Page 4 of Alpha's Forbidden Bond

“Oh, all the time,” she said whimsically. “I think it’s because I read so many romance novels when I was younger. I’ve always wanted to have a happily ever after story, you know? I really have no idea what sort of man I’d like to fall in love with, but I do know what dress I want to wear and what my color scheme will be.”

“Oh yeah?” I laughed. “And as your maid of honor, what horrible dress would you force me to wear?”

Georgie’s face lit up. “You would be my maid of honor?”

I shrugged. “I suppose. If you asked.”

“Of course, I would ask, but it’s so nice to know for sure that you would say yes.” She ran over and threw her arms around me. “You have no idea how happy this makes me! This is the best news ever. Thank you so, so much, Di.”

I patted her on the back and smiled. “You’re welcome, Georgie, for saying yes to being your imaginary maid of honor at your imaginary wedding.”

She pulled away, suddenly looking very concerned. “Oh geez, I hope my cousin Amanda won’t be mad that I asked you and not her. But hey, she has all those sorority sisters who will ask her to be at their weddings, so she’s had her chance, you know? You, on the other hand, probably don’t have as many opportunities.”

“Is that your way of reminding me that I don’t really have a lot of friends?”

“No… It was just… I only meant…” She groaned and shook her head. “There I go again, saying something rude without even meaning to. Really, it’s time I go and get myself looked at by a doctor—see what’s going on with the connection between my brain and my mouth. I swear to god, half the time, they aren’t even talking to each other. My mouth just goes rogue!”

“It’s fine, Georgie,” I assured her. “I really don’t care. I like that you’re my only close friend. I don’t have the energy to make friends with anyone else. Besides, I like to think I’m at least sort of close to Nunu.”

Nunu was Georgie’s grandmother who had been renting her basement apartment out to me for a few years now. She offered me a great rate when I was younger and hadn’t raised the rent since. Not only that, but Nunu was also a very good neighbor. She was quiet and liked to bake, meaning I often came home to find a plate of wrapped goodies waiting for me on the back doorstep.

“Nunu loves you like a daughter,” Georgie said. “I swear, she likes you more than me.”

“That’s not true,” I said. “She adores you!”

“I don’t know. Sometimes, I think I bug her with all my talking and whatnot.” She walked over to the cash register and started her pre-closing ritual of counting the till and organizing the receipts. It had been a somewhat slow day at the bookstore, with only two or three customers buying anything, but that was to be expected this time of year. The summer was nearing an end, and a lot of the tourists had left. Kids were back in school, and we wouldn’t get another rush of people until closer to Christmas.

“Oh, look!” Georgie said, holding up a receipt. “This is from that guy who was totally flirting with you in the shop today. He wrote his number down on the receipt. Do you want it?”

I shook my head. “No, thank you. That guy was a total creep.”

“No way! He was cute. At least, I thought he was. And he had good style.”

“He didn’t have style,” I corrected her, walking over to the counter and sitting down on the stool behind it. “He just had money. Trust me, there’s a difference. Anyone can dress well if they can throw down a few thousand dollars on an outfit, but that doesn’t mean they really know how to put something together.”

Georgie smirked. “You are way too judgmental. You never like any of the people who come in here and flirt with you, and honestly, it makes me think you’re a little too picky. Do you have any idea how much I would appreciate it if a guy like this left his number behind for me?”

“Then you give him a call,” I suggested. “Because I’m sure as hell not going to. He’s a rich asshole, probably just on his way through town before going back to Palo Alto or something. He has more money than he knows what to do with, which is why he spent a fortune on paperback copies of classics that are so mind-numbingly boring that even someone as dull as him wouldn’t get anything out of them. I’ll betcha five bucks he’s going to put those books on his shelf to impress people but never crack a single one open.”

“The only way you’re going to be able to hold up your end of the bet and find out the truth is if you call him,” Georgie pointed out.

“Nice try, but no. Never going to happen.”

She sighed but put the receipt in the pile with the rest to be tallied up at the end. “Not that I have a ton of experience with them myself, but I have to assume that not all rich people are the same… There’s gotta be a few Richie Riches out there who aren’t jerks. I feel like you’re judging everyone based on how your family was, but some people are actually genuine.”

“Why do you even care if I judge these people unfairly?” I asked. “It’s not like I’m grouping you in with them.”

“I don’t know… I just don’t want you to look past something that could actually be really good for you… Or miss out on meeting your soulmate or something.”

I felt a little bad for being so snippy a second ago, so I smiled. “Thanks. I appreciate it, but really, I know what I’m doing, and I know what I want. And what I want is the complete opposite of that man who came into the shop today.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning I want someone who knows who they are,” I said. “Who hasn’t lived a sheltered, luxurious life and had everything handed to them. I want someone who understands hard work but who also doesn’t give a shit about labels or showing off… I just want someone who, like, cares.”

“Cares about what?”

I shrugged. “About what’s actually fucking important. Like family and being a good person. Being there for the people you love and doing what you can to make the world a better place. Maybe that sounds stupid, or I’m setting myself up for disappointment, but I’m fine with that. If I end up living my life as a single woman because nobody can live up to those expectations, then so be it. I’m not going to settle.”

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