Through the Darkness: Of Love and Loss Series Book One

42

Over the next week and a half after the altercation with Bertrand Wagner, Elyria grew more and more fearful. No matter how hard she tried to push it aside, she couldn't escape the worry that their days of carefree happiness were at an end.

She'd even found herself making mental lists of all that had gone wrong since she reunited with Everett to prove herself wrong. But, unfortunately, her plan had backfired. Now, she woke up each morning, afraid if she allowed herself to be happy, a new misery would befall them before the day was through.

"What's wrong?" Everett murmured, squeezing Elyria's fingers while waiting for Daphne's train to arrive. "You needing to hurl again? I'm sure I could persuade Pete to lend you a bucket."

"I'm fine." Elyria shook her head and swallowed. "I'm just thinking." She pursed her lips, closed her eyes, and debated whether to voice her fears.

He nudged her gently with his elbow. "What about?"

She turned to face him and lowered her voice, "That maybe my brother was right all those years ago."

He fell silent for a moment, then softly said, "The happiness thing?"

Elyria nodded.

"Why would you think that?"

She shrugged. "Because of everything that's happened over the past couple of months."

"You think we're being punished for being too happy?" He asked, his voice full of confusion and a tinge of humor. "Name twenty-two things that prove we are."

She scowled. After the lists she'd already made over the past few days, naming twenty-two things would be easy. Arching a brow, she began ticking the items off on her fingers as she said, "One, the day I got attacked by the stray dog and then got lost. Two, the day you got into your first fight with Bert and broke your cane. Three—"

"Nope, that one doesn't count," he interrupted with a chuckle, "because after I got into that fight with Bert, you told me we were having a baby. So that one alone spoils your brother's theory."

Elyria blew out a frustrated breath and silently acknowledged he had a point. "You think I'm being irrational again?"

Everett settled his hand atop hers, imprisoning it between both his palms. "There's no safe way for me to answer that question. If I say no, you'll say I'm not taking you seriously. If I say yes, you'll say I'm patronizing you."

She smirked; once again, he proved to be wise. Her emotions, and therefore, her rationale, weren't to be trusted lately. Not only did she seem to overreact to just about everything, but the simplest comment from him, however innocent, had the power to reduce her to tears. She hated it.

Just the other day, he'd kissed her and commented on how pretty he thought she looked, and she'd had a full-blown emotional meltdown.

"Think about it this way," he whispered, pressing a tender kiss to her cheek. "If misery is a consequence, why do people pursue things that make them happy instead of avoiding them like the plague?"

"Why do you have to be so logical?"

He chuckled, "I can count on one hand the number of people who've ever called me logical."

The wind picked up, blowing icy snow particles against her legs and pelting the station's windows beside her.

"What time is it?" She said with a shiver, raising her shoulders to burrow deeper into her coat. "I thought the train would have been here ages ago."

"Subtle segue, my dear," he murmured with a wry laugh, tucking her scarf inside the collar of her coat and rubbing her back. "It's almost 3:00... if the train's not here in twenty minutes, we'll—"