Chapter 32
1752words
"to be honest, we can just stay here. We can just stay in our friendship and play it out. If we find something more along the way then we take it, and savor it."
"and if we don't?"
"then we don't." he said simply, reached out, and took my hand that rested on the table, "you just came out of a hard place, the last thing I want to do is rush you into feeling or wanting something that you have no business rushing into. Where we are is good. If we find something more, great. If we don't, all is still well. In the meantime, I enjoy spending time with you, and I'm not ready to lose that."
I looked down at our linked hands and smiled up at him, "Me neither." I said.
"Well, well. Look at the two of you getting all loved up." Lily said, popping out of nowhere, and William and I both simultaneously jumped, making her laugh.
"I just wanted to tell you that a couple of my friends appeared out of Adam, and want to take a ride, as I don't want to drag you both into this, I came to tell you guys not to wait up."
"That wasn't in the plan." William, aid raising a brow, and I smiled at the way he played his big brother role so cutely,
"it is now." she leaned down and kissed his cheek, and was off without another word.
"I think that girl is trying to get us alone," William said to himself and I shrugged,
"I don't mind. Do you want to get food?"
He thought for a moment, before nodding, but I watched the worry lines. I thought he was cute worrying about his sister that way, but thought it even cuter that Lily was trying to set us up,
"don't worry so much, Lily is a big girl. I know this, because Axel does the same thing. Worry. but here I am, still kicking." he smiled at that,
"yeah, I guess."
We ordered some chips after that and spent the rest of the time talking and laughing, and by the time it was time to call it a day, I found myself longing for our next meet-up.
Thank you, Lily.
"it was nice. " I said when he stopped in front of my gates,
"it was." he looked at me for a long time and I thought he might try to kiss me. The question was, if he tried, would I have kissed him back?
But he didn’t though, instead, he brushed a lock of my hair behind my ear,
"Have a good night, em," he said, and I think a part of me was disappointed.
"you too," I said, and got out of the car, but as I made my way through the gate, and toward the house, I decided he had been right. Spending the day with him had been a good way to end the peaceful day I had been having.
~~~~~
"sooo, do tell," Ashley said with some excitement the next day when she came over. It was after work hours, and she was claimed to be craving a sister-sister time. I believe she craved juicy information about my time with William, but I was happy to share it with her,
"it was nice. I think Lily orchestrated the entire thing to make me spend time with her brother, but it was so smoothly done that I couldn't even complain."
"Plus, her brother was worth it." to that, I said nothing, but smiled sheepishly,
"you know I'm right. Plus, after the conversation we had yesterday, I did a little research of my own. Why didn't you tell me he was an Alpha?"
"Well, I guess because when I look at him and think of him, I don't see an all-powerful Alpha I just see my friend. I just see William."
"I'm not surprised by that. He Is powerful. One of the strongest really, but everybody who had a thing to say about him could only talk about how humble and kind he was. Albeit, dangerous if you get on his bad side."
"I can't imagine anyone in their right mind wanting to get on his bad side though."
"except you're the bad guy."
"true."
He doesn't have a long list of women connected to him either." she said quietly and I looked at her, giving her my full attention like I was sure she knew I would,
"What?" I asked and she smiled,
"handsome as he is, there aren't many women who boast of being connected to him. The closest are his colleagues, and they all say he only loves his mother and his sister."
I smiled because it was true and the way he treated his sister was one of the things I admired about him.
"and then there's you," Ashley added, drawing me out of my thoughts,
"me?"
"yes, you, who he would go to the moon and back for, and won't accept the fact that he might have feelings for you."
"I'd rather not ruin a good thing," I said, borrowing William's words from the day before.
"understandable, but you have to agree that he is a wonderful person for you."
"I don't disagree," I said mildly,
"so?"
"so, what?"
"so, if you don't think he might have feelings for you, do you at least have feelings for him?"
Did I? I asked myself, and my mind wandered to the night before and how disappointed I had been that he didn't try to kiss me.
"well-" I began and was cut short, by the sound of my phone ringing. I picked it up and saw Lily's name on the caller's ID,
"A moment," I said and held out a finger before picking up the call,
"hi, lily."
"oh, it's the in-law," Ashley said quietly with a sly smile and I simply rolled my eyes,
"Hi, I hope you all had fun last night. I'm sorry I had to leave so early." was she sorry though? I wondered, with a smile,
"It's okay. What's up?"
"Well, there's this party, that I'd like you to attend with me," she said in a pleading voice, and I almost said no because of work, but she added,
"I know you have work tomorrow, and I promise it won't take long. It's just a little dinner party. Please?"
I sighed, knowing it would shorten the amount of sleep I got, but it was for a good cause I suppose,
"of course."
PARIS'S POV
"It's been a while since we've been out like this," Kate said lovingly at my side. We were out dining with some friends, and she seemed to be having a good time.
Meanwhile, I wanted to be home, working, or in bed. Anywhere, that I didn't have to pretend to be happy.
But she was right, it had been ages since we'd spent time together, and it was all my fault. So this was the least I could give to her.
"you know, it's a really good thing that Alpha Paris chose you rather than that wanna-be excuse for a she-wolf, Ember." one of the women at our table said, and my head twisted so fast I, wondered why it didn't snap,
Don't say that." I heard Kate say,
"but it's truth." another one said, and I resisted the urge to growl.
"no one asked for your opinion." I said to her, "Or yours." I said to the other woman, "She might not be my mate, but you will respect her, if only from the fact that she once was. Excuse me." I said and got up abruptly.
I was suddenly unable to pretend anymore.
I was at the bar trying to cool off when the mate of one of the women came over, with Kate and Christina behind me,
"I'm sorry, about that," he said, awkwardly, when he sat beside me,
"Don't worry about it."
"I don't think Ember was that bad." he said and quickly turned to Kate, "No offenses ma'am."
"none taken." she said and slid into the chair beside me, "I don't think she's that bad either."
"Plus, remember that one time that pack land caught on fire?"
It was a vague memory, but I slowly nodded as it all came rushing back, "Yes, I do." I had lost my mind, looking for Kate, trying to make sure she was okay. And I had completely forgotten all about Ember.
"your father had been furious that you were absent. So much so that he threatened to cast you out."
I raised a brow, "I didn't know that. I mean, I recall that he had been put out by the fact that I had gone. But, I didn't know this part."
"That's because Ember had begged him. From the moment he went on about your dismissal, the woman got on her knees without care of who was watching and begged him with all she was."
I blinked, surprised by this new knowledge,
"ho come no one had told me?"
"I suppose we all got caught up with trying to figure out the extent of the damage left by the fire that we didn't think about that again. I have not up until now."
"wow," I said, touched by how much Ember had done for me, and how little I had regarded all she had done.
"Well, I better get back to the woman. I just wanted to apologize for all that.
"It's okay. You go right ahead." I said and turned to Kate and Christina who had been listening, but other than saying anything, I got out my phone and tried to call Ember, only to find out that I had been blacklisted.
"of course," I said, trying not to let my frustration show.
"you're trying to call her?" Kate asked quietly,
I looked at the phone and shoved it into my pocket. It was obvious that hurting Kate was inevitable,
"it doesn't matter. She's backlisted me. Which means, she doesn’t want to talk to me."
"that woman knows exactly what she's doing. I'll bet anything she's just doing this for the attention."
"you think so?" Kate asked mildly,
"I know so." Christina spat, and I thought it best to say nothing.
Because I knew Ember was not playing games. She meant it when she said she wanted nothing to do to me, and I couldn't blame her. Not when I had earned it.
