Page 47 of Thanks for Coming Along

"I keep a spare guitar here for when I visit, Quentin insisted," she explained. Eden then gestured to a door across the hall. "And that's the room you can stay in."

As Ronan took in the arrangement, he couldn't help but notice how close their rooms were. Twenty feet separated them. How would he sleep knowing he was that close to her?

The sun was settingbehind the towering pine trees. Ronan had been editing the documentary footage to send a sample clip to Mr. Lopez. It was far from polished, but Mr. Lopez had been eager for an update to share with the network.

As Ronan went through the clips, he couldn’t ignore the connection between him and Eden staring back at him. The raw footage didn’t lie—it showed just how deep their bond ran. His feelings were written all over his face, every frame catching his eyes following her every move, each sidelong glance filled with quiet adoration.

His phone vibrated on the dark wood of the desk. He quickly looked at the screen and saw the name Sadie displayed over the screen. He picked up the phone and closed his laptop.

"Hey, Sis," Ronan said with a smile.

"Rooooo! Give me an update. I am dying over there. All I do is work, so you have to provide some excitement, and I'll live through you." Sadie had been working like crazy since getting a job as the lead special effects artist on a big-budget horror movie in Los Angeles.

"I don’t even know where to start," Ronan admitted, running a hand through his hair. "Eden, she’s just... I mean, amazing doesn’t even come close." He paused, aware of how easily he could ramble about her for hours. He didn’t want to come off as too far gone—though, let’s face it, he was—but the affection in his voice was impossible to hide. It clung to his smile as he searched for the right words to describe her.

"Wow, Ro. You sound totally smitten! Honestly, I’m not surprised. I haven’t met her, but she sounds like a force."

She was, without a doubt, a force of nature. And he was stuck right in the calm before the storm, knowing full well that if he stepped further into it, he’d never come out the same. He’d turned the idea of being with her over and over in his mind these past weeks, like a stone smoothed by constant handling.

"I am," he said, pausing for a beat, "smitten." The second the word left his mouth, Ronan cringed internally.Smitten? But he was. He was completely captivated by Eden. She was the quiet magic of a warm summer night when the world held its breath, and everything felt impossibly still. That’s how he felt around her—a sense of peace that didn’t come easy to him. It was as if she were made of moonlight and stardust, casting a spell wherever she went. She could transform the mundane into magic, and turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. She was extraordinary.

Ronan had been feeding his sister partial truths for weeks during their nightly calls. He’d tell her the documentary was going great—which wasn’t a lie—but he’d leave out the part about Eden. About how he couldn’t stop thinking about her or how their connection felt like something he’d never experienced before.

But keeping it bottled up was starting to feel impossible. He needed advice, and there was no one he trusted more than his sister. So, with a deep breath, he decided it was time to come clean.

31

Ronan

After a long call with Sadie, Ronan was pulled out of his thoughts by the soft strumming of a guitar coming from across the hall. His stomach growled loudly, reminding him he hadn’t eaten since before the call. He glanced at the clock—7 PM already.

Leaving his desk, he wandered toward Eden's room. The faint guitar notes grew clearer, followed by her voice, rich and soulful, flowing through the closed door. Her voice was magnetic, effortlessly shifting between delicate and powerful, full of emotion that seemed to wrap itself around him. The sound sent a shiver down his spine, raising goosebumps on his arms.

Her voice was like a siren's call, pulling him closer to the door without him even realizing it. He pressed a hand against the door, letting the melody wash over him.

Suddenly, the door's latch unhooked under his weight, and the door flew open. Ronan stumbled forward, catching himself just in time. He righted himself and leaned casually on the door jam.

Eden sat cross-legged on the plush carpet, her guitar resting on her lap, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Hey!” Ronan went for a blasé, but his voice came out louder than he had intended. "I wanted to see if you want to get some dinner,” he winced slightly when he thought about his awkward entrance. He clenched his teeth. Was it obvious that he was eavesdropping on her?

"Sure, Ro," Eden replied conversationally, placing the guitar on the stand and turning off the amp. "But, next time you want a show, all you have to do is ask,” she grinned at him and patted his shoulder as she walked by. Ronan ran this hand down his face—so much for blasé.

Ronan hoverednear the marble island in the kitchen, fidgeting with the cuffs of his jacket, tugging them down past his wrists. The soft click of high heels echoed on the dark oak floors, growing louder as they approached. When the sound stopped, he looked up—and froze.

Eden stood there in a sleek black dress that skimmed her mid-thighs, her toned legs on full display, made even longer by delicate strappy heels. The added height brought her just to his chin, close enough that she only had to tilt her head slightly to meet his eyes. Smokey eyeliner made her gaze even more striking, and her glossy pink lips caught the light, practically begging for attention.

She looked drop-dead gorgeous—easily the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Ronan followed the pull of her lips as they curved into a sultry smirk, a knowing look that said she was fully aware of how gorgeous she was. Good. She should know. He would hate to think she didn't realize how beautiful she was inside and out.

"You’re beautiful, Eden," Ronan said softly, his voice low and rough. Her eyes sparkled at the compliment, and she gave him a shy smile.

"Thank you," she murmured, her teeth catching her bottom lip as a faint blush crept into her cheeks.

Right then, his stomach betrayed him with a loud growl, breaking the moment. Eden burst into laughter, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the front door.

"Come on," she said through her giggles. "Let’s get you fed before your stomach stages a mutiny." She twisted the doorknob and opened the door, letting a gust of cool air sweep over them.

Without a word, Ronan slipped off his leather jacket and draped it over her shoulders as they stepped outside, falling into step beside her.

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