Part 20 (1/2)

”Hmm,” Izzy said as turned around to look at the backseat, even as Eden said, ”Yes. We can absolutely make it work. Ben's really skinny. You are are talking about the four of us and Ben. Please say yes.” talking about the four of us and Ben. Please say yes.”

”Yeah,” Danny said. ”I just spoke to Ivette.”

”Oh, thank G.o.d!” Eden clasped her hands and brought them up to her mouth, like someone who'd just been told by an expert from the Antiques Roadshow Antiques Roadshow that Great-Grandpa's collection of outhouse seats was worth fifty thousand dollars. that Great-Grandpa's collection of outhouse seats was worth fifty thousand dollars.

”She's been working as a home health aide,” Dan continued as tears filled Eden's eyes, ”and her current client, well, he's dying. He thinks she's his dead wife, and he wants her there, so...She's been pulling a lot of around-the-clock s.h.i.+fts. Who knew she had that in her? Anyway, I got her to agree that Ben would be better off with me, living down in San Diego. So...”

The tears overflowed. ”Thank you. Oh, Danny, thank you.”

”I, uh, didn't mention you.”

Eden nodded as she fiercely wiped her eyes, as she sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. ”That's probably best.”

She didn't let it show in her voice, but Izzy didn't miss the regret and disappointment that flashed across her face as she struggled to rein in her emotions. In a family filled with ma.s.sive f.u.c.k-ups, she was perceived to be the black sheep and always would be. Although Ben, being gay, had to be running a close second these days. Dan, however, was the golden boy and clearly had retained that elevated status with their mother.

That had to be hard as h.e.l.l not to resent, but she didn't. She was obviously beyond grateful that Danny had appeared and used his s.h.i.+ning superpowers to help her set their little brother free.

And Izzy couldn't help himself. He reached for her, gently smoothing her hair back from her face, tucking a stray strand behind her ear, as Danny's voice continued from the tiny speaker of his phone.

”But I am going to count on you, Eden,” her brother told her, tightly, stiffly, almost formally, as she turned and looked at Izzy-an expression that he couldn't read on her impossibly pretty face. ”To be there. To take care of him when I'm not around. To keep him out of trouble. To keep yourself out of trouble, too.”

And okay, that was a pretty d.i.c.kish thing to say. Izzy made a face, but Eden turned away, pulling free from Izzy's hand as she nodded, even though Dan couldn't possibly see her.

”I know,” she said. ”I will.”

”Maybe you'll do for Ben what you couldn't do for yourself,” Dan said, which was a really really d.i.c.kish thing to say. d.i.c.kish thing to say.

But Izzy held his tongue as Eden said, ”Danny, I promise-”

He brushed it off. ”We'll talk more when I get there. Is your place big enough for us to stay with you while we're in town?”

”There's a pullout couch, in the living room,” she said, glancing over at Izzy again, almost apologetically this time. ”I don't know how comfortable it is, but...You can have the bedroom.”

”That's not necessary,” Dan said. ”And it's only for one night. We'll leave for San Diego in the morning, but I'm looking to save money, so...A three-bedroom apartment won't be cheap.”

Three-bedroom? Wait a minute. Was Dan expecting Eden to live with him and Ben, too? Somehow Izzy had imagined Dan sharing a place with his brother, and Eden having her own separate apartment.

Or-yeah-moving back in with him.

Holy s.h.i.+t, sometime between Oh, yes Oh, yes and and Oh, YES Oh, YES, Izzy had apparently gotten a little ahead of himself.

”I've got some savings,” Eden was telling her brother, clearly on board with the whole three-bedroom apartment plan, which left Izzy absolutely out in the cold and crying bitter tears into his pillow as he remained decidedly alone and unlaid. Unless she was actually thinking they could all live together like some really dysfunctional version of Full House Full House. ”Plus, I'm working full-time. I'll help pay the bills. And if we need to, Ben and I can share a room.”

And...Izzy was back to weeping and unlaid. Okay, then. She definitely wasn't factoring him into any of her plans. Good to know.

”We'll talk when I get there,” Dan said again.

”What about Ben?” Eden asked. ”Where is he? Can we go pick him up?”

”He's at a place called Crossroads, right there in Las Vegas. I've already spoken to them. Ivette made arrangements for Ben to be released to me, so...We'll go there directly from the airport. Look, we're here, I gotta go. We'll see you in a few.”

”Thank you,” Eden said again, but Dan had already cut the connection.

Izzy pocketed his phone. And then there they sat, in the darkness.

”Thank G.o.d,” she murmured again, and he knew she was, once again, fighting tears.

”You know,” Izzy finally said, ”sometimes it's okay to let loose. Sometimes the news is just too freaking miraculous.”

She laughed, but it came out sounding more like a sob. ”It is is miraculous, isn't it? I almost can't believe it could be this easy.” miraculous, isn't it? I almost can't believe it could be this easy.”

”Every now and then,” Izzy told her, ”the good guys catch a break.” He put the car into gear and eased away from the curb. ”No point sitting here anymore. Shall we...get that room at Caesars Palace?”

She snorted her disgust. ”I'm not not going to make you spend that kind of money when I have a perfectly good apartment.” going to make you spend that kind of money when I have a perfectly good apartment.”

Izzy cleared his throat. ”One that you haven't exactly invited me to.”

”We're still married,” she reminded him. ”Which makes half of everything I own yours. Not that I own the apartment...”

”Does that include half of your stripper money?” he asked, not just because he was an a.s.shole, but because he was currently a jealous a.s.shole. He was here to save the day in return for a whole lot of steaming-hot s.e.x, only the day had been saved very nicely without him.

Eden looked at him sharply. It was was the deal they'd made, back before they'd taken their vows. She'd even signed a prenup. Half of everything that was hers was his, and none of what was his would ever belong to her. the deal they'd made, back before they'd taken their vows. She'd even signed a prenup. Half of everything that was hers was his, and none of what was his would ever belong to her.

He'd had no intention of ever upholding the agreement. He'd only drafted and signed the d.a.m.n thing because she was adamant about not taking advantage of him. She'd insisted upon it, because the truth was that she only married him for his health care and for the chance to give her baby his name.

Not that either of them had ever expected her to come into any great sums of cash.

But now, as she sat in the car beside him, she squared her shoulders and nodded. ”Of course.”

It was clear his days were numbered. Still, if he were going to take whatever he could get for as long as he could get it, he'd have to work to be a whole lot less peevish.

”Yeah,” he said, ”no, sweetheart, see, I was kidding. It was just a bad joke.”

”We had a deal,” Eden told him quietly.

”I'm not going to take your money,” he said. ”That's not what I want, okay?” He looked over at her as he pulled out onto the main road, and she was watching him. ”You know what I want.”

She nodded. And then she reached over and put her hand on his package, grabbing hold of him right through his pants.

”I know because I want it, too,” she said, her voice even huskier than usual. ”How about you drive this thing a little faster?”

Neesha woke up with a jolt as the apartment door slammed shut, and her heart pounded as she realized that she was no longer alone.

She'd left the light on in the kitchen-the dim one over the stove. It was enough for her to see that it was Ben's sister Eden who'd come home, and she wasn't alone. She was with the big man that Neesha had seen out on the sidewalk. He'd found her and...He'd bought her apparently, because he was kissing her and touching her as if he owned her.

Eden was pulling off her clothes as if she couldn't wait for it to be over with-Neesha knew what that was like. She slipped off the couch and huddled behind its arm, near the wall, praying that she wouldn't have to witness Eden's shame.