Page 33 of Now Until Forever
Maybe they weren’t compatible and never had been.
He half smiled. “I was talking to my dad about moving here because it would help us find Luci. He can’t travel because it’ll put too much stress on his heart.”
She nodded, her mind a turmoil of duty to her parents and living her life as an adult who got to make her own choices and might not want to do whatever she was told.
“My dad said your parents mentioned to him that you were in Chicago, and that I could pull double duty coming here. Look out for you and find Luci.”
At least he hadn’t said it was to protect her. Though she’d rather he said he wanted her help finding his sister. “And the Shrine?”
He shook his head. “Your parents haven’t said anything to me about it. Just that you were in Chicago, relayed through my dad.”
Eliana set her mug on the trunk and got up so she could pace. “I shouldn’t care. I should be an adult who can make her own choices and do her own thing, but I guess I do care. Maybe I always will.”
“Or you feel guilty that you didn’t discuss it with them.”
“It’s not like I lied. I just withheld information because I didn’t want to argue with them.”
Carlos said nothing, still seated on the edge of the couch. Forearms on his knees.
“Ugh.” She rolled her eyes. “Can’t I just live my life?”
“I don’t know,” he said gently. “Can you?”
Eliana rolled her eyes. “I’m trying!”
“How is it going so far?”
She went back to the couch and flopped down, letting out a frustrated sigh. “This is ridiculous. I should have figured it out by now. I’m twenty-five!”
Carlos shook his head and sat back. “You care what they think. You also know for a fact they probably won’t be happy that you’re here, doing whatever you’re doing at the Shrine.”
“Just ask me.”
“Maybe what I’m doing is what they’re doing. Waiting for you to offer the information rather than me having to dig for it and making you mad.”
“Maybe I want to be asked. Maybe I want someone to demand something of me. To give me a goal to hit rather than the sentiment that I can do whatever I want. I don’t want to have to think of everything myself and make all the decisions.” She ran her hands down her face. “Does that even make sense?”
“Depends if you’re going to join a cult like the Reverence Sisters so you don’t have to think for yourself, or you just mean you want the people in your life to have expectations that you’ll amount to something.” He eyed her, and she wasn’t sure what to make of his expression.
“A career in the military or police might’ve been good for me.”
“Still could be.” He shrugged. “If you like structure.”
Eliana blew out a long breath. “How is it that I feel like I missed something key, and maybe I’ve blown the point of my life?”
“And you’re here looking for an answer to that question.”
It did sound a lot like trying to solve a case. The case ofWho is Eliana Hope Banbury Jaxton?
“The Shrine holds the information my parents would never tell me. The things they purposely kept out of my life to ‘protect’ me. Which is fine. Parents should protect their children, and if half the stuff Zeyla told me is true, that was a good idea, becausewhat the actual heck? But it left me with this massive hole of unanswered questions. I don’t know what to do.” She looked at him. “I don’t know who I’m supposed to be.”
Carlos put his hand over hers, and she curled her fingers and held on. “It could be that you spend your whole life figuring out the answer to that question.”
“Everyone else seems to already have the answer.”
“And you think the Shrine will give you yours?”
Eliana shrugged, still holding his hand. “At least it will fill some of the holes. I know the basics of my mom and dad fighting against them, and how they captured her when she was pregnant with me. That’s one of the reasons she didn’t want me having anything to do with them. They made her in a test tube and impregnated her mother. What if they did something to me then, or now? I need to know.”
