She chuckled. “I know. I’ll think about it, Ben. That’s a big step.”
“Yeah. I actually…” He cleared his throat again. “I haven’t lived with someone since…”
“Liam?”
He didn’t speak for a moment. “We never actually lived together, on paper. Obviously, we would have had we actually gotten… you know.”
There was Ursula Slay in Eden’s head again, giving one of the lucky grooms a lap dance at the reception. “Yeah.”
“Actually, I haven’t lived with someone since Sydney and I were married. I just had long-term relationships that spent most of their time at my place. They always still had a separate lease or mortgage elsewhere.”
“Well, you did tell me that you’re dating to marry these days.”
“I’m not thinkingthatfar ahead, angel.”
“No, but you’re a serious guy. You’ve always been upfront about that. So, naturally, you’re thinking about me moving in with you when my lease is up. Even though…”
“What? Something wrong?”
“I…” She stopped, regathering her thoughts. “Have you talked to Liam about this?”
His brows didn’t as much furrow as theycruncheddown his face, as if Eden had asked if he sought his ex-wife’s opinion first. “Why would I ask him about it? We’re not together.”
“No, but…I’malso with him. I just thought maybe you’d have cleared it with him before asking me to move in with you.”
“What difference does it make?”
“Well, what if he wanted me to move in with him? Wouldn’t you want him to ask you about it first? To make sure it’s chill?”
Benson continued to look at her as if that was asinine. But he said nothing, implying that the cogs now churned in his head.You really didn’t ask him?Eden didn’t know how she felt about that. On one hand, it was so like Benson to just ask for what he wanted and deal with the aftermath in the wake of a decision. On the other…
It implied that Benson didn’t think Liam was a real player in their little triad. That he would eventually accept some kind of defeat and slink away again.
“Liam knows how I feel about you.”
Eden’s breath hitched. “How do you feel, Ben?”
She hoped that she had asked that sweetly enough to lower his guard.I want to know. How do you feel about me?Right here, in this corner booth in an institution of Italian cuisine.
“I feel…” His hands clenched together on top of the table as he stared at the breadbasket. “A lot of things for you, angel. Big things. Scary things. Things I had been hoping to feel for someone again, but never thought I would. Let alone someone so much…”
“Younger than you?”
“I was gonna say in tune with the world.”
“Oh.”
“But, yeah. I attract people younger than me. Always have. Even with Syd. She’s nine months younger than me.”
“Oh, so much younger, Ben.”
He smiled a little. “I feel completely comfortable with you, Eden. I feel like I can be myself. My true self.”
She nodded, preparing herself to hear more.
“You don’t take things seriously. Unless it’s serious. I need someone like that in my life. I think that was one of the thingsthat broke Syd and me up. She can be as morbidly serious as I. It was great in school. It was great for raising a baby together during those crazy, formative years when you’re working full time and dealing with a screaming toddler when you get home. It drives you apart when that kid grows up and becomes more independent. As much as it killed me when she asked for a divorce, I can’t imagine us being married now at all.”
“Yeah, you’re a serious guy. I try to be when it matters.”
