Eden's Garden, page 17
Instead, the woman sat staring at her, face aghast. “Did…did you just mentally drown my bike?”
Denisha hesitated. “Fakely?”
“Plop, shhhh, puh. Ah, shit. Sorry, Neesh.” Maya crossed her arms over her chest, though her expression didn’t look terribly sorrowful.
“What was that?” Denisha actually craned to look over the edge of the table, as if staring into water, searching for something.
I bit my lip, torn between whether I should break this up or see where it went. I hated to admit it, but their banter actually amused me.
“I couldn’t stop it, man. Your Switch…it wanted to be heroic and shit and jumped in to save my bike. Dumbass forgot it couldn’t swim. Now they’re both dead.”
“Eden, Maya killed my Switch!” Denisha whined, whirling to face me as she pointed at the offending woman.
Maya shrugged, her expression innocent. “Fakely.”
I bit the inside of my lip, hard, to keep from snickering. “Okay, you two,” I finally said once I managed to bring myself under control. “No more deaths, electronic or otherwise. Or tonight won’t be very fun.”
“Ooh, spankings!” Maya rubbed her hands together, causing Denisha to flinch.
I grabbed her thigh and leaned in so close my lips brushed the delicate shell of her ear. “More like we’ll play kiddy board games all night while you wear nipple clamps, then when the girls go to bed, I’ll take them off…and tuck you in too with no finisher.”
She visibly blanched as I pulled back. “Okay, okay. I gotcha. Jesus, I’ll behave.”
We all chuckled as I settled back into my seat. As the laughter began to die down, Abe returned to the table. His jovial smile broke out as he placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder.
“Afternoon, ladies. How’s everyone doing?”
“Good, Mister Abe. How are you?” Denisha asked.
“I’m well. I hear things might be finally settling down with your mother.” He tilted his head as he awaited her answer.
She fidgeted a moment and a frown marred her face. “Mama left a letter on New Year’s Eve asking me to start going to counseling with her. She said that maybe we start trying to work on being friends so hopefully someday we could work on being family again.”
“What do you think about it, Eden?” Elle asked, glancing at me with a worried expression. I could tell she didn’t like the idea, and to be fair, I wasn’t terribly fond of Denisha being in the same room with her mother either, but a step was a step.
“I think it’s a good concession on her mother’s end, but Denisha knows she doesn’t have to take her up on the offer until she feels like she is ready to start that healing process. She has our support and love no matter what she chooses or how long it takes.” I reached across the table and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, which earned a small smile from her.
Abe nodded as if he supported what I said. “Speaking of choices, Eden, word is you’re—Ow!”
Elle’s expression never changed, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out she’d kicked him to shut him up. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her a moment, and one could see him working through why his wife might want him to shut up. Silently, I begged him to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
“You alright, old man?” Maya arched a brow at him.
He cleared his throat before nodding. “Banged my shin.”
We sat there awkwardly for a moment. My heart thudded in my chest as I wondered which one of my girls would be the one to pursue it. Curious Denisha or suspicious Maya? The seconds seemed to stretch as I became hyper aware of every movement the two women made. It almost threw me into confessing right then, right there. The only thing holding me back rested on the fact that not all of my girls were present.
“So, what were you saying about Mistress?” Maya asked as she lounged in her chair while she dug a piece of gum from her pocket.
Of course it would be my bratty sub who challenged everything. There were days I questioned how she managed to get through bootcamp without being discharged for telling a superior to go fuck themselves. I watched her pop the gum in her mouth and saw a glimmer of the woman I’d met half a year ago. The sexy lady who hid her anxiety under a mouthy, harsh exterior.
“Word is Eden’s going to have to buy out a jewelry store for Valentine’s Day,” Abe said, his tone never missing a beat. “I bet Christmas was no small feat. Maybe you should just think about investing in the jewelry business so you’ve got holidays covered for life.”
I chuckled as a sigh of relief shuddered over my soul. “Nah. These girls wouldn’t be satisfied with me constantly throwing sparkly stuff at them. They place value in so many other things, I’d only be able to get away with bling once in a great while.”
“You kidding me? About the only time you need to worry about diamonds and shit is when you decide which one of us you’re going to marry and make head of the harem you’ve got going on.” Maya snickered.
“The rest of us will still get participation rings, right? Kinda like a runner up trophy?” Denisha asked. She stretched out her hand as if admiring a ring already.
I choked and sat up straighter. “Whoa, whoa. Ladies. Easy there. You see what you started, Abe?”
He held up his hands in surrender as he laughed. “I didn’t mean nothing by it. I was just thinking how I’m treating my lovely wife to dinner and a gift, and that’s setting me back a pretty penny for just one woman. Valentine’s Day is in three weeks and you’ve got four women to woo.”
Realization dawned and I slouched in my seat. I felt like we’d just finished Christmas shopping and that took so much effort. The idea of buying them all gifts for Valentine’s now too did feel rather daunting. Would they be happy with the traditional fancy dinner and a piece of jewelry? No, not with how much half of them hated public crowded spaces and the other half didn’t care a whit about jewelry.
I looked up to see them all openly laughing at me. “What?”
“You can see it on your face, dear. The ever composed, cool headed, all mighty Eden has been caught red-handed at being completely unprepared for Valentine’s Day.” Elle giggled as she slapped her thigh. “I have to admit, it’s nice to see you flustered.”
“It’s alright,” Maya said as she leaned against me to snuggle in. “You can just get my name tattooed on your pussy so you’ll be mine forever and we’ll call it even.”
I nipped her earlobe hard enough to make her yip and decided she was definitely wearing some nipple clamps tonight. But her comment did set some wheels turning, and I realized there was something I could give the girls for Valentine’s that might actually make them very, very happy after all.
Chapter Twenty-Six
I paced my living room nervously. Cami and Denisha sat on the couch staring at me in silence. Tonight, I turned down her offer to be Camilla. I couldn’t cook fancy large meals, but I could order large amounts of Chinese. The food should arrive about the same time as Wynn and Maya.
“Should we like tackle her or something?” Denisha whispered loudly. “I’ve got her ankles if you can reach her arms.”
They straightened with guilty, wide eyes when I leveled a playful glare at them. Cami rose and approached me, her expression hesitant as she searched my face.
“Mew?”
“Am I scaring you both?”
She nodded.
I sighed and flopped on the couch, then opened my arms wide, inviting them in. They piled against me and Snickers landed in the middle of my lap, startling me as he seemed to materialize from nowhere. “I’m sorry. I’m really nervous. I really hope you all like what I have planned and I guess I’m letting my worry get to me.”
“Miss Eden, I heard what you got us.” Denisha lifted her head, her expression serious. “You can never go wrong with that much food. You spent like a fortune. I’m gonna eat for days.”
I laughed, though it did nothing to ease the jumble of emotions rolling in my stomach. We all stiffened as voices echoed through the front door just before the handle turned. We stood as it opened to reveal Wynn, who stepped aside and held the door open. Maya appeared a second later, arms laden with bags, followed by a delivery guy also carrying multiple bags.
“Yo, Mistress, the cavalry arrived just in time. Poor dude would have had to make like three trips for this shit.” Maya grinned at me as she walked past to set the food in the kitchen.
Cami clutched Snickers to her chest as she followed after while Denisha sprang forward to help grab some of the food from the guy. I also headed for the door with a warm smile, though the fact everyone was here now only served to ratchet up my nerves by about a thousand percent.
“Can I get a signature, please?” he asked as he pulled a receipt out.
“Sure.” I accepted the paper and pen from him, then added a tip to the bill plus my signature. “Thanks and have a safe night.” Once I handed it back, I took the remaining bags from him before stepping aside to let Wynn shut the door.
“Hi,” she said with a soft smile.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Wynn.” The warmth of her lips felt nice against mine as I gave her a quick kiss. “You hungry?”
She nodded as she took her coat off and hung it in the coat closet. Meanwhile, I made my way to join the others in the kitchen. Plates and containers covered the table and counters. Upon seeing all the food, I began to finally wonder if maybe I had overdone it just a tad. Crab rangoon, beef and broccoli, sweet and sour chicken, white rice, fried rice, sticks of teriyaki chicken, containers of noodles, egg rolls, mixed vegetables. I’d been certain to buy plenty of each.
“Where’s Dove?” I looked around, trying to be certain I hadn’t simply missed the dog.
Wynn placed some cups out on the counter before meeting my question with a shrug. “She had training today and seemed tired, so I let her stay home to snooze. I figured I’d be okay since it’s here with you all.”
That statement warmed my heart a thousand times over. Her faith in us, in the safety this household provided her, meant the world to me and could have served as a Valentine’s gift all in itself. I tucked this moment away in the deepest, most sacred part of my memories as a treasure to never forget. Hopefully tonight would be full of those kinds of memories.
I nabbed a plate and started filling it with food I knew Denisha liked. As I spooned on the white rice, sweet and sour chicken, and placed the crab rangoon on it, I mused over the fact I didn’t even have to ask her what she wanted or liked. Already, I knew her food preferences fairly well, and that made my heart swell too.
Each of these women, so different from one another, brought a light to my life that left my whole world blazing with a myriad of colors. Like a room with stained glass walls in the middle of summer. Dazzling, beautiful rainbows that made my life worth living. Yet each of them remained delicate, like flowers blooming in a well kept garden. They really were my rainbow roses.
I set Denisha’s plate down before her and gave her head a gentle pat, then checked my watch. Just one more piece of tonight’s puzzle left to fall into place. We were settled at the table and eating when the final knock came at the door. Snickers issued a couple of cautionary barks before returning to his own bowl of chow when Cami shushed him.
My chair scraped loudly in the suddenly quiet room. “I’ll get it.”
The others cast wary glances at each other, but I refused to offer them anything more before to the front door. When I opened it, Rhett stood there, arms laden with flower vases . I threw the door wide to let him in, then closed it behind me.
“Any left for me?” he asked.
“Oh, there’s plenty. Did you get the—”
“Yep.” He winked at me.
I wrung my hands then took a couple of the vases from him. “What about—”
“Relax. I got everything. Deep breaths. They love you.”
When we walked back into the room, all the women visibly relaxed at the sight of Rhett.
“What’s this?” Maya teased as she glanced between the two of us. “I thought you didn’t swing that way.”
“Shush, you. Valentine’s is for telling people you love them, whether you’re sexual partners or not. Rhett’s family.” I began walking around the table, setting vases of flowers before each of my beautiful girls. “I thought it might be nice to do something frilly and traditional for our first Valentine’s, even if it is kind of sappy.”
“They’re beautiful,” Wynn said, leaning forward to sniff hers. “How did you find rainbow ones?”
“Oh, it was a pain in the ass. Believe me. But absolutely fitting.”
Denisha sat back, arms folded over her chest with a wary expression on her face. “What gives?”
“Huh?” I stopped in my tracks to look at her, surprised by her reaction. “What’s wrong, sweetie? Do you not like the roses?”
“It’s not that.” Her brow furrowed as she pointed a finger at me. “You were super nervous earlier. Nobody gets that upset over flowers. What gives?”
“She’s right,” Cami said, her fingers nervously worrying the edge of her shirt as she stared at her lap. “They’re pretty and all but…but…”
I threw my hands up in the air in a gesture of surrender. “Okay, you’re right. I’ve not been completely honest with you all the past two months. I accepted a job transfer… I will be permanently staying here.”
The girls sat in stunned silence for a few moments, then Denisha leapt up from the table. A strange, choking sound emanated from her chest.
“Denisha?”
Before I could make my way to her, she launched herself at me, full-scale sobbing. Within seconds, Cami joined us, tears streaming down her face as well. They clung to me and each other, crying so hard I began to worry I’d done more harm than good with my announcement.
“You’re staying. You’re really fucking staying?” Maya demanded as she appeared just behind them.
I nodded as I pat someone’s back, though I wasn’t sure whose with how close they’d both burrowed in.
“Holy fuck.” Maya’s expression went slack as she took a few steps backward and sat down heavily in the chair Rhett pulled out for her. “Holy fuck, did you hear that?”
“Tell them the rest, Eden,” Rhett urged, the grin on his face completely at odds with the reactions the girls were giving me.
Cami leaned back to regard me through red-rimmed puffy eyes. “Th-the rest?”
“Elle put me in touch with a friend of hers who does rentals. This house is nice, but it’s getting a little cramped, and my lease will be up in May anyway, so I bought it out early. We’re moving to Suffolk, which puts us a lot closer to our jobs than we are now.” I turned my head so I could look at Wynn and Maya. “And there’s more bedrooms so if you ever want to stay, you can have your own space instead of crashing on couches like we had to during the hurricane.”
“Maybe we should just move in with you too, as much as we’re over,” Maya said, her tone joking as she regained her composure.
“If that’s something the two of you want to do, we could seriously talk about it,” I responded as I disengaged myself from Denisha and Cami now that they’d calmed down some. I grabbed tissues and handed them out to the girls to dry their tears and blow their noses.
Rhett chuckled. “I even made sure it wasn’t in a flood zone so everyone’s safe next hurricane.”
“And to top it off, Rhett’s moving in about two blocks away,” I added.
He stood and pulled an envelope out of his back pocket, then opened it. “I have the rental contract for Eden’s house right here, signed and sealed. She asked me to pick it up from the office on my way back from the florist shop.”
Wynn held out a hand for it, and when he gave it to her, I noticed the paper shook in her grasp though her face betrayed no emotions. Her eyes scanned the page side to side before she peered at me. “This is a large house, Eden. Are you sure you can afford it?”
“I made sure to stay within a budget that I could comfortably afford with my new salary even if no one helped with rent,” I reassured her. “My job pays well. It will be okay.”
We sat in silence as she read it again. Finally, she placed it down on the table. “Well, I don’t think the rest of us can quite top this as a Valentine’s Day gift. You’re committing yourself to us one hundred percent, aren’t you?”
“I am.” I smiled at each of them individually. “I love you. All of you. Each of you, for the woman you are. And call me selfish, but I can’t imagine life without you ladies in it. So I’m home.”
As if on cue, all four of them came forward and enveloped me in a hug. I reveled in their warmth and love. The completeness I felt in this moment, surrounded by them.
“There’s one more thing,” Rhett said, interrupting us just as tears began trickling down my own face. We broke apart to find him holding Snickers up with a card propped in the puppy’s paws. “Sorry, ladies, but this one is from Snickers to Camilla.”
She stepped forward, a small smile tugging at her lips over receiving a Valentine from the pup.
“Read it out loud,” I urged as she slipped the card from Snicker’s paws.
“Awoo awoo, I’ll always choose you. Be my Valentine.” She opened the card and began reading the personalized note. “Will you be my Mommy fur-ever? Love, Snickers.” Comprehension dawned on her face at the same time Denisha squealed in joy.
“Snickers is staying!”
“Do you mean it?”
“Fucking A, Mistress.”
“Aww, that’s sweet.”
Their happiness and joy flooded over me and I laughed as my own tears streaked down my cheeks. “Yes,” I said as I drew each of them close and peppered them with kisses. “Yes, he’s staying. I’m staying. We’re all staying together.”
Before he could sneak away to grab food, I snagged Rhett into the hug and gave him a kiss on the cheek too.
Home with the people I loved most having the best day of our lives celebrating our happiness with each other. This, right here, was the meaning of Valentine’s Day, and I thanked my lucky stars I’d found it with these people.
