Light (The Shadows Series) (16 page)

 “Mmmm.”

 “No words, again?”

 “Mmmm.”

 “Baby, I know I’ve broke you, but I at least need to get you dressed. What will the staff think if they find us in here like this?”

 “No.”

 Theron laughs as I watch him pull his slacks on. “At least, put on my shirt.”

 “No.”

 “Come on. Arms up.” I don’t want to move, but I comply with his request and slide my arms into his gray polo shirt. He pulls it down over my head and I am rewarded with a kiss on the tip of my nose. “Thank you.”

 “Mmmm.”

 “Food. You need food. What would you like?”

 “Nothing.”

 “Nothing isn’t food, Eve. You really need to eat. It’s not just you anymore.” 

 “I know, but it makes me feel like crap. I don’t want to get sick anymore. I just want to lay here, and pretend everything is okay. There’s no drama, no stress, and no puking.”

Theron lets out a sigh, before he starts roaming through the very large pantry in the kitchen. He disappears behind the doors and I think he may have crossed over into Narnia. I can hear things moving around, but there is still no sign of him.

 “Theron, if you find a lamp post in the middle of a forest full of evergreens, you’ve gone too far.”

 It is quiet for a couple of seconds and then I hear an “Aha!” coming from the pantry and I assume that he has found what he is looking for. The door opens and Theron steps out with a box of crackers, and a small box of tea in his hands.

 “I thought you got lost.”

 “Nope. Sadly, I do have to report there is no lamp post in the back of the pantry.”

 “Well, that’s just disappointing.”

 “I’m going to make you a cup of tea, while you nibble on some crackers. The pantry is fully stocked, so if you wake up hungry later, I’ll make you a snack then.”

 “Okay, but can we take them with us? I’m so tired.” I stand and stretch my muscles, I feel as if I have been hit by a truck.

 “Beautiful, I don’t think you’ll make it up the stairs. Let me help you.”

 As we head upstairs to our bedroom, I mentally go over everything I want to discuss with Theron. The first being, me working tomorrow. With everything going on, I can see him being hesitant, but I don’t want to be a prisoner. I haven’t told him about the ultrasound on Friday, either.

 We walk into the bedroom and my attention is drawn to the balcony. The moon looks so big tonight. Theron says something, but I keep walking. Grasping the handle to the French door, I pull it open. I step out onto the balcony and I am in awe. The moon is shining brightly with the stars tonight and it is casting on the garden in a beautiful shade of blue. A hand gently clasps the back of my neck. His touch is so warm and inviting. I move, wrapping my arms around his waist and gaze at the night sky with my head on his chest.

 “You are supposed to be eating.”

 “Yep.”

 “But you’re not.”

 “Yep.”

 “Eve, please eat.”

 “I want to talk to you.”

 “Why? What’s the matter? If it’s about the police, I won’t apologize. I’m still mad that you blew those notes off as if they were nothing.”

 “It’s not about the police or the notes, per se.”

 “I don’t play games. Tell me.”

 I drop my arms and walk back into the bedroom, so I don’t have to look at him. “I’m going to work tomorrow. I know it’s not going to sit well with you, but I’m not a prisoner.”

 Theron follows me into the room. I can see him out of the corner of my eye. He is pissed. “What? The hell you are! You’re not leaving this house.”

 “Damn it. Don’t fight me on this. Send Evan with me, or drop me off yourself if you have need for your idiotic control. You can’t keep me locked up. I’m not a fucking criminal.”

 “Idiotic control? Why don’t you feed me some more bullshit? This mess is your fault. You lied to me. You hid shit from me. First, the pregnancy and now someone is following you, leaving threatening notes on your car. You want me to ignore that? No, Eve. That’s my final word.”

 Now, I am pissed. Surely Evan coming with me, or Theron dropping me off would have been a compromise, but instead he thinks he can keep me locked up. Nope. Not happening. “I may have held things from you, but it doesn’t give you the right to dictate my fucking life. You don’t own me. I’m not your property. I will be going to work tomorrow. I suggest you figure out whether you or Evan is coming. I’m not asking for permission. I am telling you what I am doing. That’s
my
final word.” I slam our door behind me, as I leave the room and head down the hallway. I need some time to myself.

 I have gone off the deep end and completely lost my mind. I know this because I am currently complaining about mistakes that I have made to an empty library. This is not my proudest moment, but I am not ready to admit it. I should be agreeing with Theron. I am turning down this library for a bookstore. I want both. I really like helping, Olivia. It feels like I have finally found my niche.

 My fingers are grazing the spines of the books, as I walk. There are so many choices. I find one that looks worn by love and pull it out to inspect it.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
The pages are soft under my fingers, as I carefully flip through them. I have always loved Alice’s blue dress. I know this isn’t a first edition, but I know it’s after nineteen eleven because that was the first time Alice was printed with her blue dress. I hold the book firmly to my chest, as I make myself comfortable in front of the chairs. Alice only sees the rabbit once or twice before my eyes become too heavy to open and I fall into a dream of my own.

 
“What’s your favorite kind of pizza? I like ham and pineapple the best. Want to know why?” I look over at the boy in the sunglasses next to me. He doesn’t say anything. He just keeps drawing pictures in the sand of flowers. “I always ask for ham and pineapple because no one else in my family likes it, so I get the whole pizza to myself. Sometimes I let my brother have a piece, but he doesn’t really like it. What kind of things do you like to do?”

 
“I don’t know. I can skateboard. I can grind pretty good. I could show you.”

 
I am stunned into silence. He rarely ever talks. I give him a smile and shrug my shoulders. “That’s cool. If you want to, that is.”

 
“I said it. Why wouldn’t I? You’re my friend, right?”

 
“Yeah, I’m your friend.”

 
“Will you always be my friend?”

 
“Yeah, I’ll always be your friend.”

 
“I’m going to keep you.”

I am not sure what to say. No one has ever said anything to me like that before. It makes my stomach flip and I think I like it. “Okay.”

“I’ll show you some tricks another day. I should go before my dad finds out that I’m here. Bye, beautiful.”

 
Kayla and Matt walk over, as I watch him walk back towards the parking lot.

 
“So, how’s your mute?”

 
I shoot Matt a look. He can be such an idiot. “He’s not mute. You guys are never nice to him, so why should he talk to you?” I look back out over the lake and watch the white foam scatter, as the waves hit the shore. I like the boy in the sunglasses talking just to me. I like when it is just us.

T
he sun wakes me. It’s peeking playfully through the curtains, teasing me with promises of a good day. I open one eye and then the other. I am back in our bedroom. Theron must have found me at some point and carried me back up here. Damn his sweetness. I still wanted to be mad at him for keeping me locked away like a criminal. After glancing around the room some more, I decide I am more like a princess locked away in a tower. It is a really, nice tower, but I’m still locked away.

 I peek into the bathroom to see if Theron is in there, but he must have already went downstairs or maybe into his office. Either way, he obviously didn’t want to talk to me. I take a long hot shower to relax my muscles. Slipping into my robe, I start picking out some clothes for the day, when I hear a voice in the hall. Trying to make as little noise as possible, I softly walk across the room and hide just on the other side of the door. I can barely make out what he is saying, but I don’t hear anyone else. He must be on the phone.

 “I’m not thrilled with this idea, either. You know she’s right. I can’t lock her up…Do the perimeter first…That’s your call. If you need more people, just let me know. I’ll let you know what time. She’s still sleeping…I found her in the library. Next time I’ll check there first…Evan, do not let her out of your sight.”

 I cover my mouth from screaming with excitement. He is not going to fight me on this. I hear his footsteps on the hardwood floor and I run back into the bathroom. I am doing my best trying to look like I was in here the whole time by sitting and combing my hair, but I’m a horrible liar. He steps into the bathroom and I give him a soft smile. He crosses his arms across his chest. Shit. I’ve been caught.

 “What are you doing?”

 “Getting ready for work.”

 “And who says you’re going?”

 “Me. I know you already talked to Evan about it.”

“I knew you wouldn’t stay here. You’re too stubborn for your own good. Please, don’t go anywhere without Evan today.”

 “I won’t.”

 I throw my hair up into a bun and rush around the bedroom, as I get ready. I have thrown on a pair of jeans, a navy blue tank top, and my chucks. It is the beginning of June and it’s finally getting warm out. I thought I was going to be stuck in sweaters for the rest of the year. I check myself in the bathroom mirror. The circles under my eyes are fading and my face isn’t red from crying. It’s about time.

 Theron is already sitting at the dining room table when I come down stairs.

 “Rebecca is making us breakfast.”

 “Oh. I was just kind of hoping for something light.” Pulling out a chair, I take a seat next to Theron. It is odd eating in this beautiful dining room when there’s only two of us. I suddenly feel underdressed. 

 “What?”

 “I didn’t say anything.”

 “You didn’t have to. I could tell something was wrong by your face. Do you feel okay?” 

 “I’m fine. I just find it odd that we are eating in the dining room. Couldn’t we have eaten breakfast in the kitchen? I don’t mind.” 

 “Rebecca asked where we would like to dine. I just assumed the dining room table would work. It’s what it was made for.”

 “I guess I feel out of place. I’m not used to this.” 

 “Ok. Tomorrow will be breakfast in the kitchen. We can save the dining room for dinner, okay?”

 “Thank you.” 

 Rebecca places a plate of toast, yogurt and granola in front of me. My stomach rumbles, as I glance from my plate to Theron’s. He has toast, eggs, bacon, and two links of sausage.

 “I thought you might not feel well. Is your food okay?” 

 “It’s fine. It’s just that you have bacon.” 

 “You want my bacon?”

 “Yes.”

 “Not happening.”

 “What? Why not?”

 “I don’t share.”

 “I call bullshit. I’m pregnant. I claim all rights to bacon within five feet of me.”

 “Fine.” Theron hands me a piece of bacon, grabs his plate, and heads into the kitchen.

 “What are you doing?”

 “You said within five feet. There’s no way you are getting the rest of my bacon. I’m eating in here.”

 I let out a loud laugh. This man is crazy protective over some bacon. I have just finished my toast, as he takes his place back at the table. “How was the bacon?”

 “Delicious. Thank you. I want to talk to you about tomorrow. When I went to the doctor, she scheduled me for an ultrasound tomorrow morning at nine. Do you want to come?”

 “Does she think something is wrong?” 

 “No. It’s just to see how far along I am.”