“So we’ll have to slum it,” Ryan chimes in, making Miles laugh. I smile too. “Come on, sis. Look at this thing.” He walks over to the car, looking inside. He starts rambling off all the features and what it can do. I haven’t seen him this excited about anything in a long time.
“You promise it’s only a loan?” I glance up to Miles.
“Yep.” He nods, still smiling, knowing he won. This was all underhanded, but I’m enjoying Ryan’s excitement. I can’t give him a lot of things, but I can do this for a little while.
“Can we, E? The other kids at school will die when I roll up in this. Plus I aced my calculus test today.”
“Okay,” I agree. Miles tosses Ryan the keys.
“Now. How about that date?”
He’s got me. I hope he doesn't let me go.
Chapter Eleven Miles
I take her to a comedy club, which is risky because the funny bone is in a different place for every person, but Eden lives with a lot of stress running her own business, raising her brother, and worrying about making ends meet. There’s nothing like laughter to give you a release. The gamble pays off, and Eden looks like a hundred pounds have been lifted off her shoulders when we walk out of the club.
“I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much.” She presses a hand to her side. “My stomach actually aches, although maybe it’s from the bucket of fries I ate.”
“You can never have too much laughter or too many fries.” The alarm beeps off, and I help her into the Audi. Once inside, I ask, “Do we want a late night drink or home?”
She slides me a coy look. “Which home?”
I chuckle. “Which one do you want it to be?”
“I should go back to The Daily Drip. My brother’s there.”
That wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear, but I live with it. Ryan’s under eighteen, and I can see why she doesn’t want to leave him alone. I haven’t moved out of the family home since Violet moved back. It’s not an obligation we owe to our siblings, but something we want to do. The problem is that our interests are competing, and we need them aligned. The solution is moving her and Ryan into my home.
“I have a lot of space.”
“Yes?”
“You should move in. You and Ryan. There’s a set of bedrooms on the second floor over the west end of the house that are empty. They’re extra guest rooms but never get any use.”
This time it’s her turn to laugh. “I can’t move in. We just met.”
“Time is a construct, Eden. Besides, I’ve been coming to The Daily Drip, well, daily, for the last two months. By my count, we’re nearing a three-month anniversary.”
“You’re funny.”
I smile at that compliment, but inside, I’m withering. She thinks I’m cracking jokes, and I don’t know if it’s a defense mechanism or that she’s trying to hold me at arm’s length while she figures out what she wants. I know what I want. Eden in my bed morning, noon, and night—or at least all the times that she isn’t holding down the fort at The Daily Drip. I haven’t had the feel of her tits between my teeth or the taste of her cunt in my mouth, and I am starving for her. No amount of scones, bear claws, and muffins is going to satisfy me. I pull up in front of the café, but I don’t want to let her out.
“I’ve been up front with what I’m interested in and now it’s up to you. You figure it out.”
“That sounds vaguely threatening. What if I don’t?”
“Then I figure it out for you.” I unlock the doors. “I’ll give you a day.”
“A day?”
“Hey, I’m not kidnapping you, am I? By the way, how do your books look?”
“Good,” she admits. She fidgets with the door handle for a second before twisting in her seat toward me. “I’ve had a lot going on in my life. Pretty sure my dad’s been cheating me. Ryan’s struggling with school. I’m worried about the café going under and whether I’m going to be able to pay Clare’s next paycheck or provide for Ryan’s college education. I feel like my life is too messy to share with someone.”
“I’ve got broad shoulders. Why don’t you let me decide what I can and can’t handle?”
“Because if you drop me, I’ll break.” She gives me a fragile smile.
I reach out to cup her cheek. “I won’t drop you.”
“You can’t know that for sure.” She turns away from my touch and opens the door. “Thanks for everything.”
I don’t like how that sounds, how it feels like a goodbye. I throw the car into park and join her on the sidewalk. I resist the urge to haul her back inside the car and speed away. I think the solution to her uncertainty is steadiness. If I maintain my course, she’ll see I’m not going away. That means I don’t get what I want immediately, but in the end, I’ll reap the benefits of my patience. “You can leave for now but there’ll come a point where you’ll see that I’m not the kind of guy who dates and dumps. You’ll learn to trust me. Until then, I expect to see you every day and get at least one kiss a night.” I crook my finger at her. “If you don’t give me a kiss goodnight, I’m going to set up a tent outside of The Daily Drip, and I won’t leave until I get my due.”
Her small smile turns into a much bigger grin. “I don’t think that would be good for foot traffic.”
“No. I predict my sorry ass in a tent right here on the sidewalk would deter sales by at least twenty percent.”
“We can’t have that.”
“Nope.” I tap my mouth with a finger. “Better pay up.”
“Oh, so this is
