Chapter 40 Change the World
Eric's POV
Next day we were waiting for the girls at a coffee shop where we were to meet them after they have their dresses sized and made.
“Man, this is no where near when it was you and Anna who was gon’na get married.” Aaron groaned.
We grinned seeing we were all surrounded with shopping bags that the girls bought and refuse to leave in the car.
“Man, there better be lingerie in here or I swear I am never setting foot in a mall ever again.” Jake added.
“You boys will never see the mall once you do get married anyways.” Siam sighed and looked around, “I don’t think I missed it all that much though.”
“Well, I would be damn weird if you did.” Liam says, “The only reason we went to the mall was to hook up or date. Girls here and some there, no stores was harmed in the duration of the stay.”
“Well, there were some that were of real good use.” Aaron grinned.
“Urgh, no hook up stories, please.” Siam threw a paper towel at him.
“Someone hasn’t been telling their wife the truth.” Aaron teased.
“Anna and Serenity knew every girl I hooked up with, thank you very much.”
“What about you Eric?” Cole asks, “No hook up memories to share? This is your territory after all.”
“That’s a good topic right there.” Jake teased, “I think that would keep us entertained until the girls arrived.”
I chuckled, “Sorry, nothing to share.”
“Nothing?” Aaron raised a brow, “Please don’t tell me you’re a vi-“
“Let’s not go that far.” I chuckled, “I had moments, but not as much as you guys. I mean, mom wouldn’t hear the end of it if I did.”
“How many girlfriends?” Cole asked.
“Three serious and two flings.”
“What age did you lost it?”
“Fifteen,” I said, “a week before I turned sixteen.”
“How many girls?” Ken asked.
I grinned, “Four.”
“Four? Seriously?” Aaron asked. “Are you even a man? Wait, are you even an alpha?”
“Exactly why I wasn’t able to, uhm, for lack of better words, go around.” I said.
“Wait, is Serenity part of the four and the five?” Cole asked.
I grinned, “Nope.”
They all gave me a look making me laugh.
“We never really became boyfriend-girlfriend did we?” I said, “She’s beyond that, she’s my mate. Now my fiancée and soon to be wife.”
They exchanged looks.
“That is true, I guess.” Aaron says. “But, doesn’t that make things hard?”
“Hard?”
“Well, you don’t really know her, do you? Like what her favorite color is, or her favorite food.”
I shook my head, “Well, I do know how much she loves you guys, how dedicated she is in things she is passionate with. How stubborn and hard headed she could be, and that she could talk her way out of almost anything without even trying. She’s brilliant, caring, loving and forgiving.” I raised a brow at Aaron, “Does the little things like her favorite color matter now?”
“Well, if you think about it…”
“You do know what her favorite color is, don’t you?” Jake asks.
“Purple.” I simply said.
“And her favorite food?”
“Italian and anything spicy.”
“Favorite book?” Liam asks.
“Alice in Wonderland.”
“Morning, noon, or night?” Siam asked.
“Twilight.”
“Heels or flats?”
“Barefooted.”
“Favorite subject?”
“Word Lit.”
“Country she would like to visit?”
I raised a brow at Cole, “There are two, Greece cause she just loved the history and France cause she wants to kidnap the man who has the biggest collection of classic books.”
“Wow, you do know every inch of her, don’t you?” Siam asks.
“Prefers water over juice, but loves coffee. Love flowers in their natural places and not in vase. Sleeps on her right side. Hums when she writes. Loves the theatre and music…” I sighed, “There’s a lot you can say about her, and there’s a lot to know about her. And we have all our lives for that.”
“Hey!” Anna walked toward us, carrying more bags and sat beside Siam before giving him a quick kiss.
“Hey back.” Siam says pulling her to his side, “You girls had fun?”
“Fun wouldn’t even give justice for what we had today.” Cam says taking the sit beside Jake who gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“Man, seriously, this is the last time that I’m coming here with you.” Jean says flopping on the sit beside Aaron and across Cole.
“You said you had fun.” Kendra says witting beside her brother.
“Yeah, but seriously, we have to call it a day.” Gelya groaned sitting beside Jean. “Even, I’m tired.”
“But I want to go back to-“
“No, please.” Jean and Gelya pleaded making us laugh.
“Well, it was a very interesting day.” Tasha says.
“Very.” Kendra added.
“Well, I hope interesting meant you liked it.” Serenity says sitting down beside me. “Hey baby.”
“Hey back.” I kissed her by the temple and offered her a bottle of water.
“Thank you.” she smiled before drinking.
“So, where are we off to now?” Aaron asked.
“Well…” Cam says with a look of mischief.
“Urgh, here we go.” Serenity groaned under her breath and leaned to me.
“We were wondering…” Anna says, facing Siam but not looking him straight in the eyes.
“Spit it out girls.” Liam says, arms crossed.
“We sort of wanted to have an engagement party, you know like the one we had for Anna and Siam.” Jean said.
“That’s fine with me.” Siam says.
“No.” Serenity says dragging ‘o’ to make it sound longer, “You were supposed to say no.”
“I’m saying no.” Cole said.
“Excuse me?” Aaron asked. “This isn’t your decision to make.”
“And why not can’t we have an engagement party?” I asked.
Cole shrugged, “If you haven’t noticed, its in parties that all trouble brewed. On her 18th birthday, after the beach party, party at the hunters, party with the vamps…” he glanced at Gelya, “I’m with Serenity on this one.”
“Thank you.” Serenity says, as if finally finding some sanity.
“What about on their wedding?” Jake asked. “You can’t just have the ceremony and have no reception afterwards.”
“That’s different.” Serenity said, “Right now I just want to make this wedding possible and trouble free. C’mon guys, please?”
The girls sighed and nodded.
“I’m really sorry, but I can’t.” Serenity says.
“It’s ok…” Anna says, looking disappointed.
“Yeah…” Cam says.
I took Serenity’s hand, I knew she would want to change her mind just to see the girls happy, but I sort of agree with her. I wouldn’t want any alpha near her right now. Even if I have already claimed her, though she refused to be marked yet, she wanted that on the wedding night.
“Let’s go home.” I announced. “You girls must be tired.”
“Urgh, yes!” Jean says.
Days before the wedding pretty much went like that. The girls taking Serenity to every shop, salon and lord knows where to prepare for the said day and that meant less days for us.
By the end of the day she would be in bed, tired and asleep.
Not that I’ve been missing on any of the big preparation, we did have the cake tasting, wine tasting, food tasting, fitting, location and the all famous Bachelor party, which I’m pretty much regretting now.
Of course, though Siam was automatically the best man, they all are to blame for the series of trouble that we’ll be in.
“Ok, so please please be careful. No pranks that has to do with cliffs, guns and fire.” Serenity says as they were seeing us off.
“Can I say the same for you girls?” I said, “And no boys.”
“No boys.” All the boys repeated.
“I’ll take care of everything here.” mama Ellena says.
“Hm, somehow, that doesn’t make me feel any better.” I teased.
“Let’s go boys, we have a long day ahead.” Jake says.
“We’ll see you later.” Siam says giving Anna a quick kiss. “You are in charge lil man, ok?”
Ximm giggled and tossed and turned from Anna’s hold.
“Oh, yeah, leave the kid in charge.” Aaron says.
“Well, he does have the girls wrapped around his little fingers, I think we’re all good.” Uncle Luke says as he step into the RV with Uncle Peter.
“Hey,” I pulled Serenity to the side, “You sure you are ok with this?”
“Of course I am. You are with my brother, my best friends and my uncle, you’d be crazy to pull off something stupid.”
I grinned gave her a quick kiss as well.
“Hey, where’s Jean?” Aaron asked.
“Oh, uhm,” Mama Ellena stepped up, “in the library, reading.”
“Again?” Aaron asked, “She’s been locked up in there for days.”
“Well, she’s a little busy.” Mama Ellena said.
“With her medical books again, no doubt.”
I frowned and sighed. We have been noticing how Jean seems to be pulling away more from the group, especially since the day the girls announced the dates of the wedding rehearsal.
“I’ll check on her,” Serenity says.
“Will you?” I asked worried.
“I’m sure she’s fine and that she’ll tell you whatever’s going on when you get back.” she said.
At that very moment I wish she wasn’t right all the time.
Cause when we got back from the all night drinking, partying and gambling, Jean was waiting for me in my office with folders in her hands.
“We need to talk.” She said.
After my talk with Jean I went straight to Serenity’s room. I know it was only her who can make things clear and better right now.
I knocked and peeked inside.
She looked up from her book and smiled.
“Hey.” She says.
“Hey.” I stepped inside the room and just stared at her.
She set the book down and stared back, worried. “What’s wrong?”
I just stood there and stared at her.
“You spoke with Jean?” she guessed and I nodded. “I’m thinking you disagree with her.”
“No.” I said, “I actually understand.”
“What’s bothering you then?” she asked.
I sighed and walked toward the edge of her bed and shrugged, “I just feel so… so useless.” I felt her move toward me, setting herself behind me and rested her chin on my shoulder. “I know I should do something, I know I can’t just force them together, but seeing Jean and hearing her talking so weak and fragile it’s just…”
Serenity wrapped her arms around my torso and I reached for her hands, and held her in place, “Well, you said it yourself, we can’t force them together. I wouldn’t want them together just cause I told them to be, I want Cole to realize that he needs her.”
Then something sink in to me.
“Did you…” I glanced over my shoulder and looked at her straight in the eyes, “Did you ever thought that I would give up on you?”
She frowned and held my gaze, “No, not even once. Even after what Rham did, or with everything he said. I thought that you would hate me or be disgraced, but somehow I knew you’d never really leave me.”
I turned and reached for her, moved her on my lap, and rested my forehead on hers. “I will never hate you, nor are you a disgrace. I’m very proud of what you have done for your family, for our kind and for us. I can never ask for more Serenity, cause you are far greater than what I deserve.”
She smiled and leaned in to give me a kiss, which I happily returned. When we pulled away she sat up and smile.
“Remember when I said that I will marry you anytime and anywhere?”
