“Okay, I have a couple of things.”
I nod.
“First off, I think you need to have a discussion with Eden about her over-stepping. While it’s good that you have someone who will push you out of your comfort zones and force you to grow, I’m concerned with the choices she’s making for you and the choices you’re making with her influence.”
“She means well,” I object, feeling the need to defend my friend. “She thinks there is still something between Wyatt and me…”
“She and I would agree on that point, at least from your perspective but it still doesn’t absolve her of tricking both of you into confronting each other again. Her methods are… irresponsible.”
I nod. As much as I love Eden, I am still upset over what she did. “I know.”
“And as far as having a baby with Wyatt, I hope I don’t have to tell you that it is a very bad idea. Especially considering that he still doesn’t know the truth. If the two of you reconciled and you told him everything, I would be happy to see you moving forward in your life but not like this. This isn’t a healthy way of dealing with things and I don’t want to see you slip back to where you were seven years ago.”
A shiver runs down my spine and I nod. “I don’t want that either.”
“I’m glad we’re in agreement, then,” she answers with a nod, tension seeping out of her shoulders as she leans back in her chair and looks over her notes. “Actually, before we close this topic of discussion, I would just urge you, again, to tell Wyatt the truth.”
“I can’t.”
She frowns. “Piper, if you truly want to move on with your life, whether that is with Wyatt or without him, this is an essential step. Those secrets you’re holding under lock and key, they’re keeping you prisoner and I worry that you’ll never be happy as long as you cling to them.”
“I can’t tell him,” I insist, shaking my head as I picture spilling my secrets to Wyatt in my head. God, he can never know. She sighs.
“I’ll drop this… for now.” She pins me with a look and I nod. I know we’ll be talking about this again but I just can’t ever imagine telling Wyatt the things that happened before I left him. I can’t let him see me that way. “Now, tell me, how have the nightmares been? The same or better lately?”
My head jerks up and I meet her eyes. “Better.”
“Good,” she answers with a smile, jotting down some more notes. The rest of the appointment goes by quickly as we go over the plan we have to help me deal when things get hard and she reinforces the fact that I can call her whenever I need her. She’s been having the same conversation with me once a week for seven years so I doubt I would forget it now but she always makes sure to end our sessions with those words. I suppose they do bring me a bit of comfort to know that she’s always there, standing behind me and ready to reach out if I start to fall.
My phone rings as I walk out of the office and I smile when I see Lillian’s name on the screen. “Hey, girl. What’s up?”
“Eden and I are out for drinks, come meet us!” she yells into the phone over the sound of music blaring in the background. I crinkle my nose as I step outside. Eden and I haven’t spoken since my date with Wyatt and I don’t know if I’m ready to face her yet.
“Oh, I don’t know, Lil…”
“Please, Pippy? It’s been so long since we’ve had a girls’ night,” she pleads and I blow out a breath as I stop next to my car and unlock the door before slipping behind the wheel.
“All right.” I flip down the visor and check my reflection in the mirror. Sometimes when I come out of Dr. Brewer’s office, I look like some kind of swamp thing but today, it is not so bad. “Send me the address and I’ll meet you guys over there in a few.”
“Yay!” she squeals before promising to send me the address and while I wait for her text, I pull out my compact and touch up my makeup before nodding and flipping the visor closed. As much as I’m not ready to face Eden, I suppose it is better to just get it over with. We will have it out and then we can move on because as angry as I am with her, I do know she was only trying to help in her unique Eden way.
My phone pings with a text and I plug the address into my GPS before pulling out of the parking lot and following the instructions to the little bar downtown that is a favorite of ours. After finding a place to park, I climb out of the car and step inside, weaving my way through the crowd and searching for their faces near the table we usually sit at. Eden and Lillian wave at me through the mass of bodies and I smile as I wave back at them and push through the cluster of people surrounding me.
“We got you a glass of wine,” Lillian says as I reach them, pushing the glass toward the empty seat at the table. Eden flashes me a nervous smile and I sit down, grabbing my glass and taking a sip.
“Thanks.”
“I know you’re mad,” Eden says, looking appropriately contrite and I lean back against my chair, crossing my arms over my chest.
“I am.”
“Did it not go well?”
I scoff, shaking my head. “No, it didn’t go well but even if it had, doing that to both Wyatt and me was not cool.”
“I know,” she whispers with a nod. “Wyatt messaged me, too, and chewed me out last night. I really didn’t mean any harm though. It’s just… the two of you…”
“Your heart was in the right place,” I say, reaching across the table and placing my hand on hers. “I know that but you did cross a line. The issues between Wyatt and me… they’re complicated and painful and not something that can be fixed during one lunch date.”
“Speaking of…” Lillian cuts in, leaning forward with a gleam in her eyes that makes me laugh. “How did the lunch date go?”
“Terrible.”
She rolls her eyes. “I know but I need details, woman!”
I glance over at Eden and flash her a small smile to let her know that she’s forgiven and her body deflates for a second before she sits up straighter, almost back to the Eden I’m used to as I launch into my story about my date with Wyatt. Lillian is enthralled, watching me with an arched brow as she sips her drink and Eden studies me closely.
“So, when he asked me what I wanted, I panicked and told him I wanted him to help me have a baby.”
Eden’s mouth pops open. “You did not.”
“I did,” I answer with a nod and she shakes her head as she buries her face in her hands.
“Oh my God.”
Lillian’s gaze bounces between the two of us before she turns back to me, her eyes wide and she’s practically hanging off of the edge of her seat. “Well, what did he say?”
“He told me I was insane, rightly so I might add, and stormed out.”
“And you didn’t tell him the truth about anything?” Eden asks and I shake my head. I just can’t imagine ever telling Wyatt the real reason why I walked away from him. He wouldn’t understand and he certainly wouldn’t see me the same ever again. Although, at this point, I don’t know what it matters. “Well, he sure was fired up when he messaged me last night.”