by Kelly Myers
No. I hadn’t. If he’d told me he loved me, maybe I could have confronted him, and found a way to work through my dismay. But, I’d just been a fun way for him to pass the time.
Next to me, Piper patted my hand. Across the aisle, Penny handed me another tissue. Having them watch me strengthened my resolve. I’d always taught them not to hang around if a man mistreated them. They hadn’t learned that lesson from our mother at all.
Yes, our mother had walked away from Mike, but she’d left the twins behind, and she’d left Mike only to chase after another loser. Hopefully the twins would learn by my example that they could walk away from a man, and not leave their children behind to suffer his wrath.
They needed to learn this lesson for themselves, and for their future dating lives, but I was done dating. I’d loved Luke, but I was finished. I was never going to date again, and I made the mistake of saying so aloud.
“That was it for me, I will never date another man again,” I declared.
Penny stared at me with incomprehension written all over her face. “What the heck did that gorgeous man to do to you to get you to say that?”
Piper turned her body in her seat to face me. “Yeah did he cheat on you? Did you catch him in bed with another woman?”
“How in the world do you two know about cheating?”
“Both girls erupted into laughter. Are you kidding us?” Piper asked. “We're almost seventeen, not five. We've both had boyfriends.”
How had I missed that? I knew how. I had worked so many hours at the grocery store to make ends meet that I only paid attention to my sisters safety and well-being when it concerned food and shelter. I didn't pay attention to their developmental needs or their emotional needs at all. “You have? When did that happen?”
“For about the last year.” Piper said.
I pointed at Penny. “You too?”
She nodded. “Yeah, we've been dating guys for at least the last year. Piper hasn't been cheated on but I have.”
Wow. “I feel like I totally failed you as a big sister right now. I had no idea.” I squeezed the bridge of my nose to ward off an oncoming headache. “Please tell me you're not sleeping with these guys that you date.”
Piper rolled her eyes. “We're not stupid we know better. The last thing either of us wanted was to end up pregnant by some guy from our hometown and be stuck there forever. We knew you had a plan to get us out, and so we wanted to see that happen.”
Could they have been lying to me? Sure. But at least they knew the correct answer.
“Well I'm thankful you girls have each other, even though I've been completely absent lately. I'm going to do better from now on,” I promised them.
Both of them wrapped their arms around me in a ferocious hug. “Stop blaming yourself,” Piper said.
“She's right,'' Penny added. “You're the best big sister that anyone could ask for. You stepped up when our mom was a complete shitshow. We are always going to be grateful for that.”
Their kind words and understanding and maturity despite the extremely raw deal they had gotten in life made me cry harder.
“We're going to get through this, girls. It's not even a setback. We're still on track to move to Tallahassee in August, and I'm still on track to start college with fully paid tuition.”
I had qualified for a student apartment and they would also allow the twins to live there with me. But, we couldn't move in until August 14th, which was why we were having to stay in Savannah now. It was cheaper for me to buy three bus tickets than to rent a hotel for two weeks.
Of course, staying with Marla would have made the most sense, and it would have been the cheapest option probably, but I just couldn't stay in Seagrove knowing that Luke was nearby and I wasn't with him. I could have easily gotten a job in the service industry in Seagrove, and I had even considered that briefly, but what if Luke came in to eat? Or to shop? What if his ex-wife came with him?
I would not survive that.
I've prided myself on always being professional when working with the public and in customer service, but if I had seen Luke with another woman I might have dumped a glass of wine right on his beautiful head.
“It’s fine, sis. We know you have a plan, and we're glad for it. We're going to both get part-time jobs again so that we can pay for our own food while you're in school.”
I hugged my sister's even harder, so glad that I had their support even if I couldn't be completely upfront about what happened with Luke. Maybe my friend in Savannah would be a listening ear and I could finally talk about all the new things I'd experienced over the last two months.
My sisters soon fell asleep on the bus. I was grateful that they could get some rest. But now that I was alone with my thoughts, I felt the walls of the bus closing in on me.
I had just walked away from the first relationship in my life and I was 100% convinced that it would be my last. No euphoria was worth this amount of heartbreak.
I stared out the window at the green trees passing by. The bus smelled like moldy cheese and disinfectant. As the sun began to set, I was reminded of the breathtaking sunset cruise I'd taken with Luke. The dingy bus was a far cry from that romantic evening. Darkness descended over the sky, my heart broke in two all over again, and I began to cry quietly so that I didn't wake up my sisters.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Luke
I ignored all the speed limits. If I drove quickly, I’d get to Savannah before the bus did, and I’d be able to intercept Eden and her sisters.
I didn’t want them to run out of money, or feel like they had to resort to hitchhiking. I’d read too many terrible new stories about young women being kidnapped at bus stations or while hitching rides.
It was night time now and the sky was dark.
I pulled into the Savannah bus station parking lot well before the bus was due to arrive.
The bus trundled into its docking space, and I hopped out of my car. I was tempted to beat on the door of the bus, but I restrained myself. I didn’t want to push too hard.
A street light illuminated the parking lot well enough for me to see the passengers. The bus doors finally hissed open, and people began to step off. Finally, the twins were off, and then behind them was Eden.
The relief I felt was complete. Even if she refused to reconsider our relationship, she was safe. I’d failed her both as a partner, and a dominant, but maybe I could make up for it.
I walked up to them, but didn’t get too close. “Hello,” I said.
Eden’s head flew up. Her eyes met mine. At first they were wide with surprise, but they quickly narrowed as she stared me down.
“Did Marla tell you where we were?” she asked.
“Yes. She was worried.”
“Bullshit,” said one of the twins. “How much did you offer her?”
Eden elbowed her. “Don’t speak like that.”
Piper scrunched up her nose. “What? You don’t want me saying bullshit? Or calling out Marla’s lack of loyalty?”
Eden just sighed.
I pointed to my car. “I can take you all wherever you need to go.”
“I don’t think so.” Eden shouldered her bag and tugged on the girls’ arms. “Let’s go get something to eat and then I’ll call a taxi.”
I stepped closer but didn't touch her. “Please hear me out.”
Piper stopped walking. “Eden, at least listen to him. It’s not like he stole your money or left meth in the bathroom.”
Poor Piper. I assumed those were both things that she’d seen happen in her mother’s life.
Eden glared at her. “I am an adult, and I am your guardian. Go into the restaurant.”
Now Penny stopped walking. “I don’t want to ride in a stinky taxi to your friend’s house if we can ride in the Maserati. That bus was disgusting and I don't want to relive it in a smaller vehicle.”
I suppressed a smile at Penney's outrage at the bus conditions. I was just grateful that the worst thing that happened to th
em was breathing unpleasant smells on the bus.
Eden pressed her lips flat. “Girls, this is not up for discussion.”
Piper broke away from her, and threw her bag in my backseat, and hopped in, without using the door. “I’m going with him.” She pointed at me. “I don’t know what you did, but you owe her an apology. But I’ll still take the ride.”
Penny wrapped her arms around her big sister and kissed her on the cheek. “If you want to sweat it out in a Taxi, we can’t stop you. But we’re riding with Luke.”
Eden made a face. “We’re going to talk about this later on, girls.”
Penny must have known that meant Eden was going to capitulate to their demands, and she cheered and joined her twin sister in the backseat of my car.
Eden reluctantly climbed into the front seat.
There was no way for us to really talk in front of her sisters, so I turned on some road trip music and started planning a getaway for us. I wasn’t simply going to drive us back to the hotel. I wanted to prove to her that I took her seriously, and hopefully let her have some fun at the same time.
There was a place I’d been last year for a work conference that seemed perfect. It was called Kiawah Island, off the coast of South Carolina. I would get us an upscale set of hotel suites, and hopefully the twins would entertain themselves.
Then I could spend a few days showing Eden how much I valued her.
“Where are we going?” Piper asked. She must have noticed I didn’t take the exit that would lead us back to Seagrove.
“There’s a place called Kiawah Island off the coast of South Carolina. It’s only about two and a half hours away from where we are right now.”
“Are we going to stay on the beach?” she asked.
“Do you want to stay on the beach?”
“Yes,” the twins chimed in unison. “We've only been to the beach a few times. Marla never wanted to go; we only went with Eden. Are the waves big there? Can we surf?”
“Do you know I’ve never looked into that, but if it’s available you can have a lesson.”
“Can we parasail?”
“That’s up to your sister,” I said, not wanting to get into a family squabble.
“Eden can we parasail?” one of the twins asked.
“I’m gonna need to think about that one.”
“Can we paddleboard?”
Eden had stopped answering them, but was simply letting them ramble.
“Hey, we never got to go on that dolphin cruise, can we do that there?”
“We can do anything that you guys want to, as long as your sister is okay with it.”
Eden turned her head to glare at me. “Don’t try to buy me off. I don’t appreciate it.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have offered without asking you first.”
She let out a long sigh. “It’s okay. It was really nice to hear them acting like kids. I know they’re sixteen but they had to grow up so quickly. So, I am going to take you up on the offer of some fun stuff for them to do.”
Before long, all three of them fell asleep, and I drove to the best resort I knew of. It was on a peaceful golf course, with a large hotel that had sweeping views from every balcony. There were fine dining rooms on site, and a huge pool for the twins. I called ahead and offered a massive amount of money for the two best suites, and I was assured the rooms would be waiting for us when we got there.
The concierge even agreed to meet me in the parking lot with the room keys.
“We're here guys.” I turned the car off and gently shook all three of them awake. They woke up, stretching stiffly. I helped them gather their bags and we all climbed out of the car. After the concierge brought me the key to their room, I heard the twins whispering to Eden that they were hungry.
“I have a granola bar in my bag,'' she said to them.
I stepped forward. “Again, I don't want to overstep,” I said “But, I can order room service if you’re hungry.”
Eden blinked at me a few times. “But it's the middle of the night.”
The concierge had stepped forward again to explain. “We have 24-hour room service. I can go ahead and take your order now and have it sent up to your rooms.”
The twins flanked Eden on either side and grabbed her arms tugging on her like they were young children. “Please,” they begged. “We are so hungry.”
Eden closed her eyes. “I can tell that I'm outvoted. We'll take the room service”.
“Yes!” the twins shouted. “We want hamburgers. Can we have that?”
The concierge nodded, and I ordered a crab bisque and sandwich for Eden and myself.
We made our way upstairs and I took the twins to their room first. They didn't try to contain their glee as they ran and flung themselves on the beds.
“We don’t have to share a bed?” Piper asked.
“No. This entire suite is yours. There are two full bedrooms, and two full bathrooms.”
Penny responded by rolling around on the floor and screeching. “I have never ever not shared a bed with her in my entire life. I won't know what to do.”
Eden leaned over and whispered in my ear. “They'll end up in the same bed before the night's over.”
I smiled, glad that Eden had even thought to share that private thought with me. Maybe things weren't as impossible to repair as I had imagined.
I handed the twins their key card, and Eden instructed them not to leave the room without calling her. She showed them how to work the telephones in the room and how to dial her room number. I wondered if maybe the twins had never stayed in a hotel before but I didn't ask.
Once she had told them good night, we walked to our room and then I realized I had not gotten a separate suite for myself. I tried to carry her bag but she wouldn't allow me. When we reached our neighboring suite, I handed her the key card.
“Why aren't you opening the door?” she asked
“I thought you might like some privacy. I'm going to go downstairs and get myself another room.”
“Do you want to stay in another room?” she asked.
“Not really.”
“Then you can stay here with me. Just don’t come into my room.”
“I won't, I promise.”
Eden walked away then, and closed her door. I stared at the closed door for a moment before going to my own room. I wanted her in my bed, but I was going to have to work a little harder to make that happen. I was prepared -- I wasn’t going to be giving up on winning her back.
“I’d like to take you out to dinner tonight. Would you let me?” I asked Eden the following morning. I’d hoped desperately that she’d come to me in the night, but that didn’t happen.
“I didn’t bring any of my nice clothes.”
“We can go somewhere casual. What you have on is fine.”
She finally agreed, and then we decided we’d like to have brunch first, since the twins were still asleep.
As soon as we were seated, I brought up the issue between us. “I’m really sorry,” I said. Apologizing wasn’t usually my style, but I wanted Eden to forgive me, so I was willing to put myself out there.
“Are you actually sorry, or are you only sorry that I stepped into the conversation that you did not want me to hear?”
“I’m actually sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. And I wouldn't have minded if you heard the conversation.”
“Did you ever think about how backwards it was for you to lecture me about not telling the truth when you have a wife and an entire life that you never shared with me?”
“It did occur to me.”
“Well, at least you realize the problem.”
“I never meant to hide things from you. I just looked at this as a reset of my life and I could leave the past behind.”
“That’s exactly the problem; you look at this as an interlude, and the rest of your life as your real life, but this is not a game to me. It is my real life. It's the only one I have. I can’t escape to another city and start all over with
$1 billion behind my name if something goes wrong.”
She had a point. “That’s never how I wanted you to feel.”
“You may not have wanted me to feel that way, but it is how I feel. You saw all the unpleasant parts of my life up close and in person, but I didn’t know anything about you.”
“I’d like to be able to share those parts of my life with you, if you would consider giving me another chance.” I stared into her pretty blue eyes. “I want another chance with you, Eden.”
She rubbed her forehead and took a sip of her iced tea. “I don’t know. We’re so different. Luke, you’re a billionaire who runs a corporation. You have a yacht. I’m twenty-two years old and I’m the guardian of two minors. I barely have a dime to my name despite all my hard work, and I’m about to start my freshman year of college. What do I have to offer you?”
Great. I’d made her feel inadequate, and the sad part was that I saw now how I could have done that. “I regret that I made you feel like you have to offer me anything at all. I like spending time with you. I like being around you. You are the only thing you need to offer.”
She didn’t answer, but stared out the window into the ocean.
“Eden, I love you. And I want to be with you. I am willing to do whatever I can to make that happen. We can move to the town where your university is tomorrow.”
That admission seemed to get her attention. Finally, something had broken through.
“You’d move there for me? Tallahassee?”
“In a heartbeat. I’ll move anywhere you want to go.”
Eden wiped at her eyes, which looked a little teary. “I hate Florida. I know you love your hotel and it is very nice, but I hate everything about Florida and Georgia right now. I don’t wanna be here anymore,” she confessed.
I was a little shocked. I thought she’d chosen that college on purpose. But, maybe the choice had only been because of the money they offered her. “You don’t want to go to Florida State University?”
“No. I don’t. But it was the place that gave me a full scholarship.”
Ah.
She kept explaining. “And, even with great test scores and good grades, it’s difficult to get a scholarship when you’re twenty-two and starting college for the first time.” She threw her hands up. “Even at twenty, I was considered an ‘adult’ learner or a ‘non-traditional’ student.
