So Much More (Book One in the Enough Series)

48. Family

Reed

I woke up without Eden in my arms, which was not how I wanted to start my morning. Instead, I found my phone lying next to me with a text from her. In the chaos of everything, I had forgotten entirely about her convention and the reason for her visit. I hated that I missed her this morning, but clearly, I needed the rest. So I quickly responded, letting her know how much I already missed her and couldn't wait to see her later.

After a quick shower and throwing on some gym clothes, I went downstairs to find the others. I had got permission from the Coach to skip out on our morning workout as a team due to our family situation. I hated telling him, not looking for pity, but I needed to be here for Lizzie and my family today.

"Reed!" Marie cries out as I step off the last step and into the foyer. Before I can even greet her, she's wrapping her arms around my waist. I catch a whiff of the breakfast cooking, the sweet pancake smell wafting up my nose.

"How are you, Marie?" I asked as she pulled away from the hug.

"I'm good, so happy you're here, and we're all together."

We walked side by side into the dining area, where Dad, Lizzie, and Amy were all seated as Mom set down bowls and plates of food.

"Reed." Amy smiled, not getting up from her spot. "Glad you're home."

I walked around, touseling her hair before giving her a quick kiss on the top of her head. I grabbed a bowl from Mom, placing it on the table for her before pulling her in for a hug. She felt so small in my arms, and I knew the stress of everything had to be weighing on her.

"Love you, ma," I whisper, leaning down and kissing her cheek.

"I love you too." She patted my back before we all took our seats.

"So you got in, okay, it seems?" Mom asks over her coffee.

"I did. I had two lovely ladies escort me home." I winked over at Lizzie, who was sleepily scarfing down her stack of pancakes. I had so many questions for Mom about leukemia, but I wasn't going to start the day off with that.

"Do we get you all day, or will soccer call you back for a bit?" Dad asked. I noted that he had a plate of fruits with some yogurt and nuts. I was internally smiling that he was keeping with the new healthy choices since his heart attack.

"I'm all yours for today and tomorrow. Saturday is our game in Atlanta, so I'll have to leave tomorrow evening to prepare for the morning workout and warm-ups. The usual stuff. Once that game is over, we have a week off."

"Good, it'll be nice having you around," Mom spoke. "How long do we get Eden for?"

"I'm not sure. I'm hoping I can convince her to stay a little longer, but she'll have to get back to work, I'm sure." I shoveled in some eggs, washing them down with juice.

"I like her. I hope you marry her." Lizzie blurted, causing me to inhale the eggs and juice, nearly choking. Dad, of course, found the whole thing hilarious.

"I'm glad you like her. I think she's pretty fond of you too." I replied, hoping to avoid the marriage topic. But unfortunately, the relationship with Eden was still too new to even consider marriage.

"Can I be a flower girl when you get married? I'm probably a little old for it, though, so maybe a bridesmaid?" Lizzie continued.

"Lizzie, shut up." Amy barked. "They're not getting married."

"They might!" She cried out.

"Okay. Enough. Reed and Eden are dating, and we're happy about that. Nothing else is going on at the moment." Dad laughed; he was enjoying this entirely too much.

*

I spent the day hanging with Amy and Lizzie. Then, dad and Marie returned to their place to grab a few things and check on the house. Finally, I sent Mom to take a nap, rest and relax. The girls and I watched a movie, played some video games then decided we'd cook dinner for the house tonight. Amy, of course, cut out shortly after we started, sneaking off to her room.

"What time will Eden be back?" Lizzie asked as we worked on chopping some vegetables.

"She should've been here about an hour ago," I answered, checking my phone to see if I had heard from her. Before I could even get her name pressed on my phone, we heard her coming in the front door.

"Eden!!" Lizzie squealed, running toward her. I watched as my little sister wrapped her arms around her, Eden leaning down to hold her as well.

"Hi, sweet girl." She spoke softly, her voice melodic. They walked together into the kitchen, Eden's eyes smiling as she approached me. "Hi, sweet guy." She laughed.

I pulled her into me, wrapping her in my arms and kissing her cheek.

"You're late," I commented. "Everything okay?"

"Oh yeah, just lots of traffic getting out of there." She smiled. "What are you two up to?" She asked, sitting her bag down on the table.

"We're preparing a dinner feast!" Lizzie cheered.

"Do you mind if I grab a quick shower before dinner?" Eden asked quietly; when she moved her arm, I noticed she had obviously had blood drawn. But, I didn't want to freak Lizzie out, so I decided to walk with her up to the room.

"Of course, Hey, Lizzie, finish up with those veggies while the meat cooks. I'll be right back."

I put my hand on the small of Eden's back as we made our way up the stairs.

"What's going on?" I whispered in her ear, pointing to her arm.

"Oh, erm." She paused just before entering our room. "I had to do another sample, so I went ahead while I was here." She shrugged it off as I closed the door behind me.

"Do you know when you'll make the donation?" I sat on the edge of the bed as she gathered her things from her suitcase. I watched as her shoulders sagged, breaking my heart. "I'm sorry, Eden." I reached for her, pulling her toward me.

"It's okay. I'm not sure when, but it should be sooner rather than later. It's fine. I'm just tired from that convention today; so much information to absorb." She smiled up at me, and I couldn't resist leaning over to claim her mouth. It felt so nice, my lips against hers. It was just a soft kiss, but her eyes seemed to sparkle a little more when we parted.

"I love you," I whispered, leaning my forehead against hers.

She smiled so wide before responding. "I love you too, Reed."

"Go enjoy your shower; Lizzie and I will have dinner ready soon. After that, I have a little something planned for us if you're up for it." I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, stroking her cheek.

"Of course. That sounds nice, just you and me?"

"Yep, just us, babe. Nothing crazy; just throw on some casual clothes, and we'll head out after dinner." I stood, giving her a quick kiss on the head before heading out of the room. I left her to her shower and returned to the kitchen to finish dinner with Lizzie.