“Today?” she asks, confused. We stay away from doing weekday lunches. She usually does the lunch rush at Eleanor’s Diner, and I work through my lunches, but I need the weekend clear if I want to stick to Willow’s hip. “What’s changed?”
“Nothing. I’ve been wrapped up in this other?—”
“Is it a girl? A mate, perhaps? Tell me, son, did you finally meetthe one?” My mom continues to gush over the phone, “Yes, yes, yes, we must meet today. I have lunch at two today. Come by Eleanor’s, and I’ll make us something.”
“She can’t be my mate, mom.”
“Can’t isn’t not, honey. Is it someone I know?” she asks. Joy radiates from her voice and stabs the arrow in my heart deeper. It hitches my breath, and I stare out the window, pretending to take in the fresh air.
“It’s complicated.”
“If it wasn’t complicated, it wouldn’t be real, honey. I’ll see you soon. I can’t wait to find who this lucky woman is, Eddie. I gotta go, but I love you.”
We say our goodbyes, and my heartstrings are pulled taut. Hopefully, my mother doesn’t get her hopes up because this isn’t a complication that can be fought through.
10
WILLOW
This morning isn’t likethe morning he made pancakes. I don’t have to act surprised he is here or be mad about how he ignored my wishes for him to leave. Eddie is on the couch sleeping, I think, based on his breathing, and I’m in the kitchen, lost on how to act with Eddie in my space. This isn’t our first morning together, but that doesn’t change the nerves racking my body. It is usually only me and Nola, but now I have two roommates. One of which is a man whose smell calls to me more than it should and whose presence sets my skin on fire in all the best ways.
I haven’t reacted to a smell like his before, if I’m being completely honest. There is a note to his smell that I can’t quite understand, and it’s that note that brings me closer to him. Milo smelled of a fresh summer day—the perfect pool day, followed by a family dinner out on the back porch. But Eddie—Eddie smells like heaven. Eddie smells like the world’s loveliest cup of tea. The kind that brings a different kind of warmth than the sun would. His scent calms me from the inside out, and I can justbein his presence.
It’s not something I’ve experienced before.
My slippers make scuffing sounds as I pace, and now that I think about it, Eddie needs slippers too. His days of walking around my house with shoes on need to come to an end today. Wait, maybe tomorrow. Does Eddie own slippers? Should I mop my dirty floors today, or should I wait? I’ll wait till I can get Eddie some slippers. It’ll be payback for all the things Eddie has bought me since he came storming into my life.
“Good morning, Buttercup.” Oh my goodness, his voice. My eyes shoot up to his; he’s leaning in the kitchen's archway. Crossing his ankles, he smiles at me. I notice his broad shoulders take up most of the space there, and he still has his head wrap on.
“Good morning, Enchanted,” I say, my voice low. I continue pacing about in my kitchen, more slowly this time, as to give myself more time to stare at his drool-worthy form. Did he take that pose from one of my romance book covers, or is it natural to him? Either way, it’s too attractive for his own good.
“Calling me my last name doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?” he asks, walking to the fridge and pulling out some eggs. Enough for him, me, and—“is Layla here?”
We rarely see Layla anymore now that she is working full time. At least she has an Enchanted Pack member taking her to and from work now. Now I know for sure she’s making it to work safely. “She’s at work,” I say, taking a seat at the table, giving up on my fleeting dream of making him breakfast.
“Have either of you gotten notes since moving in to this house?” he asks while frying the eggs and putting bread in the toaster.
“No. No notes, no calls, no trace. Layla deleted all her social media for the time being. She uses a... what did she say? It’s an account no one knows is her? I think?”
“What about you? Do you use social media?” he questions, still manning the stove, and, by the Moon Goddess, nothing ismore attractive than a man who can cook. Even when I’m not supposed to be attracted to the man, the sight of him still makes my cheeks tingle.
“Absolutely not. I deleted mine a long time ago,” I say with a scoff. “I didn’t want anyone to follow me here.” I didn’t want any sort of connection from my old life following me into my new one. I was alone, and, at the time, I thought I should be.
“Follow you?”
“Yeah, I went no contact with everyone when I moved from Kaler City. I couldn’t take the heat anymore.”
“Even from your family?”
“I only started talking to them again a couple of months ago. My father fell sick, and now I’m the bad guy for running away. Even if I ran away before he was even remotely sick.”
“Is he doing okay now?” Eddie asks slowly. He’s eyeing me, maybe testing the waters with his questions, and normally I wouldn’t say anything. I typically keep things to myself, but talking to him is... it’s nice.
“Yeah, he’s better. Though we’ve been talking, it’s hard to forget the way they treated me when everything went down with Milo. As if I wasn’t their daughter anymore. I was a failure somehow,” I say, twisting and untwisting the oat-colored place mats on the table. The tassels give me a chance to be distracted as my deepest secrets spill out of my mouth for a man who should be mine.
I’m rambling on now, but I notice he’s still listening. His back is towards me, and I am grateful I don’t have to see at his face for the possible judgment that could lie there. I clamp my lips closed finally, before I go in on my mom. That is not something I want to dive into today, not even with him.
He plates the eggs and toast before sitting down across from me. I smile in thanks before digging in. He waits a beat after I start eating. A habit I wish I hadn’t noticed but did. A habit thatis saved for mates, and I can’t help how my mind goes to Milo. Watching a mate eat allows the watching mate to feel pride in how they can take care of their mate. It’s an honor to take care of one’s mate. I can’t decipher if I can’t remember Milo having this habit, or if I don’t want to remember. As if doubting Milo was my mate would justify my feelings for Eddie. I could almost laugh at my cruelty. This isn’t who I thought I would be.
