Page 16 of Garden Daddy

“Oh my God, get in here.The last thing I need is Mrs.Vaughn hearing you and getting ideas!”She grabbed his arm—the one attached to the bag of food, not the coffee—and pulled him into her apartment.Marcus raised his eyebrows.

“You care what the neighbor thinks about you?”That seemed very unlike her.

“I care that she’s on a smutty-Daddy-romance-reading binge and overshares on everything.I don’t care about what she wants to know about me.I don’t want to hear what she has to say about her and Mr.Vaughn’s sexcapades.”Eden shook her head, brushing strands of pink hair out of her face as she looked up at him with a pained expression.“They’re in their eighties, and I can tell you the exact day she lost her anal virginity.Because she told me.Because I made the mistake of telling her that I also read naughty romance.”

Marcus nearly choked.He hoped to meet Mrs.Vaughn one day, not because he wanted to know about her sex life—he’d have to watch what he said—but because anyone who could discompose Eden was worth meeting.

“Good for her,” he said.“I would think you would find her inspirational.”

“She does,” Rita piped up from where she was sitting at the kitchen table.“But it is still a little uncomfortable.Mrs.Vaughn reminds me of my grandma.And I absolutely approve of grandma getting down, but I’m not so enlightened that I want to hear too much about it.”

“Especially when she describes how she gets Mr.Vaughn to get it up,” Bree muttered.

Marcus cracked up, shaking his head as he went to the table and began to unload the bag of goodies he’d brought.Bagels, cream cheese, several omelets, and fruit salad.He grabbed the Southwestern egg white omelet he’d gotten for himself and sat down in the chair next to Eden’s.

At least she had left that chair open rather than putting Bree and Rita between them.

“I’ll be more careful about what I say in the hallway,” he promised.Though he might find it funny, he was trying to make a good impression on everyone, especially Eden, which meant making sure she stayed comfortable.

“Thank you,” Eden said primly, taking the seat next to him.The next few minutes were silent while everyone grabbed what they wanted to eat, loading up their plates, and claiming their drinks.

Marcus began to eat his omelet, just happy to be there.He was going to treat Eden like a skittish animal—first step was getting her used to his presence.If they had been alone this morning, it might have been a different story, but they weren’t.

Eden

Marcus was sittingin her apartment, eating breakfast at her kitchen table.Even with her friends there, it felt oddly intimate.Maybe because it was so unexpected.

She stared at his meal.

“Are there vegetables in that?”she asked.

“Yes.It’s a Southwestern egg white omelet.It’s got peppers, spinach, and low-fat cheese.”He grinned at her.“I’ve changed up my diet a bit.”

Apparently.While she knew the job and stressful lifestyle he’d been leading had led to his heart attack, she’d also known his diet wouldn’t have helped.He’d had the tendency to eat a lot of takeout and fast food, and he didn’t usually choose anything that had vegetables in it—burgers, fries, steak and cheese subs, tater tots.For breakfast, he’d been more likely to down a few sausages than anything else.Nothing wrong with those things in moderation, but it had started to be all he ate unless she made something for him.Which had eaten into her time, and he’d never reciprocated.

To be perfectly honest, she’d expected to see him show up this morning with the usual kind of breakfast he’d gotten when he’d been in charge of food.

It was good to see him taking care of himself, especially in the wake of the heart attack, and another reminder of how things had changed.If they got back together, she wouldn’t have to nag him about his diet.He was already taking care of it.

“So, Marcus, what are your intentions toward our friend?”Rita asked, tilting her head toward Eden.

Eden rolled her eyes, but she didn’t protest.She knew she’d be doing the same thing in Rita’s shoes.Even kind-hearted Bree didn’t try to temper Rita’s bluntness.Instead, she gave Marcus the same hard look Rita was as they waited for his answer.

“To show her how much I’ve improved as a romantic partner and hope that she’s willing to give me a second chance to cherish her the way she deserves,” Marcus replied with perfect sincerity, his gaze moving to meet hers rather than looking at Rita or Bree.

“Awww,” Rita and Bree chorused in unison.Bree had softened more than Rita, but they were both looking a little starry-eyed now.Their own romances had prepped them to be open to anything romantic that came out of Marcus’ mouth.

Truth be told, Eden was feeling a little melty after the pronouncement as well.

Yes, he’d said something similar to her last weekend, but it wasn’t the same as announcing it to witnesses.Especially since last weekend had been a surprise and this weekend… well, she’d already really been able to see some of the changes he’d made to his life and the differences in his approach to her.Now, he was setting himself up for what could be an embarrassment since he was announcing his intentions so baldly.

He didn’t have to.

He could have hemmed around it or said something less declarative.But he hadn’t.

The shields around her heart were already starting to feel a little cracked, even though she’d pulled them back up overnight.Now he was battering at them some more.

Rita gave herself a little shake.

---