.

His eyes are swollen, his lip busted, and a scratch is on his cheek, but he doesn’t seem sad, which is good. He nods his head at me as he passes in front of me.

Alyssa reaches out and touches my leg with the hand that isn’t holding his. “I’m walking Kyle out and I’ll be right back, Eden.”

Kyle stops and turns back. I rise and meet his eyes as he says, “Ally’s told me about you and what you two are doing,” he says to me. “You must care more for her than I can imagine, asking her to marry you before you take her virginity. While I have to say it fills me with a sickness I’ve never known that you will be the one to feel her that way, there could not be a better man to lose her to. Promise me you’ll always treat her with the same respect and tenderness she tells me you do now.”

I look him squarely in the eye, trying my best to convey my compassion for him. “I promise you I will. I love her with all I have in me. I will never dishonor her. Thank you for taking this the way you are. You’re a compassionate individual and I can see why Alyssa cares for you so much.” I offer him my hand and he takes it as we shake a solid shake, which leaves me feeling good.

I smile at Alyssa. “I’ll be waiting here for you, princess.”

“Thank you, Eden. I’ll be right back,” she says as she lets him lead her out the front door, closing the door behind them.

I keep waiting for the jealousy to rear up in me, but it never comes. It’s a relief, as I’ve never had such negative emotions and I dislike how the ugly emotion made me act. With great patience, I wait for my mate to return.

She sniffles as she comes back in. Her make-up gone, she looks young and fragile.

“It’ll get better with time, he told me. I gave him his ring back. It was really hard, Eden,” she says as she falls into my arms.

I wish I could help her!

I hug her tightly and rock her back and forth. “Do you want to talk about it or go to sleep?” I ask.

Her small face, her cheeks red from all the tears, looks up at me. “Could you sleep with me? I’m tired, but I’d like you to hold me. I feel like I’ve lost so much and having you next to me, holding me, would remind me why I let it all go. I’m not sorry I did, but I am feeling the loss.”

My arm goes under her legs, lifting her. I carry her up the stairs as she lays her head against my chest. If I could take this all away, I would. I’d do it all differently if I’d known she’d be this hurt.

I place her on the bed. “If you’re sure about this, I’ll go change and be right back.”

Her hand lingers in mine. “I’m sure, Eden. I need you.”

She needs me!

I hate it’s because she’s in pain, but I love to hear it.