Page 56 of Thanks for Coming Along

From the driver’s seat, Ronan kept stealing glances in the rearview mirror, watching Eden chat easily with his family. His dad was telling his signature terrible jokes, and Eden was actually laughing. Sadie and his mom peppered her with questions about her life as a musician, and Eden answered every single one effortlessly. It was like she’d always been a part of their world. Seeing how seamlessly she fit in sent a warm, steady feeling through Ronan’s chest—a kind of happiness he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt before.

When they arrived at the house, Ronan went straight to his laptop to send off the documentary segment to Mr. Lopez. He’d finished the edits just before the chaos of the hospital call, and now all he could do was wait to hear back from the network. If they approved it, he’d finally have the green light to complete the whole project.

This project wasn’t just a job for Ronan—it was personal. It came from his deep care for Eden, and he was determined to honor her story through the documentary. He believed no one else could edit it the way it needed to be done because no one understood Eden like he did. But even as he clung to the project, Ronan knew he had to loosen his grip. There was a chance BNN wouldn’t share his vision, and he needed to be ready for that.

Dinner was a half pepperoni, half veggie pizza they ate around the same oak dining table where his family had gathered for meals almost every night when he was a kid. The house was steeped in memories: the nick in the hardwood floor where Sadie had dropped their mom’s sterling silver vase, the pencil lines marking their heights on the living room doorway, and the walls covered with mismatched picture frames—new ones added every year. Being back in his childhood home made Ronan feel a sense of gratitude. He knew how lucky he was to have grown up in such a stable, loving environment, a privilege not everyone had.

As Eden wandered the house, her gaze lingered on each artifact of his childhood. Ronan noticed the way her eyes moved, taking it all in, and he was struck again by how little he knew about her parents or her upbringing. Ingrid had mentioned that Eden had a tough childhood, and the idea made Ronan’s stomach knot. He hated the thought of her enduring anything less than the love and care she deserved. Eden should have the world laid at her feet, and Ronan knew without hesitation that he’d gladly be the first in line to do just that.

After dinner, Sadie retreated to her old bedroom to catch up on some late-night work emails. Ronan handed Eden a set of clean pajamas and showed her how to use the shower upstairs. Once she was settled, he crossed the hall and knocked on Sadie’s door using their old secret knock—a rhythm they’d made up in elementary school. Her door still had the same Hello Kitty stickers and the hot pink “Keep Out Losers” sign she’d put up in middle school.

"Ro, come in!" Sadie said, muffled through the wood door. She was sitting on her bed which had an excessive mountain of pillows. Her purple walls were covered in One Direction, Taylor Swift, and Twilight posters.

"Man, this room has not changed at all," Ronan said as he looked at her desk, which was littered with young adult novels and gel pens.

"It's like going back in time." Sadie replied, "I am still waiting for you, Harry." Sadie blew a kiss to the Harry Styles poster on her wall. Ronan shook his head at her.

"I'm sure his marriage proposal got lost in the mail along with your Hogwarts Acceptance Letter," Ronan joked, his tone laced with sarcasm.

"You think you're cool because you are dating a rockstar? You're still a dork in my book,” Sadie replied as she launched a polka dot throw pillow at him. It struck him on the side of his head and bounced onto her desk, knocking a picture frame to the floor and causing a cascade of gel pens to spill off the desk.

"Really?" Ronan said as he rubbed the side of his head where the pillow had hit him.

“It’s called athrowpillow for a reason,” Sadie teased with a grin.

Ronan bent down and picked up the fallen frame. It was a family photo from a few Christmases ago. Sadie was front and center with her signature megawatt smile, their mom and dad were laughing and looking at each other, and there he was wearing a scowl. He frowned at the picture, his brows knitting together. Had he always been such a wet blanket? He couldn’t even muster a smile for Christmas with his family?

He walked over to Sadie and plopped down next to her on the bed, tilting the frame so she could see it. “You know, over the last few weeks, I’ve realized how cynical I’ve been,” he said, his voice low. “I was always hiding behind being the ‘responsible one.’ I envied you for taking risks, but honestly, I was just too scared to step out of my comfort zone. I don’t want to bethisguy anymore,” he admitted, pointing at his face in the photo.

"Eden?" Sadie asked, her eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"Sadie," he paused, taking a deep breath. Was he really going to say the words he had been thinking about for the last week? It was one thing to have those thoughts but another to speak them out loud.

He was in love with Eden. He had only known her for a month and a half, but it didn't matter. Time was irrelevant. They say that when you find your person, you know. And he knew, without a doubt, that Eden was that person for him. It seemed crazy, but maybe that was what love was. It could make a person feel things they had never felt before.

The realization had hit him like a Mack truck when they were at Quentin's house a week ago, and she was sitting on the floor, testing out a new verse for one of her songs. She mumbled through some words, capturing the cadence but not the exact lyrics. He couldn't help but poke fun at her, cracking a lame joke about peanut butter sticking to the roof of her mouth.

Sometimes, when he was lucky, and she was sitting on the floor or couch, her head would fall backward, and her whole body would follow suit. It was as if her laughter momentarily short-circuited her, rendering her limp. He watched through the camera's screen as she lay on the floor in an onslaught of laughter, and it struck him like a bolt of lightning:I love her.

He couldn’t push the thought away anymore—it had been on his mind constantly. Over the past week, while editing on his own, he’d been hit over and over by just how strongly he felt about her. And after the way she’d been there for him today, it only cemented it. This wasn’t just some casual thing with Eden; it wasn’t fleeting. He wanted to be with her for as long as she would have him. It was as simple as that.

"I am in love with her." Ronan rubbed his hands over his face, feeling the weight of his confession. Sadie gasped beside him, her hands shooting up to cover her mouth in surprise.

"Oh my God, Ronan!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock. "I had no idea it was that serious."

He nodded, his hands dropping to his lap. "It's been serious for me since the moment I met her. She's changed everything, Sadie. She's made me realize how much I've been holding myself back."

"Holy crap, my big brother is growing up! I am so happy for you," Sadie exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Well, don't be too happy. We aren't even officially dating. I don't know exactly what's going on between us."

"Well, are you going to tell her?" Sadie leaned in, her voice filled with sisterly concern.

"I don't want to scare her away. She's been through a lot." Ronan hesitated, his brow furrowing. Sadie studied her brother's face intently.

"I saw how she looked at you, Ronan. There's almost a sense of relief when she's near you." Sadie paused for a second.

"Aiteall," Sadie said, as she leaned over to her desk and pulled a book from the bottom of a tall stack. Of course, the whole thing toppled over and spilled onto the carpet, but she didn’t even flinch. She just grabbed the old, beaten-up Irish book she was after and flipped through it.

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