Eden was quiet as we walked to the elevator. It wasn't every day that a person found out that something their entire family believed was completely untrue. Leading her out of the building, I kept my hand on her lower back, but wanted to give her a bit of space.
"Are you all right?" I asked softly.
She nodded. It didn't seem like she could speak.
"Would you like me to take you to your Uncle’s house, or get another room in my hotel for you?"
Eden looked up at me, her warm brown eyes so pretty in the light of sunset. “I'd like to stay with you."
"Okay. You seem spacey, so should I be pushy and take you back to the hotel? We can order in dinner , have a glass of wine, and chill out?"
"Perfect," she said, nodding.
Grabbing us a taxi, we got to the hotel quickly. As I checked us in, Eden was glued to my side. We weren't quite touching, she was just hovering. I hurried us up to the penthouse suite, where our luggage was already waiting.
"How did…" Eden blinked. “I was in such a rush to get to the hospital I forgot all about our luggage."
"My assistant told the plane service where we'd be staying, and they shipped it."
I walked her to the couch and sat Eden down, slipping her shoes off. "You're probably starving," I said. "What would you like for dinner?"
"I… I have no idea," she said.
"How about something simple? Burger and fries, or pasta? Maybe chicken fingers?"
Finally her eyes lit up. "Chicken fingers and onion rings, please."
Lifting her hand, I kissed the back of it, then went over to the desk phone to ord
er. I came back to sit beside her, not sure what to do. Thankfully she snuggled against my shoulder, taking my hand.
"You must think I'm an idiot," she said sadly.
"Not in the slightest," I said emphatically. "Not the tiniest bit. People believe what their families believe. You believed what the evidence in front of you stated, and what your mother told you, even if that turned out not to be true."
Eden looked up to me with a hopeful smile. "So, I take it that you were hoping Nana would say we should be together?"
"Absolutely," I said. “I adore you. I hope it's obvious by now. I need us to be together. I know we are going to be ridiculously happy."
She nodded, opening her mouth to speak, but there was a sharp knock at the door. I ran to get our food, setting it out on the coffee table while the server quickly poured the wine and left.
I found an old comedy special on TV, and put that on quietly while we ate. Eden still seemed spaced out, but after she had some food, and a half glass of wine, she started laughing at the show more naturally.
As I started to clear away the plates, she gripped my wrist. "Thank you," she whispered.
"You're welcome," I smiled. "Was your dinner good?"
"Yes, it was better than I expected. But that's not what I mean.” Her bottom lip trembled slightly, and I saw her breath hitch. "Thank you for not giving up on us."
Ignoring the dishes, I sat back and scooped her into my lap, holding her tightly. Pressing my lips to her ear, I breathed, "I will never give up on you, baby. Never. Even if we have a little fight here and there, I will never give up on you. I’ll always put you first. You're my girl. I knew it from the second you smiled at me."
Her nose crinkled as she laughed. "Was it a deep, psychic feeling?"
"You can call it whatever you want. It wasn’t The Knowing, I just knew it."
Her fingers wound into the back of my hair, pulling my lips to hers. The entire world melted away as we kissed softly, slowly, for what seemed like a very long time. Her body moved slightly against me, but this wasn't sexual. This was the two of us bonding. This was a deep feeling that we were both completely aware of, but hadn't really said yet.
“I should tell you something," I said as I finally pulled away so that we could breathe.