Eyes Wide Open

Annabelle interrupted my thoughts with her usual greeting. “Hello, missus.”

“Oh, hi, Annabelle. Any messages while I was out?” I asked carefully, really hoping that Ethan had not been frantically looking for me and getting everyone upset.

“No, missus. It’s been a very quiet day. The mail arrived for you and some packages.”

“Oh, good. I hope it’s the sample wedding favors.” I wished she would call me Brynne, but Annabelle was very old-school in her ways and it seemed that anything more familiar than “missus” was out of the question. Still, I liked her a lot. Annabelle came here twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, mostly to clean and do the laundry. She cooked for us, but only on those days. She used to make things and freeze them for Ethan to heat up whenever he made it home, but I stopped that practice when I moved in.

Ethan had me to take care of him now on the other days of the week, and cooking was something I enjoyed.

This had caused a bit of a flare from Annabelle at first, mostly because she had been his housekeeper for five years and liked things to be very organized and planned out. Since my arrival, though, we’d all had to get comfortable with each other and figure out our various roles and routines. We fixed it by having her do the cooking only on the Mondays and Thursdays she worked, and planned around her schedule.

“I set them on the desk in the office as usual for you.”

“Thanks, Annabelle, I’ll open them later.” I peered around her into the kitchen, surprised there didn’t seem to be anything started for dinner. Annabelle always had something nice simmering or baking on her days.

“Miss Frances called and said Mr. Blackstone would be taking you out for dinner this evening.” Annabelle could read minds too it seemed.

“Oh, is that right?” I raised a brow. “I love how he has Frances deliver that information.”

“Yes, missus.” Annabelle smiled at me.

“Well, I should have a shower, then, and start getting ready,” I said, checking my watch.

“Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you before I go, the aquarium service will be coming at four o’clock for the fish tank. Mr. Blackstone scheduled it a few weeks ago and made sure it fell on one of my days. They called to confirm, but I’ve an appointment this afternoon, and will have to leave early,” she barely paused to take a breath, “but you needn’t worry, missus, I’ve let Mr. Len know the time and he will let them into Mr. Blackstone’s office once they arrive.”

“Thank you, Annabelle. I’m sure Simba will be thrilled.”

She laughed at my comment and shook her head. “That fish is something else, he is.”

♦ ♦ ♦

The shower felt good, and I was glad Ethan had plans for me this evening. It meant he was trying to make amends for last night and I really hoped he would finally be opening up to me about his past. It was time for me to know. And honestly it felt really nice to be the one to take care of him for a change. Our whole relationship had been built on Ethan protecting me, taking care of me, and recently with the pregnancy bomb, ready to marry me. I’d like to be the one driving the boat once in a while, but to do that he had to allow me to. I was glad that finally seemed about to happen. Tonight I’d get to be his strength.

As I was blow-drying my hair I realized I’d forgotten to turn on my phone when I returned home. Ethan would have something to say about that, I was sure. Shit. I hated being scolded by him, but reasoned that if he was really panicked about me, he would call Len and talk to him. Len would confirm where I was. I just hoped Len wouldn’t also mention the part about Ben taking me away and dropping me off back home. I wanted the photographs to be a complete surprise. They were my wedding gift to Ethan.

I hurried to finish so I could go down and find my phone to check for messages, really hoping that Ethan had been so busy with the event venues he hadn’t noticed my absence. Fat chance of that happening. He notices everything.

I got my purse off the kitchen counter and dug out my phone, but when I tried to turn it on, the battery was totally dead. It needed a charge in order to even check my messages.

The charger cords for everything were in Ethan’s office. I started for the hall and remembered the aquarium service appointment. They were probably already set up and working by now. I checked the clock on the microwave; it read 4:38. Yep, they were here. I decided to bust in on them anyway. I needed my phone.

I knocked before I went in. “Sorry to interrupt, but I need my phone charger.”

The guy bent over the tank had his hands full with tubing and buckets. He gave me a nod from the back with a “yeah” and kept on doing his thing. He didn’t seem to mind me, so after I plugged in my phone and turned it on I started to look through the mail on the desk.

I was opening the first box when arms slammed around me and pinned me from behind.

“What the hell—” My speech was stopped by a hand over my mouth.

“Brynne . . . I’ve waited so long for this moment. So long . . .” he murmured in a voice that sounded familiar but I couldn’t place it.

My mind was racing; whoever this person was, they’d come to kill me. My time was at an end. I would die tonight and Ethan would find my body. We wouldn’t have a life together after all. Our baby wouldn’t be born in February, because killing me would kill our baby too. There wouldn’t be a wedding at Hallborough, and I’d never give Ethan my gift of the photos . . .

I would have begged for my life if I’d been able to. But there was no air for speaking, or crying, or even for breathing.

But knowing I was going to die wasn’t the worst part. The worst feeling in all of this was that I would never get to see Ethan again, or touch him, or tell him how much I loved him. My final moment with him had been last night when he sent me back inside so he could be alone. Oh, God, this would destroy my Ethan. He’d never forgive himself for this.

My captor kept me pinned up tight against his body and his mouth at my ear. I struggled, but my strength was waning. He gripped the back of my neck and squeezed, my nose and mouth covered, my lungs screaming for air, I felt a haze begin to surround me as my vision clouded. I was going down. It was finally happening. Everything Ethan had tried to prevent was going to happen anyway . . . and I couldn’t stop it.

Oh, Ethan . . . I’m so sorry. I love you so much and I’m so terribly sorry . . .