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“I’d like that.”

“Right, well, let me speak to Aster tonight when we get home. I’ll have a look in my diary and see what events we have coming up. Can I let you know?”

“Home?” Angela quizzed.

Eden winced. If only it was home for them. “Slip of the tongue. Aster doesn’t live with me.”

“Right. Well.”

“But she will…one day.” I hope. “We haven’t been together long, so it’s not something we’ve talked about. But I’m sure when the time is right, it’ll happen.”

“Well, if she loves you, I’m sure that day will arrive, my love.”

“Okay, well, I’ll call you tomorrow with some dates.” Eden loved that her mum appeared to be on board, but she wasn’t getting ahead of herself.

“Fantastic.”

Eden relaxed her shoulders, sighing. “And Mum?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks.” Eden paused. “For giving me the opportunity to be happy with who I choose to be happy with. She really is great. You’re going to love her.”

“Do you love her?” Angela’s question caught Eden off guard, silence settling between them. “Eden?”

“Honestly? Yeah, I’m pretty sure I do.”

“Then I’m sure I’ll love her too. Call me tomorrow. I’ll let your father know we’ll have company soon.”

“Okay. Bye, Mum.”

Eden stared down at her phone, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Okay, her mum shouldn’t have reacted how she did in the first place, but she also hadn’t expected her to come to terms with it so soon either.

“Everything okay, babe?” Aster shocked Eden as she appeared in the doorway. “Did you have a work call?”

“N-no. It was my mother. She…wants to meet you again.”

Aster shrugged. “Sure. Free whenever you need me to be.”

“Really? I mean, I wouldn’t blame you if you weren’t keen on the idea. She wasn’t exactly pleasant to you the last time around.”

“Babe, I understand that it was a surprise for her. But I’m not worried about how she feels about me. I only care that you’re happy with me. Everyone else is…not really my concern.”

“You’re amazing.” Eden held out a hand, pulling Aster towards her when she took it. “Are you coming home with me tonight, or do I have to let you go after such a lovely evening with your dad?”

“You like him?” Aster’s eyes brightened. Why she thought Eden wouldn’t like him was a mystery.

“Of course. He’s lovely.”

Aster relaxed beside Eden, mirroring her position as she leant against the counter. “I knew you’d love him. Well, I hoped. He’s just always so down to earth. But I’ve never brought anyone home to meet him. Not like this, anyway. It was always just an in passing kinda thing, you know?”

“Then I’m glad I’m the one you did this first with.”

Aster nudged Eden’s shoulder, grinning. “He really likes you. He didn’t stop talking about you once we got outside. And that means everything to me.”

“Me too. Now, should we have another cuppa with him before we head off?”

“If you needed to get back, that’s okay.”