I must’ve dialed Eden’s number a hundred times, but she never answered. In fact, it never even rang. It went straight to voicemail as if she’d blocked my calls. I sent her a dozen messages. Rather than the standard “delivered” or “read” message beneath the text, it was blank.

Eden had officially cut me out of her life.

I didn’t want to go home and be surrounded by the reminders of my failures. So I decided to head straight to the bar from work. I found myself at the same table I sat at the night I met Eden, for the same reasons as before—not wanting to go home. Only this time, I wasn’t in need of an escape from the person at home waiting for me. It was because the one person I truly wanted to be there never would. And that was something I wasn’t ready to accept yet.

It was funny how everything seemed to come full circle.

Except I was the one on the outside.

While sitting at the sports bar, I continued to try to get ahold of Eden. Nothing worked, and eventually, I propped my elbows on the table and dropped my head into my hands. I knew there had to have been a solution, but I couldn’t find one.

“Mind if I join you?” Someone sat down on the stool on the other side of the table.

I glanced up and just stared. She had long red hair, but it wasn’t the same. Her eyes were dark, but even under the dim lighting, I could tell they were brown, nothing special about them. Her lips were colored pink, not red. And they didn’t have the same fullness as the set I couldn’t get out of my head. Nothing about this woman was right. She was all wrong. Because she wasn’t Eden.

“Actually, I do mind.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Are you expecting someone?” She seemed genuinely apologetic, but it didn’t matter.

“No. I just want to be alone.”

Her dull, brown eyes narrowed and she tilted her head slightly. “Having a bad day? Wanna talk about it? I’m a nail tech, so I’m used to listening to people’s problems. I’ve been told I’m a good listener.”

I couldn’t help but feel like the universe was playing some kind of cruel joke on me.

“Hi, I’m Amanda,” she said as she extended her hand across the table. In the process of invading my privacy, she knocked over my pitcher of beer, spilling the contents all over the table, into my lap, while soaking my phone in the process. “Oh my God! I’m so sorry. Here, let me help you clean that up.”

“No need. I was about done anyway.” I wanted to yell at her, curse her for being so careless, but I just didn’t have it in me. It was obviously a mistake, and I could tell she felt horrible about it. Not to mention, I was sure this was God’s way of forcing me to leave Eden alone…at least until my phone dried up. I took it as a sign, wished her a good evening, and drove home.

I’d spent all week looking forward to the first day I got to pull into the garage of my new home, but now that I had, I couldn’t find any joy in it. I dragged myself inside and immediately headed for the shower, needing to get rid of the stench of beer. I wanted to stay under the hot spray longer, waste time before I could crawl under the covers and give up on the day, but I knew it’d do no good.

No matter how much water I wasted, I’d still get out to an empty house.

With only a pair of gym shorts on, I grabbed a beer and headed down to the dock. It was the only place I felt connected to Eden, which was humorous considering she’d never even seen it, but I was hoping it’d offer a little bit of clarity. The moon wasn’t out, making it hard to see in the dark, so I watched my steps as I made it down the wooden pathway. As soon as I got to the dock, I glanced up, hoping there would be enough light to at least see the water. But instead of a dark lake, I found someone standing in front of me, facing me, hands twisted in front of her.

I froze. Unable to do anything other than stare.

“Why did you buy this house?” she asked, taking a step closer when she realized I’d stopped moving.

I glanced over my shoulder, as if for some reason I needed to clarify which house she meant. “My realtor showed it to me and I liked it. So I bought it.”

“But why this house?”

Still stunned at her presence, I could only open my mouth and answer her. “The dock. This right here. It reminded me of you. Of the pier. Of us. And I’d hoped that one day we’d be able to make this ours like we had the one at the beach.”

“You didn’t have any other reason to buy it?”

I waited until she stood only a foot away from me and then cocked my head to the side. “No. Why?”

“So you had no idea this was the house I wanted?”

I blinked at her a few times, my sight already adjusted to the darkness. As if seeing her here wasn’t enough of a shock, I was completely stunned by hearing her say this was the house she’d told me she’d cry over if she couldn’t get it. The one I’d bought with her in mind. The one I’d pictured raising a family in with her. “This house?”

“Yeah. I had no idea you’d even bought a house. I thought you were just getting new furniture for your condo. But when I went there to talk to you, I was told you’d moved. They wouldn’t give me your new address so I had to call Janette to get it from her.” She took my hand and linked her fingers with mine. “Imagine my surprise when I drove up and realized it was the same house I’d looked at and tried to buy.”

I withdrew my hand from hers and moved to the railing along the side of the dock. I set the bottle of beer along the ledge and leaned forward. When she moved to stand next to me, I turned my head to face her and blurted out, “You resigned.”

Her head dropped forward and she took a deep breath before locking her gaze on mine again. “You weren’t supposed to know that until we talked. That’s why I didn’t give it to you.”

“Then maybe you should’ve talked to me about it first. It would’ve been a bitter pill to swallow either way, but at least it would’ve gone down easier hearing it from you instead of receiving an email from HR.” I stood up straight and squared my shoulders. “Effective immediately?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. It’s why I came here. Did you not get my text?”

“What text? I’ve tried all night to reach you but your phone kept going to voicemail and my texts weren’t being delivered. I haven’t gotten anything from you.”

“My phone was dead. I was out of the house and didn’t have a charger with me. I got your messages, though. And then I sent you one. About half an hour ago. On my way here.”

I shook my head, not believing my luck. “No. Someone knocked over my pitcher of beer and it spilled on my phone. It’s not working. What did your message say?”

“Pitcher of beer? Where did you go?”

“I went to the bar. The one where we first met. I was upset and didn’t want to come home, but it proved to be a waste of time. What did your text say?” I asked again, with a little more impatience this time.

She took my face in her hands and forced me to look into her eyes. That one act alone seemed to calm the storm raging inside me. My pulse began to slow and my breathing became easier, making it possible to catch the scent of gardenia. “Yes.”

I was confused and waited for her to say more, but she never did. “Yes? Yes what?”

“Yes to all your questions.”

Pulling away, I squinted at her. “What questions?”

“The ones you texted me with.”

I shook my head, still confused. “I’m not following, Eden. The only things I remember asking you tonight is where you were and why you decided to quit. ‘Yes’ doesn’t answer any of those.”

“No, Dane.” Her chest began to heave and I could tell she was getting nervous, unable to control her breathing. “Not your questions from tonight. The ones you’ve been bombarding me with over the last couple of weeks. The ones you asked me again last night.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Rather than give her a chance to correct me, tell me I was wrong and had misunderstood her, I grabbed her face and claimed her mouth with mine. She immediately held onto my sides and yanked my body closer. That one action alone was enough to give me solace that I hadn’t been wrong. That I hadn’t misunderstood the meaning of her answer.

Leaning back to catch her breath, she began to giggle and tucked her chin closer to her chest. “Are we crazy? This is insane, isn’t it? I mean, we’ve technically only been together for one night. Are we nuts for doing this?”

I picked her up and set her on the railing before moving to stand between her legs. My mouth hovered close to hers while I said, “Stop talking. You can’t take it back now. You can’t change your mind. Stop second guessing it.”

“I’m being serious, Dane. I’m not changing my mind or taking it back.” She had her hands pressed to my bare chest, keeping me at enough distance to look into my eyes as she spoke. “I only want to make sure this is the right thing and we’re not being impulsive. It didn’t become real until just now. I knew what I was saying when I told you yes, but now it hit me.”

“When did you decide to resign?”

“This afternoon. I was at the beach, at our pier, and then headed straight to the office to give my resignation to HR.”

“Why? I mean…why did you do it? Why quit if you wanted to be with me?”

“Because you said I can’t be your assistant and be with you at the same time.”

I kissed her again, slow and thorough this time. “I love you, Eden.” The rush of saying those words to her was exhilarating. “I’m so damn in love with you.”

“I know,” she said with a smile. “I told you that when you were, I’d know it.”

“When did you know?”

“Shortly after I realized I’m in love with you, too. Thinking of you choosing a couch and tables meant for a bachelor pad made me realize how much I desperately wanted you to pick the ones meant for a family. And then I thought about you as a family man with someone else, and I couldn’t handle it. That’s when I knew I was in love with you. But I didn’t know what to do about it, because I didn’t know how you felt. Then, on Thursday, the furniture store called the office looking for you. They were calling to confirm the delivery. I knew I shouldn’t have, but I needed to know, so I asked which items they had on the truck. They told me, confirming they were all the pieces I’d picked.”

She wiped away a tear I hadn’t even known had fallen.

“You chose me, Dane. Knowing you picked out and bought every piece I’d chosen proved to me that you chose me. You chose the family man, chose the couch and tables and entertainment center that I had liked. That’s when I knew how you truly felt.”

“Then why did you disappear? Why didn’t you come to work today?”

She shrugged and looked to her lap, but I wouldn’t let her turn away from me. I placed my finger beneath her chin and made her look me in the eye.

“I was excited to come to you, to tell you how I felt, but then Janette came to my office to talk to me.” Her glossy eyes met mine. “I know you know. You don’t have to act surprised. I don’t know how you figured it out, but I’m kind of glad you did. I’m glad she did. We talked…a lot, and even though it was good, it kind of overwhelmed me. On top of my feelings for you, discovering your feelings for me, I then had to organize my thoughts and feelings about Janette knowing she’s my mom. I needed space to sort it all out.”

“And you have it all sorted now?”

“Yes. When I left the pier to turn in my resignation, I knew without a doubt I wanted to be with you. When I found out you’d moved, that’s when I knew the answer to your questions. It was one thing when I discovered you’d ordered the furniture, but it was another thing entirely when I realized it wasn’t for the condo you’d shared with Gabi. However…nothing solidified my decision more than finding out you were the one who bought the house I wanted, and you did it without knowing.”

“Say you love me,” I whispered against her lips with my eyes closed.

“I love you, Dane.”

I held her against me and kissed her as if it were the first time. As if the act of kissing had been undiscovered until this moment. Until my lips met hers. Because no one had ever kissed like this. No one had ever felt this much joy, relief, or passion before. This kind of love was what everyone else strived for, and I’d found it with Eden.

I dragged her off the ledge, and with her legs and arms wound tightly around me, I carried her inside. I didn’t stop until I’d made it to the bedroom, where I laid her gently on top of the mattress and held myself over her. I stared into her emerald pools and allowed myself this one moment to take it all in.

Slowly, she slid her hands up my chest to cup my face. It was enough to push me into action. To wake me up so I could see this wasn’t a dream. This was real. Eden was in my arms, in my bed, in love with me. And I’d never let her go again.

She laid still with her hair fanned across the pillow while I removed every piece of her clothing. I didn’t stop until I had her bare beneath me. I wanted to give every inch of her attention, worship every fiber of her being, but she wouldn’t let me. With a firm grip in my hair, she drew me up her body until every part of us lined up. She removed one hand and slid it down my chest, into the elastic waistband of my shorts, and wrapped her delicate fingers around my throbbing cock.

“I won’t last long if you keep doing that, Eden.” That was all I needed to say to make her stop and push my shorts down my legs until I could kick them over the side of the bed.

With our eyes locked, she guided me into her. I’d never felt anything like it. As I pushed all the way in, I realized why it was so amazing. I stilled, fully seated in her, praying she wouldn’t make me stop.

“I’m not wearing a condom, Eden. And I don’t have any.”

She blinked a few times and then said, “It’s fine. Keep going.”

“Are you on anything?”

She nodded and shifted beneath me, enticing me to move. I didn’t make her do it twice. I slowly withdrew and then rolled into her again. Over and over until my thrusts were short and deep. I didn’t want to come too soon, needing to wait until she was with me, so I shifted our bodies so I was on my back, pulling her on top of me without losing our connection. With her hands planted on my chest, her fingers splayed across my bare skin, she began to ride me. Her head tilted back and her eyes closed. Her walls tightened and I knew she was close, but I wanted to fall over that cliff with her.

I sat up, drawing her chest into mine. Gripping her hips, I guided her movements, matching them in time with my thrusts. Pulling moan after melodic moan from her and swallowing as I tasted her tongue.

“I can’t hold on much longer,” I said against her lips, feeling my balls tighten. “I need you to come, Eden.” The last thing I wanted was to have to pull out before she found pleasure.

“I’m almost there. Come with me, Dane.”

“I need you to go first.” My words were wrapped in desperate pants, unable to catch my breath.

She opened her eyes and met my gaze. Without missing a beat, she cupped my face and told me the sweetest words known to man. “Come in me.”

I held onto her tighter and slammed her into me, feeling her core grip me. It only took another second before she was panting in my ear, whimpering. Riding out her orgasm and squeezing every drop of come from me. Reaching the peak in tandem was more than ecstasy. It was no longer my pleasure. It was ours. Achieved together, at the same time. As if we weren’t two separate entities, but one unit.

Whole.

I fell back and took her with me. We rolled onto our sides, facing each other. Her gaze flitted over my body and stopped on my side. I knew immediately what she saw, but I didn’t say anything. I watched intently as she studied it, first with her eyes, then the very tips of her fingers, making sure to not touch the ink itself, but rather the outer edges. It was the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Perfect, red apples hung from the top, with a dove perched on one of the branches.

“What’s it mean?” she asked as she met my stare.

“You. Us. Everything I’ve ever wanted.”

“What’s that? What do you want?” Her words were quiet as if anticipating my answer.

“A life. A family. With you.”

“That’s what the apples represent? Family?” she asked, and I nodded. “What about the dove? What does that mean?”

“Hope.”

Tears filled her eyes a split second before her lips met mine.

We spent the next fifteen minutes basking in the glow and holding on to one another. But when her stomach growled, I knew it was time to get up. “Come on. Let’s get you fed.” I found my shorts on the floor and stepped into them. Then I grabbed a shirt from my drawer and tossed it at Eden to wear. I’d only done it to keep her from getting completely dressed, but once I saw her in my T-shirt, I decided I never wanted to see her in anything else again.

“Go ahead and see what I have in the kitchen. I’ll be right there.”

She gave me an odd look but did as I said. I waited until she was out of the room before I went to my nightstand and grabbed what I was searching for. When I made my way into the kitchen, I found Eden standing in front of the open fridge, the light outlining her curves. I tugged her away and lifted her to set her on the counter. She squealed and then giggled, but my chest was too tight to join in on her giddiness.

“I never asked you properly. So I’m going to do that now. I’d get down on one knee, but these floors are really hard. Please don’t hold that against me.” I was so nervous, but as soon as she held her palm against her chest and smiled, I knew it would be all right.

I took her hand and placed the ring at the tip if her left fourth finger. But before I could slip it on, she gasped and yanked her hand away. “You have a ring?” She was stunned, which made sense, but what confused me was the worry in her tone.

“Yeah…but if you’d rather pick out your own, we can go tomorrow. I’m sorry, I didn’t even think about you wanting to choose your own ring. I was too excited—”

“No, Dane. I don’t want to pick out my own ring. I just… Where did you get it from?”

“It was my grandmother’s.”

Her eyes softened, yet they were still filled with apprehension.

“What’s wrong, Eden? I don’t understand. Are you changing your mind?”

“Not at all. I want to marry you. And I want you to give me whatever ring you choose. I’d be honored to wear your grandmother’s ring, but I don’t know how I feel about wearing someone else’s ring.”

Suddenly, I understood her concern. “The only woman who has ever worn this ring was my Grans. No one else.”

“You never gave it to…?”

“No.”

“This is probably the worst time in the world to ask…but why not?”

I laughed beneath my breath, finding her worry cute, and threaded my fingers through her hair. “To be honest, I don’t know why. I never thought about it. She never mentioned it and I never offered. But when I told you I wanted to marry you, this was the only ring I thought about giving you. I never contemplated going and picking out something else.”

She held her left hand out, fingers splayed, a giant smile brightening her face. “Put it on.”

“I have to ask first.”

“No you don’t. My answer is yes. Always was and always will be.” And with that, I slid the ring onto her finger.

We’d spent the entire weekend wrapped up in each other, aside from a few hours on Saturday when we went to pack up her belongings to move her in. When my alarm sounded on Monday morning, I wanted to let her sleep. She looked so peaceful snuggled into the middle of the large bed—our bed. But I had plans, and she needed to be with me.

“Where are we going?” she asked groggily. “I thought you had to go to work today.”

“I do. And you’re coming with me.”

“I can’t, Dane.” She stretched and whined, making me want to crawl back beneath the covers and stay there all day with her. “I’m not your assistant anymore. Remember? I resigned.”

“I know. We’re equals in this now. You’re my partner—in life and in business. You’re going to be a Kauffmann, and last time I checked, that was the name on the front of the building.”

She sat up and blinked at me. “That’s ridiculous. Utterly insane. How will that work with a prenup?”

I yanked the blankets away and tugged on her arm until I had her on her feet. “It’s easy. There is no prenup.”

“Okay…now you’re insane. And I’m sure your lawyers will agree with me.”

“I don’t care what anyone says,” I called over my shoulder as I walked into the bathroom. I was ready for a shower, and I hoped Eden would join me. “You’re going to be my wife, the mother of my children. I trust you and I know we’re the real deal. I’m not entering into this marriage like it’s some kind of business venture.”

“What about Gabi?”

“What about her?” I locked gazes with her through the mirror.

“Imagine what would’ve happened if you followed through and married her without a prenup.”

I turned and leaned against the vanity. “Eden…I don’t care to talk about her. At some point, you’re going to have to stop bringing her up. After this, no more comparing or questioning how things were when I was with her, considering I don’t question or bring up your ex.” I held my finger beneath her chin to make sure she was looking in my eyes. “I had a prenup drawn up with her.”

She gasped and her eyes widened. “So why not with me?”

“Like I just told you, Eden…stop comparing. You’re not her.” I slapped her bare ass and nudged her toward the shower. “Now come on. We have a business to run.”

---

We started the ball rolling on adding her name to the company. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it’d be. However, the marriage license proved to be more difficult. We had to wait three days before we could even get married. That turned out to be fine, though. It allowed her parents time to come to Florida. They packed their bags and I bought their plane tickets. I worried when Eden had called to tell them, but they were surprisingly calm and accepting of the fact their daughter decided to marry a man they’d never met. When I asked her why they didn’t object, she explained she’d talked about me every time they called—not the bad stuff, though. Apparently, they had kind of expected it. I wanted to know what all she had said about me for them to be so calm, but she wouldn’t tell me. She said it didn’t matter.

The only hesitation they had though, was about Janette. Eden had told them about finding her birth mother and explained the progress they’d made in building a relationship. However, once they arrived and met Janette, all worry vanished, and they all strangely acted like one giant blended family—me included.

We didn’t have to think very long about a venue. We knew it would be a small wedding—her parents, Janette, and a few people from the office. My parents were out of the country and had already congratulated me over the phone. They asked me to send them pictures, but that was about it. It didn’t bother me; I wasn’t expecting them to be there anyway.

Exactly one week after Eden resigned as my assistant, and I subsequently found her waiting for me on the dock, I stood on the pier at the beach in a suit and watched as Eden walked down in a simple white dress on her father’s arm. It was the place Eden and I had jumped into the water that night, so we both saw it fitting to be the place we made the jump into forever with each other.

Janette was a notary of the public and performed the ceremony for us. She was technically the one who had brought us together, and it only made sense she be the one to tie us together for eternity. We exchanged vows as we exchanged rings. I placed my grandmother’s wedding band on her finger next to the matching diamond Grans had worn all her life, and Eden placed my grandfather’s ring on mine. It was quick, just like us. Some people may have said we were rushing it, but when Eden was at the finish line, there was no way in hell I’d take my time. I had spent my life doing what others wanted me to do, and I wouldn’t make that mistake again. I wanted Eden, and I wanted her for the rest of my life.

I’d finally done something for myself and gone after her.

And I would be damned if I wasted another second of my life waiting.