Walking up the steps of The Good Home, Eden took a deep breath; attempting to alleviate the nervousness she felt.

It had been over a week since the lunch with Barron and Bailey.

After Eden had asked him to back off, Barron had let up on his barrage of pressuring text messages and phone calls.

However, he seemed to have found a loophole in his promise; and that was by texting her close ended statements each day.

It ranged from "thinking of you" to "have a great day today" to"sweet dreams."

Instead of being enraged by his audacity, she couldn't help but be a little amused - and, okay, a little charmed by his persistence.

She had to give it up to him, no one could ever accuse Barron of not being assertive in going after what he wanted.

Still, she wasn't ready to fully commit to inviting Barron back into her life - whatever capacity that would be. However, she was open to letting go of some of the tightly held anger, resentment and pain that had been a constant dark cloud over her. She had already started to feel lighter with each confrontation with him - despite the forced proximity of its nature.

So why was she here with her heart in her throat, tracking Barron down at his place of business?

That was all down to an innocent question posed to her by a pained fourteen year old who had opened up to the class about her parent's divorce.

With tears in her eyes she had listened as Rayna poured her heart out with her story of her Dad leaving her Mom for another woman. How she had been so angry and hurt by his actions that she had refused to visit him or speak with him.

To her Mom's credit, she had still encouraged her daughter to speak to her father and keep him in her life. Eden knew from personal experience how much of a toll that would've taken on Rayna's Mom. The temptation to try and slight your ex by feeding negative thoughts into their child's ear was sometimes a path taken.

Rayna admitted that she missed her Dad but that she didn't know how to let go of her hurt and anger.

That question had hit home to Eden in a big way. She had memories of her own childhood where she had been abandoned by her father, and the resentment she had felt when he had made attempts to re-enter her life again.

It was her Mom's gentle encouragement and graciousness towards her ex that had opened the lines of communication up with her dad. It took time and a lot of groveling from her father before they relaxed into the father/daughter relationship that they have today. The thought of never seeing or knowing her half siblings brought a lump to her throat.

After rising and giving Rayna a tight hug she tried to impart advice based on her own experience.

"I get the hurt and I get the anger. You know, my dad left my mom when I was little. He wasn't ready to be a dad and I didn't hear from him again until I was twelve."

Rayna had gasped, unable to comprehend how a father could not only abandon their child but cut contact for so long.

"It took a long time and a lot of forgiveness to get to where we are today."

"You have a relationship with him?"

Eden nodded. "The best. But we wouldn't have gotten to this point without him acknowledging his wrong doing, my Mom encouraging the relationship and me forgiving him."

She wrapped her arm around Rayna. "I'm not going to tell you what to do, sweetie, this is your journey so you take your time with it. But just remember that your dad loves you, he didn't leave you; he wants to be in your life. You have two parents who love you a lot and that's a beautiful thing. It sounds like he misses you."

"He does. He keeps apologizing for hurting me and Mom but that he still loves me and wants to see me."

"Keep an open mind. When you're ready, you reach out to him and let the healing process start. But it should be on your terms. Just because you're a kid doesn't make your feelings any less valid. Just keep the communication open."

And just like that, she was hit with a sense of deja vu when those exact words were asked to her by Barron.

True, she didn't owe him anything but she had to admit, as taxing as it had been reliving their highschool days with Barron at lunch; she also remembered the happy memories. Not only as a couple, but as the friends that they had been first. She had missed him, despite the world of pain he had caused her.

So here she was, taking her own advice and opening up the lines of communication.

Where that would lead, she didn't know.

It was quiet in The Good Home which wasn't surprising given that it was early Wednesday evening. Just like the first time she had walked through the doors, she immediately felt welcomed by the warm ambience and delectable scent of food.

There was a blonde woman and a dark haired man behind the bar so she decided to approach them first. She wasn't close like that with Barron anymore to go barging into his office.

She did try at first to text and call him, but hadn't received a reply. Ironic that the one time she actually wanted to talk to him, he was difficult to reach. She decided to track him down before she lost her nerve, so after first checking with Kelly she deduced that he was probably at his office.

"Hi," she called out to the blonde woman first as she placed her hands on the bar.

The girl glanced up at her voice before a look of recognition flashed in her eyes. Eden's own drifted down to her name tag.

"Tracey," she smiled.

She expected a friendly smile back so was a little taken aback when Tracey gave her a look which could only be described as hostile.

Her smile wavering a little, Eden pushed on. "I'm looking for Barron. Do you know if he's in?"

Tracey regarded her with cool eyes while slowly running a towel around the rim of a glass.

"You don't have his number?' was all she said with a lift of her brow.

Wow, Barron really needed to screen his staff better.

"I do. But he's not answering."

"Maybe he doesn't want to talk to you."

Eden's head reared back at that bite of a statement. "Uhh.."

Before she could respond to that, the dark haired man intervened.

"Hi," he said with a big smile.

That was more like it.

He reached across the bar and offered her his hand which she gladly shook. "You're Eden, right? Barron's mentioned you before."

She tried to ignore the rush of pleasure she felt at his words but she had to admit, it did feel good to know that he'd mentioned her to other people.

"Yes, hi." She greeted him warmly. Her gaze flickered down.

Ian

Duty Manager

"Ian," she addressed him. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. You lookin' for Barron?"

"Yes. Sorry I tried calling and texting him but haven't heard back. I was wondering if he was in his office?"

"Yep! Been here a couple of hours. When he's engrossed in paperwork he usually forgets to check his phone."

He tilted his head towards the hallways that led to Barron's office. "Go on ahead. He won't mind since it's you."

Tracey huffed which caused Ian to turn a steely glare at her. "Can you fulfill table five's order, please." He firmly said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

She rolled her eyes before turning to grab a tray from behind her.

"Thanks, Ian," she said in the awkward silence, confused by Tracey's behavior but happy to exit the scene fast. "I'll head on back."

As Eden pushed through the double doors which read "Staff Only" she was hit by the memory of the last time she was here. When she had angrily slammed these doors open; wishing they would hit Barron in the face.

She hoped that their meeting now would go a lot smoother than the last time.

Stopping outside his office door she knocked with a confidence that she did not feel before pushing his door open when she heard his voice call out.

She poked her head in and was greeted with his back. He was hunched over his desk, frantically typing on his computer. She took a moment to drink him in with his navy blue t shirt, light hair that was a tad long and his tan arms which flexed across the keyboard in earnest.

"Hi."

At her voice Barron whirled around in his chair, surprise and delight crossing his handsome features at the sight of her.

"Eden!"

He stood and crossed to her before stopping, reaching his hand out to her and drawing it back. She bit back a smile at his adorable awkwardness. She knew that he was excited to see her but was attempting to reign in his enthusiasm in order to respect her space.

"I hope this is okay?" She asked, as she stepped further into the small space, closing the door.

She tried not to notice how sexy and muscular his legs looked in his stone white shorts or the way his heady aftershave filled her nose with pleasure.

"No! This is a nice surprise." He insisted.

"Would you like to sit?" He turned and grabbed his office chair before rolling it towards her. "Here, I'll take the stool."

Without waiting for her response, he grabbed the brown wooden stool he kept at the end of his desk, moving it closer to her before sitting down and regarding her with earnest eyes.

Not wanting to be the only one standing, she moved her chair a little further back from his before sitting. She could feel the warmth of his body on the seat he had just vacated and she felt her face flush at the intimate sensation.

"Sorry to come here out of the blue. I did try calling and texting-"

He swore before reaching into the pocket of his shorts for his phone. "Fuck. Sorry." He stared at his screen as he swiped through her messages. "When I'm in the flow I usually turn my phone on silent."

She waved the explanation away. "That's okay. I figured you'd be at work so thought I'd drop by before I lost my nerve."

His brow furrowed as he pocketed his phone again. He kept quiet, giving her the floor to speak.

She spread her hands, unsure how to start.

"I'm ready to talk."

When he opened his lips and leaned forward, she stopped him. "I want to ask the questions, though."

He blew his breath before running his hands up and down his knees. "Yeah, of course. The floor is yours."

She took a deep breath, choosing to get the hard questions out of the way first. "You said that you cheated on me for a number of reasons - basically all the reasons I gave."

"Except for the love one. Didn't stop loving you, Eden." His eyes bore into hers, willing her to believe his words.

She nodded, but refused to touch that statement. "So you..." She twisted her hands together, unsure how to phrase her next question.

"Can I just say something about that? Not trying to excuse it, because there is no justifiable excuse except that I was an idiot." Barron started.

At her nod he took a deep breath and again rubbed his hands down his shorts. A tell tale sign that he was nervous.

"I was a little scared going into senior year. Our relationship was amazing, no complaints there. But we were in this bubble."

She frowned, confused on what he meant. "Bubble?"

"Yeah," He looked up, trying to search for the right words. "We were in school, we saw each other every day, our Moms are close. Our life at that point had been scheduled - school, hang out, dinners at each other's places, the same friends."

She cocked her head at him, listening intently. She had a feeling she knew where he was going with this speech but she wanted to hear him out.

"Senior year, it was going to be it for us. Our routine, our bubble was going to burst. We were going to go off to college, meet new people, figure out our lives, get a job."

"You were scared," she interrupted. She shook her head as she stared at him. "Don't you think I was, too? I was petrified on what the next step in our lives was going to be. But Barron, I wasn't worried because I knew that I would be facing them with you; together."

"I know, baby," he stood and started to pace the room in front of her, running his fingers through his hair. He was agitated but she knew it was at himself rather than her.

"I was an idiot. Simon got into my head as well, telling me that no one marries their high school girlfriend. That we both needed to be free to explore what else is out there. Then Lissa came at me strong-"

He stopped, knowing that the last part of his statement was going to hurt her.

But if she wanted to move on, she needed to know everything.

"Let's talk about Lissa," she started.

He swiftly turned to her, his face surprised at her request. "She's nothing to me," he insisted.

"I mean back in school. You were a couple." she swallowed painfully, willing the memories to vanish.

He sat down, his face flushed with anger at himself and embarrassment at having to dredge up something that was clearly hurtful to her.

"I want you to know that I didn't have sex with her."

She reared back, her face scrunched in disbelief. "Like, ever? Surely not."

"Fuck," he sighed and lowered his head. "Sorry. Let me rephrase that."

He took a deep breath before continuing. "For some stupid reason, I thought that if I didn't have sex with her you'd take me back. So while we did...other stuff," he shifted uncomfortably as a sharp stab of pain pierced her at his words.

But she ignored it. She wanted everything out in one go.

"I didn't let it go all the way with her."

"So when did you actually sleep with her?" She asked, not wanting to mess around with technicalities. It didn't matter whether he had slept with Lissa or not. He had still cheated and she still would not have taken him back.

He paused before practically spitting out, "After you left for New York." He lifted pained eyes to her, his gaze willing her to continue listening. "I thought to myself, 'well, I've lost her, so what's the point?'"

She watched him unwavering, despite her heart going a mile a minute and her palms sweaty at hearing his confession; outwardly she appeared calm.

"And how long were you together?"

"On and off for a year. She was pushing for more," he moved his hand restlessly. "I wasn't feeling it as much as she was."

"So you were with her because you were bored?"

"Bored, hurt and jealous, yes."

"Jealous?" She exclaimed in surprise. "What did you have to be jealous about?"

His jaw clenched as he stared over her shoulder. "That ad you did for Levin jeans. Topless with some pretty boy holding your tits. Shit, yeah, I was jealous."

She gave a short bark of laughter at that, but there was no humor. She was incredulous that he felt entitled to that emotion.

"That was a posed photo with about twenty people in the room, including my Mom. Try walking in on your boyfriend making out with another girl in his pool. It didn't look like you were acting there," she snapped at him bitterly, uncaring that her resolve had cracked a bit.

He immediately stood up and crouched down in front of her, grabbing her hands. She flinched at the rush of electricity that surged through the contact. She flicked her eyes towards the photos behind him, wanting to avoid the intimacy of the moment.

Having him this close to her, seeing his green and gold flecked eyes was wreaking havoc on her.

"I know, baby. I know it was stupid. I had no right to be jealous after the shit I pulled on you." He tugged at her hands, forcing her to look down at him. She could see his eyes flare as she made contact with them. "I'm so sorry, not only for cheating but for how you found out."

Eden nodded, feeling uncomfortable at the turn their conversation took and not wanting to rehash a scenario that had replayed in her head for years.

"You don't have to tell me anything else, it's none of my business-"

"Ask me. I want full disclosure. I want to be honest with you so we can start to move on."

She took a deep breath before continuing. "After Lissa, did you have other girlfriends?" She asked softly.

Barron winced before standing to move back and sit on the stool. He rubbed the back of his neck in another sign of discomfort as he considered her question.

"You don't need to answer that if you don't want to." She again insisted. She wouldn't hold it against him if he didn't volunteer the information. They were long broken up by then and it was none of her business who he was with after Lissa. Call it morbid curiosity.

"No, no I want to tell you. I'm just not proud of it."

She leaned forward, curious at his restless manner.

"I didn't have a girlfriend, no one like you anyway; no one stable and official. I usually just slept with random girls." He held his hands out again, in a plea to hear him out. "This is gonna sound like lip service but I honestly had no desire to enter into a relationship with anyone who wasn't you."

While that did make her feel somewhat good, he would have still been with her if he hadn't tried to dip his toe on a not so greener side.

She swallowed hard before she asked her next question. "Anyone I know?"

He shook his head vehemently. "No, the town's too small. It was only tourists or short term workers that stayed for summer."

"This summer..." she started to ask.

"No! No. No one this summer. In fact, it's been a long time. I haven't slept with anyone since Mom told me you had agreed to help her out with classes."

He shook his head. "I hadn't connected the dots 'til recently but my lack of desire for sex most likely stemmed from the fact that you were coming back to town for summer."

Despite the seriousness of their discussion, her lips tipped up in a smile. "So I cock blocked you, is what you're saying?"

Barron snorted in laughter at her quip. "I'm not complaining," he said heavily.

They looked at each other in the quiet of the room. Their solemn talk sitting heavy in the air between them.

"Anything else you need to know?"

She cocked her head as she pretended to wrack her brain for more questions. But to be honest, she was too tired to go into more tonight.

At the shake of her head, Barron let out a long breath; the tension in his body starting to seep away.

"In that case. Can we go somewhere now?"

"I don't think-"

"Please. Let's get a bite to eat somewhere and talk. Not about the past." he insisted. "We can talk about our careers. Our hopes and dreams."

At his teasing voice she gave a slight smirk. The talk that they just had had gone better than expected. Infinitely better than their last encounter in his office. Was her heart beating erratically and her palms still sweaty? Sure. But she was glad that the worst of their conversation had been done.

"Okay," she heard herself slowly saying. "Let's go out for dinner. As friends." She added.

He nodded enthusiastically. "Absolutely as friends. Thank you, Eden." he told her sincerely, his warm golden eyes boring into hers with the look of a man who definitely did not want to be "just friends."

"I gotta check in with Ian first before we go; to go over a few things. Will you wait here for me? I gotta come back here anyway to pack up, shut my computer down and lock up."

She gave him a soft smile. "Yeah, that's fine."

He made another move towards her before stopping himself and shooting her a shy yet eager smile before opening his office door. "I'll be back," he winked at her before departing, leaving the door open.

Eden sighed out a long held breath. Relief and tension flowed through her.

That wasn't so bad.