There was one thing that she could always count on when she came here: the tranquility of the cemetery. The warm air blew sweeter, the sun shined a little brighter through the leaves of giant trees that circled the grounds, and the singing birds made it feel like she was stepping through another realm. She had to walk up an incline to get to her mother’s grave and with the heels it was a little difficult, but Eden persevered. When she finally made it to her destination she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of the man standing over her mother’s grave. Her heart skittered along her ribcage because she knew it was him. He had his back to her, the shirt he wore fitting perfectly to his broad frame was tucked into fitted dark slacks. He had his hands in his pockets with his head bowed low in deference. She heard the timbre of his voice but could not immediately make out what he was saying. Stepping a little closer, Eden saw a bouquet of flowers resting on the ground directly in front of the headstone, the same flowers that she’d seen many times before but had never known who’d brought them. Until now. Stunned couldn’t even begin to describe how she was feeling in that moment, but even more pressing she wondered why he was here.
“What,” she cleared her throat, “what are you doing here?”
He turned his head to the side to look at her. “Paying my respects.”
“Why? You didn’t know her.”
“She was your mother, Eden; there is no other reason than that,” he supplied. “There is something freeing in speaking to the dead.”
“Do you…you know where your mother is buried?” Eden regretted the question the moment she uttered it when she saw him tense. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…”
“I don’t know and I don’t care to.” His frigid tone raised goose bumps on her skin.
“I’m sorry.” She involuntarily stepped closer to him, her shoulder grazing his arm. “This is the last place I ever expected to see you, Dominic.”
“The night you left…I came here, on the off chance that you might be here. I was very desperate to have you back.” he admitted dryly. “I’ve fallen into the habit of coming here when I need to clear my mind.”
“She was a good listener.” Lowering herself to her knees, Eden rested her bouquet next to the one already there. “Always gave good advice, not that I ever took it.” She smiled tremulously, the dull ache of her mother’s absence making itself known. “But she was a really good mom. She always made sure I had enough.”
“You miss her.”
Eden came to her feet, standing once again next to him she blinked away the tears that refused to ebb. “A lot,” she choked.
There was nothing for a long moment after but the sound of chirping birds and a breeze rustling quietly through the trees. And then she felt it. The ghost of his touch whispering on the back of her hand before interlacing their fingers, his large hand nearly engulfing hers. “I’m sorry she was taken from you.” The sincerity of his words went a long way in soothing the ache, and in that instant, Eden was glad that he was there with her.
* * *
“I would like to take you out later this evening, if you are willing?”
Eden could tell that it was hard for him to ask rather than tell her and although it was weird for her too, she found herself pleasantly surprised by his awkward attempt. “Where to?”
“I’d like it to be a surprise.”
Eden gave him a sidelong glance, wondering what he was up to. Any attempt at gleaning that information from his impassive features proved futile. The man could give a statue a run for its money.
She thought about it long and hard and “no” flirted on her tongue but, “okay,” came out instead. Her signals were all crossed, and she knew she was sending out all the wrong ones, maybe even leading him on a little, but a very large part of her was liking this gentler side of Dominic, even if he was a consummate control freak.
“I didn’t need your help finding a real estate job, Dominic, especially with a prominent brokerage like Archer Realty,” she stated sharply.
“I did nothing but point them in your direction. If you received the job it was strictly on your own merits,” he retorted laconically, his logic grating. Eden hated that he made her feel ungrateful and she hated even more the embarrassed flush that swept her cheeks at his silent admonishment.
“This intervening in my life thing you do…it has to stop,” she said after a moment, sweeping her hair behind her ear.
“It’s a habit I’m too old to break. Old dog, new tricks and the like,” he imparted with infuriating calm.
Eden sighed in exasperation and pulled her car door open with far more force than she intended. “I’ll see you home,” she said curtly, slamming the door with the same vigor, stepping on the gas, and taking off without a second glance back.
* * *
“He’s trying really hard to get back in your good graces, Ede,” Jenna intoned from Eden’s bed, flipping through the magazine without much care to what was inside. “I bet your letting him hit it again.”
Eden blushed down to her roots and focused a little too closely on her reflection. “Shut up, Jen.”
Jenna laughed. “Fucking knew it. But I don’t blame you. I don’t’ know how you lasted this long, the man has been practically eye fucking you since you moved back here.”
“What do you think about this one?” Eden asked, turning so Jenna could look at the dress.
The blond woman scrunched her nose in distaste. “Are you going to church?”
