Deciding to stay as neutral as Sweden, Cadence said, “Well, we all have our way of handling certain situations.” She was aware that he had gone to see Amanda, that that is why he hadn’t come straight back to headquarters, and while she was dying to ask him what was up with that situation, she’d decided he’d tell her when he wanted to. She’d thought maybe that’s why he was here, maybe he wanted to tell her he was getting back together with Brandon’s mom, but the tension in the air indicated it was something else.
“I guess so,” Elliott muttered, shaking his head. “Well, I know it’s not quite your birthday yet, kid, but I’ve got something for you.” He dug into the pocket of his black jacket and pulled out a small box. “I’m not sure why I’ve decided to give this to you now, but on the way home, I had a long time to think, and I just thought it would be better if you had it sooner rather than later. Aurora has an official present from both of us for your present, but this is from me.”
Cadence raised an eyebrow at him before she reached out and took the black jewelry box out of his large palm. She’d heard this tone from him once before, just over a year ago, when they’d been planning Sierraville. Even though he had no way of knowing what was going to happen, Elliott had had some sort of feeling heading into that attack that everything wasn’t going to go as planned. She’d wished she’d paid better attention at the time, and now, hearing that same sort of tone in his voice, the hairs on her arms stood up.
With a deep breath, she pulled open the box. Inside, she found a necklace with a beautiful, blue glimmering stone about the size of a quarter on a silver chain. Gasping, she pulled it out. “It’s gorgeous, Elliott,” Cadence said, holding it up so that the sunlight streaming in the window caught the surface of the gemstone and twinkled. “What is it?”
“It’s a moonstone,” he said with a smile on his face that showed he was proud of his selection. “And... it’s blue.”
“Right,” she said, gathering his meaning. “I definitely get it.”
“That’s not all, though.” He had that mischievous glint in his eyes that let her know he was up to something. “Open it up.”
With one eyebrow arched, Cadence turned the stone so that she could see the side of it and noticed it was actually a locket. She pulled the set stone away from the silver backing revealing two cameo pictures. On the right was the engagement photo she’d taken with Aaron not long ago for all of the newspapers—her mother had insisted—and on the left side was a picture of Elliott cheesing for the camera. Cadence burst out laughing, unable to control herself. “Now, that’s funny!”
Still laughing, Elliott managed, “It’s just a joke, of course. You can pop that one out.”
“Why would I do that?” Cadence protested, unhooking the chain and putting the necklace around her neck. It was hard for her to get it hooked herself, so Elliot slid over and finished it up for her. “Thanks. No, I’ll definitely leave it in there.”
“Seriously, kid, you don’t have to. I was just being silly.”
“Why wouldn’t I leave it in there?” she asked, turning to face him. “You need to be close to my heart, too.”
“Yeah, but this isn’t a hashtag team Jacob thing,” he reminded her. “I love you, but I’m not in love with you.”
She giggled again. “That’s too bad. Your dance moves just might’ve swayed me.”
“Would you like me to stand up and do that again?”
Cadence leapt over so that she was holding his legs down to the couch. “No, nope, I’m good.”
“It’s no trouble....”
“No, thanks.” Once she was sure he wasn’t actually going to jump up and start dancing, she let go of him and looked down at the locket again. It really was a beautiful stone, but part of her didn’t like being reminded of the Blue Moon Portal. Still, she could wear it for a while, at least until he went home. Then, maybe she’d put it away and save it for special occasions.
“Well, I better get back to the homestead. Brandon and I have a few things to talk about.” Elliott finished off his water before pulling himself up from the sofa.
“Everything okay?” Cadence didn’t want to pry, but she had an idea it had something to do with his side trip to Oklahoma. She wasn’t sure if Brandon was even aware of where his father had been.
“Yeah, it’s fine,” he assured her. “Just some stuff.”
Cadence nodded and decided not to ask anything else. If he wanted to tell her he would. She stood, following him to the door. “Thanks again for the necklace. It’s really beautiful.”
“So are you, kid. And don’t make yourself nuts trying to decide where to sit me. I can get along with Roar for a couple of hours at your wedding reception. I promise.” He drew a cross over his heart before pulling the door open.
“Can she get along with you?” Cadence mumbled, reaching up and wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders.
“There’s always the dance floor,” Elliott reminded her. “If I can’t sit at the table, I can bust a move.”
Remembering his antics from earlier, she shook her head, letting him go but praying he didn’t do any more demonstrations. “Have a good afternoon, you big goofball.”
“You, too.” He stepped out into the hallway before he started boogieing his way to the elevator, and Cadence closed the door blocking any more images from searing into her mind’s eye.
“What a mess....” She couldn’t help but laugh, though. She imagined he could probably be a decent dancer when he wanted to be. Obviously, now was not that time.
Cadence fingered the gem hanging around her neck as she made her way back over to the chart on the coffee table. Thinking back to that day in June when she’d lost him for eight months, she knew for certain she didn’t ever want to go through anything like that again. Thankfully, with the Vampires in check, there was no need to worry about it. Despite the fact that Guardians who passed through the Blue Moon Portal were supposed to be indestructible, she wasn’t taking any chances. On Elliott or anyone else.
Even though she believed him when he said he’d get along with anyone to make sure the wedding reception went well, she still went ahead and moved him to the head table. There was room, and he belonged there. He seemed every bit a member of her family as her own sister most of the time. She was sure Aaron would feel the same way. If anyone had anything to say about it, she’d deal with it then, but something told her everyone else would understand as well. Satisfied that the seating chart was fixed, she turned her attention to the programs her mother had proofed for her while she was in Vegas, thinking it would be a good idea to give them one more once over. She would be happy when this wedding was over....
