Page 87 of The Alpha's Pen Pal

“Maybe another year,” Ramón said with a wink.

“I’ll be waiting.” Wesley laughed.

I just stared at him from my seat, my desserts forgotten. He kept surprising me with the little things he remembered. The tiny details that others would overlook. The things that defined me.

My eyes got glassy, and I looked down at my plate, feeling his eyes on me. Blinking back the tears threatening to fall, I took a bite of the tiny cheesecake, then turned to meet Wesley’s eyes.

“Will this be the first time you get to dance in The Nutcracker?” he asked.

A little smile broke through my lips, and I shook my head. “No, I’ve danced in it several times. I actually got to dance Clara one year,” I said.

“That’s amazing!” Wesley beamed as if my accomplishment was his, too. “But did they do the version where Clara is also the Sugar Plum Fairy? Because I didn’t like that choice. It didn’t make any sense. She’s supposed to be a kid. Why would she also be the Sugar Plum Fairy and fall in love with the Nutcracker? It was weird and—“

He pursed his lips, furrowed his brow, and cut himself off from his rambling.

Ramón laughed, however, and said, “Don’t worry, Wesley, most companies don’t do that version. They usually stick to the traditional story, where the Sugar Plum Fairy and Clara are separate characters.”

“Oh. Good,” Wesley said with a curt nod.

The night was winding down when the apprentice who was running the silent auction approached Wesley and whispered to him. His lips twitched in triumph as he listened to her.

“Thank you,” he muttered.

Then he turned to me and stood, offering his hand to me. “Come on,” he said, beckoning me with his chin.

I stood with him, clasping my hand with his, holding myself close to his arm as he maneuvered us through the party towards the auction table. He stopped in front of an item, a rose gold charm bracelet with three charms already on it—ballet slippers, a tutu, and a star—and room for plenty more to be added.

I stood silently as he filled out the paperwork for it and averted my eyes when he pulled his wallet out. I did not want to know how much he had just dropped on a piece of jewelry.

I turned my gaze back towards him when I felt his fingertips on my wrist and the cool metal against my skin. It again struck me how gentle he could be with his large hands as he clasped the bracelet on my wrist. I giggled as he turned my arm at different angles, examining the look and fit of the bracelet.

“Now you have something to put in your music box,” he said with a grin.

“It’s beautiful.” I smiled, then stepped into him, leaning up on my toes to kiss him, letting it linger for a moment. “Thanks, Pal.”

CHAPTER 31

WESLEY

“Gone? What do you mean, the Wainwrights are gone?” I growled, my nails lengthening to claws and digging into the arms of the chair. Receiving this news after the high from Haven’s premiere and the gala the night before was a punch to the gut.

“I mean gone,” my dad replied, leaning forward and resting his arms on his desk. “House is dark and closed up, and their car is gone. The neighbors haven’t seen them in a few days.”

“Okay, but what about their credit card records? Surely those are showing something?”

“Their credit cards show no transactions at all. Their bank records too. They must be using cash they had saved in their house or something.”

“But what about the facial recognition in the CCTV?”

“With the limited searching we can do legally, we haven’t found them. It’s likely they didn’t fly, though, since their car is gone. I can only assume they took back roads and are using gas stations that are out of our reach.”

“Fuck!” I grunted, clenching my hand into a fist and slamming it into the chair arm.

“Wesley—“

“I know, I know, you did everything you could,” I muttered, rolling my eyes to the ceiling.

“No, I was going to say I really like these chairs and would prefer if you didn’t destroy them.”

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