Finding Eden (A Sign of Love Novel)(73)

Molly left the room saying something about iced tea and when she was gone, I turned to Eden. "I'm so sorry," I muttered, putting my forehead to hers. I shook my head slowly. "It was like I was back there for a minute. I . . . freaked. Damn, I'm sorry."
Eden brought her hand to my cheek. "I understand. And truly, Calder, they were like a bunch of vultures. They practically attacked us."
I took a deep breath. "Still, I cringe to think about what that news footage looks like. I must look crazed."
"We won't watch," she said, a glimmer of a smile on her lips. She kissed me softly right as Molly came back into the room with a tray of glasses filled with iced tea.
I took the one she offered and drank deeply. Eden sipped at hers and Molly set the tray down on the coffee table and took the chair across from where we sat on the sofa.
"So who the hell told the news about you guys?" she asked, her eyes wide.
I glanced at Eden and shook my head. "I don't know," I said. "Madison?"
Eden shook her head, biting her lip. "I guess it could have been, but I don't know. I talked to her this morning and she seemed sincere when she said she wouldn't."
I nodded. I didn't think Madison would either. She'd always been trustworthy from my experience. Still, people did things they might not ordinarily do when they were hurt. I'd hurt her.
"How'd you know to come pick us up?" I asked Molly.
Her eyes moved to mine. "I didn't. Carolyn sent me." She raised her hands. "I swear, I was going to take a selfie with Eden just to prove she was alive and then leave." She lowered her voice. "She's been just a little crazy for four days, almost like Eden was kidnapped again or something. I've been trying to help her keep a rational perspective." She raised her brows as if she wasn't sure how effective she'd been. Damn. I couldn't help wondering if Carolyn tipped off the police. The thought itself made me feel guilty though. Eden's mom wouldn't do that to her.
Molly took a sip of her tea and then put it back down on the table in front of her. "As for who told the media, I guess it could have been any of a hundred people. That party . . . we asked the guests not to say anything, but the bartender could have heard just enough and put it together. Who knows? We weren't exactly running a stealth operation." She raised her hands and dropped them. "Now that I consider it, I'm actually more surprised it took this long for the media to come knocking at our door."
I surprised myself by chuckling. True enough. I liked Eden's cousin.
Eden smiled at Molly and bit her lip. "You're right. I mean, does it really even matter?" She looked up at me. "I just wish it had happened on our time frame."
"It's all right," I said quietly. "It's probably for the best. You're going to be able to claim your name now and everything that goes with that." I moved my own fear aside as best as I could. There was nothing I could do now but wait to see what would happen. I lay my bloody hands on my thighs again, still feeling slightly shell-shocked.
Carolyn came rushing back into the room with a first aid kit and looked questioningly at Eden. Eden nodded and took the kit from her hands and moved to kneel in front of me. As she dabbed alcohol on my knuckles, the biting sting served to bring me fully into the present. While Eden bandaged my hands, Carolyn told us she had spoken to one of the detectives on Eden's case while she was upstairs and that the police were on their way over. They had called her when they saw the news footage on TV.
"Will that look bad for us?" Eden asked, looking back over her shoulder at her mom.
Her mom shook her head. "He seemed understanding about why we had taken our time. I think the way the journalists attacked you both is proof enough that we had good reason to keep to ourselves for a little while." She frowned, staring at me. After what Molly had told us, I didn't blame her for looking at me like that. I had taken Eden away from her for four days after telling her I'd bring her right back, and then went mad-dog crazy and beat people when they posed a threat to us. Or what I thought of as a threat at the time. I tried to think back and could barely remember the details other than I felt like Eden's safety was at risk. Her mom probably thought I was sketchy now at best, despite the fact that I thought I'd made a good impression on her at her garden party.