A month after the incident, as I now called it, I had been offered a job opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. Four months as the photographer on The Fallen’s North America tour. To say that Ky wasn’t excited was an understatement. His protectiveness of me shot sky high but once he and Colby had a somewhat heated discussion, he finally realized what this would do for my career. But it wasn’t without stipulations.
Ky and I had made a promise that we would see each other at least once a month while I was on tour, and it was a promise that was never broken. Every visit was better than the last. It was intense, romantic, sexual, and each visit showed the raw need we had for each other. The best thing was that we had nothing hanging over us anymore. We had no lies, no secrets, no hidden demons, and no one waiting in the wings to destroy us.
I was completely his, and I loved every moment of it.
“Did you ever believe that we would both be here in love? Well I’m in love, you are just in denial,” I whispered against the warmth of Colby.
“Fuck no. Honestly babe, I thought we were destined to end up together. We both have our demons, and I thought our demons would have won in the end, but I am so fucking happy they didn’t.”
“I would have been honored to have ended up with you,” I whispered into the darkness.
“And I would have treasured the ground you walked on baby girl.” Colby tightened his grip around my waist as we fell into a comfortable silence.
“I love him so much,” I admitted quietly as my thoughts instantly travelled to Ky.
“And you need to be with him,” he countered.
Four days later I rushed off the plane at JFK, with a mass of excitement and eagerness. The moment my eyes landed on him, I felt my heart beat back to life. I knew I missed him. I knew I loved him, but seeing him standing there waiting on my arrival with a look of pure happiness on his face and a bunch of my favorite yellow roses in his hand was unexplainable.
I felt like I was the star in a romance movie and was running in slow motion as I made my way toward him. He met me halfway, and his strong arms encased my waist and lifted me from my feet swinging me in the air and immediately I felt at home.
“You are like my own personal romance movie,” I whispered into his neck as I held onto him for dear life, suddenly never wanting to be away from him again.
“Fuck I’ve missed you!” he groaned before pulling my face to his and giving me a scorching welcome home kiss right in the middle of arrivals, not caring who was around us.
“And I’ve missed you.” I giggled when he pulled away leaving me completely breathless.
“These beautiful roses are for my beautiful lady.” He said so sickly sweet that I knew my grin was huge.
His fingers entwined with mine as we headed out of arrivals. “I’ve got a surprise for you, but I need you to wear this,” he instructed, holding up a blindfold in his free hand and sporting a cheeky grin.
“I’ve only just got you back, and you want to take away my ability to check you out?” I laughed as we headed toward the baggage claim and found my pink suitcase. As we walked towards the exit, I tried quizzing him but he wouldn’t give me any hints. The warm summer sunshine hit me squarely on the face when we stepped out the double doors and headed toward his Range Rover.
“There will be plenty of time to check me out, I promise. Now turn around,” he demanded, twisting his finger around, motioning me to move.
“Where are you taking me?” I laughed as he secured a blindfold over my eyes and ran a finger along my jaw. It was beyond sensual and immediately my body ignited with need and desire.
“Just trust me,” he breathed huskily into my ear, sending a shiver of anticipation through my body.
For the next forty minutes, I sat beside him, shooting inquisitive questions as I tried to find out where he was taking me. He didn’t give me anything, and I knew he loved every minute. His hand rested on my bare thigh as the sun continued to warm around us, his thumb tracing circles on my needy skin. My senses were on high alert and the moment the speed reduced I knew we were off the freeway. My excitement was increasing by the second, and I was bubbling with eagerness.
“We are here,” Ky announced as the car came to a halt.
The door opened and the feeling of being left alone in the car hit me. Time meant nothing, and now that I was blindfolded I had no clue how long I had sat there. When the door beside me opened, I jumped.
“Are you ready?” Ky asked as he grabbed my hands and pulled me out of the seat. My senses went into overdrive as I tried to determine where I was. His hand went around my waist as he led me along what I assumed was a path. “Be careful, we are about to go up some steps.”
Steps?
“Welcome home baby.”
The blindfold fell from my eyes and my gasp echoed through the empty room before me. Ky and I stood in a sun-drenched room with high ceilings, a beautiful fireplace, and a stunning view of the beach through a wall of windows. I was completely speechless. I spun around trying desperately to allow the magnitude of beauty around me to fill my mind. He linked my fingers with his and pulled me through the rest of the house and I still was at a loss for words. Three bedrooms, all with views of the ocean, a kitchen that would be fit for a professional chef, a bathroom with a large freestanding double bath, and two generous living areas greeted us.
“What do you think?” Ky asked as we stood by one of the windows in the spare room looking out over the Atlantic. His face was eager for my reaction.
“I’m at a loss for words. I don’t understand,” I admitted with shock evident in my voice.
His hands cupped my face, forcing my eyes to his. “I need you in my life Eden; it’s as simple as that. I love you with absolutely everything I am and everything I will ever be. This house is ours if you want it. This is a place where we can start the rest of our lives together, where we can come and spend our first night as man and wife. And this room right here, I thought it could be your studio until it becomes a nursery for our children. We can’t live anywhere near the place that saw our worst nightmares, so this can be our place to start our forever.”
I tried to comprehend the words he spoke as my eyes searched his. I knew I wanted a future with Ky, but this was everything I wanted and more. He was offering the life I always dreamed of and he wanted exactly what I wanted.
“You want to have babies with me?” I whispered as tears glistened in my eyes.
“Lots of babies.”
“This house is for us?”
“Yes.”
“You want to marry me?” My tears now fell freely over my cheeks.
“I cannot wait until you are known as Eden Crawford.”
A knock on the front door startled me. The smile that flashed over his face made me believe he knew exactly who was there. God, I didn’t think I could handle any more surprises. He grabbed my hand and led me back downstairs.
“This is part two of your welcome home.”
The front door burst open and Tori came bounding through the house with Josh and Ashlyn following close behind.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I shrieked into my best friend’s ear as we fell into each other’s arms. Tears streamed down my face as my emotions erupted yet again. Another three sets of arms surrounded us and there I was standing in the middle of the foyer in the arms of Ky, Josh, Tori, and Ashlyn crying my eyes out.
“How in the hell did you think I could live away from you?”
“What?” All sense of comprehension had been lost.
“Okay, I’ll say this as simply as I can.” She smirked. “Tori. Moving. Here. To. Be. Near. Eden.”
“What!” I shrieked. “You can stay here, we have so much room.”
“Hold up, hold up! Eden, I plan on fucking you in every one of these rooms so we kinda have to be here on our own,” Ky’s deep voice announced for everyone to hear. My cheeks flushed and the smirk on Tori’s face said a thousand words.