Page 92 of Holding Her Heart

Eden placed a gentle hand on Blair’s knee, stopping her from repeatedly bouncing it up and down. Blair was a nervous wreck, but Eden needed her to remain calm. Worrying wouldn’t solve anything, but that was easy for Eden to think; she wasn’t the one potentially about to lose the love of her life. And that’s exactly what Dom was to Blair. The way they looked at one another, how they fit together so effortlessly…Eden couldn’t have wished for a better partner for Blair than Dom. All the years of worry disintegrated once she saw the smile on Blair’s face.

“Love, it’s all going to be okay.”

Blair shook her head, biting her nails. “It’s not. I can feel myself losing her, Eden. And you know what? I wouldn’t blame her for running away. I’d deserve it.”

“No, you wouldn’t.”

“The same way I deserved the twenty years I had with Barrett.”

Anger flared in the pit of Eden’s stomach, rising through her body in milliseconds. “Don’t you fucking dare!”

“Oh, come on. We both know I’m a piss-poor wife. It wouldn’t be any different with Dom. She’d see right through me eventually. When that phase of a happy life wears off, when she discovers I’m nothing more than a waste of space, Dom would be disgusted with the decision she’d made in marrying me.”

That saddened Eden more than she’d thought it possibly could. Blair had done so well to work through the issues Barrett left her with. Eden couldn’t bear to see her revert back to the vulnerability and low self-esteem. It was too painful the first time around.

“I think I should leave. Head home.” Blair got to her feet and moved towards the floor-to-ceiling window. She leant against the frame, staring out at the city. “I always knew I’d fuck up, Edes. I’ve told myself time and time again that it would be different with Dom, but I’ve hurt her, and I know she’ll never look at me the same way again.”

A key in the door had Eden’s head turned. She’d never been so happy to see Aster. And then she spotted Dom walking in behind her. God only knew what was about to happen.

But then Blair spoke again, unaware they now had company.

“She should be with someone who doesn’t still live with the past. And she should be with someone who can give her everything she needs. The idea of being her wife was a dream come true, but I’ve been fooling myself all along.”

Eden swallowed as Dom stood in the middle of her apartment, frowning. Aster rounded the couch, taking a seat beside her, their hands finding their way to one another. Aster squeezed, offering a small smile.

“I’m so happy you found Aster. Just don’t make the same mistake I did and fuck it all up. Losing the best thing to ever happen to me is more painful and devastating than every last punch Barrett landed on me.”

“Blair…” Eden said, her best friend breaking her heart with every word she spoke.

“I could deal with that, I always knew when it was coming, but this…I can’t deal with this,” Blair paused, pushing off the frame, her eyes focused on the busy roads outside. “So, I’m going to go home and pack some things. Dom loves our place, so I’ll leave for a while. She can stay there. Just…make sure she’s okay for me. Check in on her.” Blair turned, her face pale as she focused on Dom. “Y-you’re here.”

“And I always will be,” Dom said, her voice hoarse and filled with emotion as she crossed the room and took Blair’s face in her hands. “Kissing away every reminder you have of him. Replacing every memory of his fists with my hands instead.”

Eden wiped a tear from her cheek, side-glancing in Aster’s direction when she heard her girlfriend sniffling. They were a right pair when it came to emotions.

“And things aren’t okay, but I can’t walk away from you. I’m angry and disappointed, but I can’t imagine a life without you, Blair.”

“If I’ve destroyed everything, if you need to walk away because it’s the best thing for you, I’ll be okay. But if that day does come, I need you to know that I never meant to hurt you. And that I do trust you.”

“It’s something we need to talk about.”

Blair lowered her eyes. “I can live with talking.”

“Now, did you want to head back and give Eden and Aster some space?”

Eden stood and crossed the room. “You can stay as long as you want. Both of you.”

Blair smiled, pulling Eden into a strong hug. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“I think it works both ways,” Eden said as she took a step back. And she meant it. Without Blair, Eden wouldn’t have found herself falling in love recently. “Should I order in for the four of us?”

“No. I think it’s time we went home and sat down to talk.” Blair took Dom’s hand.

Eden knew things were different at the moment, but in time, everything would be back to normal. She had no idea what Aster had said to Dom, but it had worked. “Well, call me when you’ve both spent a few days alone, okay?”

Dom moved back into the living room, crouching down in front of Aster as she took her hands. “Thanks for being there, mate. I owe you big time.”

“You don’t. I just want us all to be happy.”

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