Choosing Fate (Love in Eden 1.70)

"Good, go get dressed. I'll meet you back here in an hour."

"You're leaving?" I asked.

Zander gave me a quick kiss and said, "Yeah, I've got a date with a beautiful woman." He rolled out of bed and reached for his clothes. I sat up and just enjoyed watching him get dressed. I loved the way his body moved, and I couldn't help but shiver when I thought about the many times he'd been inside of me. Even though I was a little sore, I still wanted him more than ever.

It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him to come back to bed, but then he looked over his shoulder at me and gave me a little smile. He stood up and pulled his jeans over his yummy backside and then zipped the pants up. He leaned across the bed and kissed me again. "An hour," he reminded me and then he was gone.

I sat there for several long seconds as a rush of fear went through me. What if that had been it? What if that had been the brush-off and he wasn't really coming back? I needed to be okay with that, but truth was, I wasn't.

Not at all.

As I reluctantly got out of bed, I reminded myself that Zander was just passing through town. I didn't even know where exactly he was headed to. But Eden wasn't his home. So I could either enjoy the moments I had with him, both in and out of bed, or I could end this before I got in too deep.

"Who am I kidding?" I said softly to myself. I was already in way too deep. The thought was reinforced when I reached the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked like a very well-loved woman. My mother would've been horrified by my appearance. My skin was flushed with color, my hair was all over the place, and there were small patches of beard burn all over my body. I couldn't help but smile as I admired the marks. Zander had truly loved on every part of my body.

With renewed fervor, I quickly got ready. I spent most of the hour trying to figure out what to wear. My mother had picked out the fancy white dress for my date with Ted and she’d brought me several others just like it, but when I held them in front of a mirror, they all just looked wrong. But maybe Zander liked a woman who dressed fancy and wore makeup for a night on the town. I started pulling on one of the dresses, but as soon as the itchy fabric touched my sensitive skin, I stopped what I was doing.

Zander had said I was amazing the way I was. There'd been no reason for him to lie.

Decision made, I tossed the dress aside and went in search of my favorite floral-patterned, knee-length dress. I paired it with a small cardigan. I opted for just a hint of makeup on my eyes and some concealer for the cut on my cheek that Ted's ring had caused. I left my hair loose because Zander seemed to enjoy running his fingers through it. By the time I was finished, self-doubt started to creep in, but I clung to Zander's comments about me not needing to have changed so much in my marriage to Jackson. The ringing doorbell saved me from having to obsess too much about everything. I hurried downstairs and opened the door. My heart dropped out at the sight of Zander.

"You came back," I blurted unthinkingly. He was wearing a pair of clean jeans and a dark blue button-down shirt. There was a bouquet of daisies in his hand.

I saw something flash in his eyes at my comment, but instead of calling me out on it, he stepped forward and wrapped his arm around me. Then he was kissing me right there in the doorway. I forgot to care about any neighbors watching and just kissed him back.

"You ready? You look beautiful, by the way," he said as he looked me up and down. Since he’d pretty much kissed me stupid, all I could do was nod and then run back into the house to grab my purse. When I reached the door, he was still waiting. "These are you for you," he said with a grin.

"Darn it," I said impatiently because I’d completely forgotten about the flowers in my eagerness to start our date. "I mean thank you, they’re beautiful."

Zander laughed, so I knew I hadn't offended him. I quickly hurried back into the house and put the daisies in some water, then rushed back to the door. Zander held his hand out to me and walked me down the walkway to his car. He opened the door, which reminded me it really was a real date.