"Please tell me you're not planning on returning to work there full time." He stepped toward her.
"Good grief, no way!"
Relief covered his face as he nodded, then an uncomfortable silence settled between them.
She wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss him until she grew weak in the knees, but she needed to make sure her hopes for a relationship weren't in vain.
He cleared his throat. "So, uh... I've been waiting here for a while. Do you think I could come in?" He motioned to the door behind him.
"Yes. Of course. Absolutely." She pulled the keys from her purse and skirted around him.
He grabbed her suitcase as she prepared to lift it up the steps. "Allow me."
Sparks of electricity shot up her arm the moment his hand touched hers. She released the handle so fast he probably thought she was afraid of getting cooties or something. She rubbed the side of her hand against her thigh as she unlocked the door, once again tamping down the butterflies swarming her stomach.
Once inside, she looked around. A layer of dust coated everything, but otherwise it looked just like she'd left it. And that was rather depressing. It had been her home for almost seven years, but it didn't feel nearly as homey as the Wheeler's house.
"You can just leave the suitcase there." She pointed to the side of the entrance. "Can I offer you some..."
Do I have anything to offer him besides sour milk and spoiled orange juice?
"I um... Would you like a glass of water?"
"Water would be great."
He followed her to the kitchen where she was acutely aware of his presence. She filled a glass from the sink because the water in the fridge was probably stale after all this time.
When she handed it to him, he didn't drink it. He just stared at the glass in his hand.
"Is something wrong?" Eden asked.
"Yes." He set the glass on the counter. "Everything is wrong, and I'm not sure how to make it right. I only know I want to." He stepped closer, forcing her to look up at him.
Eden's lungs stalled, both from his words and his nearness. She turned and walked into the living room. If they were going to have this conversation, she needed to sit down. Forcing herself to breathe normally, she asked, "What is it you want to make right?"
He sat beside her then turned to face her. "This." He waved a hand back and forth between them. "Us."
Eden's heart pounded a little harder, and she struggled to draw sufficient air into her lungs. She wasn't sure what to say, so she remained quiet.
"After this happened..." he touched the fresh pink scar on his right eyebrow, "I decided to step back a little because you were so sure this was punishment for us kissing. I was afraid if I pushed you to continue our relationship, I'd drive you away." He shrugged one shoulder and gave her a sheepish look. "And I admit, I was a little spooked after requiring eight stitches."
He backed off because he was afraid of pushing me away?
To most people that wouldn't make sense, but Eden understood why he did it.
"Then when I made up my mind to keep fighting for us, you withdrew. Physically and emotionally." He scooted a little closer. "You hardly looked at me on Sunday. I don't know what I said or did to push you away, but I wish I could unsay or undo it."
Tears filled Eden's eyes. Did he really mean it? Or would he insist on sticking to hisplanif she called him out on it?
She lowered her gaze and fiddled with the hem of her skirt. "I heard what you said to Scott in the weight room last Saturday." She lifted her gaze and made eye contact with him, daring him to deny his words.
His brow furrowed, and he looked sideways, deep in thought. Then his brow lifted, and he hung his head. "You heard me tell Scott I wasn't sure I could support you in the manner you were accustomed to."
"Do you honestly think I'm that hung up on material things? That money and status matter that much to me?"
"No, I've come to realize they don't, but my own insecurities kick in every once in a while, and I have a hard time believing that with your background, you'd be happy with a lowly sheriff's deputy." He looked around. "I mean, this is a really nice apartment."
"The only thing lowly about you is how you regard yourself and your abilities. And if you think I wouldn't be happy living the kind of life with you that I have had for the past couple months, then you don't know me at all."
