Garnet Flats (The Edens)

I stared at the blank face of my locker. No tally mark today. The last time I’d marked a good day was when Foster had brought Kadence in for her checkup. That had been nine—no—ten days ago. Were my standards for a good day too high?

There was a flu running through town and it had made people especially irritable, staff and patients included. It was probably the same bug that Kadence had picked up at school.

I snagged my keys and tucked them in my pocket before leaving, more than ready to get out of the hospital. It was dark outside as I drove the Jeep toward home.

Toward Foster and Kadence.

I still wasn’t sure what had come over me yesterday when I’d offered to let them stay at my house. A break in my sanity? Except it had been so . . . easy.

In college, Foster had all but moved into my apartment. My place had been bigger and nicer than his, and Vivienne hadn’t minded his company. He’d fit into my life seamlessly.

Having him in my home was as comfortable as wearing one of his old T-shirts to bed.

I’d walked into the kitchen this morning to find him waiting with a cup of coffee poured with my favorite creamer.

He’d kissed my cheek goodbye, and I hadn’t asked if they’d be there when I came home. I just knew they would. As much as I wanted him to stay, maybe he did too.

I didn’t linger in the garage but rushed inside. He stood at the kitchen counter in the exact place where he’d kissed me last night.

The image of him in only those boxer briefs sent a throb to my core. And, God, the way he’d held me.

Foster had held me like I was his tether to the earth.

There wasn’t much I wouldn’t do to have him hold me like that every day.

Even forgive.

Maybe I already had.

“Hi,” I said, coming into the room.

“Hey.” He turned and smiled. “How was your day?”

When was the last time I’d come home to someone asking me about my day? Years. It had been Foster. Because I hadn’t lived with anyone since Vivienne. I hadn’t realized how lonely my life had become. Even here in Quincy, with family members in every direction, it wasn’t the same as coming home to a person of my own.

“What’s that look?” he asked.

“Nothing.” I shook it off. “Do I have time to change and take a quick shower?”

“Fifteen minutes.” He pointed to the oven’s timer.

“Be right back.” I jogged up the stairs, stripping out of my scrubs and putting them in the hamper. Then I tied up my hair into a messy bun and hopped in the shower, hurrying to scrub the day from my skin.

Dressed in a pair of joggers and a long-sleeved tee, I made it back to the kitchen with five minutes to spare.

“Tell me about your day,” Foster said.

“Meh. I’ve had better. Everyone has been grumpy lately. It usually happens this time of year. Short days and long nights make for cranky hospital staff. And I had a patient yell at me.” In my defense, he’d yelled at both nurses before I’d walked into his exam room, so at least I’d had company.

“What?” He stood taller, his expression instantly murderous.

“It’s not the first time, nor will it be the last.” I laughed. “Unclench that jaw, killer.”

A grin stretched across his sexy mouth. “I forgot how much I like it when you call me killer.”

I liked it too. “It smells good in here. You didn’t need to cook.”

“Don’t mind. Besides, my diet is about to get strange as I gear up for this fight.”

“Do you have to cut weight?” At six foot three and already ripped with muscle, it wasn’t easy to trim pounds. I’d always dreaded that part before his fights, when he’d work so hard and eat so carefully to make sure he hit a number on the scale.

“A few pounds. But not much.” He stepped closer, his hand coming to my face. His thumb brushed across my cheekbone. “Sorry about your day.”

“It’s okay.” I leaned into his touch. “What about you? Where’s Kadence?”

He jerked his chin toward the living room. “She’s commandeered your TV.”

“How’s she feeling?”

“Better. No fever since last night.”

“Good.” I closed my eyes, savoring the tingles across my skin. Then his mouth was on mine, just a brush of his lips that left me wanting more.

I rose up on my toes, except before I could deepen the kiss, the timer on the oven dinged.

He growled against my mouth, then stepped away to swipe an oven mitt off the counter and yank open the oven door. Then he took out a sheet pan with chicken and potatoes and green beans. “Want to get Kadence?”

“Sure.” I turned, ready to head to the living room, but froze.

Kadence was standing in the doorway, watching.

“Oh, hi.” Shit.

She had her eyebrows knitted together, probably because she’d just watched her dad kiss me.

Foster’s heat hit my back. Then his arm was around my shoulders, hauling my back to his chest. “We talked about you today.”

“Me?”

He hummed.

That was it. That was his explanation. A hum. Then he let me go and clapped his hands. “Okay, sit down and let’s eat. Kaddie, what do you want to drink?”

“Milk,” she answered, walking to the dining room table, where he’d already set out napkins and silverware.

“Tally?”

“I, um . . . water. I can get it.”

“Grab me one too, love.”

Love. Never babe or honey or darlin’. The only endearment he’d given me was love.

Foster breezed past me, carrying two plates to the table.

I unstuck my feet and got our drinks, taking Kaddie her milk first. As we sat together, I waited for a bit of discomfort or awkwardness after that kiss. But Foster just cut up Kaddie’s chicken, then tore into his own meal, which was twice as big as he’d plated for me.

“Daddy said you’re like Dex,” Kaddie said, her mouth full of food as she talked.

“Who’s Dex?”

“Mommy’s boy—no, wait.” She looked to Foster. “What’s that word again?”

“Fiancé.”

I choked on a potato.

“Tally.” Foster flew out of his chair, rounding the table to smack me on the back.

I coughed and waved him off, dislodging the food and chewing it. Then I swallowed it down with a gulp of water before staring up at him still hovering by my side. “Vivienne’s fiancé?”

“Dex.”

Kadence nodded. “Dex.”

“Dex,” I repeated.

Foster winked, then returned to his seat. “Kadence missed a popcorn party at school today, so after dinner, we thought we could watch a movie and have popcorn. You in?”

“Um, yeah. I like popcorn.”

“Me too.” Kadence gave me a small smile as she chewed.

“Your dad said you were feeling better.” I pressed my palm to her forehead, just to see for myself that she wasn’t warm.

“Daddy said I still have to stay home from school tomorrow.”

“Probably a good idea. Just to make sure you’re rested.” I shifted my attention to Foster. “Any word on the furnace?”

“The guy called me earlier. Said it’s all ready for tomorrow. Then we’ll be out of your hair.”

Kadence mumbled something under her breath as she stabbed a green bean.

“Speak up, little bug,” Foster said. “What’s on your mind?”

“Do we have to go back to the gym?” she whined. “This place is way better.”

I pulled in my lips to hide a smile. She wasn’t wrong.

“Yeah.” Foster sighed. “We have to go back.”

“But not until the weekend,” I blurted. I wanted another day of coming home from work to a full house.

“Yesss.” Kaddie did a little dance in her chair.

And when I met Foster’s gaze, those blue eyes were shining, crinkled at the sides. Happy.

We finished our meal, entertained by Kadence’s recap of the show she’d watched today on Netflix about a dragon prince. I did the dishes while Foster took Kadence in for a bath. Then we settled on the couch, Kadence in the middle, bundled in a blanket with the bowl of popcorn in her lap. She only made it through an hour of the movie before she fell asleep.

Foster stood, bending to sweep her into his arms. Then he padded down the hallway, melting my heart when he kissed her hair. He emerged just moments later, rolling his shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Just a knot.”

“Sit down.” I pointed to the floor in front of me and crossed my legs on the couch.

He obeyed, blowing out a deep breath when my hands came to his shoulders. Then he moaned, a low, deep rumble from his chest that rekindled that pulse in my center. He let me massage the knot for a while, and when my hands stopped moving, he relaxed even deeper, stretching out so that his head was on the couch.

“So . . .” My fingers played with the ends of his dark hair. “Dex.”

“Dex,” he breathed. “Good guy. He loves Vivi. He’s sweet to Kadence.”

“And Vivienne is engaged? You just got divorced.”

“They’ve been together for two years.”

My jaw dropped. “What? She cheated on you?”

Foster chuckled.

“Why is that funny?”

He shifted and stood, holding out a hand. “Come here.”

I unfolded my legs, taking his hand to help me up. But instead of leading me somewhere, like the kitchen, which was farther away from the hallway just in case Kadence woke up, he swung me into his arms.

“Dance with me.” His lips brushed my forehead as he started to sway. Two counts and his foot landed on mine. “Shit. Sorry.”

I laughed. “You’re still a hopeless dancer.”

For a man who moved like lightning in the boxing ring, he couldn’t dance to save his life.

He smiled against my hair. “I haven’t had a lot of practice.”

“You didn’t dance with Vivienne?” The question came out too fast, before I could mask the envy in my tone. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”

Maybe she hadn’t loved him. Maybe he hadn’t loved her. But she’d been his wife. And he, her husband.

“I’ve never danced with Vivienne.”

It eased the sting. She’d had nearly everything else, but at least this was mine.

“What did you talk about with Kadence today?” I asked as he danced us in a slow circle around the living room.

“That you’re my Dex.”

“Not exactly the same if Vivienne is marrying Dex.”

He hummed. Another hum without an explanation to follow. “Dex and Vivi have been together for a long time, but he’s just recently met Kadence. We didn’t introduce them until after the divorce. But she knows that Vivi loves him. She knows that Vivi and I will always love her, even if we’re not married.”

“Was the divorce hard on her?”

“Yes and no. Yes, because it means we’ve had a lot of change. Yes, because it happened right after Arlo died, and like it or not, he was her grandfather. No, because the first time she saw Dex kiss Vivienne, Kadence came to me and asked me why I never kissed Mommy like that.”

I leaned back to study his face. “You didn’t kiss Vivienne?”

He stopped moving, locking his eyes with mine. “Not on the mouth.”

But they’d been married for seven years. How was that possible? “Earlier tonight, when you kissed me in the kitchen, Kadence saw us. She had this look on her face.”

“She’s piecing it together.”

That Vivienne loved Dex and that was why she kissed him.

That Foster loved me.

Kadence was connecting the dots.

“Vivienne is my friend,” Foster said. “Nothing more. I don’t kiss Vivienne. I am not in love with Vivienne. And I have never had sex with Vivienne.”

This time, it was me who stepped on his foot. “W-what?”

“We didn’t have a marriage, Talia. We had a prison sentence. When she got with Dex, I didn’t see that as cheating, because she’s only ever been my cellmate.”

His companion.

So if he hadn’t been with Vivienne, then who? Anyone?

“I waited a long time for you, love. I’ll wait as long as you need. You are mine.” And he was here in Quincy to claim me.

“I don’t—” How did I say this? “I, um—”

“Don’t tell me.” Foster put his finger over my mouth. “The idea of you with another man . . . I can’t think about it. I can’t hear it. So don’t tell me.”

There was nothing to tell.

Pathetic, right? He’d broken my heart into a thousand pieces, and I still hadn’t been able to move on. I hadn’t been able to let him go. Instead, I’d concentrated on school and work, blocking out even the idea of someone new because deep down, no one would ever be Foster.

I wrapped my hand around his wrist, pulling it away from my lips. “There hasn’t been another man.”

His eyes narrowed. “What?”

Saying it again was too hard, so I shrugged.

“Fuck.” Foster’s hands came to my face, his fingers threading into my hair as he dropped his forehead to mine. His entire body sagged, like he’d just let go of seven years’ worth of worry.

“Say something,” I whispered.

“How many?”

“How many, what?”

One of his hands unthreaded from my hair, his fingertips skimming over my cheek. The sparks beneath his touch spread as he trailed lower and lower, over my collarbone and to the swell of my breast. Then he skimmed my ribs, dropping past my hip until he brushed my thigh and moved those fingers between my legs, pressing hard enough for me to gasp.

“Orgasms.”

I wasn’t sure who moved first. It might have been him, capturing my mouth. Or it could have been me, throwing my arms around his shoulders and climbing his body like a damn tree.

The lights were ignored. The TV was left on Kadence’s movie. And the world was forgotten as Foster carried me through the house.

My legs wrapped around his waist as his tongue twisted with mine. His leg bumped into the coffee table as we skirted the living room. My ass brushed the banister when he started up the stairs. He stopped halfway, angling his mouth as our kiss became frantic.

A groan rumbled from his chest. A moan escaped my throat as I tore my mouth away.

“Bed. Hurry.” I clung tighter to his shoulders as he rushed us up the stairs, glancing both ways. “Left.”

He strode down the hallway, his mouth finding mine again.

My back hit a wall, his body trapping me in place as he devoured. Until I was breathless and tugging at his shirt. Foster hauled me off the wall and stepped into my bedroom, kicking the door closed behind him.

Three steps and we were falling onto the bed, his weight hitting mine as his arousal pressed into my core.

Another moan. Another whimper. Our mouths remained fused as our hands roamed, tugging and pulling to get each other out of our clothes.

My shirt was gone first, yanked over my head and thrown over his shoulder. His T-shirt came next, pulled from behind his neck with corded arms and tossed to the floor. Jeans. Pants. A bra. Boxers. Panties. Piece by piece, they made their way to the floor until there was nothing but Foster’s naked heat against my skin. And the wet sear of his mouth as he dropped kiss after kiss on my body.

His tongue dipped into my navel as he kissed along my belly, lower and lower until he was just above the place where I needed him most.

“Did you touch yourself thinking of me?”

“Yes.” I threaded my fingers through his hair, urging him lower, but he didn’t move. He licked a path across my belly.

“Tell me how.”

I let go of his hair, ready to touch myself, but he batted my hand away. “Foster.”

“Tell me, Talia.” The rasp in his voice, rough and thick, made me shiver. “What did you do first?”

“I’d touch my clit.”

He kissed my hip bone, then shifted, leaning on his side as he touched my clit. “How?”

“Slow at first.” I panted as he did the same. “Just light.”

He hummed. “Then what?”

“Then I’d go lower.”

Foster moved his hand, his fingers dipping into my soaked folds.

“Yes,” I hissed. “More.”

He obeyed, my voice becoming his command.

“Back to my clit,” I breathed.

Except this time, instead of doing it with his finger, he shifted, his hands going to my knees. “Spread.”

I was wholly exposed, the cool air skimming my sensitive flesh. Until his tongue was there, lapping at my wetness. “Oh, God, baby.”

“Fuck, you taste sweet, Tally.” He fluttered his tongue against my clit, causing my back to arch off the bed.

My moan filled the room, my legs trembling.

This man and his wicked tongue. He licked me again, a growl vibrating against my skin. And then he dove in, like a man starved, and feasted. His beard rubbed against the sensitive skin on the inside of my thighs. His tongue was relentless, licking and sucking until I writhed beneath him.

“Foster.” I clutched the bedding at my sides, my legs spreading even wider.

“You’re mine, love. Say it.”

“I’m yours.”

“That’s my good girl.” He slipped a long finger inside, stroking that sensitive spot, and I came apart.

A loud moan, entirely uncontrolled, came from my throat and he reached up, covering my mouth with his palm.

Pulse after pulse, the orgasm crashed into me as stars broke behind my eyes. Foster’s tongue never stopped, not until I collapsed on the bed, spent and boneless.

“There’s one,” he murmured, kissing the inside of my knee.

I smiled, my eyelids too heavy to open.

“Look at me,” he ordered as he hovered above me, his elbows bracketing my head. His hips settled into the cradle of my own, his cock pressing into my sensitive flesh. Then he waited until I opened my eyes, his darkened gaze waiting.

“I love you.” He rocked against my core. “Fuck, but I love you.”

My heart stopped.

I opened my mouth, a surge of panic rising, when there were no words to say.

I loved him. I’d loved Foster for what felt like my entire life. I just . . .

Why couldn’t I say it?

He ran his knuckles along my cheek, then he hummed. A hum that said it was okay. That he understood. That he’d be here when I was ready.

I lifted off the pillow, my mouth finding his. Then I flicked my tongue against his, tasting myself. One thrust of his hips and he buried himself to the root, stealing my breath. I stretched around him, meeting his strokes, needing more and more and more.

Every need, Foster anticipated. Every touch, he drove me higher. Until I clawed at his back, my nails digging deep, and shattered.

He buried his face in my neck, pouring his own release inside of me. After the haze cleared, he wrapped me in those strong arms and held me, twisting us so I was draped across his chest.

“Say it again,” I murmured, sleep creeping in at the edges.

“I love you.”

This time it was me who hummed.

Maybe if he said it over and over, I’d be able to say it back. Maybe if he said it over and over, I’d stop thinking about the years we’d missed.

Maybe if he said it over and over, I’d stop worrying that love wasn’t enough.