Whispered Curses

"This is one of the many reasons why Andrea is the absolute best," I loudly told Eden while Andrea was setting out extra napkins.

"Thank you, Mr. Stone," she said with a grin.

Then she turned to Eden. "Although I did spike your coffee, if you are a nervous flyer, I can also offer you mimosas, champagne, wine, or pretty much anything else." She flashed a wide smile. "Captain Nichols will notify us in advance if he foresees any turbulence, but the last I heard it should be smooth sailing."

"I think I'm fine for now," Eden said. "Thank you so much."

Andrea disappeared, and Eden turned to me. "Do you find it weird having people serve you?"

I took a huge gulp of my smoothie while nodding. "Yes, sometimes. On a flight, it's expected. I know some people have assistants around them at all times, but personally, I find that a bit weird. I have a cleaning lady that comes on Tuesdays. That's enough for me," I shrugged.

She seemed to be relieved. "Good."

"I'm looking forward to meeting your family," I said as she started with her pancakes. "I'm curious to see what sort of people you came from."

Eden looked delighted that I was truly interested. "My mother has worked as a researcher and script fact-checker most of her life. When she had to have her hip replaced, she semi-retired, just doing a bit of freelance work now. Plus it can be done through email, so she doesn't have to run around as much."

"That's great," I said. "So she could stay with your uncle a bit and work remotely if she wants to heal up for a few more weeks before she flies home."

Eden nodded, then her bottom lip began to tremble.

"Oh my God, baby, I'm so sorry. She's going to be fine."

She looked up at me, her eyes a bit glassy, and I took her hand. "Okay, I'll be honest," I said. "It's going to suck a bit. Surgery always does. But they have good painkillers, and she can take her time healing, right? Her only job is to lay around and let people care for her right now."

She gave me a brave little smile. "Thank you for thinking of getting her a private nurse," she said softly. "That will probably be really helpful."

“Patricia sent me a brochure on the company. Apparently, they care for the patients both mentally and physically. So if your mom wants to be left alone to read or rest, that's fine. But if she wants to chat or play cards, she'll always have company whenever she needs it."

"You're amazing," she whispered softly.

I shook my head. “Not really. But you can go ahead and think that if you like, and I highly encourage it." I winked. "The honest truth is, I got super lucky. Then I worked my ass off, and I became even luckier. Now I get to share some of that. That makes me ridiculously hap

py.”

Eden’s smile warmed my heart. All I wanted was to care for her and make her happy.

Now that I had a moment to think about it though, I hoped that I wasn’t being too pushy. The worst thing that could happen was to accidentally become a real stalker. The bad guy. An abstract demon who turned out to be bad for her instead of good.

Maybe it was fear, since I’d never been in a real relationship before. Or perhaps it was fear because Eden seemed so delicate. A bit timid. As if she wasn’t quite sure yet where she stood in the world.

A pushy, domineering man would be the worst thing for a nice young girl. I would never want to inadvertently guide her in a direction she didn’t want to go. I would never want to tell her what to do.

But I already had. I’d told her to ignore her grandmother’s comment. I’d gently pushed her into giving us another chance. Just because it felt completely right to me didn’t mean that it was right for her.

No matter what happened, I’d have to keep my eyes open, and my emotions in check. The underworld that was my namesake could be the hell on earth I’d have to go through if I ever hurt Eden.

~ Chapter 21 ~ Eden ~

* Long White Hallways *

It was a huge relief to send off my essay, knowing that fresh eyes would be going over it before it was handed in. This gave me a little time to listen to quiet music and try to compose myself before we landed.

While I was writing, I had to focus. Now there was a bit of space for the thoughts to spin around my mind like a tipsy tornado.

Eric seemed to always be in problem-solving mode. I found that extremely interesting. He wasn't aggressive about it, just forthright. He wasn't obtrusive, he was used to taking charge of the situation, and creating a positive outcome.

Perhaps it was from clawing his way to the top while he was building his business. Or some people are just hardwired in different ways.