So Much More (Book One in the Enough Series)

21. An Ally

Reed

I'm not sure what I expected when I knocked on Eden's door, but it certainly wasn't this; sitting on the steps leading to her apartment with Tate. Of course, Eden didn't answer the door; I should have known she wouldn't want to see me. So, Tate being the nice guy he seems to be, decided to take pity on me. Perhaps he was trying to gauge if he wanted to bash my face in; regardless of his intent, he was sitting with me talking it out.

"It's nice to meet you, but these circumstances fucking suck." Tate laughed as we sat.

"Ditto." I ran a hand through my messy hair.

"I'm just as confused as everyone else with all of this. I tried calling Nick to hear his explanation because I honestly had no idea what was happening. I know that Eden is hurting, and she's like a sister to me; I care about her, and I need some clarity." Tate spoke with a brotherly tone. He was a tall man, an average build but carried himself in an assertive manner.

"I know Eden must be hurt and so confused. I hate it. I had every intention of explaining all of this to her, but life circumstances kept getting in the way, and well, here we are." I leaned forward, arms on my knees, looking down at my feet. "The day of that blind date, Nick came over to my apartment with my friends and roommates, Bennett and Hugh. We were going to go out like we usually do. But, Nick complained that he had agreed to this blind date and didn't want to go on it." I took a deep breath, remembering the night.

"I should have never asked him; he gave me shit vibes," Tate mumbled.

"Yeah, well, he had some pretty unsavory things to say about going on that blind date, and he stated that he wasn't even going to bother with going. I'm not sure why it got under my skin so bad; I would never condone such shitty behavior, but it really got to me, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. So, when he mentioned where and when the date was, I thought maybe I would just go. I would go, pop in, say Hello, and then the poor girl wouldn't get stood up, and that'd be it."

"So, where the fuck was Nick going?" He asked, leaning back against the railing.

"He went out with Hugh and Bennett. I honestly had no ill intent. Something compelled me to go and keep her from feeling bad about herself. Having younger sisters maybe, I don't know; I don't. I meant for it to be just a quick little thing. I had no idea I would see this gorgeous woman sitting there and no idea that every minute I sat with her, I'd want more."

"Oh, man." Tate groaned.

"What?" I questioned.

"You've got it bad." He smirked.

"Yea, well, that does me a lot of good, huh? I messed up. I don't know why I didn't immediately come out with it. I was just trying to be a nice guy, and look where it got me." I rubbed my hands down my thighs in frustration.

"I like you. For whatever reason, I believe you." Tate remarked, shaking his head in his own disbelief. "Of course, I'm not the one you need to convince. She's upset, confused, and just needs a minute. I want to talk to Nick as well." I nodded as he continued to speak.

"Will you, I mean, will you at least let her know I came? I broke my damn phone yesterday, and I can't text or call her until I get a new one, not that she'd answer right now. I just don't want her to think I'm giving up."

Tate stood up, so I followed suit. He slid his hands into his pants pockets and sighed, shaking his head. He was making me even more nervous than I already felt. He said he believed me, but he was right; he wasn't the one who mattered. Was he going to tell me just to go away and stay away?

"She knows you were here; I saw you when I was heading up. I'm not going to push her, at least not tonight. I'll let her know that I think she should hear you out." He patted my shoulder as he started toward the apartment that I so desperately wanted to go into as well. "Wait, did Nick know? Did he know that you went on the date?" He quickly asked.

"No, Nick had no idea I went at first. He did find out, though; I mentioned it in passing." I admitted, balling my hands into fists, thinking of how he spoke that day at the diner.

"Interesting. So, Nick had no idea you went. But, you mention it at some point, and how did he respond?" Tate quizzed as he came back in my direction.

I summarized that morning in the diner, where Nick admitted he was interested in Eden and then realized who she was, no thanks to my big mouth. In this situation, repeating the whole story made it sound so disgusting. I felt even worse. I watched as Tate processed the information.

"Wow." He leaned over onto the railing. "What a fucking douche bag, eh?" He smirked at me. I felt a sense of ease come over me.

"I'm not sure I'm much better than he is at the moment," I confessed.

"Did you fuck up? Obviously, yes. From the start, though, it sounds like Nick never had good intentions, and you did." Tate continued. "When Brynn and I first got together, I messed up so many times. I still mess up. The important part is that when I do mess up, I acknowledge it, own it, and fix it. She's so worth it, ya know? She's worth everything. If you feel a fraction of that for Eden, then you'll get through this."

When Tate spoke, I could hear and see his love for Brynn. It was admirable. I appreciated his words as well, more than he could know. I was scared shitless thinking about it because he was right, and I already felt more than a fraction of that for Eden.

"Here." Tate reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet and a card. "Take my card; when you figure out your phone stuff, hit me up we'll hang out. In the meantime, I think I will have a nice talk with Nick tomorrow. I can't believe all of his bullshit."

I took Tate's card, slid it into my shorts pocket, and looked back up at him as he continued.

"I had no idea he was such a jerk. Brynn had mentioned setting Eden up with someone, and I don't know; he seemed okay. Eden hasn't really dated a lot in the time I've known her, so I wasn't sure what her type is. I was really off the mark on that one, huh?" He laughed at himself.

"I have no idea how she's still single. I'm grateful that she is, though." I nervously chuckled. "I hate the circumstance we're in now, but I'm not sure I will ever regret going on that date." I couldn't help but smile, thinking about how I felt when I saw her for the first time. She was a flawless beauty who had no idea how gorgeous she was, inside and out.

"I think it'll work out. We'll talk soon?" Tate turned, heading back to the apartment. I nodded in agreement, ready to head home and wait.