Begin Again novel Chapter 18

[Two Years Later]...

Eden's friends were already waiting to welcome her home when she pulled into the driveway of the single-story bungalow on Alice Lane, a quiet suburban street six blocks away from her old apartment in Forrest Creek.

The 'sold' sign propped on the front lawn filled Eden with pride. She'd done it, bought her first home. It was small. Only two bedrooms. But since it was on a corner lot, she had a bit of extra yard space. With a growing, rumbustious little boy, she'd need plenty of yard space.

She turned to check on Aiden sleeping in his car seat in the back. Her heart swelled with a love so intense she thought it would burst and shatter in her chest in a kaleidoscope of fragments. He was the love of her life, the light that had pulled her out of her darkest days. The moment she knew of his existence, she began to live and breathe for him.

Eden unsnapped her seatbelt and pushed out of her Toyota Prius.

Her friends ran to her when they saw her, screaming and crying as they scooped her up and twirled her in the air.

"If you lose any more weight you're going to put all of us to shame," Sienna commented as she set her down.

"Yeah, we need to take you to Wendy’s and stuff you with burgers and fries real quick," Lydia agreed as she hooked her phone up on a selfie stick and began rolling the camera for her fans, giving them a minute-by-minute update of the homecoming party.

"How are you holding up?" Cassandra asked, a concerned look clouded her eyes as they all moved out of frame to let Lydia give her fandom a view of the house.

Eden tried to smile and put on a brave face. "I'm good." But she wasn't. It will be a while before she is again.

It's been three months since her grandmother died, and she’s still reeling from the shock and her grief. Some days she was okay and able to get through her long list of endless tasks by putting one foot forward.

The first few days after Grammy died, though, were brutal on her. But they were also the easiest somehow because she’d kept herself busy with arranging the memorial service and funeral. The reading of the will, and sorting out Grammy's estate came weeks later and her grief only truly set in when she began to clear out the cabin, deciding what to let go of and what to keep.

She'd kept it all.

And it was a decision she was starting to seriously question now that she could see how small her bungalow really is. The realtor hadn't lied about that or that it's a fixer-upper. There was so much work to be done on the outside alone.

She'd keep the baby blue exterior walls, but a new coat of paint was needed.

Someone would have to go up the roof to assess the damage, and maybe paint the roof tiles while they're still there.

A few windows would have to be replaced and the trims repainted throughout the house.

The cost kept staggering as Eden mentally went through the list.

Not today, she told herself as she forced herself to put all her money problems aside for the moment. There'd be plenty of time to stress about her finances. Right now, she wanted to enjoy the day with her friends.

The last time they met was at Grammy's funeral. With the mood sombre, none of them had felt particularly chatty that day. They had so much to catch up on.

"Little Aiden's awake," Sienna said excitedly, and they all turned to watch her son entertaining himself in the car.

He was the sweetest little boy. Never kicked up a fuss. Sometimes Eden thought her son knew somehow she's struggling on all fronts and tried to make things easy on her. He never cried, except when he's teething or sick, never threw tantrums either. He was a true gem.

Eden made her way back to the car and freed Aiden from his car seat.

"Mom!" He squealed as he wrapped his stubby arms around her neck.