Page 20 of Begin Again, Part 1

Chapter

Seven

HOMECOMING

Eden's friends were already waiting when she parked in front of the single-story bungalow on Alice Lane. The 'sold' sign on the front lawn filled her with pride. After weeks of paperwork and several trips to Rock Castle, she finally did it. Bought her first home. Sure, it was small. Only two bedrooms. But since it was on a corner lot, she had a bit of extra yard space. With a rumbustious little boy, she'd need plenty of yard space.

Her heart melted at the sight of Aiden sleeping in his car seat in the back. He was the love of her life, the light that had pulled her out of her darkest days. From the moment she knew of his existence, she began to breathe and live for him. She brushed his tousled hair away from his forehead, smiling to herself when he didn't even stir from his nap.

Eden hadn't even stepped out of her Toyota Prius when her friends ran up to her. They scooped her up and twirled her in the air, shrieking their excitement. Sienna was the last to let go of her. Stepping back, she held her away from her to take in her appearance. "Look at you, Edie. If you lose any more weight, you'll make us look bad."

Lydia hooked her phone to a selfie stick and began rolling for her followers. "Yeah, we have to stuff you with burgers and chips."

Cassandra was more concerned with Eden's state of mind. Her pale eyes soft with worry, she asked, "how are you holding up?"

"I'm good." Eden smiled to give her lie some weight, as they all moved out of the frame to give Lydia's fans a view of the house. Three months had flown by, but the gaping hole left by Grammy's unexpected death had only grown wider. Sometimes she wondered how she made it this far, without falling apart.

The first few days after Grammy died were hell for her. A hell she didn't notice at first because she was too busy with the funeral arrangements and sorting out the estate. Her grief and devastation only set in when she began to clear out the cabin. Deciding what to keep and send to the Salvation Army was one of the hardest things Eden had ever done. Now, as she gazed at her new house, she was starting to doubt her decision to keep some of Grammy's stuff. The bungalow was too small to hold any of it.

Dragging her eyes over the front yard, she grimaced at all the work awaiting her once she'd settled in. The outside alone filled her with despair. She'd keep the baby blue exterior walls for now, but a new coat of paint wouldn't hurt. Some windows would have to be replaced. And one of these days, someone would have to go up the roof to assess the damage and paint the tiles while they were at it. The cost kept staggering the longer Eden went through her renovations list in her head. The numbers got so overwhelming, she had to mentally force herself to put her money problems aside for the moment. There'd be plenty of time later to stress about her finances. Right now, she wanted to enjoy the day with her friends. The last time they were together was at Grammy's funeral. With the mood so sombre that day, none of them had felt particularly chatty. They had a lot of catching up to do.

"Little Aiden's awake," Sienna said, pointing at the Prius.

They turned and watched him entertain himself. He was the sweetest little boy. Never kicked up a fuss. Sometimes Eden thought he knew she was struggling on all fronts and tried to make things easy for her. He never cried, except when he was teething or sick. Never threw tantrums either. He was a real gem.

"I'll be back," she called over her shoulder as she made her way back to the car to free Aiden from his car seat.

"Mommy!" Squealing, he wrapped his chubby arms around her neck. 'Mommy' was one of the few words he knew. Eden had read in one of the parenting forums that he should be talking way more. But Aiden seemed to be lagging in that department, so she planned to consult someone as soon as her finances were in the green range.

"How's my big boy?" Eden kissed both his cheeks, sending him into peals of giggles.

"Mommy, eat!" he said over and over.

"I know, baby," she assured him as she grabbed his travel backpack. Their last rest stop was two hours ago. But he'd turned up his nose at the mashed potato and pumpkin she'd prepared for him, choosing to nibble on a banana instead. She touched his bottom, wincing when she realised he needed a diaper change.

Cassandra took the bag from her, while Sienna snatched Aiden and kissed his hair. "My son!"

The terror in his eyes was almost palpable. He dissolved into tears and wailed his lungs out.

"Okay, back to your mama." Sienna shoved him back into Eden's arms, and they headed inside the house. Lydia was still live-streaming, but somewhere in the backyard now.

Eden rolled out the changing mat on the floor to change Aiden's diaper first before feeding him. But he had different plans. He dashed off to look outside one of the living room windows overlooking a side street.

"How cute is this little guy, though?" Lydia gushed when she walked through the front door. Her camera was still rolling, but panned away from a playful Aiden as he ran around the room, refusing to put on a clean diaper.

"Look at all that hair!" Cassandra gushed.

"And those eyes," added Sienna.

With his fiery hair and denim eyes, Aiden was a mirror image of his father. He had the same complexion, too. His temperament and sweet disposition were all Eden. But then again, she could be wrong. She didn't know much about Liam, except for what he disclosed in interviews. She'd kept up with him in the news over the past two years. Bought every Business Insider magazine with his face and built a nice collection in hopes of learning more about his personal life. But he kept that part of his life very private because she hadn't come across a single photo of his wife. He didn't even wear a wedding band. But lots of married men don't wear wedding bands. So Liam could be one of those—

"Does he know you're back?" As if she could see into her thoughts, Lydia arched her brows. She could never read the room, always asking the most uncomfortable questions.

"I never told him I left," Eden reminded her as she playfully smacked Aiden's bum and sent him off to explore. She'd finally convinced him to put on the much-hated diaper.

"I still can't believe you turned a few days into two years!" Sienna tackled her to the floor, tickling all her weak spots. "You're not allowed to leave us again. Do you hear me?"

"Okay, okay! I won't leave again!" Eden was as red as her son's hair, as she struggled to breathe through her laughter.

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