Garnet Flats (The Edens)

“That’s it?” I asked my realtor as I eased the truck to a stop in front of Talia’s house.

“Inventory is low.”

Low? Based on the email she’d just sent with the exact same listings she’d sent the week before, inventory was practically nonexistent. “Yeah.”

“Sorry, Foster. February is a tough month for listings. But it will pick up in the spring.”

“Not your fault.” I couldn’t exactly blame her for this situation. It wasn’t like she could conjure a decent home for Kadence and me out of thin air.

“For what you’re looking for, I think a new build will be your best option.”

“Yeah. Will you start sending me lot listings?”

“Absolutely. I’ll warn you there isn’t much.”

Of course there isn’t. “Appreciate it.” I ended the call and stared down the street. “Damn.”

This realtor was Talia’s recommendation because I sure as hell wasn’t going to use the same guy who’d sold me the gym. Over the past two weeks, I’d all but memorized the available listings in a twenty-mile radius.

My top options were a modular that from the outside looked in worse shape than the gym. Or I could buy a tiny, two-bedroom house on the outskirts of town next to the highway and the garbage dump.

Which meant once we left Talia’s, it was back to the gym.

Or maybe . . .

I stared at Talia’s house. The green siding was the color of desert sage. The brick at the base of the house was the same they’d used for the covered porch’s stairs. The afternoon sunlight caught on the dormer windows upstairs. And beyond the wooden front door was my girl.

Two weeks we’d been here. Each night, I told Talia that I loved her before she fell asleep in my arms. Two weeks and she hadn’t hinted at saying it back. Two weeks and there was still something holding her back.

It had only been two weeks. Two weeks in the scope of time was nothing. But two weeks spent dwelling on my fears had twisted me into a knot.

Not even the brutal training regimen with Jasper had helped erase the mountain of tension in my gut.

Talia hadn’t made a single comment about Kadence and me moving out. Not one. She also hadn’t asked us to stay after the gym was back to normal.

Was it too soon to move in together? Probably. Except I was ready to take leaps into the future. Talia was shuffling baby steps. She was keeping up a shield, a wall invisible to most.

Not me.

Sure, things between us had been incredible. Any other man wouldn’t worry. But I knew Talia Eden better than I knew myself. And this just . . . it wasn’t like the days before.

The days when I’d lived for her next breath and she’d survived on my heartbeat.

I shoved out of the truck and made my way inside, stomping the snow off my boots before tugging them off.

“Talia,” I called.

“In here.”

Down the hallway, she was in Kadence’s room with a laundry basket on the bed and a clean shirt in her hands. “I would have done that.”

“I don’t mind.” She smiled as I came to stand beside her, dropping a kiss to her mouth before plucking a pair of jeans from the pile and folding them into a square.

“How was your day?”

“Quiet.” She’d worked all weekend and had today and tomorrow off. “It was nice to catch up on housework. How was the gym?”

“Fine. Jasper’s determined to kick my ass every day until the fight.” Which was coming in less than a month. The nerves were beginning to creep in. The anticipation.

We’d worked out for hours today, mostly practicing grappling techniques. Then we’d done cardio, the treadmill and stationary bike, until I’d been ready to drop to my knees. But that was my strategy. No opponent would outlast me. I’d be in better shape than any man I’d met in the ring.

“You smell good.” Talia leaned in and pressed her nose to the sleeve of my shirt. “Did you shower?”

“Yeah. The plumber finished up yesterday.”

“Oh, that’s great.”

Did she say that because now that the water was back to rights, we could leave her house?

“What’s wrong?” She stared at the frown tugging at my mouth.

“Nothing.” I gave her another kiss and went back to the laundry.

The plumber who’d come in to check on the water heater had replaced it quickly enough. But in the process, he’d found a pipe that was rusted and in bad shape.

I was done with these goddamn emergencies, so I’d told him to replace it. Of course it had been the main pipe leading to the apartment, so he’d had to rip out a decent section of the wall to get it fixed.

While he’d been making repairs, I’d also hired an electrician to assess the building. The last thing I needed was an electrical fire. The wiring was old but worked, though the electrical panel was outdated and overloaded.

All problems that had all been overlooked, or missed, by the property inspector my realtor had arranged. And by me, because I’d been in such a damn hurry to move, I hadn’t thought twice.

The electrician had fixed the panel. I’d slapped some sheetrock over the holes the plumber had left behind. Tomorrow, I’d add wall spackle and eventually paint. Today was the first day when no one had been at the gym but Jasper and me.

“We can probably get out of your hair tomorrow,” I said, holding my breath.

Her hands stopped folding. “Oh.”

“Unless you don’t want—”

“That will probably be—”

We spoke over each other, then stopped.

“You go,” I said.

“Do you want to leave?” She worried her bottom lip between her teeth.

“Do you want us to stay?”

There was such vulnerability in those blue eyes, like she was scared to admit what she wanted.

Tell me. Please. Just tell me. Come on, Tally. Let go.

“Stay for a little longer.”

It wasn’t everything, but it was something. I hauled her into my arms, pressing my nose to her hair and breathing her in. “Okay. A little while.”

“Do you think Kadence will care?”

I chuckled. “Uh, no.”

She’d asked me on the way to school this morning if we could live at Talia’s until we found our own house. Part of that was because we’d learned that her friend Maggie was just a block away, and last Saturday, we’d let them have a playdate.

But the other part was Talia.

My daughter was falling in love.

I envied her that. What I wouldn’t give to go back to the beginning, when Talia and I were strangers, and experience the magic of falling in love with her all over again.

She let me go and went back to the laundry, the two of us folding it in comfortable silence. I stowed everything in the drawers while she hung up Kaddie’s sweaters in the closet. When I finished before her, I sat on the edge of the bed, watching as she moved.

Talia would make an amazing mother. Did she want kids of her own?

I wanted more kids. I wanted to watch Talia grow with our child. I wanted a life of us chasing them around and then, once they were asleep, sliding into bed beside her until the end of my days.

“Do you want—” I stopped myself. Too soon.

“Want what?” she asked.

“Want to come with me to pick Kadence up?”

“Sure.” She hung up Kaddie’s last sweatshirt, then I followed her from the bedroom, taking the basket to the laundry room while she pulled on a pair of tennis shoes. The black leggings she wore today were molded to her long, toned legs and the curve of her ass.

My cock twitched behind my jeans. This woman had no idea how I craved her, every moment. But I didn’t dare touch because if we started, I wouldn’t stop. And we needed to get to the school.

When Talia reached for a coat on the hook in the entryway, I snatched it first. “You forgot the rules.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, did I?”

“Clearly.” I held out the coat for her to slip it over her arms.

“Always the gentleman.”

“For you.” I’d forbidden her once from putting on her own coat when I was in the room. Or opening a door. Or twisting the lid off a jar.

“I can do this, you know?” she said as I zipped her jacket up to her throat.

“For all his faults, my dad is always a gentleman.” Even though I’d always insisted on doing the little things for her, I’d never told her why. “Even when he is furious with my mom for losing two grand in a night, he treats her with respect. Opens doors. Holds out her coat. Pulls out her chair.”

I hadn’t learned much from Dad—mostly what not to do—but that had been one of the good lessons.

“It’s not about taking away your independence,” I said. “I know you can zip up your own coat. Open your own doors. But it’s a way for me to give back to you just a fraction of what you give to me.”

Her eyes softened. “Foster.”

“Let me.”

“Okay.”

“Thank you.” With my finger under her chin, I pulled her closer for a kiss.

Her hands came to my chest as she rose up on her toes, opening for me to slide inside.

Fuck it. My hands went to her ass, my palms molding to her curves as I squeezed. Damn these leggings.

Talia moaned, her arms sliding around my neck.

With a quick hoist, I had her up and pressed against the door. Then I pressed my arousal into her center, letting her feel how much I wanted her. How insatiable I was when it came to her.

I was seconds away from shoving those leggings down and giving her a hard and fast fuck when my phone vibrated in my pocket. “Ignore it.” I kissed her again.

But the vibrating continued, and damn it, we didn’t have time, so I tore my mouth away with a growl.

Talia laughed, wiping my lips dry with her thumb. “We’re getting carried away.”

“With you? Always.”

She giggled and unwound her arms as I set her on her feet. Talia didn’t reach for the door. She waited for me to adjust my aching cock, then open it for her. And she did the same when we reached the truck, letting me hold the door as she hopped into the passenger seat.

I took her hand in mine as we drove across town to school and took our place in the pickup line.

“Who called you?” she asked.

“Oh.” I dug out my phone, having forgotten about it. I hit the missed call notification, the ring of the phone filling the cab. “It was Vivi.”

“Hi,” she answered. “Did you pick her up yet?”

“No, just waiting in line.”

“Okay, good. I wanted to talk about something before she got there.”

I glanced at Talia, pointing at the console. Did she want me to tell Vivienne she was here? But she shook her head. “What’s up?”

“I’m coming up tonight.”

I blinked. “Tonight?”

“There’s a six o’clock flight that gets into Missoula around midnight. I’ll just stay there and then get up early to drive over in the morning.”

“All right.” This was days earlier than we’d planned, but if she wanted to come to Montana before the weekend and see Kadence, I wouldn’t argue. Kaddie would be overjoyed. “Everything okay?”

“I hate this, Foster.” The click of a zipper, like a suitcase closing, sounded in the background. “I hate this.”

“I know you do, Vivi.”

“I’m not missing her first basketball practice.”

I chuckled. “It’s only practice. You’ll be here for the first game.”

“And I’ll be there for the first practice too.”

“Okay. She’ll be thrilled.”

“Don’t tell her I’m coming. I booked a last-minute flight, and I don’t want her hopes up, just in case it falls through.”

“Why didn’t you just call the charter company and change your flight?”

“I tried, but something about needing to submit a flight plan twenty-four hours in advance. I don’t know. I just . . . I’m not waiting. I can’t keep doing this. It’s too hard.” Her voice cracked and tears would be next.

“Don’t cry.”

“I’m not crying.”

“Yet.”

“Yet.” A sniffle came. “I wanted to give you time with Talia. I know she doesn’t want to see me. But I miss Kadence. I miss her so much it hurts.”

I glanced over at Talia. There was understanding on her face. She didn’t speak up but she gave me a slight nod. “Talia understands. Come. Be here. We can all watch the first basketball practice.”

“Thanks.” Vivienne blew out a long breath. “How’s it going with you and Talia? Did she say she loves you yet?”

Oh fuck.

Talia’s eyes widened for just a moment, and then she looked to her window, her jaw clenched tight.

Fuck. Fuck.

“Here comes Kadence,” I lied before Vivienne could say another word.

“Ack.” A muffled thud came through the speakers. “Let me call you right back as soon as I get in the car. I almost dropped my phone trying to load my suitcase.”

“Okay.” I ended the call and the silence that followed in the truck was suffocating. Fuck.

I should have told her Talia was here. I shouldn’t have called until Kadence was here to be a buffer.

Talia wouldn’t look at me. She kept her eyes aimed out the window and her shoulders curled in, like she wanted to disappear.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Kadence to rush toward the truck. Talia had braided Kaddie’s chestnut hair this morning but after a day of school and recess, some wisps had come loose around her temples.

She was smiling as she came to the truck, looking over her shoulder to yell, “Bye!”

It should have sent my heart soaring. Except the emptiness on Talia’s face was excruciating.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered as Kaddie tossed her backpack into the truck, plopping into her seat. Then I focused on my daughter. “Hi, little bug.”

“Hi, Daddy. Hi, Talia. Guess what?” Kadence spent the drive home telling us about an assembly they’d had today, where a guy named Radical Roy had come to the school to demonstrate different science experiments.

When we got home, Talia disappeared to her room with the excuse that she had her own laundry to do.

I gave her space, not wanting to push a discussion with Kadence around to hear. Dinner was tense at best. Even Kaddie noticed Talia was quiet, giving kind, but short answers whenever my daughter asked a question.

Talia didn’t meet my gaze once. When it was finally time for bed, I wasn’t surprised to come out of Kaddie’s room and find that Talia had escaped once more upstairs.

I checked the locks. Shut off the lights. Then climbed the stairs.

Her bedroom door was closed.

“Talia.” My knuckles tapped on the face. No answer. I twisted the handle and walked in anyway.

She was sitting on the bed, her knees drawn to her chest. There was a book beside her but she was staring out the window into the darkness beyond. “You talked about me.”

“She asked how we were doing. I was honest.”

Talia’s hands fisted. “That’s not her business.”

“You’re right. It’s not. But I didn’t do it to hurt you. To gossip about you. She’s just . . . my friend. I’ve shared my life with her these past seven years. And it’s a habit that I’ll have to break.”

“What else did you tell her?”

“Nothing. I swear. It was a two-minute conversation. I told her we were staying here while the work was being done at the gym. I wanted her to know that we were sleeping together in case Kadence mentioned it. She asked if we were serious. I said yes. She knows I’m in love with you. That was the extent of the conversation.”

Talia’s gaze shifted my direction. “That’s all?”

“That’s all.” It was just bad fucking luck that Vivienne had phrased her question that way earlier. Because I hadn’t admitted that while I’d said I love you, Talia had yet to say it back.

“I don’t know how to feel about her.” Talia’s shoulders slumped.

“That’s fair.” I closed the door behind me and walked further into the room, rounding the bed to sit beside her feet.

“I’m not mad. Not really.” She sighed. “I’m just confused. A little hurt. And jealous. I hate that you can tell when she’s about to cry, and that when she has a problem, you’re who she turns to. And I know I shouldn’t be jealous. But I am.”

God, it was good to hear. Not that I wanted her to suffer, but jealousy was something. A feeling, good or bad. It was something.

I took her hand in mine, peeling her fingertips away from her palm, then pressed it against my chest. “She never had my heart.”

“She had seven years.”

“And I’ll give you seventy.” If that meant I’d have to live until 101, I’d do everything in my power to give her that time.

“I’ll get over it,” she muttered.

Yes, she would. Eventually she’d realize that what I shared with Vivienne was nothing compared to what we had. Tonight, I’d remind her.

So I picked up where we’d left off earlier.

And stripped those leggings from her body.