Page 57 of The Alpha's Triplets

She had been trying so hard not to think about Blake, that he was the only thing she thought about. It seemed the harder she tried, the harder she saw him in her mind.

So she shut her eyes, instead, keeping it wonderfully empty as Carla giggled excitedly on her phone. It felt unfair to Eleanor that she should suffer so much, while Carla had fun on her phone. But she didn’t mind the quiet, so she didn’t complain.

The quiet was broken when a knock sounded on the front door. Eleanor looked up from the couch at Carla who was giggling into her phone. The knock came again and for all intents and purposes, Carla was dead to the world.

“Carla?” Eleanor said weakly and with an effort.

“Yeah?” Carla said, looking up from her phone.

“Could you get that?” Eleanor said just as a third knock sounded, louder and harder than the first two. Eleanor gave Carla an exasperated look, making her jump out of her seat, grumbling all the way to the door.

Eleanor turned around and settled her head on the couch. She wasn’t feeling like visitors, but Carla had forbidden her from returning to bed that day. She was still processing her thoughts when Carla ran back into the sitting room, a shocked expression on her face.

Eleanor sat up in alarm and frowned. “What’s wrong, Carla? You look like you have seen a ghost. Who was at the door? What’s the matter with you?”

Before Carla could speak, a tall man walked in behind her. “Hello, Eleanor, I’m sorry to drop in unannounced,” the visitor said. It took Eleanor’s fatigued mind several long moments to realize that the man standing in her friend’s living room was Blake Bennett, her legal husband and father of her unborn child.

She jumped to her feet in surprise, and stared at him for a long time. What was he doing here? How did he find her? It didn’t make sense. Why was he here?

Carla looked from one person to the other boiling with confusion and not knowing what to do in the current situation. Eleanor was yet to utter a word.

“Eleanor,” Blake said again, in a soft voice, taking a step forward. He moved slowly until he stopped just a few feet from her. He looked tired, his eyes almost bloodshot. What had happened to him? He approached her but she took a step backward.

“Eleanor,” Blake said again. “I couldn’t find you at home and I went looking for you. Xander told me where to find you. I had to see you. I had to talk to you.”

“What… what are you doing here?” Eleanor stammered. She hated how much her voice shook. She wished she had better control. She wished she could tell him to get the hell out. “Please, leave. I got your message clearly. You really shouldn’t have come all this way.”

She made to turn around and leave, but he caught her wrist. Carla cried out, but Blake ignored her. “Eleanor, please. Both of you, I need you to listen to me. Please.”

He let go of her wrist and she eyed the door, but she crossed her arms over her chest and waited to hear what he had to say.

“I got scared,” Blake said, running a hand through his ruffled hair. “I got so scared. I didn’t mean to bail on you like that. I never thought I would ever have kids, and when you told me you were pregnant, I panicked.

“I’m not proud of myself, and I know that I let you down. I let you down, I let our child down, and I let our pac—I let our parents down.” He shot a glance at Carla, who was folding her hands protectively. She’d not heard his near slip.

“But I’m not scared anymore, Eleanor,” Blake continued, reaching out and taking her arm. “I have loved you ever since I saw you again. I love you and I never want you to leave.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t brave enough to say this earlier, but I’m brave enough to do so now. Please don’t leave. I can’t wait to raise our kid together. There’s nothing in the world that would give me more joy.”

Eleanor stared at Blake in shock. Why was he saying all this? Did he mean it? Her head was throbbing with questions and she didn’t know what to believe. Blake reached out and took her second hand. “Eleanor…I love you more than anything in the world.”

That did it. She broke down into tears and threw her arms around Blake, muffling her tears in his jacket. She kissed him, and she felt something click again in the world. She couldn’t believe how close she’d come to leaving everything behind. How close she’d come to losing this.

“I’m never leaving you again, Eleanor,” Blake said, wiping her tears with his palm.

“You promise?” Eleanor asked, sniffling.

“I promise. I’m here now.” He kissed her again and then hugged her tightly. When he let her go, she felt better than she had in hours. She felt safe. Her wolf, who had been quiet for hours, howled happily, grateful that she’d changed her mind about leaving.

Blake turned to face Carla, who had been watching the exchange quietly. “Hi, Carla. I apologize for hurting her, but I’m going to need to take my wife back home now. If you don’t mind?”

Carla clapped happily. “Mind? All she’s done since she got here is cry and talk about you. Please, you’d be doing us all a favor by taking her with you. I promise. One thing, though. You have to absolutely invite me to your house soon. Deal?”

Blake smiled. “That seems perfect, actually. I believe it can be arranged. What do you think, Eleanor?”

Eleanor did not answer, while Blake and Carla had bantered, she’d been so overwhelmed she’d had to sit and process everything that was happening. She’d spent the last forty-eight hours wondering if the past months had been an elaborate lie.

And now, Blake was here, saying everything she’d hoped he would one day say to her. It seemed like a dream, only it was real.He came for me.

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