Chapter 768
For a few moments, we ate in silence, each consumed in our own thoughts. Taylor was the first to break the quiet. He leaned back in his chair, his smile tugging just a little crooked, that easy charm of his slipping into the room like sunlight through the curtains.
“Well,” he said, lifting his glass. “I suppose I should start practicing how to walk without tripping over a tuxedo. It’s been a while since I’ve gone to a formal event, and I never do well with them.”
Eliza’s lips curved as she smoothed her napkin across her lap.
“Maybe you should take me out more,” she teased before she glanced at me. “Last time he took me somewhere nice, he managed to spill his wine all over the table, ruining my dress.”
I bit my lip to stifle a laugh.
“It was one time, and it was an accident,” Taylor shot back, mocking offense. “And I bought you a new one. Didn’t I?”
“You did,” she said, leaning over and pecking his lips with hers. “An even better one, I might add.”
“I’m not all bad,” Taylor said, shrugging one shoulder.
Eliza giggled, and I couldn’t help but smile at their affection; they are both so consumed with work all the time that I forget that they are a mated and loving couple. It makes my heart swell knowing that they have found one another, and they stuck it out no matter what life threw at them. No amount of distance could come between their mate bond, and I wondered if Gavin and I would ever reach that point. I still felt like our bond was fragile, but I think that’s because it’s still so new.
Irene was also watching Taylor and Eliza; her expression was more somber, though. I knew she was thinking about Chuck at that moment. Chuck, her mate, who lived in the Blood Thorne Pack and hadn’t invited Irene to move in with him, or made any attempt to fully claim her yet. The mate she’s convinced was with other women when he’s not with her, even though she doesn’t want to admit that out loud.
This wasn’t just a family vacation for her… nor was it for me. We were on a mission to see if it was true. To see if the man she came to love over these last few months truly was cheating on her and making a fool out of her.
My heart ached at the thought of something like this happening again. Irene deserved a happily ever after, and the thought of yet another man playing her was something I couldn’t even comprehend.
The conversation shifted to more of a business aspect on Gavin’s and Taylor’s end. I heard Zachary Blackwell coming up a couple of times, and I felt my blood go cold at the sound of the Blackwells‘ name. I hadn’t had any further dreams like I had a few nights ago, but the old woman’s voice still echoed in my head, something I could never forget.
Blood calls to blood.
It’s now known that the Blackwells, now that they are out of hiding, want to collaborate with the Landry Foundation, though I’m not sure if Gavin has fully accepted the offer yet. He’s been lost in thought since we left the manor a few days ago, and I’ve been wanting to ask what’s been running through his head, but I knew he wouldn’t tell me the truth.
When dinner concluded, Eliza and Taylor left so they could get a head start on packing.
“I need to make some phone calls in my office to make sure everything is taken care of for the weekend,” Gavin tells me as he presses his lips to the corner of my mouth. “I’ll be up shortly. You should start packing too. It’s a bit colder this time of year in France, so pack accordingly.”
“Yes, sir,” I said, my lips tipping into a smirk.
He raised his brows and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me close to him.
“Sir, huh?” He asked, a flirtatious glint to his tone. He pressed his lips to my ear and whispered, “Save that for later.”
I flushed and bit back a grin before he placed another kiss on my temple and left the dining room. Matt had already taken off, so he could pack his stuff as well; he was more excited for this trip than anything.
As I started to make my way upstairs and towards the bedroom, I spotted Irene, who was about to disappear into her room.
“Hey,” I said before she could close the door. She turned to me, and I saw her eyes were red with unshed tears. I swallowed. “Are you doing okay?”
She stared at me for a moment longer before she let out a breath.
“I’m scared,” she admitted. “Because I have no idea what I’m going to find once I get there…”
“Whatever it is, we will face it together. You know we have your back, Irene,” I told her, hoping my words came across as genuine.
Before she could reply, her phone rang. She glanced down at the screen, and more tears filled her eyes.
“I have ot take this,” she whispered. She pushed the talk button and pressed the phone to her ear. “Hey, Babe,” she said just as she shut the door.