Alice was completely blown away by the place. She gasped loudly in every room and looked at Anna with wide eyes.
"This place is fucking enormous!" She exclaimed and both Emma and Anna laughed. "Does he live here all by himself?"
Emma nodded. "Yeah when he's home, this is where he goes. I think he's dreaming of turning it into a family home; kids playing in the garden, a dog and a wife by his side."
Alice looked at Anna and raised an eyebrow. Anna looked away shyly not sure how to react to that.
"He's pretty misunderstood actually. Generally people think he's a casanova on the prowl for his next conquest. That's not him at all. He wants to find somebody who loves him and that he loves back and then settle down. He's close to 30, after all." Emma said and looked at Alice and Anna. "What? Why do you look like that?" She looked over her shoulder and around the room.
Alice chuckled. "Well Emma, I think I'm wondering if Anna is that somebody to him?"
"Alice!" Anna said with embarrassment.
Emma laughed and crossed the room to hug Anna. "I'm pretty sure."
Anna blushed and remained silent. How desperately she wished for that to be the truth. That he wanted her and only her. She could imagine herself waking up next to him in 30 years, their kids all grown up and successful, while they were retired. Maybe Eddie still made music, but not like now. They would just grow old together blissfully.
She snapped back to reality to Alice and Emma looking expectantly at her.
"What?" She asked.
"How do you feel about that?" Alice repeated her question and smiled knowingly at Emma.
The doorbell rang and Anna was literally saved by the bell.
"Sorry, gotta get that," she said and hurried down to open the door.
Ben was waiting outside with his back turned to the door.
"Hey Ben, welcome!" Anna said and swung the door open to him.
"Thanks for having me," he smiled and entered.
Emma and Alice came down the stairs, and Anna definitely spotted a moment where Alice smiled sweetly and he held his breath. Ben went over to say hello and Emma walked over to Anna.
"Is that a thing?" She asked curiously.
Anna nodded. "Looks like it. I mean, nothing's happened, but I think they would like something to happen."
Emma squeezed her arm and giggled. "Awesome. I love a good romance unfolding in front of my eyes."
"Me too!" Anna giggled as they went out to the kitchen to assist Hannah and to let the two turtle doves have a moment to themselves.
Hannah had everything under control in the kitchen. She smiled when Emma and Anna came in and offered them a glass of wine at the kitchen island.
"Here you are, my two beautiful girls," she said and poured a glass of white wine for each.
Anna's heart skipped a beat. Whenever Hannah said something like that it tugged at her heart strings. The nurturing, motherly nature was only a memory to Anna, a reminder of her mom. She really liked Hannah, and she found herself craving those little signs that Hannah saw her as family. It was probably textbook; girl loses mother, grows up without a strong female presence, and craves that connection.
She was so deep in thought she didn't realise that Eddie was in the room until he wrapped his arms around her from behind and leaned his chin on her shoulder. She looked up and smiled at him. Sometimes when he looked at her, it was as if she was more precious than anything else in the world. He made her stomach flutter and her pulse escalate.
"Hi," he said and flashed that dimpled smile at her.
"Hey," she said and was lost to the world for a moment, drowning in his green eyes.
"Hello," Hannah said in a sultry voice from the other side of the kitchen island and Emma chuckled.
Anna and Eddie both burst out laughing. He hugged his mum and kissed her cheek. She patted his back and called him darling.
Emma touched her arm and caught her attention. "Are you okay?" She whispered.
Anna nodded and smiled. There was a lot going on in her head, and some things were a little heavy, like having to say goodbye to her dad and Alice the next day. But she was so happy at the same time.
"I'll tell you about it later, okay?" She said to Emma, who nodded and smiled back.
***
Eddie was a phenomenal cook. He had really thought about the menu and made sure there was plenty of food.
Her dad was impressed and complemented every single bite. Anna couldn't help but laugh at him, when he closed his eyes and really savoured each bite. It wasn't a microwaveable TV-dinner from the freezer like he usually consumed when Anna wasn't around to drop off home cooked meals.
She had spent time setting the table and making it look really pretty. Eddie had very beautiful plates, cutlery and glasses making it easy to set a stunning table. He had flowers in the garden, so she made a small bouquet to put in the center of the table.
During dinner Alice and Ben were seated next to each other and speaking just the two of them. Anna stole a look every now and again to see how they were getting on. Eddie was sitting next to her, and he squeezed her thigh when she looked at them. She was just so excited for them to get to know each other that she was having a hard time containing it.
Eddie rested his arm on the back of her chair, and spoke to her dad about cars. Her dad had been down to the garage with Eddie to see some of his vintage cars, and there were lights in her dad's eyes when he came back upstairs. He was completely blown away by Eddie that much was obvious.
Hannah and Emma were telling Anna about Wales, since they were off to Cardiff as the next stop on Eddie's tour. They would be joining them as well, and Anna was thrilled she got to have more time with them. She was growing really fond of both of them.
Eddie was stroking her shoulder blade with his thumb, sending warm sensations through her top onto her skin. It was scary how much she reacted to even the smallest touch of his finger on her shoulder blade. She looked up at him, as he was deep in conversation with her dad, and wondered if he had any idea how his little affectionate gesture made her feel. Her guess was that he had no idea. She looked back towards Hannah and Emma and caught Hannah smiling at her. Anna blushed knowing she had been caught staring at her son the way she did.
Hannah winked at her and went on to talk about Dublin, which was after Cardiff. Anna listened intently, but felt her cheeks flush red. She knew she was an open book, there was no doubt she absolutely beamed with desire for Eddie.
***
Ben ended up asking Alice if she wanted to go out for a drink and then he would make sure she got safely back to the hotel. Alice accepted and smiled shyly at him.
Anna was having trouble concealing her absolute excitement. Eddie put his arms around her and squeezed her tightly.
"You're positively vibrating with excitement, kitten. Calm down," he chuckled into her ear.
Hannah and Emma would take her dad back to the hotel. Anna and Eddie were going to pick both of them up in the morning and take them to the airport.
Her dad hugged her and thanked her for a lovely dinner.
"Banana?" He said quietly looking around to see if anyone was listening. "All of this truly suits you honey."
She tilted her head and furrowed her brows, not really sure what he meant.
"Go with your heart," he whispered and hugged her once more, before he left with Eddie's family.
She waved them off and stood for a moment and wondered what he was saying. He was definitely trying to tell her more than just, follow your heart.
"Are you okay, love?" Eddie asked and made her come inside.
"I'm better than okay actually. I feel really...fulfilled." She shrugged. "This night turned out exactly like I had hoped."
He cupped her cheek in his hand and smiled at her. "We work well together," he said and smiled cheekily.
She chuckled and nodded. "Yeah we do, actually. Really well."
He sighed and maintained eye contact, while biting his bottom lip. There was a comfortable silence for a moment, but at the same time the air was still with something unsaid. Like there was something he needed to say, but it hadn't rolled all the way to his vocal cords yet. Was he nervous?
"You're very quiet," she noted and put her arms around his waist, while looking up at him.
"Sorry, I think my head is just as full as my belly and heart," he chuckled and pulled her closer to him. "I really, really like your dad."
"He really, really likes you too," she said. "Which is kinda lucky, because I really, really love you."
"I can assure you, it's not nearly as much as I love you, kitten." He leaned his forehead against hers and stood for a moment and stroked her back.
"Do you wanna wrestle about it?" She laughed, making him laugh too.
"Only if it's naked and upstairs," he wagged his eyebrows and laughed.
"You're on!" She said and took off up the stairs.
***
They went to the hotel in the morning to pick up Alice and her dad. Anna was struggling with a lump in her throat already, sadness showing its nasty face.
Eddie held her hand and spoke gently to her about practical tour related things to keep her mind off the goodbye that was hanging in the air.
When they drove up to the hotel, she spotted her dad already waiting outside with his suitcase and a big smile on his face. He had definitely had the time of his life. She chuckled at him, as they parked and got out to put his suitcase in the boot.
"Where's Alice?" Anna asked and looked around for her.
"Oh she'll be here shortly," Ted said and winked at her.
Just then the sliding doors opened and Alice came out followed by Ben, carrying her suitcase. Anna's jaw dropped to her chest and her mind ran wild with questions. Why was he there? Did he come to say goodbye? Had he stayed there overnight?
Ben placed Alice's suitcase in the boot, and smiled at Anna and Eddie. Eddie held the door and let Ted in, then he hurried round to the driver's seat and got in. Anna was frozen in her spot, looking from Alice to Ben. Alice cleared her throat and raised her eyebrows at Anna.
Eddie rolled down the window.
"Anna, love? Get in the car and let them say goodbye in peace," he called to her.
Anna blushed and apologised profusely before she hurried into the backseat of the car.
Her dad and Eddie were both laughing at her when she settled into the seat.
"Did he sleep here?" She leaned forward and asked her dad. "No! Don't tell me. I'll ask her myself."
Her dad chuckled and nodded. "I think that's for you girls to talk about. Eddie and I will discuss manly things here up front."
Anna turned her face and snuck a look at Alice and Ben behind the car. Alice was leaning against the car and he was standing very close to her. She couldn't tell if they were kissing, but she didn't want to stare at them. Instead she checked her phone to see if Alice had texted her. But there weren't any missed messages or calls. Alice had probably been very busy during the night.
After a while the door opened and Alice slid in next to her in the backseat. The door was closed and Alice looked ahead, but caught Anna gawking at her.
"What?!" She said and looked around at everyone in the car.
"Spill!" Anna said and pointed at her face.