Page 85 of Down the Aisle
Now with James officially dealt with, I could have my whole life back. Unfortunately, that left a lot of open doors for me. I didn't know which paths to block off and which to keep open or possibly go down.
"Eliza darling?" Adam's voice pulled me from my head, making me zone in on his furrowed face. "What's the matter? You have that pensive look on your face."
"Still just dwelling on the whole thing with James finally being over and having my life back and all. It just… I mean, I've thought about it a few times, about what I'd do if I got this chance one day… But those were just silly aspirations." Pursing my lips a little in a pouty frown, I sulked to myself a little as my irritation festered.
I didn't bother resisting Adam when he sat down on the bed with me in his lap. "What did you want to do? Tell me about them," he somewhat demanded in a nice and gentle way. Well, and he was genuinely curious with how his eyes sparkled.
Of all the things I've told him and conversed about, my plans and dreams weren't a part of the pool. Well, my true plans and dreams because I honestly didn't place any importance on them,nor did I have hopes for them because James going away was something impossible at that time.
Leaning into him with a sigh, I pulled one of his hands into my lap to play with his fingers while I spoke, "I really thought about going back to school to get my pharmacy degree, but like I said, just a silly dream." Thinking about it now made me feel a little deflated because no way would something like that be possible.
"Then do it," Adam said matter-of-factly, making me look at him with a quirked brow. "What? I don't see why you shouldn't. If that's what you want to do, then do it. I mean, what's stopping you now?"
My mouth was quick to open, but no words came out. There was a whole list of reasons engrained in my mind, but thinking about it now, nearly all of it was irrelevant.
There should be no issue for me to apply to schools and financial aid because I could use my real identity again, and as shitty as it sounded, if I needed funds, then I had Adam to help. I didn't want to rely on him for financial support like that, but it wasn't as if he'd let me not use his money. Quitting my job now and going to school full-time was feasible, and it wasn't as if I'd be too torn over leaving my job.
A kiss on my head pulled the brakes on my train of thought. "We can talk more about it when I get back, alright?" Adam chuckled softly, rubbing my arms a bit. "We can look at schools together, figure things out and all. We'll get things sorted out for you to finish that dream of yours."
Smiling tenderly at him, I stroked his cheek with my hand and brought him into a deep kiss. "I love you, bub, so much," I whispered against his lips. "Please be careful out there."
"I will," he promised me with a confident smile. "You do the same. Take good care of yourself and our boy, alright?"
Our boy… Our family… Everything is ours, secrets included.
Whatever you're hiding, Adam, I will find out.
Chapter 32
Eliza
"You guys, are you—"
No one let me finish my doubt with how they physically shoved me toward the yacht. "Go." Maria practically begged me with sad eyes as she continued to nudge me closer and closer to the yacht. "Trust us, we're only doing this because it needs to be done."
Well, I didn't like the sound of that, particularly her heavy tone.
Sighing heavily, Antonio shook his head and hugged me tightly. "My son is a very stubborn man, and sometimes, he needs to have his hand forced." He sounded apologetic, and that made my stomach sink. "I know your relationship is none of ourbusiness, but you deserve to know who my son really is. It's clear to his mother and I that he won't tell you on his own, so this is for both of your sakes." Stepping back, Antonio smiled at me sadly. "I just hope you can find it in your heart to forgive us for making you take this trip with him."
Before I could respond, Hailee tackled me in a hug. "Get on that yacht, but remember, don't let him find you or anything until you guys are far out," she reminded me in a muffled voice before letting go of me and shoving me firmly at the yacht just a few feet away from me.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I gripped the bag in my hands tightly, looking at everyone one last time before I let my feet move. "Asher, Mama loves you." I blew him a quick kiss and waved at him, smiling warmly when he returned the air kiss and wave.
"We'll take good care of him. Just worry about you and Adam," Maria assured me with a secure smile.
The closer I got to the ship, the wobblier things became, and it wasn't because of the soft waves rocking everything. I was so afraid that my legs would give out under me when I stepped up onto the ship and didn't feel my leg.
This whole thing was probably a bad idea, sneaking onto the yacht to see what Adam was up to. I wasn't for the idea, but everyone else was. Something snapped at them when I left the room to leave Adam to finish his packing, and they all got this tired look to their faces. Honestly, the way they looked at me earlier was akin to a parent being done with their child's antics.
So, the next thing I knew, they threw together go bag for me and dragged me down to the docks. No one wanted to tell me what was up Adam's sleeve; they kept telling me it was something I needed to hear from Adam. Apparently, this was the only way, according to his parents and sister. So, on a whim,I agreed to their plan, which is why I was on the stupid ship, hidden away in the closet of the master room like some child.
Vibrations tingled my body from the engine turning over, and my body swayed a little bit when the boat started to move. Then, an unknown amount of time passed. Seriously, I had no idea how much time passed because when I decided to sit down to keep myself from throwing up, I passed out into a nap. By the time I woke up and crawled out of the closet, the moon was out high in the sky from what I could see through the window.
Slowly, on very shaky legs, I approached the window, placing my hands against the sill to steady myself. I couldn't help but marvel at the open ocean. Moonlight hitting the subtle waves gave it this eerie and mesmerizing shimmer, like glitter under the sunlight. It was a clear night out, but the stars were shy tonight, it would seem.
If it weren't for the ruckus outside, I would've stayed at the window until someone came in and tore me away.
"Walk." I didn't recognize that voice.
