Chapter 79

~Alistair~

I had already taken a bath after I had enjoyed a nice time with Eliana and our son at the city mall. I had never known the real meaning of a family till I met both of them. It was really beautiful to be able to have both of them around me, and I was so thankful that after all I had done, I was lucky enough to not miss out on being with the only family I had ever truly had.

Ian was the best gift I had ever been given; he was smart, innocent, handsome and a very loveable child. There had always been an emptiness in me despite all the wealth that I possessed, but he had completed and made my life whole, along with his mother.

I had overheard what he had told Eliana before I came back with the Ice creams we had ordered for, which had actually ended up wasting because they had melted while Eliana and I were busy discussing, save for Ian’s own which he had taken along with him. He had requested that we lived under the same roof, as one big happy family, but even I knew that was too much to be asked for.

Eliana had already been an angel by forgiving me, and allowing me have access to my son. I couldn’t even dare ask her for more than she had already done. At least, I got to see her beautiful face, and watch her smile lovely, which warmed my heart. Although I wanted to see Ian, I also wanted to be able to see Eliana, and that’s why I was always texting to see if she could create time for me to see my son.

Even in a pair of jeans and t-shirt or hoodie, Eliana remained as graceful as she had always been. No one needed a soothsayer to tell that she was born to be a princess, and getting to see her almost everyday was a welcome development.

I knew I may never get her back, and I didn’t even want to push for that to happen because I was scared of pushing her away. It was okay as long as I got to see her face every now and then, and was reminded that I had once been loved by a pure and innocent soul like her. Her presence made me happy, and soothed my broken heart, and I never wanted to make her leave again.

That was the sole reason I was playing my cards right, and not asking for a second chance, lest she got offended and left like she had once did. It would kill me if she did leave again, and I was scared that she was never going to return if she actually did leave once again. Fate had shown me mercy, and I had to be content with it. Asking for more would be asking for trouble, and it was probably going to give her the wrong impression about me.

My wish was that someday, we could all actually get to live under the same room, and maybe Eliana and I could try to have another child again; preferably a girl, so that it could be balanced. All I wanted was Eliana; and to have the family I had never had with her. However, like people said, it takes time for good things to actually happen. I didn’t mind waiting, and I hoped that someday, that wish of mind could actually be fulfilled.

I was busy brewing the coffee I needed to take, so I could be able to concentrate on some documents for the company, and not fall asleep in the process. A few weeks ago, I didn’t have to bother myself with taking coffee, as it was even impossible to sleep until when it was getting closer to morning, and even at that, I’d still wake up in an hour or two despite sleeping really late. These days though, I slept like a baby, and woke up with a smile on my face, after having happy dreams of Eliana and Ian.

Having put two cubes of sugar in the black coffee, I stirred it, then when I was sure it had gotten dissolved and properly mixed, I placed the cup of coffee on a saucer, and took it to the living room, where I placed it on the table.

I was about lifting the cup to my lips in order to take a gulp, but just then, I heard a knock on the door. I certainly wasn’t expecting anybody, and the only person that could ever show up at my door was Garrett, but I was pretty sure he wasn’t going to show his face at my door when it was already past six in the evening, when he could be helping Carrie close her veterinarian clinic, so that they could spend some quality time together at their apartment.

I sniffed the air, and to my surprise, I caught both Ian and Eliana’s scent. No, they definitely couldn’t be at the door. I was probably just imagining or mixing up their scents because even though we had spent some time together just a few hours ago, I was already missing them.

I shook off the thoughts, placed the cup of coffee back on the saucer, then kept it on the table, and went to open the door, in order to see who was out there.

Gently, I unlocked the door, and to my great surprise, I saw Eliana and my son standing right by the door, with two suitcases placed before them.

“Dad,” Ian said, and gave me a tight hug.

I took him into his arms, and even though I was very curious, I decided not to ask them any question, and opened the door wider for them, after putting Ian down, and patting his head. Although Eliana had been keen on helping out with the luggage, I had told her not to bother, and had wheeled both of the heavy suitcases inside.

They both came in, closing the door gently behind them.

When I looked at her, she heaved a deep sigh, and before I could start asking any question, she decided to speak up. “My parents found out that I had been associating with you, and letting you spend time with Ian,” Eliana said.

“Guess we weren’t discreet enough,” I said, with a small smile.

She managed to smile back at me. “I guess so, too. They wanted me to pick between cutting all ties with you in order to stay back at the house, or to leave if I wanted to keep on communicating with you,” She explained.

I was stunned to hear that she had actually chosen me over her family. “You chose me?” I asked, showing how surprised I was.

“I didn’t choose you, Alistair. I chose Ian’s father. These past week has taught me that he deserves to have his father by his side, and I would fail as a mother if I refused to let him have any form of contact with you. I want him to grow up in the right way, and I would never do anything that is going to affect his wellbeing,” Eliana said.

I nodded my head, agreeing with what she had said. “Well, irrespective of the reason you chose to leave your parents house, I want you to know that you made the right decision, and I promise this day that you’re never going to regret giving me access to my son,” I told her, expressing gratitude.

“I sincerely hope I don’t regret it,” She said.

“So, what now?” I asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. “Well, first things first, I’m hoping you’d let us stay here for some time. This happened so suddenly, and I couldn’t think of where else to go, seeing as the only friend I have is Carrie, and I wouldn’t like to inconvenience her or her husband. I couldn’t even pack all my stuff, and I’m going to start looking for a new place as soon as possible. Just bear with us for a little while,” She pleaded.

A smile appeared on my face. “Calm down, Eliana. This house is always welcome to you anytime you’re in need of it, and you can stay here for as long as you want,” I said.

“Thank you so much, Alistair. I’m so grateful,” She said, showing her appreciation.

“You’re always welcome, Eliana. I’m going to get this stuff to my room. The other rooms are so dusty, and I can’t put your health at risk, so, you and Ian can have my bed for the night. I’ll sleep on the couch, and I’ll get someone to clean up the rooms tomorrow, and you can have any room of your choice,” I said.

“That will be great. Thank you so much once again. I’m grateful for your help,” She said.

I pushed back a strand of hair that was in her face, and placed my hands on her shoulders. “Enough of the appreciation, Eliana. Ian and I have the same blood running through our veins, and no child of mine is going to sleep in the street. Whatever I’m doing is for the sake of my son, and any reasonable father would do this. You don’t have to thank me,” I said, looking deep into her eyes.

I could hear her heartbeat increase suddenly, but I couldn’t tell why. Immediately, I let go of her shoulders in case I was causing her any kind of discomfort, or making her uncomfortable in any type of way.

“I’ll help you take the suitcases inside,” I said, after a brief moment of awkward silence.

“Let me help you, dad,” Ian said.

“I don’t think you should do that,” Eliana said, in an attempt to stop him, but he had already started wheeling the suitcase perfectly well, despite the fact that it was very heavy.

“Relax, mum. I’m a werewolf,” Ian said, shooting a small smile in her direction.

“I had forgotten that. Thanks for reminding me,” Eliana said, smiling back at him.

I chuckled, as Ian and I left for the bedroom, feeling really happy in my heart that Eliana and Ian were around. Perhaps, this was fate’s way of bringing us together under the same roof, and since we couldn’t avoid each other all day, maybe...just maybe things were going to be back to normal again.

After the suitcases had been tucked away nicely, Ian had said he needed to use the bathroom. Of course, he needed to, after taking in a whole lot of sugar all day long.

When I returned, I found Eliana, admiring a painting on the wall, wearing a smile. Realising that she was no longer alone, she turned around, and that was when her eyes met mine.

“Where’s Ian?” She asked, looking around.

“He needed to visit the toilet,” I said.

“Why am I not surprised?” She chuckled.

“Just like his mother, he has a sweet tooth, and he is a big time foodie,” I said.

“I know, right? Since he got your looks, it would have been unfair if he didn’t get anything from me,” She remarked.

“True,” I agreed.

A pregnant silence fell upon us, and we just looked at each other, contemplating on what else to say.

“You know what? I’m beginning to think that my parents deserved what you did to them,” She said.

“Don’t say that,” I said, walking towards where she stood.

A drop of tear slid down her eyes. “I can’t help it, Alistair. I knew my parents were mean, but I never imagined that they’d throw me and my son out of the house just like that. You know what hurts more?” She asked.

“What?” I asked, presently standing in front of her.

“The fact that I thought that they were not that bad, since they claimed to have treated me like trash just for my own sake. I mean, who tells the world that their kid is insane and out of her mind just to cover up the fact that werewolves exist? They got exactly what was coming to them,” She said, without mincing words.

I heaved a sigh, and touched her cheek. “You’re just pissed now, and that’s why you’re saying this. You taught me something about family, and I know that no matter what happens, you’d still love them and care for them. We don’t get to choose our family members, and we have to just make do with the ones we were given. No matter how bad someone has been to you, I’m sure there’ll always be one good thing they did that you can forever hold on to,” I said to her, surprised that I was convincing her to not be mad at her parents.

“I don’t know, Alistair. I don’t want Ian to go through what we’ve both suffered at the hands of the people closest to us. Let’s try to give him a good life, and make him always proud to call us his family,” She said.

I nodded my head, in agreement. “We will try to give Ian a good life, and we will succeed in doing just that, okay?”

“Okay, I believe you,” She said, and out of the blue, wrapped her arms around me tightly, and I could tell that she really needed that hug.

I pulled her even closer than she already was, and began to pat her back, in an encouraging manner, making sure she found solace in the hug she needed.

She sobbed quietly on my chest, and I brushed her hair with my fingers, telling her repeatedly that everything was going to be okay, even though I wasn’t so sure about that, but with Eliana by my side, we were going to go through this storm together, and as long as we remained together and had each other’s backs, nothing would go wrong.

Once, everything had gone wrong, and all we had managed to build had crumbled into pieces, but not this time around. I was going to be there for her this time around, and I was never going to leave her shattered and broken. For Eliana’s sake, I was going to make everything all okay, so that she never had to shed tears in my arms ever again.