Page 31 of Love Delayed

“Oh, so I need to call first?” I returned.

Dropping her shoes and bag, she raced to the half bath on that level. I immediately heard the sound of vomiting, rushed in to help her, and found her hugging the toilet. I wondered what the hell she had done because Eliana didn’t drink. When she stood and stumbled into the sink, I wondered how she had even driven her car in that state. But what made me look at her even more strangely was when I noticed she wasn’t wearing her ring.

“Where’s your ring?” I asked softly as she wiped her hands with the towel after washing them and then placed it up to her face while walking past me.

“In my bag, and keep your voice down,” she said, struggling to climb the steps. “I just need my bed. We can talk later. Let yourself out.”

I looked at her bag but decided not to go in it. I looked out the window, but her Mercedes was not in the driveway. I ran up the steps, but I was too late. She was lying on top of the covers, out like a light. I grabbed the throw from the sofa, covered her with it, and went back downstairs with a million thoughts going through my mind.What’s really going on with my woman?Since I had never seen her intoxicated before, I wanted to stick around to make sure she would be okay. So, I went to the basement to watch television but checked on her every hour. She finally woke up at seven that evening.

“You’re still here?” she said, sitting up in the bed.

I was browsing social media on my phone while lounging on the sofa.

“Of course, I’m still here, Eli. My soon-to-be wife came home this morning unrecognizable. So, out of concern, I stayed to make sure you were okay,” I said as she got up and walked into the bathroom.

I sat there for twenty minutes while she brushed, gargled, and showered. She came out wearing a pair of leggings and a T-shirt. Her hair was pulled back, and her beautiful face looked worried and stressed.

“What did you do last night?” I asked.

“I was upset, hurt, and felt dismissed, so I hung out with some friends last night.”

“What kind of friends let you get drunk like you did, and who brought you home? Where is your car?”

“Really, Marc? You got all these damn questions, but none of them pertains to why I went out drinking to the point where I needed a ride home this morning. You have no idea what you did to me!” she yelled.

“I do, babe. I know I made you feel uneasy, and I apologize, Eli. I want you to be comfortable and secure, so I came this morning so you can be included in my business with Zamora. I don’t care what you did last night. I love you and want you to know I got it. You had legit concerns, and I was an asshole to brush you off about it. We’re meeting on Friday to discuss the menu changes, and I want you to be there with me. I’m sorry for how I made you feel, Eli. Those were not my intentions,” I said.

She approached me and straddled herself over my lap.

“And I’m sorry for how I reacted, Marcus. I know you love me, and I’m sorry about last night,” she cried.

“No, you don’t owe me any apologies. I should have been upfront,” I said, refraining from telling her about Zamora staying in the penthouse. I knew if I told her, it would surely send her running.

“I love you, Marc, and I want to be there with you on Friday,” she said.

We started kissing, but when I reached to caress her breast, she shut me down.

“Baby, you know I don’t normally drink, and if you get on top of me the way I’m feeling right now, I may blow chunks.”

I laughed. “Okay. Well, at least let me take you to get your car.”

“Babe, no. I don’t feel like driving. Not right now. I’ll get it later.”

“Can you at least put on your ring?” I asked.

“Now that I can do,” she said and stood up to go downstairs.

I sat there waiting for her to return. After a few minutes, I called her name, but she didn’t answer. I went to the top of the stairs and called her name again. Again, there was silence. When I jogged down the steps, I found the house empty. Puzzled, I pulled out my phone to call her but was sent straight to voicemail.

This bullshitis too much for me,I thought to myself while grabbing my keys from the counter.Eliana has alot of explaining to do.

Chapter Fourteen

Zamora

I kissed my mom and sister goodbye, and then I headed for my ride. We had a beautiful brunch and great conversation. I was happy to be getting back to some kind of normal. My mom kept asking me over and over how I was, and I kept reassuring her that I was okay. I hadn’t seen them since the day I went over to tell them the sad news about losing their first grandchild, and I knew my mom just wanted to pull me into her lap and hold me until my pain went away.

Before I could leave the parking lot, my sister called my phone, and I hit the accept button on the screen to take her call. “What’s up?” I answered. I had just walked away from her and my mother less than six minutes ago, so I had a feeling she was calling to gossip about something that she did not want to discuss in front of our mother.