Chapter 202
ELENA
+25 BONUS
The tailor stood back and adjusted his glasses, lips pursed as he eyed Aiden critically from top to bottom.
“Hmmm,” he said. “Turn, please.”
Aiden did a slow, proud spin, arms outstretched like a very serious airplane.
The jacket swayed around him–still a little long in the sleeves, but the fabric hugged his little shoulders just right. The black tuxedo had been tailored down to fit his six–year–old frame, and even though there were still chalk marks on the cuffs, he looked–somehow–older. Taller. Like the tux had added two inches and a dash of smug confidence.
“What do you think?” I asked, perched on the bench nearby chin in my hand.
“I look awesome,” Aiden declared.
“You do.”
“Very dignified,” the tailor added, brushing imaginary lint off his lapel.
“I’m the ring bearer,” Aiden explained, puffing his chest. “Again.”
“Oh?” the tailor said. “A seasoned professional, then?”
Aiden nodded solemnly. “I did it once before, for Auntie Dawn. I didn’t trip or lose the rings or anything.”
“You were fantastic,” I said, grinning. “And I’m sure you’ll be even better this time.”
He beamed, then turned back toward the mirror, examining himself. “Do you think Uncle Mason will cry?”
“Maybe.”
“I bet Erin will.”
“Probably.”
“And you?”
I tilted my head. “You want me to cry?”
“No,” he said, very seriously. “But you cried at Dawn’s wedding.”
“Weddings make people emotional.”
He looked at me through the mirror, and something flickered in his expression–curiosity, maybe. Or hesitation. Then he turned around slowly and sat on the bench beside me, legs swinging above the floor.
He looked down at his shiny black shoes, then back up at me. “Mom?”
“Yeah?”
“Logan said something.”
I straightened a little. “Okay…”
Aiden wrinkled his nose. “He said he knows things are moving fast between you and my dad again.”
My breath caught, just slightly.
TA
Chapter 202
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He kept going, innocent and sincere. “He said it’s okay if I feel confused. That grown–up stuff is complicated and you’re allowed to take your time figuring it out.”
“I sat with that for a moment, my fingers curling slightly against my thigh.
“What did you say to him?”
“I said I wasn’t confused,” Aiden said, frowning. “But… I didn’t like it.”
“Did he say it in a mean way?”
“No. Just like… serious.” He paused. “Was he right?”
I exhaled softly. “About what?”
“That you’re figuring it out.”
I reached over and smoothed a wrinkle from his sleeve. “Yeah, bud. I think I am.”
He nodded, satisfied for now. The tailor returned to check a seam, and Aiden happily stood back on the box, striking a pose like he was already on the runway.
But I was still sitting with it.
Logan’s words.
Things are moving fast.
You’re allowed to take your time.
And hadn’t I said that myself? Hadn’t I told Derek to take things slow? That I needed to rebuild my trust in him- to trust us again?
So why did it feel like the ground was shifting under my feet?
Why did a simple tux fitting with my son feel like a quiet warning?
***
That evening, the house was quiet.
I was in the kitchen, barefoot, drinking tea and staring out the window when my phone rang.
Derek.
I answered on the second ring.
“Hey,” I said, softening automatically at the sound of his voice.
“Hey,” he said, and I could hear the smile in it. “Just checking in. How’d the fitting go?”
“Better than expected,” I said. “He’s very proud of himself. Says he’s got ‘ring bearer muscle memory‘ now.”
Derek laughed. “Of course he does. Kid’s got more confidence than most alphas.”
“Must get that from his dad.”
There was a pause.
Not uncomfortable. Just weighted.
Chapter 202
“How’s he feeling?” Derek asked. “About the wedding?”
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“Excited. A little worried he’ll mess up the walk, but I told him we’ll practice it a few times and he’ll be fine.”
“He will be,” Derek said. “He’s steady.”
“He is.”
There was another pause, longer this time.
Then, in a more playful tone, he asked, “So… do you have a date to the wedding?”
I blinked. “A date?”
“You know,” he said, teasing. “A date. Someone tall, brooding, dark–haired, devastatingly handsome. Good with kids. Wolfish jawline.”
I rolled my eyes. “No, I do not.”
“Interestingly enough,” he said, “neither do I.”
