Chapter 159: The Sound of Music
Moana
After my conversation with Olivia as well as finding out that Edrick took the wolf tooth without my permission, I was a little distant for a couple of days. I just didn’t know how to feel about everything, and I needed some time to think.
I still found it hard to believe that Edrick was really the type to use women as reproductive tools. I also found it strange that he would have told Ella that her mother was dead for no reason, which was why I couldn’t stop wondering if Olivia really was just lying to me. At this point, I didn’t know who to trust. All I knew was that I needed to make sure that my baby would be safe.
Edrick must have noticed that I was acting distant. When he mentioned doing something outside with Ella and I at one point at breakfast on Monday morning, I glanced up to see that he was looking at me. His gaze was still apologetic, just as it had been on the day that he took the wolf tooth. Maybe he really did feel bad for what he did.
However, I didn’t think that he would actually want to do anything with me and Ella. I thought that he was just saying things to make Ella happy in the moment, and that he still planned on working all week in the hopes that she would forget anyway. Ella had been complaining a lot about feeling cooped up, but I still wasn’t sure if it was safe for us to go out together; the bakery on Saturday was just a little treat because it was right next to the penthouse, but I didn’t feel safe going any further than that without Edrick around.
That was why I was shocked when I went to bed that night and found an envelope on my bedside table. Edrick was in the shower when I found it.
I scrunched together my eyebrows confusedly as I picked it up. He had written something on the front of the envelope:
“Make sure to get your painting supplies ready for a fun day outside. -Edrick”
When I opened the envelope, a small gasp escaped my mouth. Edrick had clipped an advertisement for a family friendly plein air painting class for the day after the next. Although I couldn’t be entirely sure if this was what he was referring to earlier that morning when he mentioned going outside to do something together, I had a pretty good idea that this was what he meant.
Edrick came out of the bathroom a few moments later. I jerked my head up as he entered, my eyes wide with excitement. He instantly smiled.
“You want to go?” he asked.
I nodded vigorously, feeling excited like a little kid again. I loved plein air painting; I had planned on doing it at the mountain estate, and was devastated when we had to leave suddenly after the wolf attack and I couldn’t do it. And now, I could not only enjoy an entire plein air class, but Ella could come as well.
“Are you coming, too?” I asked. I hoped that he would; after all, we had fun that day at the orphanage when he joined in on my painting lesson. He had mentioned that he wanted to learn more about painting, too.
Much to my pleasure, Edrick nodded and flashed me a smile. “Of course,” he said casually as he dried his damp hair with his towel. He was wearing only his pajama pants and no shirt. By now, I had become a bit more used to seeing his chiseled upper body without anything covering it. “I wanted all three of us to go. Like a…”
His voice faltered. I knew what he was going to say: like a family. But, in typical Alpha billionaire fashion, of course he couldn’t bring himself to say those words. I didn’t care at the moment, though. I was just excited to be going to the class, and it made me almost forget about how upset I had been over the past couple of days.
Honestly, I was just happy that Edrick seemed to be okay with taking part in my interests. It was something that Sam never did; in fact, I had never had a boyfriend who would even look at my art, let alone make art with me. Not that Edrick was my boyfriend, technically…
But it made me wonder something: Edrick had to have some other interests. I never saw him doing much other than occasionally reading. Other than that, he was always busy or at work.
As we got into bed that night, I couldn’t contain my curiosity any longer. If Edrick was willing to take part in my interests, then I felt as though it was only fair for me to do the same.
“Do you have any hobbies?” I asked as he flicked the light off.
Edrick was silent for a moment. I glanced over at him in the dim light of his bedroom and I thought I could see him chewing his lip almost nervously.
“Um… Not really,” he replied.
“Come on,” I said, turning on my side to face him. “You have to have something that you enjoy doing.”
He paused again before finally answering. “I guess I like the piano. I used to play a lot when I was younger.”
“Why don’t you play, then?” I asked. “You have a piano here. Ella is the only one who plays it during her lessons.”
“I don’t know…” Edrick shrugged. “I just don’t really have a reason to play it.”
Edrick’s words made me frown. “You don’t need a reason to play music,” I replied gently. “You can just play if it makes you happy. That’s a better reason than anything else.”
After I finished speaking, Edrick only responded with a short, low hum. I couldn’t tell if my words inspired him to play the piano more, or if it annoyed him. Maybe he was one of those people whose parents pushed him to play so much that now he got agitated whenever anyone tried to convince him to play. I went to bed after that and decided not to bother him about it anymore than I already had, and assumed that he would probably not play in front of me or anyone else.
But the next morning, when I awoke to a sound other than the cars and the people in the city below, I knew that my words had struck a chord with Edrick.
I sat up abruptly in bed, my eyes wide, and immediately jumped up and threw my slippers and my robe on to go and see the source of the beautiful music. When I came out of Edrick’s room, however, Selina was standing in the hallway. She quickly grabbed me by the arm and pulled me out of sight before I walked into the living room.
Even the housekeeper’s eyes were wide, but she was smiling. She placed her finger over her lips. We listened for a few moments, and as we did, my heart felt lighter than ever.
“I haven’t heard him play the piano in years,” Selina whispered, a few tears pooling up in her eyes.
It seemed that Edrick had decided to play the piano after all. For the first time since I moved in, the penthouse was filled with the sound of music.
I hoped that I could stay here forever and always listen to him play.
