Page 57 of Fractured Dreams

“So, have you booked your flights for the wedding? You’re still planning to be down for the four nights, aren’t you? If you tell me when you’re due in, I’ll get a car to meet you and bring you back here.”

Eden braced herself for Noah’s response to her next words. “Actually, I’m going to have to fly straight out the morning after the wedding, so I’ll only be there for three nights.” She’d also debated getting a hotel room instead of staying in the house that held so many memories for her, but she wasn’t able to think of an excuse Noah would believe.

“What? Why aren’t you staying until Monday like we’d planned? We were going to hang out together on Sunday, just the two of us.”

“Work is really busy, and I’ll have to prep on Sunday for a big day on Monday. I already feel bad for taking two days off for the bachelorette party and rehearsal dinner.”

Noah’s pause was telling. He knew something was up with her. “Eden.” His voice was gentle. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Eden.”

“Nothing you need to worry about. I’m fine.”

“At least tell me you’re enjoying your job. Have you made friends? Are you going out and having fun?” Noah’s voice seemed to hold a note of pleading.

Not wanting to worry her brother any more than she already had, Eden told a partial truth. “I love the work, really. I love seeing the kids blossom in front of my eyes.” That was the complete truth, as for the rest. “I’ve made lots of friends. I’m going out and having fun every weekend.” Less true. Not that she hadn’t been invited places by her colleagues, but she’d struggled to motivate herself to go out and have fun, to start building a future here when she’d already begun imagining a life in LA.

A life with Tex.

Stupid, stupid, she berated herself. To fall so quickly. To think someone like Tex, who had everything and anyone he could ever want, would be satisfied with someone like her. She needed to let go of that dream and move on.

In Portland.

She made a vow then and there that she’d start accepting invitations to hang out from her coworkers.

And she’d start accepting offers for dates too.

She’d already had a few men ask her for dinner or a drink, but until now she’d been in no emotional state to say yes. It was about time she gave herself a push though—about time she stopped dwelling on what she’d thought she’d had and started looking toward what she might still have one day.

“I’m glad, Eden,” Noah said. There was something else in his voice she couldn’t quite figure out. Sadness? Regret? She wasn’t sure. “Okay, well, when you book your flights, send me the details and I’ll organize the car.”

“Okay.”

“I’d better go, we’re heading out tonight,” he said, and Eden squeezed her eyes shut, jealousy raking her insides as she imagined Tex out on the town and surrounded by women, each more beautiful than the next. She forced herself to stop thinking about it. What Tex got up to had nothing to do with her anymore, and she was tired of feeling hurt over him. She didn’t ask Noah where they were going, just said, “I’m heading to bed anyway. Have fun tonight.”

She was about to say goodbye and hang up when Noah said, “I miss you, Eden.”

Eden swallowed past the knot in her throat. “I miss you too Noah, I’ll see you in a couple of weeks, okay?”

“Yeah, sure. See you then, short stuff.”

It took Eden a long time to get to sleep that night.

Chapter 33

Eden fidgeted with her clutch, her mouth dry, heart beating hard in her chest. She was wearing a short, blue strapless dress, and sitting on a plush couch in a dark corner of the exclusive oceanfront cocktail and lounge bar where Lexie and Connor were holding their combined bachelor and bachelorette party. Lexie, looking stunning in a flirty white halter neck dress, sank gracefully onto the seat next to Eden.

“Are you okay?” she asked, a crease between her brows as her beautiful gray eyes searched Eden’s.

Eden didn’t want to bring the bride-to-be down, so she mustered as big a smile as she could. “I’m fine, Lexie, looking forward to the wedding. The real question is, how areyoufeeling?”

Lexie gave a short laugh and shook her head. “I’m so nervous and I don’t know why. It’s not like I haven’t gotten married before.”

“I don’t know if professing your love for another person in front of an audience is ever easy.”

Lexie shook her head and grimaced. “Not so much, no.”

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