It was Alice's birthday and the whole family was at the Wheeler’s house. The place was packed. Now that they'd sung "Happy Birthday" and eaten cake and ice cream, most of the kids had gone outside to play, but the noise level—with so many conversations going on at once—was almost deafening.
Scott and Kennedy had shared their good news, and Alice had acted as excited as though this were her first grandchild, not her fifteenth. And the rest of the family had congratulated Scott and Kennedy with hugs and back slaps. Debbie had been the most excited because it meant she and Kennedy could raise their little ones together.
Debbie’s comment had caused a surge of envy in Eden and another wave of longing that she didn’t know how to stop.
"What's going on between you and Rudy?" Kennedy asked as soon as they reached Eden's room.
Eden flopped onto the bed. "I don't know. He's hardly talked to me this week." She didn't blame him after everything that had happened, but it still felt personal.
"But you guys were practically joined at the hip on the Fourth."
"That was before I got food poisoning and he split his head open."
Kennedy sat on the bed by Eden. "All the more reason for you to shower each other with affection."
"Yeah, but every time we get close, we end up kissing." Before the smile on Kennedy's face could grow any bigger, Eden went on. "And every time we kiss, bad things happen."
Her friend burst out laughing. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
"If I wasn't living it, I would laugh too, but it's true. Almost every time we're around each other something horrible happens."
"They're just coincidences." Kennedy let out one final giggle. "Are you sure you're not just trying to find an excuse not to fall for Rudy because it means sticking around this small town."
"I've already fallen for him, and I'm not opposed to sticking around Providence."
Eden never thought she'd say those words, but they were true.
"I'm afraid one of us will end up dead or maimed before we find our happily ever after."
Kennedy laughed again. "You've been hanging out around the Wheelers too long. You're being overly dramatic."
Scowling, Eden sat up and grabbed a pillow. She smacked Kennedy on the head with it before wrapping her arms around it and hugging it to her chest. "What happened between me and Rudy at your wedding?"
"He gave you a bloody nose, trying to keep Violet from bowling you over when she dove for the bouquet. But that was totally an accide—"
Eden held up a hand and cut her off. "What happened to me the moment I hit the city limits when I moved here."
Kennedy rolled her eyes. "You got stung by a bee, but you can't blame that on Rudy. In fact, he saved your life that day."
"I know, but it doesn't negate the fact that bad things keep happening." Eden plumped the pillow in her arms, then hugged it again. "The first walk we took together, we got caught in a freak rainstorm." She started ticking things off with her fingers. "Then the first time he kissed me, I had an asthma attack because he had just eaten a cookie with walnuts in it."
"Wait, when was your first kiss?"
"A few weeks ago, when my dad showed up unannounced, remember? He didn't believe Rudy and I were in a relationship—"
"Which you weren't."
Eden waved away the interruption. "No, we weren't yet, but that's beside the point." She went back to ticking off disasters on her fingers. "The next time we went for a walk, we stopped to look up at the stars, and we ended up kissing." A warm flush enveloped Eden's body as she recalled that kiss. "But then we got sprayed by skunks."
Kennedy snorted as she tried to hold back the laughter this time. She wasn't successful and ended up giving into full-bodied belly laughter. "I didn't realize you were kissing when you got sprayed by the skunks."
"Well, we stopped right before, when the skunks appeared, obviously."
"Still." Kennedy chuckled again.
"Can I finish please?"
Kennedy waved a hand for Eden to continue. "One night, we kissed in the entryway." She motioned in the general direction of the front door. "And Alice turned the light on and caught us."
