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“I thought I was going to die.” He chokes up on the last word.
Oh god. I crawl up onto the bed and lie beside him. “I won’t let it happen.”
“In my mind, I had an out-of-body experience and sensed my soul with other souls. In the darkness, I was overwhelmed by the presence of others.”
I wrap my arm around him and tighten my hold. “Yet you didn’t die. There’s a reason you’re here. And I’m never allowing you to be alone like that again.”
Samuel turns and kisses my cheek. “I thank the universe every day for sending you to me even though you’re a pain in the ass.”
I snuggle closer. “I’ll be whatever it takes to never leave you again.”
* * *
Come Thursday, Samuel is still in the hospital. I know it saddens him not to be home for Rose’s birthday, especially with our families together to celebrate.
Helium balloons float over the family room ceiling. I can hear Faith, Caroline, and Mum chatting in one corner while Jake, Dad, and Christopher play noisily with the children. I FaceTime Samuel when we light the candles on the cake Mum made—a caterpillar topped with candy. He’s smiling and chatting to Rose, telling her what a clever girl she is, although her efforts in blowing out the single candle resulted in her bangs receiving more air than anywhere else.
After everyone leaves, I take my tired one-year-old and read her a story in her crib. It’s not long until her eyes flutter close. I creep out of her room and join Samuel’s parents in the living room. The curtains remain open while the sun is near the ocean horizon, casting streaks of pink and orange color across the skies.
Christopher pours a whiskey on ice and stands at the glass admiring the view. Caroline is packing the last of the dishes into the dishwasher.
“Thank you.” I place a hand on her back. “I appreciate your help.”
She smiles up at me. “I’m glad to help. It’s been many years since I’ve been able to help someone.”
It’s possible they have a housekeeper, and with only the two of them, I understand what she’s saying. Yet I see satisfaction in her eyes and know we all can feel good about ourselves when we do the smallest of gestures to help someone else.
“Would you mind if I asked the cleaner not to come for the rest of the week?”
Caroline blinks at me as though she doesn’t know what I’m implying.
“Our house doesn’t need to be cleaned daily,” I say gently. “And I enjoy cleaning. Once a week is adequate for a house cleaner. Is that okay with you?”
Caroline straightens. “Eden, it’s none of my business how you manage your home.”
I sit at the kitchen table and pour a glass of red wine from the bottle Faith brought over. “Would you like one?”
She comes to sit beside me. “I have taken a liking to Australian wine.”
I chuckle lightly, pour a glass, and slide it to her. “I know we do things differently here, and I like things done my way. My home isn’t dirty, and although it’s large, it’s a new home and easy to manage. I can keep it clean between a professional clean. The reason we have someone visiting daily is Samuel’s concern about your OCD.”
Caroline takes a sip then slowly her blue eyes meet mine. “I try hard not to let it affect me. Only when I’m somewhere foreign, for the first few days, I find it hard to control.”
I place my hand on hers. “I understand. Our home is your home, too, and I want you to relax here.”
She twirls the wine in her glass before taking a sip. “Thank you, and to be honest, I have relaxed considerably over the past few days. It’s quite laid back here and surprisingly, I enjoy it.”
Christopher comes and sits at the table, lightly shaking the ice in his glass to blend with the whiskey.
“I’m glad I have both of you here as I want to discuss Samuel. He’s highly strung since leaving the jungle.”
“Eden, we tried to make him stay with us in LA and receive all the tests when he first arrived. We were concerned and alerted the authorities to what happened, only our son is stubborn and refused to stay longer than necessary so he could come to you. It’s why our last email omitted concern as he made us promise not to mention he was home.”
I gasp. “Why would he do that?” He knew I’d go crazy worrying about him.
“He believed enough time had passed for you to have moved on. Or you assumed he wasn’t returning to you and again moved on with your life. He intended to assess the situation, and if you chose to be with another man, then he’d understand, except he wanted to see with his own eyes rather than discuss it over the phone.”
I shake my head in shock.Did he really believe I could move on so quickly?
