Not a stellar endorsement for her life decisions.
Still, she preferred to royally screw things up on her own terms rather than go back to the way things had been.
“My parents are old-fashioned,” Eden continued when Piper stayed silent. “I knew they wouldn’t have understood a divorce, and my mother would have seen it as some failure on her part. She sees it as a failure on both our parts,” she corrected. “So, I went along with Damien’s wishes to hang on to the marriage even if those wishes weren’t exactly what I wanted.”
“Bad idea, huh,” Piper said, and it wasn’t a question. It was ironic that a sixteen-year-old girl could see something that Eden hadn’t.
“What about Jax? Is he a bad idea or the real deal?” And yes, that was a question.
“The real deal.” Piper immediately groaned. “Trust me, I’ve tried to have feelings for someone who would meet with Aunt Rayelle’s approval, but I can’t get past what I feel for Jax.”
Eden wondered if there was such a guy who would garner the woman’s good graces. Maybe, but if so, he likely wouldn’t appeal to Piper or any other girl. Hard to get all gushy over a stick-in-the-mud.
It did make Eden wonder how a woman could turn out like Rayelle. Perhaps she’d had her heart crushed and had shut down, vowing never to go through that again. Or maybe she’d taken one risky step too many and something had snapped.
“I swear, when I see Jax, my heart skips a beat,” Piper said. “And my chest gets all tight. It’s as if I forget how to breathe.”
Medically, that probably wasn’t a good reaction, but again Eden understood it. “I just go all head-to-toe hot when I see Nico.”
Oh God. She’d actually said that aloud, and Eden winced, then groaned.
Piper chuckled softly and patted her hand as Eden had done to her earlier. “It’s okay. I see the way you two look at each other, and I’m not clueless. I figure if there’s heat, there’s fire.” She paused. “You’re not worried though that his hookups don’t last?”
“Yep, I’m worried.” Eden figured she shouldn’t have continued to jump on the “spill the truth” bandwagon, but what the heck. She’d already admitted that she was in lust with the man. “But I don’t want to hold back just because it might not work out. I don’t want to look at Nico when I’m seventy and see him as a regret I didn’t make. I’d rather see him as one I made.”
Eden frowned again, wondering if she was just deluding herself. After all, some folks, including her mom, would argue that a regret was still a regret. But Eden was going to ignore that argument and go for it. Actually, she was going to ignore anything that would stall her from getting Nico naked.
“Nico said he’s the only one of his brothers who’s never hooked up for something serious,” Piper went on. “Callen’s with Shelby. Judd’s with Cleo. And even Kace used to be married.”
True, though Kace’s very short marriage had ended in divorce. Coldwater wasn’t immune to divorces and such, but because there was little real news in the town, talk of breakups tended to last for a while. Eden figured she was giving folks some gossip fodder that would last for years.
One of the other patients was taken into the examining room, prompting Eden to check the time. The doctor was running a little late. It wasn’t a big concern for Eden since she wasn’t scheduled to work at the law office today, but she figured every moment they sat there caused Piper’s nerves to rattle even more than they already were. The girl’s sex life had already been outed to her brother, and now she was going to have to go over it all again with a doctor.
“Will you tell Jax about this appointment?” Eden asked.
Piper nodded and glanced down at the phone she was holding as if she expected to see something from the boy. “He’s at work now, but I said I’d text him once I was done. He wants to see me tonight,” she added after another pause. “He wants to get back together.”
This was tricky territory, especially considering that Eden wasn’t family. She suspected that Piper’s feelings for Jax truly did run deep. Maybe she was even in love with him. But if Eden encouraged that reunion, and it turned bad, then she would feel as if she’d contributed to the train wreck.
“I guess you have to follow both your hearts and your heads on this one,” Eden advised.
Piper made a sound of agreement. Mild agreement anyway, letting Eden know that the girl couldn’t follow what was still unclear to her.
“I’m not bad,” Piper muttered, barely loud enough for Eden to hear.
There was so much emotion dripping from that handful of words that Eden pulled her into her arms for a hug. A hug that didn’t last long though because the nurse called out Piper’s name, motioning for the girl to follow her.
“You want me to go with you?” Eden asked Piper.
“No, I’ll be fine. Really,” she added, and she managed a very thin smile before she went with the nurse.
The moment the door closed, Eden’s phone dinged with a text. From Nico, of course. Anything? he messaged.
Eden stepped outside the waiting room and into the corridor just off the front entrance. That way, she could have some privacy and still keep watch through the glass panel to see if Piper came out.
She pressed Nico’s number, and he answered on the first ring. “Nothing yet,” Eden immediately said. “She just went in, and it might be a while because the nurse told her they’d need to do some lab tests.”
Nico grunted an acknowledgment. “I’m just on edge.”
“You think?” she teased, but added, “We’re all on edge.” Then, Eden told him something that wasn’t going to help. Still, it was something he should know. “Piper’s considering if she should get back together with Jax. Nico, I think that’ll happen because she loves him.”
Nico somehow managed to groan and curse at the same time. “I want to tear off his dick.”
“So noted, but Piper likely wants his dick to stay right where it is. I know that’s not something a brother wants to hear,” she quickly continued, “but it’s the truth. I think you’re just going to have to accept that your kid sister is no longer a kid.”
“She’ll always be a kid,” he snapped. Another groan. More cursing. “I’m not sure when I turned into a judgmental tight-ass. God, I don’t want to be like Rayelle.”
“You’re nothing like her,” Eden assured him.
He made one of those sounds that could have meant nothing. He was good at those. “Say, did Piper ever mention anything to you about Rayelle having a box?”
Since she seriously doubted that was a euphuism for a lady part, Eden gave him a straight answer. “No. What kind of box?”
“I’m not sure. Piper made it sound like some big secret so it’s got me curious. Apparently, Rayelle keeps it under lock and key or carries it in her purse.”
Well, now Eden was curious, too, but she couldn’t imagine someone like Rayelle having secrets like love letters. Or body parts from a murder she’d committed. Except now that the thoughts of it were in her head, she could indeed imagine it, and she wouldn’t be thanking Nico for it anytime soon.
“Two things,” he said. “First, I want to thank you again for taking Piper to this appointment. She refused to let me do it.”
“Wow, that’s a stunner,” Eden joked.
She thought she heard him chuckle, but maybe he was just biting back another groan. “Also, I want to see you tonight,” he added.
That erased any other thoughts she had. Heck, it erased common sense and modesty. “Please tell me that’s a euphuism for more kissing and sex.”
“Yes,” he confirmed. No hesitation, but in just that one word, she heard the concern in his voice. With reason. This would be an earth-shattering change in their relationship. It could mess up everything.
And Eden still wasn’t going to let that stop her.
“Then I’ll see you tonight,”
Eden assured him. She ended the call before he could change his mind. Of course, if he did, he’d just call her back, but Eden thought that maybe Nico was just as far gone as she was. Their hormones had become king and were ruling the rest of them.
Eden was about to go back in the waiting room, but the clinic door opened, and someone very unexpected walked in.
Damien.
She was so surprised at seeing him that Eden gave her head a shake in case it needed clearing. Nope. No clearing needed. Damien was actually there.
As if announcing some kind of bad omen, there was a crack of lightning outside, followed by a low grumble of thunder. The timing seemed perfect, but Eden knew it was a coincidence. Rain was in the forecast. Lots of it. When this first front went through, there’d be another one right behind it.
“Eden,” Damien said as if he’d expected to see her standing right where she was. “Good. You’re still here. I wasn’t sure if the appointment was already over. I’m glad I caught you.”
There were so many things wrong with that comment that she didn’t know where to start. “How’d you even know I’d be here?”
“You didn’t change the password for your online app calendar,” he readily admitted.
Good grief. She had all kinds of personal stuff on there, including deadlines for the blog. Even reminders to buy tampons.
And that led her to the next “wrong” thing with this.
“Why are you here?” she demanded, and her tone wasn’t nearly as nice as Damien’s had been.
He glanced around, and when he spotted the reception desk only a few yards away, he motioned for her to move to the corner of the room. Eden stayed put and repeated her “Why are you here?”
Damien wasn’t so quick with the answer that time, but his hands went on his hips and he shook his head. “I’m worried about you.”
Oh. She got it then. Well, maybe. He’d seen the doctor’s appointment on her calendar—a calendar that would soon get a password change—and he’d thought she was ill or something. Since he now worked in San Antonio, the clinic wouldn’t have been too far for him to pop over, but that didn’t tamp down the anger that bubbled up inside her over this unwanted interference.
“I’m fine,” she said, giving him that much. “Now, you can go.” She didn’t want him around when Piper came out.
He didn’t budge. “I’ve heard you’re having a hard time getting over the divorce,” Damien whispered.
“Where’d you hear that?” And Eden didn’t whisper. Not by design but because of the surprise and frustration over what he’d just said.
“From just about everyone I run into from Coldwater,” he readily answered. “People are saying you’re fooling around with Nico, and the only reason you’d do that is to try to get back at me.”
“Seriously, the only reason?” Eden didn’t wait for Damien to try to convince her of that. “Nico is incredibly hot, along with being a good guy.” She thought about the way he’d hugged a crying Piper and could add a very to her good-guy assessment. “He’s also been a supportive friend who’s been there whenever I’ve needed him.”
Damien stared at her. “Friend,” he said as if relieved by that. “Good. I’m glad you still remember that because it’ll keep you from doing something stupid.”
She decided to go with the no-filter approach. “You mean like having sex with him the way you are with Mimi?”
“Mimi’s different.” He groaned and scrubbed his hand over his face. “Look, I know I’m sounding like an ass, but I’m really worried about you.”
“Don’t be. Like I said, I’m fine.” And she realized she was sounding like a disgruntled bitch, but then he had sneaked into her calendar. He deserved some shade aimed at him. “Go on. Get on with your new life and don’t have any regrets.”
He turned as if he might do that, but her hopes went south when Damien pivoted back around. “Confession time. The sex got stale with us. I don’t know why. It just did, and Mimi filled a void for me.”
“You’re sure it wasn’t her void you were filling?” She was back to shade and, yes, the snark.
Damien didn’t strike back, though. He just shook his head. “I don’t expect you to forgive me or understand, but I want to say I’m sorry. I didn’t put Mimi up to doing it. It was all her idea, and I didn’t find out she’d done it until later.”
Eden hadn’t had any problems following this conversation until he’d said that. “Huh? What idea?”
Damien fiddled around with answering that before he finally said, “‘Hot in the Saddle.’”
Well, that didn’t help clear things up. Not until she remembered that was the name of one of the posts someone had sent her for the blog. A post she’d not only answered and published but had also included it in her “Best of Sex” feature.
Since Damien wasn’t explaining that, Eden gave it a try. “Did Mimi read ‘Hot in the Saddle’ and get some ideas about how to fill your void?”
“No,” he said, and she could have counted to thirty before he continued. “Mimi wrote it. For fun. She said it was so she could keep spicing up things between her and me, but I think she did it to poke fun at you, too. Sort of a passive-aggressive way of getting back at you.” Damien looked her straight in the eyes. “I’m sorry, Eden.”
Now he did walk away.
And Eden understood what Damien had fumbled to try to say. “Hot in the Saddle” had been written nearly a year ago. By Mimi. Maybe for some sex spice. Maybe because it would be a thrill for her to get advice from the wife of the man she had in her bed.
Mimi had done that when Damien and she were still married.
And that meant Damien had cheated.
God, he’d cheated.
CHAPTER TEN
WHEN NICO HEARD the knock on his door, he finished drying off from his shower, dragged on some clothes and hurried to answer it. He hadn’t realized he was smiling until he threw open the door and felt that smile disappear. It wasn’t Eden as he’d hoped it might be.
It was Hog and Rayelle.
Hog held an umbrella open over Rayelle’s dainty head. Apparently, he’d been doing this their entire trek across his yard because Rayelle didn’t have a single raindrop on her, and Hog was practically soaked, his shirt plastered to his chest. Nico wasn’t sure how this umbrella chivalry had happened because both Hog’s truck and Rayelle’s car were parked out front.
“I went by your office in town,” Rayelle greeted, her voice laced with its usual disapproving bite.
Nico opened the door wider and motioned for them to come in. “Yeah, I left work a little early today so I could check on the livestock before the next wave of rain moved in.” Something that had already happened.
And he’d also left early so he would be there when Eden arrived. Best not to mention that to Rayelle, though.
“Is there a problem?” Nico added, the question meant for both Hog and the woman.
“Miss Devereaux dropped by your office to tell you that the cabin roof is leaking,” Hog explained.
“I tried to call you, but it went to voice mail,” Rayelle piped in. “Mr. Hannigan became concerned about that and followed me out here.”
It took Nico a moment to realize that Miss Devereaux was Rayelle and Hog was Mr. Hannigan. Pretty formal, especially when applied to Hog.
Nico took out his phone and muttered an apology when he saw Rayelle’s missed call. “Sorry, I was in the shower.” And he would have almost certainly checked his phone once he’d finished if he hadn’t heard Hog’s and Rayelle’s knock at the door.
“I told Miss Devereaux that I’d go over and fix the roof,” Hog went on. “But she thought it best if she checked with you.”
No, Rayelle hadn’t wanted Hog to have any part in this so she’d tried to put him off with that remark, but Hog wouldn’t have picked up on a subtext like that.
“We’d better put off the repairs until morning what with the lightning,” Nico said. “How bad is it leaking?”
“It’s over the sink in the kitchen,” Rayelle answered.
Well, if you were going to have a leak, that was the best place for it. Maybe the sink would catch all the water.
Despite Nico’s motioning, Rayelle didn’t come inside. She stayed put on the porch and cast a very quick glance at Hog. “You can get back to your work now, Mr. Hannigan. Thank you for making sure I got here okay. And thank you again for the use of your umbrella. Mine buckled when I was coming out of your office,” she added to Nico.
“I was glad to do it.” Hog collapsed the umbrella and handed it to her. “You’ll need it when you get back to the cabin. Or do Piper and you plan on staying here tonight with Nico?”
Nico sucked in his breath so fast that he nearly choked, but there was no need for the slam of panic he got because Rayelle quickly shook her head. “No. I’ll be going back to the cabin where I’ll wait for Piper. Eden and she are baking cookies over at Rosy McCall’s. I checked, and Piper’s still there, but she’s going to call me when they’re done.”
He didn’t doubt that some cookie baking would be going on, but it was sort of a ploy, too. Nico hadn’t actually talked to Eden about it, but she’d texted him that Piper didn’t want to go straight to the cabin after the doctor’s appointment, that she’d wanted some time to “process” everything that’d happened. Eden hadn’t sounded particularly enthusiastic about it, but Piper had suggested they take up Rosy on a standing invitation for baking. He was going to owe Eden big-time for helping out with his sister.
“I’ll be fine, Mr. Hannigan,” Rayelle said to Hog. It wasn’t exactly a “don’t let the door hit you in the ass,” but it was close.
Hog nodded and wiped the rain off his face. “I was just wondering if I could take you for a cup of coffee or something. You know, while you wait for Piper to call.”
Rayelle turned slowly toward him, and her whole mouth tightened. “No, thank you.”
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