Choices of Fate (Fate Series) (23 page)

She quickly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “You know as well as I do, if you get in that shower with me we might never get out, and as tempting as that sounds, we need to check on Chloe.”

Ethan stuck his bottom lip out slightly with his disappointment, but conceded. “You are right, Amor. She is beginning to stir.”

Seeing her opportunity, Alexa turned quickly, grabbed the bag she had packed from the floor, and walked through the door of the bathroom, closing and locking it behind her. Once she was inside, she leaned back against the door, fighting the urge to change her mind and tell Ethan to join her.

“You know, there is no need for you to lock the door, Amor. If I wish to enter, this door will not stop me,” he stated, sounding somewhat amused.

Alexa couldn’t help imagining Ethan pushing down the door and bending her over the marble vanity top. Her pulse quickened with the thought.

“Do not worry, I will not interrupt you. While I would thoroughly enjoy coming in there and having my way with you, I am eager to share the news with everyone. My mother will be thrilled. She has been waiting many years to plan this wedding.” Alexa could hear the smile in his voice through the door.

Her eyes drifted to the large diamond perched on her finger. She hadn’t even thought about the actual wedding. Most girls started planning their weddings when they were little, but Alexa had given up the hope of ever having one shortly after she started dating when she realized her talent made it impossible to get close to anyone.
 

She was suddenly giddy thinking of the possibilities.

“I will go shower in the guest bath, you would be wise to hurry and be finished by the time I return or I cannot be held responsible for what I do knowing you’re still in there naked and wet,” Ethan said through the door before grabbing a change of clothes from the large chest of drawers next to his bed and exiting the large bedroom his mother had always kept ready for his return.

✧

Ten minutes later, after a nice hot shower, Alexa exited the expansive bathroom, refreshed and dressed for the day, fully expecting to find Ethan waiting impatiently for her. Instead she found the large room empty.

She opened the door leading to the hallway and was met with the scent of food cooking causing her stomach to growl. She wasn’t certain of the time, but based on the light and how refreshed she felt after such a late night, she knew it must be well into the afternoon, meaning she hadn’t eaten in well over twenty-four hours. As she stepped out and pulled the door closed behind her she heard the beautiful sound of Chloe’s laughter coming from the kitchen.

She slowly walked down the long corridor, taking in all of the breathtaking artwork and photographs that lined the walls along the way. One item in particular caught her eye, a family portrait including Ethan and Cami as children. Alexa smiled as she viewed Ethan as a child, he couldn’t have been more than five or six years old at the time it was painted, and she thought how much she would like to have a son that looked just like him someday. Of course she already knew that wasn’t in the cards for them and her heart ached with loss of all the things that she longed for, yet simply couldn’t be.
 

Ethan wrapped his arms around her, startling her with his sudden appearance, and whispered next to her ear. “You took far too long, Amor. I missed you.”

Shaking the sullen thoughts from her mind, she giggled and turned in his arms to face him, placing her arms around his neck and placing a chaste kiss on his lips. “I was only in there for ten minutes, my impatient love.”

“Come, I waited for you to make the announcement,” he said as he took her hand and pulled her towards the kitchen.

When they entered the surprisingly modern room, Alexa looked down, a look of complete shock on her face as Chloe ran across the room and jumped into her arms.

“Mama!” she exclaimed as she hugged her mother tightly. Alexa stared at Chloe, unable to find any words as she took in her daughter who was much changed since the previous night.

She was so much bigger and appeared older, if Alexa didn’t know better she would have guessed her to be nearly two years old, instead of her true age of nine months.

Alexa looked around at everyone in the room, wondering if any of them were as thrown as she was by the change.

Elijah stepped towards her. “I see the surprise in your eyes, and trust me, we were just as shocked when we woke up this morning. Chloe’s growth is unprecedented. I have never seen anything like it. My assumption is that the introduction of fresh blood to her diet has sped the process. If I had to guess, I would say that she will be fully grown by the time she reaches three years, perhaps even sooner depending on her diet.”

Alexa pulled Chloe close and inhaled the scent of her hair. She even smelled different, no longer like a baby and her heart clenched. No mother liked to see her child grow up, especially not so quickly.

Chloe began to squirm, trying to free herself from her mother’s embrace. “I wanna eat,” she said as Alexa set her down on the floor, once again surprised, this time by the obvious increase in her vocabulary.

She dashed across the room and around to Barb who was standing at the stove frying up some eggs, sausage, and bacon. “This child has quite the appetite,” Barb stated as she gave her hand to Chloe who immediately bit down on her wrist.
 

Alexa cringed at the display. “Don’t fret, child. I’m a strong old bird and she has a small stomach. She’s not taking too much blood, but with her growing like she is we’re going to need to find another source to feed her.” Chloe released Barb’s wrist and swiped her tongue over the puncture marks.

Ethan grabbed Alexa’s hand again. “Our daughter is a fast learner,” he stated proudly. “And I think she will make an excellent flower girl for the ceremony.”

His statement caused everyone to turn and stare at him and Alexa. Josephine’s eyes shot to Alexa’s left hand and the magnificent ring that adorned it.
 

“Even with the benefit of foresight I had not expected this happy news so soon,” she said looking warmly at her son whose eyes were proudly fixed on his bride to be.

“How do you feel about this weekend?” he questioned Alexa brightly.

She looked up at his face, “For the wedding, are you serious? That’s only a few days from now!”

He took both of her hands and placed his forehead against hers as he whispered. “Amor, I have wasted so much time being afraid, not truly living my life. I do not want to waste a single moment of my time with you. I wish to be bound to you in every way possible, starting with making you my wife. And then my mate if you will consent to it.”

Alexa pulled back to look into his eyes, slightly confused by his words. “Aren’t they the same thing, wife and mate, I’ve already agreed to become your wife Mr. Kellar?”

“Not exactly, no. Mating creates a more tangible bond, a blood bond. The process-,”
 

“Ethan, perhaps it is best you explain the process to Alexa when you are alone,” his mother interrupted, knowing Alexa would feel uncomfortable learning about the intimate ceremony with so many eyes and ears nearby.

“I suppose you are right, but she looks so very beautiful when she blushes, maybe it would be worth it just to see her face flush,” he said grinning mischievously.

As if on cue, Alexa felt her cheeks begin to heat as she smacked Ethan’s arm. “No! You can tell me later. And don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll have ample opportunities to embarrass me over the years.”
 

Everyone chuckled, but even though she was smiling, Alexa couldn’t help wondering if what she said was true. Would they have years together?

CHAPTER 20 -
Wedding Plans

“Come, Alexa,” Josephine says taking her hand, “it looks like we have a wedding to plan. Barb, would you mind keeping Chloe occupied for a few hours?”

“Of course not, she’ll be just fine with me, don’t you worry, Alexa,” she said when she saw her opening her mouth to protest. Alexa snapped her mouth shut and frowned slightly, knowing it was pointless to argue with the stubborn woman and though she was eager to spend some time with Chloe, she was already feeling anxiously excited about her pending nuptials and wanted to get started with the planning. “Miss Chloe and I will head on off outside, that big ole dog of yours has been nosing around the windows and could probably use some attention. Practically scared me to death peeking in at me this morning,” she chuckled scooping Chloe up and heading out of the room.

Alexa immediately felt guilty, she hadn’t even remembered to feed Tilly last night and she was not accustomed to sleeping outdoors. After everything that had happened, after what Tilly had done for her, she couldn’t believe her own thoughtlessness.
 

Ethan rushed over and gave each of the two remaining woman a quick peck on the cheek. “I will leave my lovely women to it then. Amor, I will get Tilly fed, I am sorry I kept you so, distracted, last night,” he said seeing the distress on Alexa’s face.

“Thank you.” She loved that he was so considerate of Tilly. The truth was, after what happened the night before, with Tilly saving Alexa, Ethan probably loved the giant dog as much as Alexa did.

“Mi vida,” Josephine turned to Elijah who was leaning against the counter quietly observing, “we will need for you to arrange for someone to perform the ceremony, and the witnesses we discussed.” She gave him a pointed look and he nodded his understanding with a smile. Alexa wondered when they could have possibly had any discussion about the wedding since they had just learned about it a few moments before.
 

“Consider it done, my love,” he replied before turning to Ethan. He pulled him into a tight hug. “Congratulations, son.” He then moved in front of Alexa and took her free hand. “Alexa, I cannot imagine a better match for my son. I am proud to have you join my family,” he said warmly, causing tears to well up in her eyes. At a loss for the right words, she did what felt right and pulled him into a warm embrace.

After a moment, the two men went off to get to work on their appointed tasks.

“Well then, Alexa let us get started. Given the circumstances, I am afraid we must have the wedding here. I am sure you understand that it would just be too dangerous anywhere else, but you have yet to see the back gardens, they are quite lovely this time of year. Come, I will give you a tour, then we can discuss the dress,” Josephine said rather excitedly.

They walked out of the kitchen through a side door and onto a stone path that wound around to the back of the house to a large patio and salt water pool with a waterfall and high back wall made of stone. As they rounded the back of the pool to the gardens, Alexa gasped as she took in the beauty of her surroundings. “I can’t imagine a more perfect place to get married. It is absolutely breathtaking.”
 

“I thought the gazebo would be a good space for you and Ethan to stand for the ceremony,” she said pointing down the path through the fragrant wildflowers that stretched some distance across the yard to the structure that was in a small open area of grass. “We can place a few chairs in the grass there in front for the guests. You understand it will just be family?” she asked concerned.

“Yes, don’t worry, there’s not really anyone I would invite anyway, except maybe my old neighbors. There’s no way I could explain my getting married so suddenly when they have never even seen me date, not to mention the change in Chloe since they last saw her. I understand that I cannot go back to my old life.” While she had already accepted it, Alexa couldn’t help but feel a little sad about never seeing Jill and Jesse again. She had felt terrible when she used Ethan’s phone that morning to email them with a fake story about taking an impulsive vacation. She told them she would be gone three weeks, buying her some time to come up with a more permanent story.

“Now that it’s settled, let us go talk about your dress. I may have something suitable, but if not, we could order something from the city and have it sent overnight.”

✧

After a little more than an hour poring through Josephine’s expansive closet, it became apparent that nothing she owned would work for Alexa to wear on the big day. While several gowns were absolutely stunning and Alexa loved them, Josephine was more than one size smaller and neither woman was very skilled at sewing.

Just as they agreed it was time to start exploring other options, Ethan poked his head in to check on them with Chloe in his arms. He kept his eyes squeezed shut as he said, ”I am not peeking, but I wanted to check if you needed anything, and Chloe has been asking for you, Amor.”

He set Chloe down on her feet and she took off for Alexa. Ethan couldn’t resist and opened one eye to take a quick look at Alexa, but that peek forced him to open both eyes to blatantly stare at her.
 

The beige dress fit Alexa’s figure tightly, its v-neck and lace inlay showing off her cleavage and causing Ethan’s pulse to quicken. All he could think about was peeling it off of her.

His mother’s voice snapped him out of the trance, “None of my dresses are going to work. I am afraid your bride is far more blessed in certain areas than I,” she said smiling.

“I rather like that dress,” Ethan said swallowing hard.

With Chloe now in her arms, Alexa laughed and turned to show Ethan her back. “Yes, it is great from the front, too bad I can only get it zipped up half-way.”

Seeing her from that angle, with her soft curves wrapped tightly and on display, Ethan felt his blood rush.

Trying to snap out of it before he grabbed Alexa and rushed her off to his bed, he shook his head and turned to his mother. “What can I do?”

Josephine laughed, “First you can attempt to stop drooling, you will have plenty of time to admire your bride after the wedding. Go and fetch your father’s laptop from his study, we will just have to order something. Alexa, I assume you can use a computer? I never really learned, it has been exhausting trying to keep up with the technology all these years. Each time I master one thing, something new comes along. I only learned to drive an automobile ten years ago.”