Page 9

Marcus

Showing up at Eden’s door in the morning was a little nerve wracking. Things had been weird last night when they’d rejoined their friends. Well, when they’d rejoined Bree and Owen, who had waited for them. Rita and Andres had ended up finding an empty spanking bench to claim.

Bree had been concerned, Owen had been concerned because Bree was concerned, and Eden had put back up all the walls Marcus had broken down during their scene.

He’d stepped back a bit to give her space, unsure if he was doing the right thing, but since they’d done a one-eighty from a bet about her feelings to her giving him a second chance, he’d decided not to push.

He was still questioning whether that had been the right decision.

She’d texted him this morning that Rita and Bree would be joining them for breakfast and to bring enough for everyone, as well as giving him coffee orders. Was it another test? Absolutely. Was Marcus determined to pass with flying colors? Yup.

Was he going to punish her for testing him later?

Undecided.

He understood why she was doing it and understood why she’d invited Rita and Bree on their ‘date.’ Which he no longer considered a date since they had chaperones.

He’d gotten under her skin last night, even more than she’d expected, and now she was trying to walk back some of the progress they’d made, which was fine. Marcus still had a toehold, and he was going to make the most of it.

Besides, the way to a woman’s heart was often found through her friends.

If the friends approved, his job would be a million times easier.

He needed to win them over anyway since they were going to be part of his life for years to come.

Whether or not things worked out with him and Eden, he wasn’t going to be giving up his friendships.

That was why his anxiety spiked a little when he heard voices and laughter behind Eden’s door.

They were all there. Straightening up, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, quelling his racing heartbeat and slowing his breathing.

Anything to do with Eden felt high stress, and he did his best to avoid that.

Once he felt calmer, he knocked on the door.

All the voices within fell silent. A moment later, Eden called out in a sing-song voice.

“Who is it?”

“Daddy.”

The door jerked open, and her face was bright red. Marcus grinned and pushed the tray full of coffee drinks at her.

“Good morning, babygirl.”

“Oh my God, get in here. The last thing I need is Mrs. Vaughn hearing you and getting ideas!” She grabbed his arm—the one attached to the bag of food, not the coffee—and pulled him into her apartment. Marcus raised his eyebrows.

“You care what the neighbor thinks about you?” That seemed very unlike her.

“I care that she’s on a smutty-Daddy-romance-reading binge and overshares on everything.

I don’t care about what she wants to know about me.

I don’t want to hear what she has to say about her and Mr. Vaughn’s sexcapades.

” Eden shook her head, brushing strands of pink hair out of her face as she looked up at him with a pained expression.

“They’re in their eighties, and I can tell you the exact day she lost her anal virginity.

Because she told me. Because I made the mistake of telling her that I also read naughty romance. ”

Marcus nearly choked. He hoped to meet Mrs. Vaughn one day, not because he wanted to know about her sex life—he’d have to watch what he said—but because anyone who could discompose Eden was worth meeting.

“Good for her,” he said. “I would think you would find her inspirational.”

“She does,” Rita piped up from where she was sitting at the kitchen table. “But it is still a little uncomfortable. Mrs. Vaughn reminds me of my grandma. And I absolutely approve of grandma getting down, but I’m not so enlightened that I want to hear too much about it.”

“Especially when she describes how she gets Mr. Vaughn to get it up,” Bree muttered.

Marcus cracked up, shaking his head as he went to the table and began to unload the bag of goodies he’d brought. Bagels, cream cheese, several omelets, and fruit salad. He grabbed the Southwestern egg white omelet he’d gotten for himself and sat down in the chair next to Eden’s.

At least she had left that chair open rather than putting Bree and Rita between them.

“I’ll be more careful about what I say in the hallway,” he promised. Though he might find it funny, he was trying to make a good impression on everyone, especially Eden, which meant making sure she stayed comfortable.

“Thank you,” Eden said primly, taking the seat next to him. The next few minutes were silent while everyone grabbed what they wanted to eat, loading up their plates, and claiming their drinks.

Marcus began to eat his omelet, just happy to be there. He was going to treat Eden like a skittish animal—first step was getting her used to his presence. If they had been alone this morning, it might have been a different story, but they weren’t.

Eden

Marcus was sitting in her apartment, eating breakfast at her kitchen table. Even with her friends there, it felt oddly intimate. Maybe because it was so unexpected.

She stared at his meal.

“Are there vegetables in that?” she asked.

“Yes. It’s a Southwestern egg white omelet. It’s got peppers, spinach, and low-fat cheese.” He grinned at her. “I’ve changed up my diet a bit.”

Apparently. While she knew the job and stressful lifestyle he’d been leading had led to his heart attack, she’d also known his diet wouldn’t have helped.

He’d had the tendency to eat a lot of takeout and fast food, and he didn’t usually choose anything that had vegetables in it—burgers, fries, steak and cheese subs, tater tots.

For breakfast, he’d been more likely to down a few sausages than anything else.

Nothing wrong with those things in moderation, but it had started to be all he ate unless she made something for him.

Which had eaten into her time, and he’d never reciprocated.

To be perfectly honest, she’d expected to see him show up this morning with the usual kind of breakfast he’d gotten when he’d been in charge of food.

It was good to see him taking care of himself, especially in the wake of the heart attack, and another reminder of how things had changed. If they got back together, she wouldn’t have to nag him about his diet. He was already taking care of it.

“So, Marcus, what are your intentions toward our friend?” Rita asked, tilting her head toward Eden.

Eden rolled her eyes, but she didn’t protest. She knew she’d be doing the same thing in Rita’s shoes. Even kind-hearted Bree didn’t try to temper Rita’s bluntness. Instead, she gave Marcus the same hard look Rita was as they waited for his answer.

“To show her how much I’ve improved as a romantic partner and hope that she’s willing to give me a second chance to cherish her the way she deserves,” Marcus replied with perfect sincerity, his gaze moving to meet hers rather than looking at Rita or Bree.

“Awww,” Rita and Bree chorused in unison. Bree had softened more than Rita, but they were both looking a little starry-eyed now. Their own romances had prepped them to be open to anything romantic that came out of Marcus’ mouth.

Truth be told, Eden was feeling a little melty after the pronouncement as well.

Yes, he’d said something similar to her last weekend, but it wasn’t the same as announcing it to witnesses.

Especially since last weekend had been a surprise and this weekend…

well, she’d already really been able to see some of the changes he’d made to his life and the differences in his approach to her.

Now, he was setting himself up for what could be an embarrassment since he was announcing his intentions so baldly.

He didn’t have to.

He could have hemmed around it or said something less declarative. But he hadn’t.

The shields around her heart were already starting to feel a little cracked, even though she’d pulled them back up overnight. Now he was battering at them some more.

Rita gave herself a little shake.

“So, you’re not going to fall back into old bad habits, right?” she asked pointedly.

Eden coughed as she swallowed a piece of bagel wrong, and Marcus reached out to pat her on the back as he answered.

“I’ve had a few years of practice now,” he replied with a chuckle, not at all put out by Rita’s questioning. He was a lot chiller than he had been while they were married. “And I’ve been through a lot of therapy and done a lot of introspection.”

“You went to therapy?” At some point, she needed to get past being surprised by all the things he’d finally done after she’d left him.

“I did. I still go in for a tune-up sometimes.” He grinned at her. “Dr. Silverwood would be happy to meet you any time you’d like to come with me, in fact. I’ve told her all about you. She’s kink friendly.”

Eden knew that. She’d actually heard the name before, from her cousin Eben who worked at the Outlands. Sometimes, it seemed like Eben knew everyone in the community. Dr. Silverwood was one of the therapists the Outlands recommended to anyone who asked for a suggestion.

“Uh, maybe some time.” Depending on how things continued on with Marcus, it probably wasn’t a bad idea, but it wasn’t something she was willing to jump into right away. Hard to do couples therapy when you weren’t officially a couple yet.

Bree asked Marcus a question about his nursery, taking him off the hot seat, and conversation flowed much more easily until he had to leave. Eden walked him to the door, feeling as though she was on a first date, even though she’d invited her friends along.

Will he kiss me?

It turned out the answer was yes. When she opened the door, before she could step away, Marcus leaned down to steal a kiss… and she let him.

“I’ll give you a call later, baby— ah, beautiful.” He winked at her and sauntered away, whistling as he went.

Eden let herself check out his very fine ass for a few moments before shutting the door and sighing as she pressed her head against it.

“Girl, you are in so much trouble,” Rita called from the couch. “That man means business.”

“I know.” She turned to look at her friends. “I’m not being crazy, though, right? Like, it’s worth giving him a second chance?”

“Seems like it to me,” Bree said immediately. “It’s not just that he wants one. He’s been doing the work to be a better partner.”

“And a better Daddy,” Rita chimed in, grinning widely. “Besides, you know you’re going to regret it if you don’t at least try.”

“Are you okay?” Bree asked. She sat up a little, appearing concerned. “You know you know you don’t have to give him a second chance if you really don’t want to. We don’t have to be three couples.”

“Oh, she wants him. That’s why she’s struggling,” Rita answered before Eden could open her mouth.

Bree rolled her eyes.

“Rita’s right.” Eden groaned, making her way over to flop onto the couch between her friends.

They were both right. Marcus had clearly been putting in the work, and if she didn’t give him a chance now, she would always wonder.

Always imagine. It wasn’t about what was fair to him.

It was about what was fair to her… “I deserve to know where this could go. I’m not over him, or at least, I’m not over the idea of him, and I want to check out this reality. ”

Bree studied her closely for a moment.

“Okay. I’m just a little worried because you seem subdued.”

“That’s because he subdued her with his penis,” Rita suggested helpfully.

Picking up a pillow, Eden whacked her bestie with it.