Filed to story: The Alpha’s Pen Pal Book
“Coco van,” he repeated, and I tilted my head towards the ceiling as I laughed again, louder this time. “Coke oh van,” he tried again, and I kept laughing. “Fuck it, I’ll just get the ratatouille,” he muttered, a small laugh spilling from his mouth.
“Is that the only thing you can pronounce correctly on the menu?” I teased.
“Probably. Thank you Disney, Pixar, and Madeleine,” he said, clasping his hands together and lifting his eyes skyward.
I giggled again at his goofiness, then took a sip of my water. I was still thirsty from rehearsal that day, and I’d skimped on my water intake afterwards because I’d been so focused on getting ready.
The server came by just then, and we placed our order, both of us holding back a laugh as Wesley ordered his ratatouille.
“How are you doing?” Wesley asked once she had walked away. “After the other night, I mean.”
“I’m all right.” I shrugged. “Honestly, I’ve tried not to think about it much,” I admitted.
“It’s okay to be upset. To be hurt and confused,” he said.
“I know,” I murmured. “But I can’t let it distract me from my work.”
“Have you thought about talking to them?”
My head shook as I answered him. “I mean, I’ve thought about it, but I don’t really know what I would say. ‘I know you lied to me? I met Jack. He’s still alive. Why would you do that to a child?'”
He winced and then nodded. “I see your point,” he said. “Still—“
I shook my head again, with more urgency this time. “No. I don’t want to talk to them,” I told him. “Ever since I asked her about the letter, and then even more so after I saw Jack, I’ve realized more and more that there were so many little things they did that, while not obviously cruel, were actually really terrible, horrible things to do to someone who was supposed to be your daughter.”
He swallowed, and his hands clenched into fists on the tabletop.
“But I don’t want to talk about them,” I said, covering one of his fists with my hand.
He relaxed under my touch, and his eyes moved to my hand on his. He unclenched his fist, then turned it so it was palm up, and clasped my hand with it.
“Tell me more about yourself,” he said, returning his warm gaze to my face.
“Like what?” I asked.
“Anything? Everything?”
“There’s not much to tell,” I shrugged.
“It’s been almost twelve years since we wrote to each other, and you say there is NOTHING you can tell me about your life and what you’ve been up to?” he asked incredulously. “I told you earlier not to lie to me, Twinkle Toes,” he teased.
I chuckled again. Every time he said that nickname, I sort of hated it, but I also sort of loved it. It was better than the normal “baby” or “babe” that most men tried to use on their girlfriends. I despised those pet names.
“Tell me about that dance competition you mentioned,” he said. “The one with the car race name.”
“Oh my god.” I laughed again, so hard tears came to my eyes.
I hadn’t done that in so long. Laughed that hard. Every moment I spent with him, I found myself relaxing more and more. He just had a way of making me feel at ease, making me laugh and feel comfortable just being myself. It had been far too long since I felt I could just be me.
“The Youth America Grand Prix?” I asked, wiping my eyes with my free hand.
“Yes, that.” He grinned.
“It’s a really, really well-known competition in the ballet world, especially with pre-professional dancers,” I told him. “There are regional comps, and then you can be invited to participate in the finals in New York, where you can win scholarships and get job offers. The finals are how I got my apprenticeship with the ballet company in Salt Lake City.”
“So you won?” he asked, a hint of pride in his voice.
“No,” I said. “I didn’t win any of the top prizes in New York. Just got noticed by a company and got lucky that it was one near where we lived.”
“It sounds intense,” he said.
“It is.” I nodded. “You have to learn the original choreography from a ballet, and it has to be a variation from the approved list, which is different for different age groups. You have to know your strengths and weaknesses to pick the right variation for yourself.”
He nodded, and his eyes never strayed from my face as I talked. He was genuinely invested in what I had to say and truly interested in learning and understanding my world.
And as I sat and talked with him, I felt a layer of the carefully constructed walls around my heart coming down, just like they had twelve years ago when we first started writing to each other.
WESLEY
Our food arrived, and I reluctantly released Haven’s hand so we could both eat. I almost wished I had sat beside her instead of across from her. I wanted to be as close to her as possible, as much as possible. But if I’d sat next to her, I wouldn’t be able to look at her as much as I had been.
Goddess, she was beautiful. The shy little girl from the photos she had sent me over those short months was long gone, and in her place was this woman. A gorgeous woman who was slowly but surely working her way further into my heart with everything that she did and said.
Even her little act of defiance of not dressing up was adorable. And a bit of a turn-on. I was so used to having everyone listen to me and follow my orders as I prepared to become alpha that it was refreshing to have someone who didn’t know or care to listen to me and be obedient.
The conversation between us flowed with ease. She told me more than I ever thought I would know about ballet, and I did my best to tell her about me without revealing anything she might view as weird. I still hadn’t worked out how I would tell her about my world. My dad said to wait and see how things worked out between us before worrying about it too much.
But I already knew what I wanted with her. A life. A future. I wanted her as my mate and my luna. I just had to hope she didn’t get scared away when I told her the truth.
“Would you like any dessert?” our server asked after she cleared away our dinner plates.
Haven’s eyes lit up, but then she looked at me and frowned. “No,” she said, shaking her head at the server.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?