There weren't many things in life that made Barron nervous. He had always radiated confidence. It wasn't false bravado, either. He genuinely didn't feel nervous or afraid when facing circumstances that others may flounder under.

Facing an opposing team before a soccer match? No problem. Public speaking? Piece of cake. Taking a risk and opening The Good Home when he had no idea if it would succeed? Okay, he had an anxious energy when it came to that. But it was more excitement than anything.

But after he had come home from Eden's, Barron had immediately started pacing. His palms were sweaty, his heart had palpitations, and a heavy fucking rock sat low in his stomach. He wasn't able to eat as everything turned to ash in his mouth and he checked his phone no less than twenty times in the space of fifteen minutes.

He wondered if he should force himself to vomit in case that would expel the lumbering ache in his throat. This visceral edginess that refused to dissipate.

This, he had never experienced

He went back and forth in his head on whether he had shot himself in the foot. It was Eden's pain that he was digging up. He could see that he was making her uncomfortable and angry, and in hindsight, he shouldn't have pushed her.

He groaned aloud as he hit his head against the headrest on his lazy boy. He was a fucking selfish idiot.

Hearing that Eden had suffered so greatly in the aftermath of their relationship had cut him deep. He had shed a few more tears on the drive back to his apartment and he had gone to bed that night with images of Eden drinking herself to oblivion.

He had nightmares of her mixing with unsavory people who obviously didn't give a shit about her. He saw his precious Eden waking up to some nameless asshole; the picture of her in his mind looking hollowed and devastated. She had been looking for love and acceptance from whoever and whatever she could find. It shattered him.

After a restless night, he woke up at 5 am and decided to get his day started. Apparently, that consisted of him making a coffee that was growing cold on his table and sitting on his lazy boy staring off into space.

A soft knock at his door had him frowning in annoyance. Maybe if he stayed still whoever the fuck it was would go away.

At the next soft knock, he sighed as he rose heavily from the chair that he was seriously considering staying in all day.

Can't he fucking wallow in peace?

He leaned against the door and glanced through the peephole. Cursing, he immediately fell back in shock before hurriedly fumbling with the lock.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," he whispered as his hands were all fingers and thumbs against a lock he had deftly opened hundreds of times.

He quickly yanked his door open, almost hitting himself in the face as it suddenly jerked to a stop.

"Shit!" He swore again, trying to fumble with the security chain before realizing that he had to close the door first before he could slide it free.

"Barron?" Eden's melodic voice rose in what he swore was amusement.

"Uh, yeah," he cleared his throat. "Sorry, E, just a sec."

He closed the door and took a deep calming breath before determinedly sliding the chain across, finally freeing the door.

No matter how many times he saw her, he would never get over how beautiful Eden was. She had always been a stunner, even as kids but now as an adult - she was an absolute dream.

She had on a pair of tiny jean shorts that showcased her long, toned legs and a white tank top which beautifully contrasted her lightly tanned skin.

Her long, shiny hair was around her shoulders in a careless array of amber. The sun provided a backlight against her, causing Eden to shine like a glorious halo; an absolutely glowing vision.

She gave him a small smile, adjusting something in her arms. It was then he noticed the black and white shoebox that she had tucked against her body. It looked vaguely familiar.

"Sorry to just show up like this," she started.

It was then he realized that he was standing there gaping at her like a dimwit.

"Shit, sorry, come in," he urged, stepping aside. His arms itched to grab her and lift her inside himself.

He watched as she stepped through into his space, her keen eyes raking over his apartment; taking in everything.

Eden's style was eclectic. Well, anything he considered remotely "girly" had been eclectic to him. She was all bold prints and quirky objects. She had made him promise her that she'd have full rein in decorating their first home together and he'd eagerly agreed. He remembered thinking that he'd happily live in a sea of pink and inspirational word art as long as they were together.

Barron felt a tad self-conscious as he threw a critical eye over the room, attempting to view it through Eden's lens. He had his black armchair and a grey three-seater couch. Miss matched pillows haphazardly laid about them. He had a small coffee table and TV cabinet with his 32-inch TV hanging above it. A bookshelf that was laden with crime fiction novels and a few picture frames.

And that was it really. Simple, boring, and basic. That pretty much summed up his life until Eden came bursting through it again.

"Do you wanna sit?" He indicated his seating area.

Instead of answering Eden brought forward the familiar shoebox and held it out to him.

'What's that?" His eyes widened as he read the worn words taped to the front. Eden grinned and tapped the lid.

"Holy, shit! Is that....?"

"Us in a box," she giggled. "I found it when I did a spring clean of my room."

Without thinking he grabbed the box out of her hands, sinking onto his couch as he reverently lifted the lid.

A scene slipped into his mind of a fresh-faced Eden, blushing as he teased her over her cheesiness in keeping their memorabilia. This despite the fact that he kept her sleep shorts and T-shirt that she had left at his parent's house as well as a plethora of her hair clips and headbands.

He immediately picked up a heavy shell-decorated frame, grinning at the familiar picture. He had always thought that Eden had ripped this photo to shreds. Hell, he thought this whole box would've been lit on fire a long time ago. She might have unknowingly kept it stuffed somewhere in her room, but the fact that she hadn't gotten rid of it a long time ago gave him hope.

"Do you remember that day?" She peered over his shoulder as he stared silently at the photo.

"Yeah," he croaked before clearing his throat. "I have the same picture in my room on my dresser."

He heard the soft inhale of her breath at his admission.

As he sifted through the contents of the box, the initial thrill he felt over her retaining their memorabilia was starting to wane as a new thought entered his head.

Shit, what if this was some closure crap that Eden was doing with him? He'd heard about burning your ex's possessions. What if she was returning their things as a way of saying goodbye to him? To them.

"Why did you bring these over?" He asked her slowly, distracting himself by fingering the chain of a heart necklace he had gotten her one valentine. "Don't get me wrong, I'm loving that you kept this but is this your way of saying goodbye?"

Eden sighed as she sunk down next to him on the couch. His thigh tensed as her knee accidentally brushed his.

She was quiet for a moment as she watched him paw at a few items and examine them. He needed a distraction, something to do to avoid what he suspected was coming.

"Coming back to New Haven, the last thing I wanted was to reconnect with you. You hurt me so badly that just being in your vicinity was painful."

"Baby," he groaned as he abandoned all pretense of being distracted and set the box aside. He turned to meet her stare head-on. "I'm so fucking sorry. I will never stop apologizing for what I did to you. Fuck," he ran his fingers through his hair, "I've been sitting here all morning kicking myself for pushing at you so hard. Hearing all the shit you went through," he shook his head in anguish, "I'm not sure I can ever make up for what I did but I had to try."

Eden nodded, lowering her gaze to the ground as her mouth twisted in thought.

"Josh overheard us talking last night."

He frowned. Shit. He had forgotten about the other man. He had been keenly aware that Josh had been staying with Eden. The thought of them sharing the same space had heightened the jealousy he was already feeling over their past relationship.

But last night, all he thought about was Eden. Everything and everyone fell to the wayside as he poured his heart out to her, imploring her to place her trust in him again.

"He told me that he may have spilled the beans a little about my past."

"He didn't give me any details, I promise." As much as it ripped him apart to see how close she was with Josh given the fact that Barron highly suspected that rocker boy's feelings ran a lot deeper than platonic, Barron did actually think that he was a decent human. He was protective of Eden's well being and he couldn't fault him for that.

"I know. I was pissed at him for a moment but in a way, I'm glad it's all come out."

His breathing suspended for a brief moment at her words.

"I've been so mad at you for so long, I don't know how else to be," she started.

He let out a somber breath, swallowing hard. It never failed to hurt hearing that she hated him. "I deserve your anger, baby."

Instead of acknowledging his words, Eden continued. "Talking to Josh, it's made me consider I few things," she slowly said. "I feel like there's a reason I haven't been able to simply put you out of my mind and let you go. Part of me thought it was closure I needed but now I'm not sure."

His heart picked up its pace and he immediately rubbed his sternum in an attempt to slow it down. Butterflies kicked off in his stomach but he was afraid to read too much into her words. "What are you saying?" He slowly asked.

Eden groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I don't know!"

Her silky hair flowed forward like a smooth waterfall against her shoulders. His fingers itched to run through the shiny strands but instead, he forced himself to focus on her words.

She lifted her head and met his hazel eyes with her clear blue ones.

"Okay, here's the thing. Truth be told, I had no idea what answer I wanted to give you. There were times when I didn't think you deserved an answer. My last memories of you were terrible."

Eden reached out to place her hand on his when he flinched. Immediately he turned his palm up, desperate for the simple touch of her palm in his. He felt her stiffen slightly and he braced himself for the inevitable. Instead, she surprised him further by keeping her warm, soft hand in his.

"As I said, the last time we were together was terrible. But," she stressed, "the last few months, they haven't been...too terrible." She finished slowly.

His mouth kicked up before he hid it by pretending to scratch his chin. Haven't been too terrible. He never thought that hearing such lukewarm words would give him a jolt of pleasure.

"I mean, don't get me wrong, there have been painful moments. But the more time we spend together, getting to know the man you are now, it's been...refreshing."

Damn, his girl would not give an inch. His heart was galloping towards what he hoped she was trying to say. But he didn't want to put his horse before the cart, so to speak.

"And then after you left last night, I did something that I never thought I would do." She gestured to her memory box. "I opened that. And instead of anger and pain, all I thought about were the memories attached to them. I'm not saying that I'm over what happened or that I trust you again or anything. But," she emphasized, "something is obviously drawing me back to you. The attraction is still there, I can't deny that. So for that reason, I am willing to maybe start seeing each other again."

Barron was busy trying not to get his hopes up as well as trying to concentrate on what Eden was saying to him that for a moment what she said didn't register.

"Wait, what?" He shook his head as if he was doing a double take. "What?" He knew he sounded like a dimwit but he needed a moment to process.

Eden released her hands from his and held them up as if to stop him mid-speech.

"I'm not making any promises," she stressed. "but I would be open to dating a bit. See if something's still there."

"What?" Jesus, he really needed to get it together.

Luckily, Eden saw the humor in stupefying him. "Ya know, Carter, three months of being hounded by you I must say your reaction is rather anti-climactic," she teased.

"Sorry," he rubbed his hand down his face. The dull ache of disappointment that had been brewing had finally faded. It was as if the warm, glaring sun had pushed through a gloomy day, bathing him in its ray.

"fuck, baby, I really thought this conversation was going to go a different way."

His smile was brilliant as he gazed down at her, the love he felt for her burning through his body.

"You mean it? You wanna try again?"

"Well, Barron, I want to be clear. I'm not making any promises. I don't want any labels or commitments. I'm not there with you yet and even after all this, I can't promise that my feelings will become any more serious. It could just be nostalgia that I'm feeling and we could come out of this as good friends instead."

Barron almost snorted in disbelief over that statement. He didn't need to touch Eden to feel the electric buzz of attraction and passion that rippled in the air between them. With just a look they could relay every thought and emotion between them. That kiss they shared a few weeks ago could sustain him for a lifetime. And she thought they would come out of this as friends? Yeah, fuck that noise.

He tapped down the initial disappointment he felt that she wasn't willing to at least put a label on them. It also sounded like she had one foot out the door already and had an exit plan in place. But he got it. He did. She was understandably wary and it was up to him to prove to her that he was willing to do whatever it takes to get her to believe in him again. In them.

"Baby," he reached up and gently pushed her curtain of hair behind in ear. "this is more than I ever expected. Fuck, I hoped, but I never thought I would get this far with you. Absolutely we can set this at your pace. If I do or say anything that you're not comfortable with please let me know. If you want to call me just to vent about what a fuck up I was in the past, then you feel free to. I'll be here with you, always. I meant everything I said last night, E. However long it takes, I'll be here. I'll put in the groundwork to rebuild what we lost."

He watched as Eden visibly swallowed. He could see hoards of emotion flicker through her gaze. Hope. Distrust. Unease. Desire.

"The timing is a little off, though." She started to say. "I have a busy couple of months coming up. When I leave on Saturday I'm going to be nonstop. Fashion Week's exhausting and not just the event itself. I have a ton of fittings and rehearsals to do, and then I have Milan practically straight after-"

"Eden, baby," Barron halted her spiel by cupping her soft cheek. Eden's mouth snapped shut and he saw her hand flex ever so slightly; as if by instinct she wanted to reach up and cover his hand with hers.

"It's okay. I know your time is going to be limited once you leave. I read into Fashion Week so I know how important and time-consuming it is. I'm fully prepared to receive scraps of your time while you're working."

Eden gave him a shy but pleased smile. "You read into Fashion Week?"

"Damn right I did. I know how important your career is and how dedicated you are to it. I want to learn as much as I can about it." He gave a self-conscious shrug as his cheeks heated. "It makes me feel closer to you."

He didn't want to confess how much research he did into Eden's industry nor the fact that his research occurred a long time before he reconnected with her.

"You just concentrate on doing what you need to do. I'll make sure we're connected during that time and when you get back from Milan we'll go on from there. But can I ask a favor, baby?"

Her brow adorably furrowed. "Sure," she hesitantly said.

"I know you don't want labels, that you want to keep it casual and that's absolutely fine." I mean, it made his gut clench but he'd take what he could get. "I know I have no right to ask this but, while we're dating, can we only be exclusive to each other?"

Eden frowned and a sense of unease churned inside of him. He didn't know what he would do if she wanted to see other people as well. He just wasn't sure how casual she wanted their dating to be.

"Well, I wasn't planning on seeing anyone else," Eden said slowly.

Shit!

"Fuck, baby, I'm not either. I don't want anyone else but you. I'm just so aware that this is my second chance. My one shot to prove that we belong together. I want to know that you're all in with me, that you'll be open to my awkward attempts at winning you back."

"I'll promise to keep an open mind and be honest with you," Eden agreed. She sighed and gave a short bark of laughter.

"You know, after all this, you might realize that we're only meant to be friends. I mean, we don't know each other that well as adults so maybe we won't be compatible once we start getting to know each other."

He stared at her for a moment, taking in her wide blue eyes, slightly blushing cheeks, and rosebud mouth. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. He reached out and ran a finger down the side of her face, memorizing her features over and over.

"You're a famous public figure who has famous friends and vacations in amazing locations. Yet, I know that you FaceTime with Ryan and Sofia every week. I know that you regularly fly them and your Mom out to wherever you are so that they can experience what you do. I know that you support animal and children charities, and I know that you funded the rebuilding of our school hall. And when my Mom was in a jam, you donated your time willingly and helped promote her programs on your social media, which has seen Mom field sponsors and an increase of inquiries for next year. You also supplied Joshua freakin' Gates as a surprise performer for our little old town fair when you saw how upset my Mom was over it."

He shook his head in amazement and disbelief that she would think that he didn't know what kind of person she was.

"You're still the same kind, funny, thoughtful, and beautiful Eden Jamison that I fell in love with as a fourteen-year-old kid. You've just gotten better. You're so out of my league but you make me want to be a better person. You have made me a better person. So you can get that thought out of your head that I wouldn't like the person you are now. Because what I do know of you so far, I love."

He watched the light pink blush on her cheeks turn a darker red until it spread down her neck around her breasts. He shifted uncomfortably as his arousal started to make his shorts feel a little tight.

"Barron," Eden breathed. "Okay, first of all, the school hall was supposed to be anonymous," she laughed. "But your words are very sweet, thank you."

"It was anonymous but I coach the soccer team so I had my ear to the ground on who funded it," he winked.