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.

'Mom' was one of the few words he knew. She read on the parenting forums that he should be talking much more. But her son seemed to be lagging in that department. She planned to consult someone as soon as she can afford to.

"There's my big boy!" Eden kissed him on both cheeks, sending him into peals of laughter.

"Mom! Eat." He said again as she grabbed his diaper bag and hauled it over her shoulder.

"I know baby," Eden assured him as they approached the house. He probably needed a diaper change too. Their last rest stop was two hours ago. But he'd refused to have the mashed potatoes and pumpkin she'd prepared for him.

Cassandra took the bag from her, while Sienna grabbed Aiden.

"My son!" She squealed as she kissed his hair. The terror in Aiden's eyes was undeniable; he immediately dissolved into tears.

"Okay, back to your Mom," Sienna said as she shoved him back in Eden's arms.

He quietened down as soon as she held him close to her chest and suckled him. He was shy at first, throwing Sienna and Cassandra into fits of laughter when he pushed her breast away. But when she covered him with his blanket, he nursed with no problems, his chubby feet bobbing happily.

Eden rolled the changing mat on the pale laminate floor once they were inside. The realtor hadn't lied about that either. It was the same floors throughout the house, and they looked fairly new. At least she wouldn't have to replace them immediately.

Aiden rolled away from her, his bare bottom sticking up in the air as he crawled to stare outside the window overlooking the backyard.

"How cute is Aiden though," Lydia cooed when she came in. The camera was still rolling but panned away from Eden and her very playful son as he ran around the room, refusing to put on a clean diaper.

"Can we just talk about his hair!" Cassandra gushed. "And those eyes."

Aiden was a mirror image of his father with his fiery hair and denim blue eyes. He had the same complexion too. His temperament and sweet disposition, though, was all her. At least that's what she liked to think since she didn't know anything about Liam other than he's happily married and living his best life.

She'd kept up with him in the news, bought every Business Insider magazine with his face on, and built an impressive collection since he's been shaking up the world of logistics with his innovative leadership. In the most recent cover, they'd interviewed him about his biggest client yet; a mega eCommerce giant had signed an exclusive shipping deal with Anderson Logistics.

"Does he know you're back?" Lydia could never read the room. She always went for the most uncomfortable questions.

"Why would he?" Eden asked as she smacked Aiden's bum playfully and sent him off to play; she'd finally managed to convince him to put on the much-hated diaper. "I never told him I left."

"And I still can't believe you turned a few days into two years," Sienna said as she wound her arms around her neck and wrestled her to the floor.

"You're not allowed to leave us again, do you hear me?" Her best friend tickled all her weak spots, which were everywhere really since she's so ticklish.

Eden was as red as a fire engine as she struggled to breathe through her laughter. "Okay, okay, I’m not going anywhere!"

"Mom."

They stopped, and the four of them turned to see Aiden in the doorway, his eyes glistening. Before they knew it, fat tears were rolling down his cheeks.

"See what you've done!" Cassandra glared at the two of them. "You scared him."

"I'm okay, baby,” Eden picked him up and held him, breathing in his baby smell. "Mom is okay; we were just playing."

"Play?" He mimicked, gently touching her face.