Chapter 248 - Impartial Advice

For a moment of comfortable silence, the cousins watched the passing view of woodland until they caught sight of children walking in a line with their guardians herding them.

"I never expected that I would one day want a child…" Olivia trailed off. She swallowed when her words seemed to be lodged in her throat.

"That's what all the birth control is for, remember?" Eli added, tugging Olivia's ears as if reminding her of the fact.

She pulled away from Eli and leaned on the seat. She rubbed her fingers on her forehead, smoothening the creases that formed on it.

"Please call me crazy," Olivia requested.

"Nope. You're always crazy. No need for reiteration. Why? Is something wrong?"

"Yes," Olivia trailed off.

For an inexplicable reason, Eli didn't seem to be bothered even when Olivia admitted that something was wrong.

"The doctor asked me if I wanted to get a birth control shot just to err on the side of caution. She explained that my hormones will be all over the place, and there were incidents where women get pregnant with rainbow babies right after a miscarriage. She said it will be better to allow myself to heal first just so I won't have another surprise pregnancy."

"But? You declined?" Eli knew the answer to his question, but he still had to confirm.

When Olivia nodded her head, Eli uttered his impartial advice, "It's your body. It's your call. But babies and running companies plus being married to a prince might take a toll on you."

Olivia took a sharp inhale. As always, Eli knew when to hit the nail with a hammer. "What should I do, Eli? I want everything and now I'm confused if any of it matters."

Looking at her straight into the eye, Eli uttered the words which Olivia refused to admit for quite some time, "You know exactly what you want, and which path you want to steer your life, Livi darling. You know which heavy baggage you have to let go of. All you have to do is drop it and never look back."

Out of all the times that Eli extended his arms for a hug, this time, Olivia took the initiative.

"Can I give you a hug, Eli?" She jutted her bottom lip out.

Eli shook his head and scoffed before lunging to Olivia, squeezing her in a bear hug.

"What am I going to do without you, Eli?" she peered up at him and smiled.

Bopping a finger on her nose, Eli blurted, "What you're going to do is pick a gown, and get ready for your wedding."

Olivia scrunched her brows, uncertain if she heard it right. "My wedding?"

Cold sweat broke on Eli's nape upon realizing that his tongue slipped. Pulling a straight face, Eli did his best to reply casually, "No, no." He swatted an imaginary fly. "I was talking about THE wedding pictorial… for my bridal collection. Oh, shoot. Now you know the theme for my newest collection. Ha-ha! Ha-ha!"

Eli wished his acting looked convincing even though his laughed sounded awkward and forced. Relief sn.a.k.e.d through his veins when Olivia's hand flew to her mouth. Yep. She definitely bought his excuse.

"Oh, Eli! Please don't make it hard for me to pick which one to wear."

"Tch! Stop. You're making my head grow bigger than it is."

The cousins linked their arms and continued to chatter until the car reached the private entrance that led to Maxen's cabin. Alighting from the car, Olivia turned her head left then right. She wondered why the place was buzzing with people.

"What's going on?" she asked Eli, whispering in his ear as they entered the cabin.

"Did I forgot to mention that we're also having a photoshoot, Livi darling?"

Eli watched in awe as Olivia's eyes turned into saucers. He quickly turned on his feet and dragged Olivia to a bedroom on the main floor where his creations were waiting for their master. He didn't want to lie through his teeth again. The faster Olivia picked a gown, the quicker he would be out of his misery.

'The eagle has landed.'

He saw three dots dance on his screen, but he didn't linger long enough to read what the message was. He dipped his phone back in his pocket and focused on his task at hand.

"These are all gorgeous, Eli," Olivia mused as she let her fingers touch the fabric. Right before her eyes were a dozen racks filled with gowns.

"Go find something that calls your name," Eli urged her. He watched as Olivia dragged her feet to Eli's rack of gowns and a smug smile crossed his face. Although most of the items that were hanging were his creations, some were from his designer friends that he gathered that morning.

It was not that he wasn't confident that Olivia would pick his design, but he didn't want to be so self-reassured and end up forcing Olivia to wear something she wanted half-heartedly.

Suddenly, Eli cursed under his breath. The vibrations from his phone would force him into o.r.g.a.s.m. Finding a corner to steal a peek on his phone, Eli growled when all he received were thumbs-up emoji from Ollie, Ava, Emily, Wyatt, and Maxen.

"Eliii," Olivia croaked. She held up a gown under her chin and bit her bottom lip as she checked her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes glistened as tears filled her eyes.

Earlier, she was just skimming the gowns, sliding a hanger after the other. But when she caught sight of the piece in her hand, her breath hitched and heart slowly drummed in her c.h.e.s.t. This was her dress, and she wanted to put it on, even if it was just for a silly photoshoot.

"What a waste. I really wanted to wear this for my wedding." Olivia huffed. She ran her fingers along with the fabric of the gown, smiling as twisted left and right so the train would dance with her.

"Yeah. That would certainly not make the cut. It's too modern for the monarchy," Eli commented in pipsqueak. He wanted to scream his victory upon seeing Olivia clutching his work of art.

Olivia snorted but stopped short to scan the room, and thankfully it was just her and Eli occupying it. Hearing a commotion outside, she pressed a finger to her mouth to shush Eli still, in case someone might hear their conversation, but the latter just rolled his eyes on her.

"Oooh, it's from House of Eli! Shocker," Olivia quipped. She stuck a tongue out on Eli who crowned himself with an imaginary tiara. Without hesitation, since it was just her and Eli in the room, she immediately undressed, pooling her clothes on the floor.

"Wait, wait!" Eli rushed to the bathroom and brought a box with him. "Put this on first."

"Goodness gracious. Must I wear lingerie too?"

"Yes, your highness," Eli responded. Placing the box on the bed.

"But this gown comes with a bra."

Eli grinned, the mischievous glint in his eyes confused Olivia. She watched in anticipation as Eli opened the box, presenting its contents to her. "The gown does come with a bra, however, it doesn't come with a thong."