Hi everyone this is a dedicated to @HayleyMonroe as a thank you for my new cover I adore it ** so thank you again ^__^
and also need to thank @sinister- @jodie157 @sunreys because of the amazing covers that they made and i promise you to publish them with the coming chapter ^^
thank you all so much <3
Xander pov:
I dreamt of us.
I was still skipping from reality and memorizing the dream I had. Until faint little touches woke me up. I wanted to deny them and go back to my fantasy but they were stubborn, delicate and calming. They traced all my features; eyebrows cheeks, nose and stopped before reaching my lips. Yet it never drew away. It just stood still there.
I opened my eyes to be saluted first by a blinding sunlight and then by the shocked eyes of Ella. Once again, she was trapped between my hands. I imprisoned her in a tight grip as if holding her is my source of life. She always seems to find her way to my embrace. My eyes moved to study her more. Her face was burning in a deep shade of red. Her eyes were shocked, open wide and regretful. She looked like a kid who got caught stealing some cookies. Her finger was now retreating from my face now but my hand as if having a mind of its own captured her smaller hand and allowed them to fall together on our tangled legs.
"I am so sorry, Xander but you wouldn't let go of me." Ella said regretfully as her cheeks tented more in red and her eyes looked down guiltily.
"It is okay, I guess" I uttered in a husky tone that surprised not only her but me too.
What was I trying to do? Seduce her?
"Can you let go? I doubt that Linda will approve of such situation." Ella requested again without looking at me.
"Caden wouldn't too" I hushed to myself as I grudgingly set her free and untangle my legs and hand from hers.
"Huh?" Ella questioned because my tone was too low for her to hear.
"Nothing, but by the way, I overheard mum saying that we will be staying here for another day. They want to make sure that you are okay. I will stay with you till noon and have a date Linda and comeback by dinner?" I explained and she just nodded her head in acceptance.
"Thank you, Xander. But it is really okay. I can take care of myself. There is no need for you to burden yourself." She repeated the same speeches from yesterday
"Do you have a problem with me offering you a hand? I don't see you refusing anyone else's help?" I accused as the idea of Caden haunted me. My old anger now was starting to erupt again but I needed to keep it at bay because of her health situation.
"I have no problem whatsoever. But I don't like being a burden. I know how you see me Xander. You made it clear that I am you torment and you want me to disappear. That's why I don't want your help. I am able to stand on my own so there is no need for you to trouble yourself." She explained with such an easy that troubled me.
"Ella for once, I am here because I care." I admitted letting my cold façade disappear.
"You care?" she frowned as the information reached her ears.
Did she think that I was that heartless? Didn't she believe that I feared for her the same way our parents did? She thinks of me so lowly...Will that ever change?
"I do" I said as I walked to my bathroom leaving a troubled Ella process the new information that I offered her.
I took a quick shower, wrapped a towel on my waist and got out of the bathroom. I wasn't expecting to find Ella there. I thought that she will be having breakfast with our families. But to my surprise, she was sitting still on my bed with my mum going through my old photo albums. They looked so immersed by the stories that my mum told as she flipped the pages. Ella smiled from time to time and pointed at some of my pictures.
I tried to be as silent as possible. I didn't want to intrude on the mother/daughter moment that they were having but alas my closet door had to make a noise. Their eyes shot to my direction and my eyes settled on Ella's face. It was the reddest I have ever seen, she was paralyzed as if studying the moment. Then it hit her; I was almost naked in front of her and that's when her hand shot up to cover her eyes. Her innocence was wide clear now...
"Ella it is okay to look. He is your husband you know?" my mum asked playfully as she studied Ella's reactions too
"She is always that shy and anything can make her blush." I agreed with my mum covering the traces of not being intimate with my wife while trying to tease Ella.
"I am not shy..." Ella stated and I just chuckled seeing her reluctantly remove her hand away from her eyes.
"Yeah right, now excuse me ladies but I need to dress." I said as I moved out of their sight.
"And this is a picture of you and Xander" my mum stated as I went out of my walking-in closet. A picture of me and Ella? But even our wedding pictures were sent all to our house. What picture did my mom have?
I walked to the bed and joined them sitting on Ella's side. I leaned next to Ella to see the picture and that is when her so familiar rosy scent surrounded my senses. The picture in my mother's hand was of two babies; me when I was nearly three or four and a baby girl, Ella , who is sleeping with her head on my lap as we sat on a sofa. Little me was playing with her hair and looking at her fondly while she slept soundly.
I was shocked to know that our engagement dinner was not the first I met her. I was startled by the fact that she existed in my life since forever and even back then she seems to always find a way to be embraced by me.
"I knew her since childhood?" my stunned statement sounded more like a question
"You knew her since the day of her birth. And growing up, you were kind of her knight in shining armors. You were insuperable till we had to travel to Europe for twelve years. Separating the three years versions of you was the hardest situation that we had to go through. But then when we got back, each of you seemed to have his and her own world. We tried to find away to bring you together but it was either traveling, school, friends, trips or life in general that made it impossible." My mum explained as she looked at our picture
"I don't remember" Ella commented and a hint of sadness can be traced in her tone and features
"You were so young back then but I hope that my son is still treating you right Ella." my mum said smiling at the now older versions of us.
As an answer Ella nodded but I knew the truth. I wasn't oblivious to my actions or to their effects. As soon as Ella was forcefully introduced to my life I promised to make her life a living hell. She was the reason of my longest break up with Linda. She is the reason why Linda won't trust me now. She is the reason why my life is upside down but I do regret how I treated her. I should have been civil ...
My mum spent all morning with us. She told Ella about all of my childhood mischief. To say that Ella was entertained is be an understatement. When my mum told her about my superman phase and how I dressed like him even to school for a month Ella laughed hard. I saw her expressions change from picture to picture and I was for some reason happy because all her attention was directed to me.
At exactly one pm the door ranged. When I opened it, my relaxed expressions were long gone. There he stood, my best friend, with his baby girl in one hand and some flower bouquet in the other. He grinned at me as if daringly and I wanted to slam the door shut in his face and stop him from seeing Ella.
"Xander, hey man I am here to see Ella." He saluted
"Up stairs, in my room." I replied shortly refusing to accept his presence.
I guided him to my room. And the moment we entered Ella's features lightened. She stood and came to us. I wanted to yell at her and question why she was this happy but I had no right to do so. I saw how they interacted; the smiles, the nicknames, the giggles, the worry. And it all angered me. I found myself seeing red again.But my worst nightmare was now present not because of Caden or Ella. My worst nightmare came to life as Jenna spoke while reaching for Ella.
"Mommy" the three year said as she reached for Ella to hold and my wife complied with her smiling and cooed her to her embrace.
"baby girl" Ella called her.
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