Chapter 54
“I didn’t think you’d come home tonight,” I admitted. “And I didn’t feel comfortable sleeping in there without you p>
“I thought I made it clear that you are to sleep in my bedroom. It’s part of the contract p>
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“I think given the events of today, I should just sleep in here tonight,” I told him firmly, not willing to give in to him.
His nostrils flared and I knew he wasn’t happy with me. Instead of arguing, like I thought he would, he just took off his shirt and pants, wearing only his boxers and he started to get into bed with me. I held up my hand to stop him.
“What are you doing?” I asked him, hating that my voice sounded breathless and weak.
“Getting into bed. If you aren’t going to come back to our room and sleep, then I’ll just sleep in here with you,” he told me.
I lowered my hand and he slid into bed, throwing the covers over his body.
“You are going to apologize to her, and I don’t want to hear anything more about it,” he said after a short pause. “Now, get some sleep p>
With those words left in the air, he turned away from me and turned off the lamp.
I spent most of the day in my studio trying to forget about my argument with Elliot last night. He was gone before I woke up this morning, so nothing got resolved. We hadn’t spoken since last night and I had a nasty feeling in the pit of my stomach because of it.
I also made a point to call Rebecca and tell her about the last couple of days.
“Shirley is such a bitch,” Rebecca growled. “I can’t believe she did that p>
“I know, me neither, I was taken aback,” I admitted.
“And Elliot wants you to apologize? Has he lost his mind p>
I sighed.
“Yes,” I muttered. “He thinks as Luna I should be taking responsibility p>
“That’s ridiculous,” she huffed. “He should be on your side. He’s your damn husband p>
“By contract,” I reminded her. “It’s a marriage of contract. Not a real marriage. He’s not obligated to take my side p>
“But still,” she murmured.
I knew she was right, but it didn’t make a difference. He was going to think what he wanted to think. I had things I needed to get done in preparation for tomorrow and I couldn’t be bothered with whatever drama Shirley was dishing. According to Elliot, she should be discharged from the hospital today and I was planning on keeping my distance from her even though he wants to apologize. There was no way I was going to do that.
After we finished our conversation, I hung up and continued working on my paintings. I captured pictures of each one as well and put them in a portfolio to showcase in the meeting tomorrow. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited about this meeting. This was a huge opportunity for me.
Hearing the front door closing brought me out of my thoughts. I looked at the clock and saw that it was just after 5 pm.
Was Elliot home already?
He was earlier than usual. Maybe he returned home so we could have dinner together. Maybe he wants to actually have a conversation about what happened last night. I hated this back-and-forth we were having; I didn’t want things to be awkward between us.
It’s been over a week since we shared a meal together. I quickly cleaned up my mess in the studio and made my way to the front foyer where I heard voices.
“Make sure the restaurant is still reserved for tonight,” Elliot said.
“Yes, Alpha,” Beta Leo replied. “I still need to pick up the flowers for Alpha Shirley. I purchased the biggest bouquet, just as you requested p>
“Perfect,” Elliot replied.
My heart fell deep into my stomach.
“I’m going to put on a suit. I told Shirley we’d pick her up at 6:30 so we need to be quick,” Elliot said, his voice getting smaller as he made his way up the stairs.
Beta Leo remained in the foyer. I peeked around the corner and saw that he was on the phone now.
“Yes, this is Beta Leonardo. I’m calling to check on the reservation for 7 tonight,” he said into the phone. He paused as the other person spoke. “Yes, the reservation is under the Alpha’s name.” he paused again. “Perfect; thank you so much p>
He hung up without another word.
I leaned against the wall, feeling a heaviness in my chest.
First, Elliot took Shirley’s side; and now he was taking her on a date?