Beautiful girl, please don’t hate me for this.

There wasn’t going to be an easy way to do it. I took a deep breath and forced myself to call out her name.

“Eden.”

Her body shook at the sound of my voice. She turned around, and I could see the transformation from shock to pure terror on her face.

Eden clutched her chest. Her face turned red as she took a few steps back and coughed out, “Ryder…”

A mix of emotions ran through me as I stood still: guilt for having put her in this position and an intense longing, because now that I’d seen her in person, right in front of me, what felt like a new fire had been ignited inside. It felt inextinguishable. How could I walk away now?

Her mouth was trembling. I wanted to kiss it so badly. This wasn’t the kind of introduction I‘d been hoping for with her. But it was to be expected.

She couldn’t find the words. “What...how…”

“Can I explain?”

Eden nodded, seeming extremely nervous as she looked over at the door to the building.

“It’s as simple as…you disappeared. I freaked out that something bad had happened to you. I used the one piece of information I had about your whereabouts to find you. It worked.”

She licked her lips. “What was it?”

“The T-shirt you wore that one time with Ellerby’s on it.”

Eden nodded, like she already knew she’d fucked up by displaying that, albeit briefly.

“I made a mental note of the name,” I continued. “I never intended to invade your privacy. I took a chance and came out here because I’ve grown to care a lot about you, and I needed to know you’re okay. So please don’t hate me for doing this.”

“I don’t hate you,” she whispered. She closed her eyes.

Thank God.

Eden looked defeated, like all of the work she’d done to hide whatever she was keeping from me had been in vain.

Her attention suddenly turned toward the front entrance to the building as we both fell silent. It became clear what was happening as I spotted a woman walking out, holding the hand of a boy who looked about ten or eleven. They walked straight toward Eden.

All of the puzzle pieces were coming together in my brain.

This was a school.

She was picking someone up.

Then it hit me.

How could you be so stupid, Ryder?

My heart felt heavy.

This is her kid?

Is this what she’s been hiding all along?

The woman let go of the boy’s hand and placed it in Eden’s.

“He had a good day. The nurse checked in on him. I think you made a good choice in sending him in today.”

Eden’s voice was shaky. “Glad to hear that. Thank you.”

“I hope you have a good night.” The woman bent down. “Bye, Ollie.”

Ollie.

The boy waved. “Bye.” He had what looked like stitches on his forehead.

Eden looked at me as I stood there, dumbfounded.

Suddenly, the boy said, “Who’s here?”

I noticed he wasn’t looking at her as he spoke, just sort of staring blankly out toward the street. He wasn’t looking at me, either.

She placed her hand on his shoulder. “You can sense someone, huh?”

“You’re not moving, and I can smell someone else.”

My stomach sank as I quietly observed him. A second later, I saw a sign I hadn’t noticed before.

St. George School for the Blind.CHAPTER TEN* * *EDENRyder looked over at the sign on the front of the school. He was slowly putting two and two together.

I think I was still in shock. I couldn’t even move. Poor Ollie was probably so confused. I’d forgotten I didn’t have to say anything; he could tell just from my movement—or lack thereof—that something was off.

But I still couldn’t move. Having Ryder here was almost too much to bear. Smelling his scent, recognizing the sheer power of his height, the penetration of his stare.

Why did you have to come, Ryder?

I cleared my throat. “Ollie, my friend is here. His name is Ryder.” I looked into Ryder’s beautiful baby blues. “This is my little brother Ollie.”

The look of relief on Ryder’s face was palpable. I knew he’d likely assumed Ollie was my son. Even though he was my sibling, he might as well have been my child. I’d had the full responsibility of raising him since our mother died in a car accident.

“Your brother?”

I placed my hand on Ollie’s shoulder. “Yes, my little brother.”

Ryder finally approached us, bending a bit with his hands resting on his thighs. “Hey, Ollie.”

“Hi.”

Ryder flashed a beautiful smile. “You smelled me before I could introduce myself. Do I smell bad or something?”

It was just the opposite. Ryder smelled so very good, like how California would smell if you bottled it up and sold it as a fragrance. It was a masculine scent, like sandalwood and leather with a hint of ocean—just how I’d imagined him to smell. Maybe even better.