I thought I would give you guys an extra long chapter tonight...hope you enjoy. Please leave comments and let me know what you guys think. Thanks everyone
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Bucky POV
As soon as Eden shut the door to the nursery, I grabbed her and pulled her in for a kiss. I don't know what had gotten into me…maybe it was because it had been a week since we had been together. All I wanted to do was push her up against that door and take her…make her whimper my name. As soon as I kissed her, something inside me sparked and I was filled with a need so great that I didn't care where we were or who could see. Eden apparently felt the same spark I did, I could feel her hand making its way up under my shirt to let her fingers caress my chest. I couldn't help but shiver at her touch and I slid one hand down to the button of her pants…desperate to touch her…desperate to be inside of her.
What are you doing Bucky? You can't have sex with her the hallway of someone's house. Get a grip!
I pulled back from Eden and let out a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself down. I ran my fingers through my hair and stared at her. She opened her eyes when she noticed I had stopped kissing her and looked at me with a confused expression.
"Look where we are….not the time or the place" I said.
She finally realized what I meant and I saw her cheeks flush pink…slowly nodding her head to acknowledge that she understood. She turned away from me so quickly that I wasn't sure if she was upset or not that I had stopped so suddenly. I didn't want her to think I didn't want to…that I didn't want her. Before she could take another step away from me, I wrapped my arms around her waist so I could grind my groin against her, showing her just what effect she had on me. I smirked when I heard her whimper and bent down to kiss her neck before I whispered in her ear, "I think you're completely healed now…when we get home tomorrow, I'm going to show you that it was worth the wait"
I let her go and stepped back from her, still smirking when I saw her turn around to face me. She stood there staring at me, a wild look in her eye as she smiled up at me.
"You better get downstairs…I'll be down in a minute" I said, motioning her towards the stairs.
She looked down and saw the obvious swell in my jeans, throwing me a smirk before turning to flounce down hallway and head downstairs. I stood there with my eyes closed, willing my erection to go away so I could join her. Once I was settled down, I headed downstairs and found everyone in the living room chatting.
We spent the rest of the night there, visiting with Jill and her family. I had to admit, I was enjoying myself much more than I thought I would. Jill and Brooke were exact opposites. I had spent time with Brooke and now that I was getting to know Jill, I could see how much they had influenced Eden in her life….she was a healthy mix of the two of them, absorbing all their good qualities and making them her own. During dinner, I sat between Jake and Eden…the little boy had barely left my side the entire day but I was strangely okay with it. He was bright and inquisitive and hard not to like. During the party we had sat in the grass and I listened to him tell me all about his fascination with dinosaurs. Even now, as we ate dinner, he was still talking about his favorite ones. I felt Eden take my hand and I glanced over at her to see her smiling at the two of us. I gently squeezed it back and returned the smile before turning back to Jake.
As the evening progressed, Lynn announced it was time for the kids to take baths and get ready for bed. She wrangled the kids up and dragged them upstairs to bathe them while the rest of us sat in the living room to talk.
"So, what time do you guys have to leave tomorrow?" Jill was asking Eden.
Eden looked my way and winked at me, "I think we need to leave by tomorrow afternoon. We have some things we need to take care of at home"
Damn right we do!
"Great, I was hoping you could come with me to the bridal shop for one last fitting tomorrow morning. Since you already paid for your dress, you can go ahead and pick it up and take it home with you" Jill said before turning to me, "Bucky, you don't mind right? It won't take long. They have this nice couch area where you can sit and relax. Dave has to go visit his parents tomorrow so he won't be able to come"
I shook my head, "No that's fine, I don't mind"
I laughed when Jill turned to her Eden and told her, "Where did you find this one at? He's perfect!"
Eden laughed, "Just picked him up off a park bench one night" she said, winking at me.
"Actually, if you want to get technical, I picked you up off a park bench one night" I said. Eden giggled and told Mark, Jill, and Dave the story on how we had met that night in the park on that bench.
Lynn entered the room and sat down by her husband, "Got the baby down" She turned to me and Eden, "The kids wanted you two to come up there and tell them goodnight" she said with a smile.
I stood up and reached my hand out to Eden to pull her up off the couch. Hand in hand, we walked up the stairs and headed to Lilah's bedroom first. The little girl was already in her bed, grinning when we walked in her room. I smiled when I saw the dollhouse in the corner…Mark had put it together for her after the party.
Eden sat on the edge of her bed while I stood behind her, my hands on her shoulders.
"Aunt Eden, are you and Uncle Bucky going home tomorrow?" she asked.
I couldn't help smiling every time I heard her and Jake call me that…these kids had just met me today and they had already accepted me as a part of what they considered family. It was something I had never thought I would experience….something I had never even considered important when I was the Winter Soldier.
"Yes Lilah bug, me and Uncle Bucky are going home tomorrow" Eden said, her hand reaching out to brush the little girl's hair out of her face.
"Will you come see me tomorrow before you go home?" she asked.
Eden glanced up at me with a look in her eye and I nodded my head and kneeled down beside the bed, "Of course we're going to come by and see you before we leave" I told the little girl.
My answer seemed to satisfy her and she sat up suddenly, wrapped her little arms around my neck and kissed me on the cheek, "Goodnight Uncle Bucky" she said.
"Goodnight Lilah bug" I said, standing up and heading to the door. I stepped outside into the hallway and leaned against the wall, letting out a deep breath. I raised my hand to my face to touch the spot where Lilah had kissed my cheek. Spending time with these kids today had started to evoke memories from me; I was remembering how much I had wanted to have kids before leaving to join the army. I had left to go to war with every intention of coming back a hero…then I would come home, find a good woman and start a family.
I was still leaning against the wall when I heard Lilah ask Eden, "Are you and Uncle Bucky going to get married like Aunt Jill and Uncle Dave?"
I perked up suddenly, eager to hear the answer. I heard Eden chuckle, "I don't know Lilah, he hasn't asked" she replied.
"Do you want him ask you?" I heard Lilah say.
Please say yes.
Eden lowered her voice so I couldn't hear her reply…her and Lilah were suddenly talking in hushed voices. I bit my tongue in frustration and laid my head back against the wall again. I really wanted to know what Eden had told Lilah….I needed to know.
What if Eden told her no?
The insecure feelings started instantly and I began to doubt myself…to doubt Eden's love. Maybe I was more serious about her than she was about me. She was this pure beam of light and I was just a shadow trying to escape my dark past. I had told her the Winter Soldier wasn't gone…maybe she didn't want to marry a killer…a monster.
A few moments later Eden came out of the room with a bright smile on her face…it wavered slightly when she saw me standing outside the door. She bit her lip when she noticed the frown on my face, "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing" I said quietly before turning to head to Jake's room. She grabbed my hand to stop me before I could reach out to open his door.
"Hey, don't walk away from me" she said, reaching out to turn my face towards her. She kept her hand on my cheek until I would look her in the eye, "Talk to me" she demanded.
She stared in my eyes, searching them for an answer but I didn't speak. She seemed to be thinking hard on something and then her eyes widened, "Did you hear what Lilah asked me?"
I nodded reluctantly "Yes" I answered finally.
She nervously bit her lip again, "Did you hear my answer?" she said, suddenly looking very self-conscious. The look of vulnerability in her eyes suddenly made me doubt myself…maybe she hadn't told the little girl no after all. An angry voice that I hadn't heard in a long time was abruptly screaming in my head.
Why would she want to marry you? You're a monster!
"I didn't have to hear…I already know the answer is no" I said harshly.
She stared at me with a shocked expression in her eyes…it quickly faded and was replaced with anger, "You don't know anything Bucky Barnes…not a damn thing"
She stepped away from me quickly when we heard Jake call out from his room, "Aunt Eden? Uncle Bucky?"
I saw her swallow hard and lower her head, attempting to compose herself and wipe the cross look from her face for the sake of the boy. She finally glanced up and brushed past me to reach for the knob. Without looking at me, I heard her whisper angrily, "I didn't say no Bucky"
A glimmer of hope washed over me but quickly diminished when I realized how angry she sounded when she said it….she was mad at me and I felt like the biggest asshole ever.
She opened the door and walked into the room, "Hey Jake" I heard him greet her and listened for a minute while they talked.
I took a deep breath and then stepped into the room, stopping at the door way to watch her warily…I know she could feel my eyes on her and I saw her shifting uncomfortably as she spoke with Jake. She was seated on the edge of his bed and I finally walked up behind her to rest one hand on her shoulder. She didn't flinch away but I felt her stiffen at my touch.
Dammit, you really screwed up Barnes.
"It's way past your bed time little man. Go to sleep…we're going to come by tomorrow before we leave to say goodbye" she said to him, pulling the covers up on him.
He smiled at her and nodded his head, a pleased expression on his face. She leaned down to kiss his head and then stood up and made her way out. I watched her leave and then turned back towards the Jake to take the spot where Eden had just been sitting.
"She's right you know…you should get some sleep buddy" I told him, ruffling his hair. He smiled up at me and nodded his head before turning onto his side and getting comfortable.
I got up and walked over to the door to turn off his light and heard him say, "Goodnight Uncle Bucky"
I smiled and replied, "Goodnight Jake" before shutting his door. I was hoping Eden would be waiting outside the door for me but she was nowhere in sight. I headed downstairs and found her sitting on the couch talking to Jill and Lynn…she didn't even look my way when I entered the room. Dave and Mark called me over to where they were sitting and I talked with them for a while, glancing over occasionally to sneak a peek at Eden. She was doing a good job of completely ignoring me and focusing only on what Jill and Lynn were saying. It was Jill who finally looked at her watch and announced that they should be going. We got up to say our goodbyes and head out to our cars. I shook Dave's hand and then watched him head over to where Jill and Eden were standing still talking to Lynn…he hugged Eden and then kissed Jill goodnight before getting in his truck to head home. I got in our SUV and waited for her to finish saying goodbye to Lynn…she finally turned and headed to the car, waving at Jill and telling her she would see her at home.
She said nothing to me as she got in the car and buckled her seatbelt. I was trying to give her some space and let her simmer down but it bothered me that she was giving me the cold shoulder. I knew I had fucked up…Eden had never really gotten angry at me before…at least not for any long period of time.
I finally couldn't stand it any longer, "Eden…I'm sor…"
She cut me off with her hand, "…don't talk to me right now Bucky..." Her voice didn't sound angry anymore; she almost sounded sad and that bothered me more than anything.
I frowned but did as she asked, not wanting to push it. I focused entirely on following Jill's car as she drove home. Once we reached Jill's house, I grabbed our overnight bag while Eden made her way inside. Jill directed me to the bedroom and then turned to tell Eden goodnight before excusing herself to head to bed. I heard Eden sigh and then follow me into the spare bedroom. I put our bag down on the dresser and then sat down on the bed to slip my boots off. I made my way into the bathroom and washed up quickly. When I stepped out she was digging in the bag and pulling out her night clothes. She walked over to the bathroom and closed the door behind her….the sound of the lock clicking into place was deafening. With a sigh, I undressed and placed my clothes on the dresser. I got in the bed and lay back to stare at the ceiling, trying to figure out what to say to her, how to fix this.
"Do you want him to ask you?"
"I didn't say no Bucky"
Lilah and Eden's words ran through my head and although I was extremely glad to hear the answer was no, all that joy was lost on account that Eden was mad at me.
I sat up in bed when I heard the door to the bathroom open and saw Eden walking out carrying her clothes in her hand. She laid them on the dresser next to mine and then turned to face me. She still had that sad look on her face and it tore me up inside to know that I had made her feel this way. I fully expected her to continue her silent treatment, maybe get in bed and turn her back to me. I was surprised when she walked to my side of the bed and sat next to me.
She reached over and took my hand in hers…she kept her face down as she rubbed her fingers through mine.
"Do you love me?" she asked quietly
"Yes Eden, of course I love you….you know that" I said, using my other hand to raise her face to mine.
"When you tell me you love me Bucky, I believe you. I know you mean it…I don't doubt you" she said, staring at me with a hurt look in her eyes as she continued, "So, please tell me why you don't believe me when I tell you I love you? What did I do to cause you to doubt me?"
I sat there as she kept talking, thinking hard about what she was saying, "Bucky, we have been through so much these last few weeks…the only reason I was able to get through any of it was because of you. I just need you to believe me when I say I love you. It's almost like you don't trust me"
I shook my head, "I trust you Eden…more than anyone….it's just...I just don't understand why?"
"Why what?" she asked, finally sounding frustrated, "Why I love you? Is that what you're asking me Bucky?"
"I'm broken. You're too good for me" I confessed.
I was shocked when she suddenly threw her leg over me and sat in my lap. She placed a hand on either side of my face and made me look at her while she spoke, "You are not broken Bucky. Don't ever let me hear you say those words again. They're not true…do you understand me? "
She was filled with so much raw emotion that I was a taken aback by the intensity of her words as she went on, "You are the strongest person I have ever met. Being with you makes me feel complete, like a whole person. I love you because you make me happy, because you make me feel safe, because you are you. There is no part of you that I don't love. Is that enough of a damn explanation for you? "
You have to stop listening to that damn voice in your head Bucky…this girl loves you.
I stared at her for a moment, admiring the fire in her eyes before smiling and replying, "Yes"
She looked at me in bewilderment before finally laughing out loud and pushing at my chest with her hands, "Asshole"
I grabbed her wrists with my hands and pulled her against my chest, "But I'm 100% your asshole" I said before leaning in to kiss her.
I released her wrists as the kiss continued and she wrapped her arms around my neck and let her fingers slide into my hair to massage my scalp.
She was the one to end the kiss, sitting back slightly to look at me, "I love you Bucky, always…if there is one thing in this world that you can believe in, it's my love for you"
I nodded my head, "I believe you. I'm sorry about earlier…it's just hard sometimes Eden. This voice in my head just keeps telling me how much of a monster I am"
"Well stop listening to that voice and listen to mine, you are not a monster" she said.
She leaned forward and laid her head on my chest…I wrapped my arms around her waist and we sat in silence for a long time. She finally rose up and covered her mouth as she yawned.
"Come on, let's get some sleep" I told her.
She rolled out of my lap and walked over to turn off the light before making her way back to the bed and slipping under the covers next to me. I lifted my arm so she could snuggle up to me and I heard her sigh as I wrapped my arm around her. I closed my eyes and relaxed, relieved that Eden wasn't angry at me anymore. The woman loved me…I may not understand it fully, but she did.
"Bucky" she said sleepily.
"Yeah?" I said.
"I didn't tell Lilah no" she whispered, her final way of reassuring me that she loved me.
I smiled and kissed her forehead, "I'm really glad to hear that….I love you"
Feeling her warm body next to mine was enough to put me into a restful slumber.
After waking up the next morning and getting dressed for the day, we followed Jill in our car to the bridal shop. As we drove through town, she kept pointing out landmarks and telling me funny stories about each one. She held my hand tightly and kept glancing at me with a smile. After our talk last night, I felt like our relationship was going to be even stronger….she had told me exactly what I needed to hear to put my insecurities to rest. Eden loved me just as much as I loved her…and now I knew that I wasn't the only one that had thought about taking our relationship to another level.
I put my arm around Eden while we sat on the couch in the bridal shop waiting for Jill to come out in her wedding gown. She eventually stood up and I watched her walk around to look at some wedding dresses that were on display. I noticed her pull one off the rack to get a closer look at it and I saw her glance back and smile at me.. I got up from the couch and came up behind her…she jumped when she felt my hands on her waist.
I leaned in and whispered, "You would look amazing in that"
She looked back at me, beaming…but before she could say anything, Jill came out of the dressing room. She put the dress back on the rack and I followed her over to admire Jill's dress.
"How about you put your dress on too Eden….so Bucky can see it" Jill said.
Eden looked over at me and I smiled at her, "I'd love to see it"
She bit her lip and finally shrugged her shoulders, "Okay" I watched as her and Jill went in search of the owner so she could pull Eden's dress from the back. I sat back on the couch and looked through a magazine while I waited for them to return. I finally heard footsteps approaching and looked up to see Eden stepping up onto the raised platform.
Wow!
She looked stunning in the long, navy blue dress. As she walked closer to me, I could see a flash of leg peeking from the slit up the side. I stood up and walked over to the stand beside her as she turned in front of the mirror.
"What do you think?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at me.
She smirked when I stood there speechless beside her, letting my eyes roam up and down her body.
"I'll take that as a compliment" she said, turning back towards the mirror.
I walked up behind her and saw her smile as I appeared in the reflection. I didn't see Jill or the owner of the bridal shop anywhere so I leaned down to lay soft kisses on Eden's bare shoulder, enjoying the sharp intake of breath she took.
"Bucky" she warned.
I continued to kiss my way up her neck, enjoying the almost inaudible moan that came from her. She jumped when she heard Jill's voice coming down the hallway and quickly stepped away from me…I smirked as I saw her shake her head and wag her finger at me.
"Hey guys, I'm going to be a little bit…Ms. Cathy wants to adjust just a few things on my dress. If you guys want to go walk around town for a little bit, we can just meet up at the diner down the street for lunch in about an hour" she said.
"Okay, that sounds good. It will be nice to do a little window shopping" Eden said.
"You need some help unzipping your dress?" Jill asked.
"No, that's okay...Bucky can do it" she said, laughing when she saw the sly smile Jill gave before she turned around and walked to the back.
Eden headed toward the dressing rooms but turned around when she saw I wasn't following her, "You coming?" she asked, grinning at me.
I followed her to the dressing room and she held the door open for me, looking around before she stepped inside and locked the door. I looked around and noticed the jeans and shirt she had been wearing were folded neatly on a bench, her bra sitting on top.
"Unzip me please" she said huskily, looking over her shoulder at me.
I swallowed hard and stepped forward to reach for the zipper. I felt her shiver as I drew the zipper down and I was enjoying the sight of her skin peeking through. She slipped the dress down her body and stepped out of it carefully before reaching for the hanger. She still had her back to me so all I could see was her bare back and the black panties she wore. I couldn't help what was happening beneath my jeans, seeing her this way was an absolute turn on.
Knowing that there was no way we could get away with having sex in the dressing room of a bridal shop, I settled for the next best thing. Eden had the dress back on the hanger and turned to reach for her clothes. She glanced up at me and the small smile disappeared from her face when she saw the look on my face. Before she could even say a word, I turned her back around, grabbed her hands and placed them on the wall of the dressing room.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
I leaned down and started kissing her neck again before answering her question, "Giving you a taste of what you've been waiting for"
"Bucky, we can't…what if…." she stopped mid-sentence when she felt my hand slide down her stomach and into her panties. I smirked when I heard her gasp as I slid my finger inside of her.
I wrapped my other arm around her waist and held her tight against my body, letting her feel every hard inch of what was waiting for her when we finally made it home.
As I slid my finger in and out of her, she rubbed up against me and I tried not to let it distract me from my task. The moment my thumb found that sweet, swollen nub and started teasing it, she leaned her head back and exposed her neck further to me…I took the opportunity to gently nip the skin of her shoulder and neck, careful not to leave any marks.
"I'm getting close" she moaned softly. I picked up the pace, my thumb rubbing circles over her clit while my fingers pumped in and out of her. It wasn't long before she came hard and I had to remove my hand from her waist and place it over her mouth to silence the moan that tried to escape her lips. She was shivering in my grasp and when her orgasm was finally over, I removed both my hands from her and turned her around to see a very satisfied smile on her face.
She leaned up to kiss me softly before slowly sinking to her knees in front of me. I looked down at her and groaned when I saw her reach for the button of my jeans, "Eden you don't have to..."
"Shhhh, not another word…I want to" she said, looking up at me. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the wall as she unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans quickly. Another shiver ran through me when I felt her pull my jeans and boxers down over my hips. I sucked in a large breath when I felt her take me into her mouth. I opened my eyes and looked down at her as she moved her mouth up and down me, swirling her tongue around the tip each time she reached the top. I couldn't help myself when I reached down to run one hand through her hair as she moved up and down the length of me. Seeing her kneeling in front of me, her mouth wrapped tightly around me was almost enough to make me go immediately. I closed my eyes so I could enjoy the feeling of Eden's mouth for just a little bit longer. The moment her hand wrapped around the base of my penis and squeezed lightly, I felt myself lose control. She continued to swirl her tongue around me until my orgasm was done and then stood up slowly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
I reached down to adjust myself before zipping and buttoning my pants back up. I sat down and watched her as she redressed…she kept glancing my way and shaking her head with a smile on her face.
"What?" I finally asked.
"That was very…naughty" she said quietly as she reached down to put her shoes on her feet.
Once she was completely dressed, she unlocked the door and peeked her head out to see if anyone was around…satisfied that no one had heard what was going on in our dressing room, she reached one hand out to me and the other grabbed her dress.
Before I let her pull me through the door, I leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Just imagine how much naughtier it will be tonight"
