by Lori Maguire
He took a few deep breaths trying to calm down before he spoke. “Ella, you are going to tell them that you need to quit as soon as possible for medical reasons. That is after all the truth. I don’t need you running all over Seattle on your feet all day taking photos. Your parents are going to be here Friday. We have the wedding this weekend. I want you to get as much rest as possible before all of that takes place.”
I thought for several moments before I answered him. He had a point, but I had to make it look like I was considering his words carefully before I responded. “Okay,” I said.
“Okay?” He gave me an unsure look like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. When he realized I was serious, he gave me a small smile. “Thank you. I’ll contact Dr. Ellington’s office in the morning and have them fax a note stating such to your boss.”
“I need to talk to Renatta.”
Xavier looked at me carefully. “Obviously, I contacted her when I couldn’t get a hold of you. She was aware of what went on today. I had Marissa call her to let her know that you had been located safely while I was in with you and the doctor. I hope that’s all right.”
“That’s fine. I guess I’ll talk to her tomorrow about quitting. She’ll have Devlin to work with so I’m not leaving her completely high and dry. Besides, she isn’t planning on staying there much longer anyway.”
“Come on. You need to eat something.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me off the bed.
I was quiet while I sat at the breakfast bar happy to watch him make himself busy in the kitchen. He reheated some chicken noodle soup that Bev had in the freezer and paired it with some ham sandwiches. I scoffed down the food not even realizing exactly how hungry I had been.
Immediately following dinner, he led me into the bathroom and started running a bath for us. There was no lingering in the bath tonight. He was all business as he set out to wash me before himself. He quickly and efficiently dried me off.
I slipped on my boy shorts and a camisole and climbed into bed. Xavier, after slipping on a pair of boxers, climbed in after me. Pulling me towards him, he turned on the television.
“Is the TV going to bother you at all?”
“No. Not at all.” I rested my head on his chest. He ran his fingers leisurely down my back. Exhausted from the day’s events, I quickly drifted off to sleep.
Wednesday morning I was shocked to see the bedside clock reading ten a.m. I panicked for a moment thinking I was late for work. Then I remembered that there would be no more work for me. I wasn’t completely sure how I felt about that.
I glanced over at the cold, empty sheets next to me. Xavier was already up. I’m sure he was only too happy to call Mr. Ashford to let him know I would not be returning to work.
Quickly, I grabbed my cell phone from the bedside table. No missed calls. No text messages. Nothing. Xavier had already been in touch with both my boss and Renatta.
I rolled out of bed and set out to find him. He was in his home office staring intently at his computer screen while on the phone. I paused in the doorway waiting for him to see me. Within seconds, he sensed my presence. A wide grin spread across his face as he made eye contact with me.
Finishing his call quickly, he raised an eyebrow and crooked his finger at me. I smirked as I entered his office. Stopping before him, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me onto his lap.
“Good morning, beautiful. Did you sleep well?” He gave me a chaste kiss on the lips.
“I did, thank you.” I sighed as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
“How do you feel?” he asked, sounding a bit concerned.
I resisted rolling my eyes at him. “I feel fine. Have you been in touch with Renatta and Mr. Ashford?”
He tensed, breaking eye contact with me. I frowned at his reaction. He acted this way when there was something he didn’t want to tell me. Breaking eye contact with me was one of his tells. “What is it?” I asked him. “What’s happened?” I tried not to sound panicky.
“Nothing’s happened. I contacted them both this morning. I would have let you do it, but it would seem that our incident from yesterday made the papers,” he said carefully.
“What?” I whispered. I could feel the color drain from my face. My stomach roiled. I threw my hand over my mouth as I mentally gave myself a pep talk about not being sick.
Xavier frowned at me, but didn’t acknowledge my reaction to his news. “I felt it was best that the news come from me since you weren’t present when things transpired. Mr. Ashford was very understanding. Obviously, Renatta already knew what happened. I only had to tell her that you would not be returning to work. I hope you don’t mind. I didn’t tell her about the twins. I thought you might want to do that yourself.” He gave me a small smile.
“Thank you for taking care of that for me. Do I even want to know what this story says?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “It just talks about the failed kidnapping attempt on you.”
“There’s more. I can tell from the concerned look on your face. There’s more you aren’t telling me.” I grabbed his chin forcing him to look at me. “What is it?”
“I heard from the police this morning. There were no fingerprints left behind on the note. They have no leads.”
“What about the homeless man who delivered the note to your office?”
He frowned. “Ella, please. You don’t need to concern yourself with this.”
“Damn it, Xavier.” I pushed his arms away and jumped up off his lap. “Stop hiding shit from me. I know you are concerned about my stress level and the babies, but you can’t keep things from me. It only stresses me out more when you do.”
He let out a loud sigh. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He got up and walked over to me. Stopping inches from me, he grabbed my chin forcing me to look at him. “The homeless man was found dead this morning on the street. An apparent drug overdose.” He watched my reaction very carefully before he continued. “I don’t think the overdose was accidental. His time of death was within an hour of the note being delivered to me. I think whoever had him deliver the ransom note had him killed to cover their tracks.”
“And what about this location I was supposed to go to for work?”
He closed his eyes. “Things were found,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Things? What things?” I whispered.
“Ella, please,” he begged, giving me a pained look.
“Tell me!” I yelled.
“You were supposed to be lured there. The house was abandoned. It went into foreclosure just a couple of weeks ago. It wasn’t for sale yet. The bank hasn’t even been out to the house yet to inspect it.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “The back bedroom had its windows boarded. A twin mattress was found along with a tripod holding a small video camera, and … handcuffs and a gag. The police are still investigating.”
Oh my God. I tried to steady myself before I spoke. “Do you think this has anything to do with your personal accounts being hacked?”
“I’m certain of it,” he said without hesitation.
“Oh my God! Who does this shit?” I stumbled backwards as my knees grew weak. Xavier grabbed my arms to steady me.
“Ella, please.” He grabbed my face forcing me to look into his intense eyes. I tried to keep my breathing steady. “We get married in just seventy-two hours. I don’t want you to concern yourself with this.” He kissed me on the forehead. “Come.” He let go of my face and grabbed my hand. “Let me fix you something to eat.”
Was he serious? He expected me to eat? I sat at the breakfast bar feeling stiff and numb while he busied himself making me an omelet and toast. I should’ve been happy to sit and ogle him while he moved around the kitchen, but my thoughts were occupied with the fact that someone meant to kidnap me and possibly even hurt me.
Could Stephen be behind this? Maybe he went to New York with Carline so he had an alibi. If that were the case then he would have had to hire someone to do his dirty work, which means he’s left
behind a trail. Or maybe it means that Stephen isn’t capable of hurting me so he had to hire someone else to do it. Were they going to turn up dead like the homeless man that delivered the ransom note? Would the cops be able to identify and find them before that happened so they could turn against Stephen if he was behind this? Or maybe this wasn’t about me and Stephen at all. Maybe this was just some sicko who was trying to extort money from Xavier.
Regardless, if I hadn’t gone to the doctor, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. My heart sank as I thought about what could’ve happened. Sitting back in the chair, I wrapped my arms around me protectively. Xavier was at my side in an instant.
“What is it? Are you all right?” he asked sounding panicked. His hand shot out to cover mine as it rested on my abdomen.
His move snapped me from my troubled thoughts. I focused on his concerned face. His eyes were wide and fearful. I didn’t even realize I had tears in mine until just then. “I’m fine. We’re fine.” I rushed to tell him. “I was just thinking that I wouldn’t be here right now if I hadn’t gone to the doctor. There are so many what if situations concerning yesterday.”
“I know. I know, sweetness.” He wrapped himself around me. I could feel him trembling. We held each other silently, soothing and reassuring one another. After several minutes, he let me go to finish cooking without saying another word.
I forced a smile when he placed the plate of food in front of me. It looked and smelled delicious. My stomach rumbled. I chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” he asked, as he poured himself a fresh cup of coffee and sat down next to me.
“I didn’t think I had much of an appetite until you set that plate down in front of me. The babies must have felt otherwise.” I smiled at him as a hand rested on my belly.
He smiled widely at me. “I guess we’ll have to think of two more names just in case we end up having two girls or two boys.”
“I hadn’t even thought of that. Maybe we’ll get lucky and it will be a boy and a girl.”
“I’d like that,” he said, smirking at me.
The following morning I left with Marissa to get Renatta. We had our final dress fittings. Renatta looked nervous pacing back and forth on the sidewalk. When she spotted us approaching, a look of relief washed over her face.
She was opening the rear door before Marissa came to a complete stop. “Ella!” she said excitedly. She wrapped her arms around me squeezing tightly. “Oh my God. I knew you were okay. I had spoken to Xavier, but I knew I wasn’t going to feel better until I saw you for myself. How are you?” She pulled back but kept a tight grip on my shoulders.
“I’m fine.” I smiled genuinely at her hoping to put her at ease.
“And the baby? Xavier said the baby was fine. Is it true?” Her eyes widened at me.
“Yes, the babies are fine,” I said, trying to sound casual. I wanted to see if she would catch on to the plural.
“Oh, thank God. I was so worried. When he told me that you were at the doctor … I … wait a minute! Did you say babies?” Her voice shot up several octaves.
“Yes. I was wondering if you were going to pick up on that. The ultrasound showed twins. Everything is fine. The doctor said their heartbeats looked good and strong.”
“Twins?” she shrieked. “No wonder Xavier doesn’t want you returning to work.” She laughed and hugged me tightly. “I’m so happy for you both,” she whispered in my ear.
By the time we got to Laveta’s shop, I was a little nervous hoping that I still fit into my dress. Even though I knew I had gained only a few pounds, in my head I was thinking otherwise now that I knew I was carrying twins.
Once we got there and I slipped on my dress, I realized I had nothing to worry about.
“Laveta, you are amazing. You left just enough room for me to grow into it. It’s a perfect fit. Thank you.” I gushed.
“Sweetheart, you aren’t the first pregnant bride I’ve had to deal with,” she said with a throaty laugh. “Let’s complete the look with the veil,” she said.
She carefully attached the veil to my head. I slowly turned around to see myself in the mirror and froze. Wow! I almost didn’t recognize myself. The dress was perfect hugging me in all the right places. The red sash was tied around my waist in a bow that traveled three quarters of the way down the back of the dress. The red satin on the outer edges of the veil matched the red sash around my waist perfectly. It was just enough color. Even Marissa gave me a look of approval.
Renatta stepped out of the fitting room with her dress on. She stopped and gasped when she saw me. Slowly she approached. Her eyes never leaving mine. She came up behind me and we looked at each other in the mirror. “Ella, you are stunning. You’re going to knock Xavier on his ass when he sees you.” She smiled and we both chuckled.
“Xavier isn’t the only one who is going to get knocked on his ass. Look at you!” I exclaimed. “You look absolutely gorgeous.” Her red dress was a perfect match to the red accents on mine.
For the first time since we started planning this wedding, I was feeling excitement without hyperventilating. I was making progress.
Immediately following breakfast, Xavier and I packed our bags so we could head over to the Fairmont Olympic. My parents were already in the air and were due to arrive in Seattle at 12:30 p.m. Xavier wanted to make sure we were settled in our room so we could be in the lobby ready to greet them when they arrived.
Xavier wrapped his hand around mine as we headed over to the front desk. The girl working the counter is fairly young. She’s pretty with long, glossy blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes that widened as she took in Xavier heading towards her. She greets him just a little too enthusiastically. I give her my best “are you serious” look, but it went completely unnoticed. She paid no attention to me.
Once she pulled up the reservation and saw that we were booked for the suite of all suites, she started to bat her eyelashes at him. Every time she opened her mouth she spoke in a soft, breathy tone. Seriously?
Oddly enough I didn’t feel overly jealous at her reaction to him, but I did feel like I needed to stake my claim. I pulled on Xavier’s hand. He frowned down at me. I got up on my tippy toes and gently brushed my lips against his. “Baby, I’m going to go sit down. This pregnancy has me so tired.” I was sure to let my nose linger along his jaw while I inhaled his super sexy scent. A little moan escaped me before I could even stop it. I wanted to make sure this woman got the hint that he smelled as amazing as he looked. I was sure not to glance at her. There was no need. I could feel her eyes boring into the side of my face.
Xavier shook his head at me giving me a knowing smile. He knew what I was up to, and he played right along with me. “Twins will do that, sweetness. Go sit.” He kissed me chastely before glaring at the desk clerk. “I shouldn’t be much longer,” he said, sounding slightly annoyed.
That did the trick. I didn’t get more than five steps away from him when suddenly he was done at the front desk. He wrapped his arm around my waist. “You’re a little minx,” he whispered in my ear.
We arrived at the Cascade Suite and nothing could have prepared me for what was on the other side of that door. It was like a two bedroom apartment. The decor was done in brown and gold colors, huge picture windows, and a fireplace in the living room. The master bedroom housed a huge canopied king-sized bed and a jetted tub in the master bathroom.
Xavier waggled his eyebrows at me concerning the tub. “We’ll be trying that out later,” he said huskily. “And then the bed,” he whispered in my ear. I stared at him dumbfounded watching his retreating form leave the bedroom.
We had just gotten done unpacking our bags when Xavier got word from Stewart that he had just picked my parents up from the airport. Once Stewart was within a few minutes of the Fairmont, Xavier and I made our way down to the lobby to greet them.
Just as we reached the lobby, I spotted them walking in. My mom saw me right away and made a beeline for me. She wrapped her arms around me squeezing
me tightly. “Ella, sweetheart. Let me look at you,” she said as she held me at arm’s length. “You look as beautiful as ever. Pregnancy agrees with you. How are you feeling?”
“I’m good, Mom.” I kissed her on the cheek.
“Xavier, thank you so much for everything you’ve done for us this weekend.” She wrapped her arms around him.
“It’s my pleasure, Rae. Good to see you again.” He blushed slightly as he returned her hug.
“Hello, Dad.” I hugged him tightly.
“My baby girl,” Dad said as he squeezed me tightly.
“Xavier, thank you for letting us know about what transpired this week. I appreciate hearing from you. More importantly, I appreciate you taking care of our little girl,” my dad said sounding a little gruff.
I was surprised for a moment. I hadn’t realized that Xavier had contacted them about the attempted kidnapping. Clearly, he didn’t tell them about the twins, though.
“I promised you, sir, that I would always take care of her. She will always come before me,” Xavier said returning my father’s handshake. “I’m sure you both must be exhausted from the long flight. I’ve made dinner reservations for 6:00 p.m. at the Metropolitan Grill. Please, allow me to go check you in.” My father went with Xavier leaving me with my mom.
My mother grabbed my hand and pulled me down to the couch in the lobby. “Has Xavier been able to find out anything else about what happened?” she asked, sounding concerned.
“No, Mom. The police don’t have any leads.”
“Does he still think Stephen is involved?” she asked, sounding worried.
“Yes,” I replied softly.
“I have to tell you, Ella. I asked around yesterday and Stephen and Carline were seen around town right up until Christmas. Neither one of them have been spotted since Sunday. They are supposed to be staying in the area through New Year’s, but they seem to have up and disappeared,” my mom said frowning.
“Mom!” I grabbed her arm in a sudden panic. “I don’t want you playing detective like that. Please let Xavier take care of things,” I implored. If Stephen was behind this and not afraid to hurt me, I knew for sure he wouldn’t hesitate to go after my mother.