Page 135 of Begin Again, Part 1

"Sure, I'm here." She tried to smile, but grimaced instead. The sharp stabbing pain Lucy had left behind was now a dull throbbing ache, and every time she spoke, smiled or frowned, it hurt. Not as much as her pride, though.

Her cheeks stung from embarrassment when she recalled the moment of impact when Lucy's palm made contact with the thin flesh on her cheekbone. She wanted to bow her head in shame and hide when she remembered her own violent reaction. The satisfaction she felt when she hit Lucy back was gone, and all that remained was anger at herself for allowing Matthew's assistant to reduce her into a crass oaf who used hands instead of words.

Her parents would be so disappointed in her. They'd spent most of their fake marriage trying to instil some sense of grace and poise in her, and all it took was a few slaps and some hair pulling to disintegrate their life's work. How utterly horrifying and humiliating!

"—Edie, you seem distracted. Are you okay?" Sienna's worry-laden voice drifted through the phone.

"Sorry, it's been a long day," Eden said. This was probably the first truth she'd told today. When Clara stopped by to return Liam's unwanted gifts and a pharmacy bag, Eden had lied and said she was okay. When Gibby popped in to check on her, she'd insisted she was fine. She gave Matthew and Julian the same answer. She was okay. Fine. Alright. All the things everyone expected to hear. So being able to tell one little truth today was liberating.

"I'll see you in an hour," she added as she slid into the driver's seat and snapped on her seat belt.

As expected, Brenda fretted when Eden announced she'd walked into a door frame at work.

"I'm fine!" She insisted as the nanny held an ice pack on her cheek and blew on it gently.

Suddenly overwhelmed by the day's events and Brenda's kindness, Eden wrapped her arms around her ample back and rested her head on her shoulder, grateful for her support, glad she came into her life when she did. She couldn't imagine life without her. She was so good with Aiden.

"If you want me to go after that 'door frame', let me know," Brenda said as she held her tighter. "I'll bring reinforcement."

"Alright!" Eden giggled as they eased apart. "And please, take the rest of the evening off. Aiden and I are heading to the park."

"Are you sure?" Brenda asked, her eyes shining with hope.

Eden nodded. "Curl up with a good book, take a bubble bath, have some wine, or watch a movie."

"You rock!" The nanny squealed as she dashed to her room. She was out of the door ten minutes later, sprinting to the Uber waiting on the curb.

"Just you and me, Aid." Eden turned to her toddler, bundled him up in his stroller, and placed a bucket hat on his head before they headed out.

Since he wasn't used to having anything on his head, Aiden took off the hat and threw it on the sidewalk a few times while they made their way to the playground a few blocks away.

"No!" he yelled, wiggling and kicking in frustration when she placed the hat back on. He looked more like his father every day, especially when he frowned, and her heart ached anew when she remembered their fight in his office. Would they ever come back from it? Could they?

"Mommy! No!" Her son's loud cries pulled her out of her thoughts as he kicked off his shoes this time.

"Aiden Clarke McBride, enough now!" she admonished him gently as she leaned over the stroller and forced his shoes back on his tiny feet.

They were both highly upset and almost in tears by the time they reached the playground. Eden was glad to see her friends huddling on one of the benches with chai lattes and a box of doughnuts.

"God, someone, please take him away," she grumbled as she booted Lydia off, sat down, and took off her glasses, drawing shocked gasps from all three.

They were outraged and wanted blood—Lydia more than the other two—when she told them all about her office renovations and her fight with Lucy.

"Who is this bitch?" she yelled, startling Aiden playing at their feet with his bucket and spade.

He thought she was shouting at him, and he yelled back, "no!"

Eden closed her eyes. "That's his favourite word now, today especially. Everything is a huge no for him."

"Well, he's probably pissed his mom was assaulted," Sienna ruffled his hair. He looked up and smiled sweetly at her, the small dimple on the side of his mouth, the only thing he'd inherited from Eden, blinking at them as he sprayed sand everywhere and chuckled, his small baby teeth glistening in the afternoon sunlight.

"I found her address," Lydia announced, shocking everyone with her determination. "Let's go egg her house."

"Can you be so juvenile?" Cassandra rolled her eyes and sipped her tea. "I'm sure Liam's dealt with her."

"Let's not mention him, please!" Eden sank lower in her seat and rested her head on the metal frame.

"So you returned his gifts?" Sienna shook her head, an annoyed frown in her eyes. "Why couldn't you keep the painting at least? You know the artist was the love of my life."

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