Page 9 of Winter Memories

I’m not sure if the rage I’m feeling is from finally seeing her again, after so long, or if it has to do with her son’s father leaving them. How the fuck could he do that? To his own kid?

The moment I saw the kid, I couldn’t get out of the store fast enough. I sure as hell wasn’t expecting Eden to follow me out and explain how her son came into this world and why she’s back. She must have seen all of my emotions in my eyes.

To most of the town, I’m closed off and a little on the grumpy side. They know what went down with Eden and how in love we were when we were kids. My broody bullshit became accepted and understood after we broke up. Which was just fine by me.

The entire time I’m driving back to Limitless, ignoring everything I went to the store for in the first place, I’m in a daze. It’s hard to think and I’m feeling far too fucking much. Eden’s back.

Breathing is bordering on difficult. I can’t fucking believe that she’s back. Here. In Wintervale.

I’ve seen her again after 13 years…and met her son.

Her son.

A little boy who isn’t mine.

I always thought Eden would be the mother of my children. Even though it’s been a long time since the last time I saw her, I’ve never been able to picture another woman having my children. Honestly, I had resolved myself to not have kids or fall in love again.

No matter how many times I tried to stop it from happening, I wasn’t able to stop myself from comparing every woman I tried to date to Eden. It wasn’t fair to those women. I know it. I’m more than fucking aware of it.

But I couldn’t stop.

No one has measured up.

When I arrive back at the ranch, I almost drive right past the main house and head to my place. But I don’t. I’m not sure being alone would be a good idea right now.

The moment I stumble into the house, feeling drunk and disoriented even though I haven’t had anything to drink today, I slump down onto the couch. I stare into space and replay every second of the interaction I had with Eden.

It felt like I was being pulled toward her by a force far beyond my control. I was so close to her. The only thing that stopped me from reaching for her and touching her was not trusting myself to be a gentleman in public.

There’s no telling what would have happened if I had touched her. There’s a real possibility I would have taken her down to the floor in the middle of Wintervale’s Country Store and lost myself in everything that is Eden.

She still looks just as gorgeous as she did all those years ago. Yes, she’s older and she’s grown into herself, but time has only enhanced her beauty. Her hair is the same gorgeous caramel color and looks just as silky and lush as it did years ago.

My skin tingles with the memory of how the strands of her hair felt as they trailed over my body. I clench my hands, remembering how it felt to wrap her hair around my fist as I fucked her from behind.

For a moment, I swear I can hear the sounds of her little whimpers and breathy moans echo around the empty house I’m sitting in. It’s like they’re coming from speakers connected to the past.

Eden’s curves are more luscious than they used to be. It sure as fuck isn’t a bad thing. Her body grew her son and there’s something magical about that.

My chest burns with the knowledge that she went through all of that with another man at her side, the father of her little boy. It should have been me. It should have always been me.

But it wasn’t because I had to give her the room to become the person she was always meant to be. I could hear the strain in her voice every time we talked while she was away. She needed to focus on school, but her heart was tugging her home. I wasn’t going to be the person to hold her back and to dull her light.

My head is in my hands when the back door opens and closes. I don’t even look up because I know it’s one of my brothers. Hopefully, it’s not Huxley. I love the guy, but he has the emotional maturity of a duckling, and I just can’t deal with his bullshit right now.

He’s been pushing me to get back out there and date again recently. Every time I let him talk me into it, it ends horribly.While he means well, my heart isn’t in it. How the hell could it be?

“What’s wrong?”

Noel’s question, full of concern and edged in panic, has me looking up at him. His eyes are wide, and his gaze is darting around the room as if some unknown and armed enemy is going to pop out of nowhere. I shake my head and try to swallow around the lump in my throat, the same one that’s been there since I walked away from Eden.

She poured her truth out to me, her dark eyes so earnest and filled with something I wasn’t ready to understand, and all I did was walk away. I wasn’t capable of doing more because I was already fighting my instincts because I was so close to her. The safest thing was for me to leave.

But you just left her there on the sidewalk. Alone. Just like that asshole left her.

Noel’s eyebrows furrow together when he stops looking around and studies my face. He sinks down into a chair and breathes out, “Oh fuck.”

I narrow my eyes at the man wondering what he already knows. I bark, “What?”

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