6

CHAPTER SIX: Secrets

"She's asking about you," I hastily whispered to Trenton. He stood up from the bed with grace and I couldn't help but think about how absolutely sexy he looked as he put his top over his sculpted chest.

I turned back to the phone. "Well, I'm going to check, okay? But have you tried dialling his phone, or...or did you check his bathroom? Where are you now?"

She replied that she was in the kitchen and did not bother checking his bathroom, so I hastily told him, and I watched as he quietly left my room.

A minute later, she called to tell me that she had found him.

"But why are you looking around for him though? He's an adult" I playfully joked to her.

"Well, it's something you should know...but daddy has this violent sleepwalks, he usually manages it drugs but I'm worried because I know his stash must have finished and he wasn't able to get another batch because of the snowstorm."

"Oh..wow..." was all I could say. He hasn't told me that.

"Yeah...so that's why I get worried about him a tad bit. I usually check on his room at night..."

The rest of her words were lost on me as I thought about the fact that he didn't have any of those violent sleep walks while he was with me.

And also that, if she was checking up on him regularly he couldn't sneak in and have sex with me frequently.

When I woke up the next day, Trenton's masculine scent was wrapped all over my sheets.

Then I remembered Eudora downstairs, my best friend who trusted me completely while I was sleeping with her father behind her ba

Then guilt crashed over me like a wave because Eudora was downstairs, my best friend who trusted me completely while I was sleeping with her father behind her back.

I dragged myself out of bed and into the shower, letting the hot water wash away the evidence of last night.

When I finally went downstairs, Eudora was already at the kitchen table with her laptop open and coffee in hand.

"Morning sleepyhead," she said without looking up. "I was starting to think you'd sleep all day."

"Long night," I said, then immediately regretted it because that sounded suspicious.

She glanced up with a grin. "Bad dreams? The guest room isn't haunted, I promise."

"Just adjusting to a new bed," I lied, pouring myself coffee with hands that shook slightly.

Trenton walked in from the back hallway, our gazes met for half a second before we both looked away too quickly.

"Morning Dad," Eudora said, finally closing her laptop. "You look good, like really good, did you actually sleep for once?"

He moved to the coffee maker. "The storm knocked me out I guess, I haven't slept that well in months."

"It shows," she studied him with a smile. "You seem different somehow, lighter maybe, like something lifted off your shoulders."

My stomach dropped because we weren't even an hour into the morning and she was already noticing changes in him.

"I'm just glad to have you home," he said smoothly.

Eudora stood and stretched. "Well I'm glad something happened while I was stuck in that hospital, maybe being trapped in a blizzard was good for you."

I cleared my throat.

"What are your plans today?" Trenton asked, clearly trying to change the subject.

"Actually," Eudora turned to me with bright eyes, "I was hoping Bronwyn and I could go into town and do some shopping."

An hour later, we were walking through downtown Pinehaven where every shop window was decorated for Christmas and snow lined the streets. Eudora linked her arm through mine like we were teenagers again.

"I missed this," she said. "I missed you and missed home, Imissed everything that isn't the hospital."

We chuckled together.

"How's Eleri handling you being gone?" I asked, grateful for a safe topic.

Eleri is her boyfriend.

"She understands but I know she's lonely," Eudora sighed. "He wanted to come for Christmas but his family needed him in California, we're doing New Year's together though."

We stopped at a clothing boutique where Eudora immediately started pulling things off racks. "So tell me the truth, was my dad completely unbearable during the storm?"

"What? No, he was fine," I said.

She raised an eyebrow. "Fine? That's it? You were trapped alone with him for three days and all you have is fine?"

My heart pounded. "We just talked mostly, watched movies, he cooked."

"He cooked for you?" She looked impressed. "He never cooks for anyone except family."

The word family hit different now after everything that happened. "He mentioned Isolde taught him."

"Yeah," her expression softened. "Mom loved cooking, it was her thing, after she died he stopped doing it completely until recently I guess."

We moved to another section and she kept talking. "I'm really glad he had company during the storm, I was worried about leaving him alone but you were there so that's good."

"Eudora," I started but didn't know how to finish.

"What?"

"Nothing, just, I'm glad I could be there for him too."

She smiled and squeezed my hand. "You're a good friend Bronwyn, to both of us."

The guilt was suffocating but I forced a smile back because what else could I do, confess right here in the middle of a boutique that I'd been sleeping with her father?

We grabbed lunch at the cafe where everyone knew Eudora and stopped to chat.

"Dad seems really different," she said over sandwiches. "Like genuinely happy for the first time since Mom died, I noticed it last night at dinner."

I focused very hard on my food. "That's good though right?"

"It's amazing," she said. "I was starting to think he'd never come back from that dark place, but something changed, maybe finally processing his grief or maybe just time."

Or maybe your best friend, I thought.

"He deserves to be happy," I said carefully.

"He does," she agreed. "Mom would want that for him, would want him to move on eventually.".

That afternoon we returned to the house loaded with shopping bags. Trenton was in his study on a work call so we went upstairs where Eudora showed me everything she bought.

"Stay in my room tonight," she suggested. "Like old times, we can watch movies and talk."

Panic flared. "I don't want to keep you up."

"Please? I barely see you anymore and tomorrow's Christmas Eve so the house will be crazy."

I couldn't say no without seeming suspicious so I agreed, my mind already racing because that meant no Trenton tonight, or sneaking down the hall, no feeling his hands on me in the darkness.