Chapter 46

ELEANOR

I sat in the backyard watching Benjamin clean while browsing my Instagram feed.

~Ring, ring.~

It was a call from my dad, so without a second thought, I answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Hi, Eleanor, how are you doing, dear?” he asked me while my heart swelled with bliss.

There were many years I had yearned to hear him ask me this question.

“I’m doing great. Do you have any updates on Avery?” I asked him when my eyes landed on Benjamin.

~Shit, this information is supposed to be classified.~

With one last look toward Benjamin, I walked inside the house and made my way to the living room.

“I got intel from one of the trackers that they’ve found a piece of her dress, so hopefully we can find her soon,” Dad said, but I could hear the sorrow in his words.

“Don’t worry, Dad. We’ll find her soon,” I reassured him.

“Yeah, I hope so. All right, I have to go, I just wanted to keep you updated,” he said.

“Okay, bye, Dad,” I said, and the phone disconnected. I got up from the sofa and walked to the backyard again when I saw that Benjamin was gone.

Where did he go?

I quickly checked inside the house, but he wasn’t upstairs. I walked to the foyer when I saw him standing near the front door.

“Where were you?” I asked him.

I naturally had some suspicion, but maybe I was just on edge with all the Avery stuff.

“I was done cleaning the gutters, ma’am, so I was waiting outside for you, but when you didn’t come out, I came into the house to check,” he replied, and I didn’t hear a tremble or a pause in his speech, so it seemed like he was telling the truth.

Something felt off, even though I wanted to trust Benjamin. He had done a lot for the pack lately and had been working hard to prove his worth.

But I had locked the front door before heading to the backyard. There was no way he could have come in through that.

“Okay, thank you for helping me out with the gutter,” I told him, and he nodded his head and walked out of the house.

I was about to head upstairs when the doorbell rang, so I opened the door.

“Mrs. Costa?”

It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.

“I was starting to miss you, so I had to come and see what you were up to,” she said, walking closer to me, and pulling me into a hug.

“Me too,” I said and pulled away from the embrace. “Please come in.”

We made our way to the kitchen, and I motioned for her to take a seat at the breakfast table. I started preparing a strawberry milkshake for both of us.

“I can see the bridal glow on your face,” Mrs. Costa commented as I brought the milkshakes to the table.

“You knew about this?” I asked her, and she nodded her head as she took a sip of her milkshake.

“Xavier asked for our suggestion before he printed that card and gave it to you,” she said.

After that, we talked a little about my desires for the mating ceremony. Eventually, Mrs. Costa left the house for a luncheon with her friends. Once I finished washing the glasses, I headed out and made my way to the bakery.

As I walked inside, I saw Rebecca at the cash register.

“Looks like you have got a new job?” I asked her.

“Yes, and I love it here,” she said with glee, and I smiled.

“That’s awesome!”

“I may have put on a few pounds from all the apple pie. I just can’t resist,” she said. “Anyway, what would you like to have?”

“I’ll have a slice of apple pie and some maple syrup,” I ordered.

“Why do you need maple syrup?”

“For the apple pie. It sounds really good to me,” I said.

She gave me a weird look. The combination would normally have sounded weird to me, but ever since last night, I’d had a craving for it.

“Okay, why don’t you take a seat? I’ll bring the food to your table.”

A few minutes later, Mrs. Tanner came with my order.

“Mrs. Tanner, how are you?”

“I’m doing great, dear. How are you?”

“Fine as well,” I said, and she placed my food on the table and took a seat opposite me. I was trying to keep the details of Avery’s kidnapping under wraps.

“Darling, if I ask something, will you be able to do it for me?” she asked me, and I nodded my head. “Is it possible to have Ivan’s and Rebecca’s mating ceremony in three days? I know that’s very close, but…”

“Why the sudden change in dates, Mrs. Tanner?”

“I feel sorry for that girl, Eleanor. I know I was the one who suggested waiting a month, but I was just being cautious,” she said gently. “I wasn’t sure if she truly loved my son. But now, after seeing the way they are together, I’ve seen enough. I don’t want to keep them apart any longer.”

I nodded in understanding.

“Give me a minute, Mrs. Tanner,” I told her.

I pulled out my phone and called the wedding venue and flower shop to check for availability.

“I think we are in luck, Mrs. Tanner. The venue is available for that date, and the florist told me that she can arrange for the flowers to be delivered earlier.”

“Thank you so much, Eleanor. I’m sorry to move it forward like this. I know it’s a lot of work to get everything together.”

“That’s all right. Everyone will be happy with the decision.”

I left the bakery and headed out to check on the decorations. Finalizing everything took longer than I expected, and by the time I got home, it was nearly midnight.

***

I jolted awake as Xavier shook me gently. It was Ivan’s big day.

“Why didn’t you wake me sooner?” I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

“I tried. You just wouldn’t wake up,” he replied, and I rolled my eyes at him.

I got up from the bed, but the moment my feet touched the floor I felt a little dizzy and bile rose in my throat. I quickly covered my mouth and ran toward the bathroom with Xavier right behind me. I barely reached the toilet bowl when I started emptying the contents of my stomach.

Tears started flowing down my cheeks while Xavier rubbed my back and held my hair.

“Are you done?” he asked me, and I nodded my head.

My throat felt like someone poured acid on it, and the taste of vomit still stuck to my tongue. I walked to the sink and rinsed my mouth a few times with water, then followed it with mouthwash.

“How are you feeling now?”

“Tired, and I still feel nauseous,” I commented.

He led me out of the bathroom and made me sit on the edge of the bed.

“Why don’t you lie down on the bed and get some rest? I’ll get you some chamomile tea,” Xavier said.

I nodded my head and walked to my side of the bed. I closed my eyes and waited for Xavier to get back.

“Ellie, Eleanor.” Xavier gently shook me, which made me open my eyes.

“What took you so long?” I asked him as I sat against the headboard. There was a tray on the side table with two slices of toasted bread and a cup of warm chamomile tea.

“I was waiting for the kitchen staff to bring the bread.”

“ don’t feel like eating anything, Xavier,” I complained, but he narrowed his eyes at me.

“You’ve emptied your stomach. And you look weak. I don’t think I will allow you to walk out of the house looking like this.”

“But…”

“At least have one slice,” he insisted, and I nodded my head.

He gave me the plate, and with a lot of difficulty, I finished one slice and placed the plate on the table.

“Here.” He handed me the cup of tea, which I began to sip while he got up and made his way to the closet.

A few minutes later, he came back holding two dresses in his hands. “Which one would you want to wear today?”

“I don’t like either,” I said as I felt the urge to cry.

I didn’t think I had the perfect dress for this event.

“Woah! Why are you crying?” Xavier asked me, panicked.

“I…I don’t know. I just feel overwhelmed,” I said, and he placed the dresses on the bed so he could hug me.

I don’t know why I’m acting all emotional. I felt silly, but I couldn’t control it.

“Calm down, I’ll ask mom to get you something to wear, all right?” he asked me and I nodded my head. “What color do you want?”

“Anything that’s pastel and has to be a color you can find during a sunset,” I said. As I looked at Xavier, I saw a thoughtful look on his face.

“Got it.”