As Rafael was leaving, Olivia came into the store, her somber expression a far cry from the contentment that glowed from her since she started seeing Adelaide. She gave the store a slow sweep of her eyes before walking up to the counter.
“Hey,” she called.
“Hey. Sorry about your game.”
Liv’s eyes widened behind her glasses. “Last I checked, some dick throwing a brick through a window doesn’t fall under the category of ‘Milo’s fault.’ How’s Eden doing?”
“Physically, she’s okay. Libby stitched her up and cleaned all the little cuts.”
“But emotionally, not so okay?”
I blew out a breath. “Right. I don’t know what’s going on. Maybe this is how she reacts to extreme situations. It’s like she turned off that light inside her. I just don’t know how to get it back.”
“Do you think Addie could help?” Liv asked gently. “Those two are tight. I get the feeling things are serious between you and Eden, but it hasn’t been very long. They have history, and maybe Addie’s dealt with this in the past.”
“You don’t think that’s disloyal of me? Circumventing Eden like that?”
“Milo, you’re clearly in love with her. If she’s shutting you out because of some kind of trauma response, I think you need to work with whatever tools are at your disposal. I’m not sayinggossip behind her back, just maybe…call in some reinforcements.”
“Yeah. I think you’re right. Thanks, Liv.”
“Any time. I gotta head over to my shift at the library, but I wanted to see if you needed anything first.”
I smiled at her and shook my head. “No, I’m good. Carter will be here soon. I’ll talk to Adelaide.”
Before Olivia was even out the door, Carter came barreling inside, wide-eyed and frantic. Liv steadied him before he tripped over her, squeezed his shoulder, and waved at me as she left.
“Hey, buddy,” I said, keeping my tone light.
“Dad told me the store was attacked.”
“Attacked? He used that word?”
Carter frowned. “Well, no. Dad wanted to come help board up the window, but we were at pottery night at school. By the time it was over, Grandpa said you guys were all sorted out and that you’d probably need my help today.”
I gave a solemn nod. “Yeah, buddy, I do. Here’s what I’m thinking.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Eden
Numb.Thatwastheonly word to describe my state of mind in the days that followed. It was like cold had seeped through the cracks until it filled up all the emptiness with frosty, unfeeling ice.
I should have been grateful for the steady stream of customers, but instead, I was annoyed every time I was interrupted from my research into my brother’s life.
Not that I’d found much.
His bio on the church’s website included that same family photo and pitifully little information. He’d gotten married a month after I left to a woman named Mary Billings—a woman I’d never met, which suggested a quick courtship. Had they even chosen each other, or had the marriage been arranged for them?
Arranged like they’d hoped to do for me, to find some suitable man who didn’t mind a young bride who needed a firm hand.
The contents of my stomach roiled and seethed.
Their daughter Eve was born less than a year later, making her almost thirteen now. I thought about Carter, his cheeky grins and fun-loving attitude, and wondered what my niece was like outside of the shadow I’d been raised under. Was she the perfect daughter, as my parents hoped I would be? Did she have hobbies, a life outside the church?
At three years older than me, Isaiah had been treated like a full-on adult well before I finished high school and got the hell out of Dodge. I knew, in a vague sense, that he and my father spent a lot of time at the church, but I hadn’t realized Isaiah planned to devote his life to it. Our relationship had been stiff and awkward for as long as I could remember, though now it struck me that when our parents punished me for whatever wrong I’d done—real or imagined—Isaiah always responded the same way.
“I’ll pray for you, Eden.”
