So Much More (Book One in the Enough Series)

36. Don't fall in love

Reed

"Where are you headed?" I asked Bennett as he changed in the locker room. We had a full day of practice, scrimmages, and workouts. I had anticipated hearing something from Eden after lunch, but when I arrived back in the locker room a few moments ago, there was nothing.

"I've got a date." He grinned ear to ear.

"Wait... a what?" I was shocked. Bennett never dated. He hung out, met up, hooked up, and fucked up. He had never dated.

"I know; you can give me shit later. I've got a date, ok?" He rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed.

"Oh, I plan to." I was interrupted by my phone. I rushed to grab it, hoping it was Eden but instead found Tate's name flashing on the screen. Bennett waved as he headed out while I answered.

"What's up?" I asked nervously.

"Brynn sent me a text; she said they would be a little later than planned. So I was instructed to see what you were up to and hang out." He laughed.

"Seriously? It kind of sounds like you're babysitting me." I chuckled, grabbing my bag and heading out.

"Eh, we can talk real estate while we eat. You know where Neon Pub is?"

"Yeah, I've heard of it."

"Meet me there in about an hour?" Tate asked; I could hear papers rustling around.

"Sounds good."

I ended the call just as I got to my car. I threw my bag in the back and hopped in, scrolling through my phone for a moment. I sent a quick text to Eden, letting her know I was thinking about her, and I looked forward to hearing how her day went. But, I couldn't help but worry that something had gone wrong.

When I arrived, the pub was pretty busy, but I spotted Tate right away, seated at the bar. I gave a few head nods as I made my way over to him.

"How it's going?"

"I'm exhausted," I answered truthfully. "Starving too." I snatched up the menu.

"I already ordered," Tate grunted.

"Is this a date?" I couldn't help but tease. "You're just a proper gentleman, eh?"

"Don't go falling in love now; you can't break Eden's heart."

"So what are we eating then?" I spoke just in time as the server brought a large platter filled with various things. Chicken wings, sliders, onion rings, you name it, it was probably there. I was drooling and quite possibly falling in love with Tate. "If you buy food like this on every date, I may very well fall in love." I joked, grabbing a wing.

"I warned you."  He laughed. We both were quiet for a few moments while shoveling food in our faces. I was working on another slider when my phone rang.

"Hey." I immediately answered, despite my dirty hands. I stepped away from the bar and toward the exit, needing to hear better.

"Are you with Tate?" Eden asked softly. She sounded exhausted.

"Um, yea. We're at a pub, eating dinner. Is everything ok?"

"Yes, it's been a long day." She sighed. "Brynn said Neon Pub, is that right?"

"Yea, you guys coming?" I asked, trying to hide my excitement.

"We should be there in about ten minutes."

"Can't wait."

When I walked back into the pub, Tate was carrying a tray toward a new table as a server followed him with drinks. Finally, they stopped near a booth and began sitting everything down.

"Are you ever not on top of things?" I laughed.

"I'm a skilled man." He teased. "Don't you fall for me!"

"Fuck, man, I'm starting to think you're falling for me."

"Before the girls get here and take over, I found a few properties you might be interested in." Tate began. "I haven't worked with residential in quite some time, but I had a colleague pull some listings. So if you text me your e-mail address, I can send them out. It'll give me an idea of what you like and don't like."

"Sounds great.

"What sounds great?" Brynn asked, sliding into the booth next to Tate. She gave him an over-the-top kiss just as Eden was scooting next to me.

"Hey." I smiled.

"Hi." Eden looked sad, tired, and even bashful. I leaned over, giving her a quick peck on the cheek while pulling her hand into mine.

"How did it go?" I could feel her instantly tense up at the question. "We don't have to talk about it if you'd rather not." I pulled her into me, wrapping my arms around her in a hug.

"Might as well get it over with now," Brynn suggested, grabbing some food. I looked from her and back to Eden, trying to figure out what was happening.

"My biological mother has cancer." Eden began. "She needs a bone marrow donor. So they came here to see if I could be a match." She picked up her glass of water and took a sip.

I immediately felt anger for her. These so-called parents who never had anything to do with her, and now they show up, wanting something, something fucking massive. Brynn shared a knowing look with me, and I knew she felt the same. I couldn't express my frustration, though, because what right did I have? I had to be here and support Eden through this emotional time.

"With all due respect, did you tell her to go fuck herself?" Tate asked, surprising us all with his bluntness. Brynn nearly choked on her food, and Eden glared at him in shock. "I'm sorry, I don't like to be rude, but I'm not sorry for feeling that way. That's a really shitty thing to do; I can't believe they have the nerve to do that."

"She's dying. I feel like if you're dying, you kind of get desperate to do anything you can to stay alive." Eden responded pointedly.

"So, you're going to do it?" Tate asked the million-dollar question.

"I'm not sure." She stuttered out, looking up at me. I placed my hand on her back, rubbing gently in circles. I agreed with Tate, and while I may not be willing to do something like that, I knew Eden would. "I went to the hospital; we met with a doctor she sees, and I got swabbed."

"Swabbed?" I asked. I was doing my best to be as neutral as possible. I had no idea what all a bone marrow donation entailed, but it didn't sound pleasant.

"That she sees?" Tate perked up. "This implies they've been here a while?" He looked at Brynn, then Eden.

"Her doctor in Kansas coordinated with a doctor here if Eden was willing," Brynn explained. "I'm just going on record that I think she should have told them to fuck off also."

"Wait, what is the swab?" I asked again.

"It's to start to see if she could even be a match." Brynn explained, rolling her eyes.

"Come on!" Eden cried out. "You can't honestly tell me you would let someone die if there was a chance you could save them. Regardless of our history, I can't have that on my conscience. I can't do that; if I have the ability to help her, then I should help her."

We all sat silent for a moment. The emotions were hanging in the air around us, none of us sure exactly what to say. What could one say to that? I was silently judging her decision when I wasn't sure what I would do if I were in that situation.