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Eden clutches his hair and tilts his head until their eyes meet. A single tear rolls down her cheek. “No,” she murmurs. “Please don’t do this.”
“I need you to be safe.”
Eden backs away, so his hands fall to his sides. “No.”
“I’m doing this for us.”
“Then come with us. Come with us now, and be with me in Australia when I have our baby.”
15
EDEN
“In Australia…”
Samuel remains on his knees, head bowed.
I wait for an apology, a confession.
“I can’t,” he whispers. “Not yet.”
Gah.
I storm to the minibar and shake the bottle of whiskey. “You know this is when I miss drinking.”
He’s beside me, and I didn’t hear him move. “I have to finish up my work, complete my contract, and then I’ll be on the first flight to you.”
“It concerns me how you don’t want to be there when I have our baby. I mean, what if things go wrong, and I can’t contact you—”
“Don’t. Don’t do that.” He places both hands on her shoulders and leans, so his forehead touches hers.
“And it’s not just me.” God, he has unleashed the bitch inside of me. I can’t control my voice to discuss anything calmly with the urge to yell at him until he gives in. Only he won’t. I know it’s the part he struggles with—a side of him hung up on failure. And I’m destroying him by allowing him to think he’s failing me when he’s doing his best to keep us safe. “Your parents. Why haven’t you told them they are going to be grandparents?”
“I can email them now.”
“Christ, Samuel, listen to yourself.Email. When was the last time you spoke to them?”
He backs away from me until his legs hit the bed, and he sits on the edge. He slouches so his elbows rest on his knees. “We don’t have that sort of relationship, but if it’s what you want, I’ll do it.”
“I have to call my parents,” I tell him. “We’ll do it together. I’ll call from the bathroom, and you do it from here.” I check the world clock. It’s nine at night, so it’s around five in the afternoon in LA and nine in the morning in Adelaide. His face turns ghostly white, yet I stand my ground waiting for him to pick up the phone.
“Are you going to police the call?” he asks. I ignore it because these are all steps to melting the armor to why he believes his life is in Ulara.
“Only until they answer, and then I’ll make my calls.”
I wait until he presses buttons, then he turns the screen.
Mom.
A woman’s voice answers.
“Samuel?” Her voice sounds excited yet confused.
His free hand supports his forehead. “Hey. I’m sorry it’s taken this long to call…”
I leave him and head into the bathroom to call my parents. I decide to buzz Mum in case Dad’s in a work meeting.
“Eden.”
