Falling For Him Anyway

Chapter 73

Video: Dinosaurs by Meechonmars.

Xavier

Aliyah started to stir in her sleep.

I looked at Xander, sleeping peacefully and Serena had gone to use the bathroom.

She stared up at me and put her hand out, like she was trying to touch something.

I grabbed her out of the crib before she could start fussing again and she patted my head.

Then she fell asleep again.

Serena came back. "They're sleeping now?"

"Yes." I said, eyeing Xander to make sure he wasn't waking up. "You can go eat something and watch some TV until Gwendolyn gets back."

She played with her nails. "Do you have any lunch meat?"

"Yeah, it's in the refrigerator. Why?"

"My grandfather's household was strictly vegan. I only had meat for the first time when I was nine. Because he never told my daycare instructor that." She explained.

"He sounds like a prick." I said.

"That's what Gwendolyn said. But she just told me to make a list of everything, I haven't had the chance to try yet."

"Do you need paper?" I asked.

"Yes." She said.

"Check the library. There should be a spare notebook underneath the desk." I nodded in the direction of the library.

"Thank you." She said and quickly walked away.

********

Gwendolyn

"Miranda, do we really have to do all this today?" I asked.

"Not all of it. But you should at least decide the theme if you're not going to do anything else." She said.

"I already told you the theme." I sighed.

"No. You gave me two colors." She said.

"We have two months to get everything perfect." I pointed out. "We'll be ok."

She looked skeptical but pulled out a sharpie.

She closed the binder she had been writing in and labeled it 'Wedding things'.

"Ok. We'll tomorrow." She said.

"Thank you." I sighed. "So what now?"

"Don't you want to go home to your little family?" She rolled her eyes.

"It's six-thirty. I'm free for at least two more hours before Xavier demands that I come home.

I looked around the park we were sitting in.

Miranda was quiet.

"Something else is bothering you." I said. "I can't help if I don't know what it is."

"I doubt you would be able to help anyway. But I've never confided in anyone other than my sister when it comes to my feelings."

"So spill the tea." I said.

"I-" She stopped, twirling her hair around her finger and then rubbing her face. "I think I was starting to love him."

"Miranda, how can you say that?" I asked.

"Did I ever tell you how I ended up there?" She asked me.

"You probably did but I don't remember." I said.

"We were bought. Well, I was bought." She said. "But I didn't want to leave without my sister."

"Then why did your parents say you disappeared?" I asked.

"They held Natalia hostage and offered to set her free if I got in the van. You have to understand how close we were." She said sadly. "They took me in her place, but she refused to leave me."

I couldn't imagine that happening to Lavender and I.

"They let us stay in a room together. But I was treated like a princess and she was treated like some sort of sex slave. A different bed every night."

"Marquis openly expressed his desire for me. He called it his hunger. Until one day he told me he loved me." She sniffled. "Natalia swore up and down that she wouldn't let them get me like they got her. He said it was the only way to have me."

She sniffled again and I pulled her into a hug, before she broke down sobbing on my shoulder.

"He only let me stay around you because he didn't want to take something else away from me." She cried. "And the worst part is that he's not even dead."

She covered her mouth and I stared at her with utter confusion.

"Not dead? He fell at least thirty feet, I saw him. How can he not be dead?" I asked.

"They were able to stop the internal bleeding just in time but he's in a coma." She said. "I'm sorry. Please don't be angry."

"You did nothing wrong." I said. "Xavier will want to know."

"No. He'll kill him." She said. "Please. At least give him time to wake up so that I can talk with him."

"Okay. I'll give you until then, but let me know." I said. "Xavier has to know."

She nodded slowly, wiping her face. "Listen, we can leave now if you want."

"Do you want to? We could working on the wedding if it takes your mind off of things." I offered.

"Nah. Let's go eat." She said, getting up.

I followed her back to my car and we drove in silence to Subway, since neither of us were in the mood for Mexican food.

All the while I was trying to wrap my head around things.

How could he not be dead?

I saw him jump. Then it hit me.

I never heard him hit the ground.

*******

Was that a big enough plot twist?

The next will be really obvious and I'm suprised no one caught it before.

Remember: First chapter of 'Saving Quinn' and 'Smells like Lavender' will come out when the last chapter of this book is published.

Y'all already know.

Vote, Comment, proceed to next book, etc.

Leah💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋