Page 122 of There's No Us Without You
Am I still a little pissed? Fucking oath.
But do I understand why she did it? One hundred percent.
I’m not one to throw stones when living in a glass house.
Everyone has secrets.
Me, especially.
“What are you going to do?” I say, breaking the silence.
Eden lifts a shoulder. “No idea. I ran out of there as quick as I could. I’m so stupid for not seeing it sooner.”
“Don’t you dare blame yourself. This is not your fault.”
She places the tub of ice cream next to her on the floor and hangs her head. “Kent cheating on me is... apparently.”
“Excuse me?” My pulse kicks up, my skin flushing.
I must not have heard her properly because I thought she said it’s her fault her dickhead ex-fiancé cheated.
“Oh, and my mother has a way to help make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
I scoff. “What?”
“I don’t want to say. It’s kind of embarrassing.” Eden chews the side of her bottom lip, searching my face through her lashes.
“You can tell me anything,” I say, taking her face in my hands. “No judgement.”
Her bottom lip trembles, a few fresh tears falling from her beautiful eyes and down her soft cheeks. “Why are you being so nice to me? I lied to you, Em.”
I give her a small smile and wipe her tears with my thumbs. “Because believe it or not, I’m not a total arse. I can’t just erase my feelings for you. I should have let you explain last night, and I’m sorry I didn’t.”
I don’t mention my kiss with Will after she broke my heart, but I’m not about to put that guilt on her.
“No, you were totally warranted in your reaction. I hurt you, and I’m truly sorry. I don’t want to lose you.”
“You won’t,” I say.
“Promise?”
“Cross my heart and hope to die.”
Eden snorts out a small laugh, then wipes her face with the front of her T-shirt. “I went to my mother a few weeks back—when I first moved in here. Anyway, she said... it’s my fault Kent strayed, and it was obvious I wasn’t doing a very good job of keeping him satisfied. She also said that if I sorted out my little problem, I wouldn’t have any issues keeping a man.”
My breathing accelerates, and I’m struggling to keep the anger coursing through me out of my tone. “And what’s that problem?”
She motions to her body and drops her gaze to her lap. “My weight. Obviously.”
All I can do is blink at her, unsure what the fuck she’s on about. Eden is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.
Terry was right when he said we’d become fumbling idiots when the right woman shows up. What I failed to realise is I’ve also had the right man annoying the shit out of me for the last ten years—it only took Eden showing up in our lives to make me realise I want more with him.
When she says nothing else, I tilt her chin up so I can look directly into her eyes. “I see nothing wrong with what I’m looking at, Pop-Tart. Trust me.”
“Well, you aren’t looking very hard then.” She lifts her shirt to show me the little fat rolls she thinks are hideous, and grabs hold of them. “I’m covered in flaws, and I can stand to lose a few kilos.”
What the actual fuck?
