Page 61 of Red River

At one point, our eyes met, and I managed to give him a small, wistful smile. He held my gaze for a second longer than necessary, and my heart squeezed. Being a parent meant there was never enough time for romance, but God, I missed it. Iwantedit. More than I could put into words.

***

On Sunday, Archer suggested a hike up a nearby mountain. We both went to Igor’s room to let him know he was expected to come with us. He accepted in silence, his expression unreadable.

We also invited Milo, who was happy to join. Igor ignored him entirely, even though they were about to be in the same class the next day.

As we started the climb, Igor followed, but if I thought this would help him integrate, I was dead wrong.

Van, Milo, and Aiden led the way while Archer walked beside me, with Lake perched happily on his shoulders. Helovedriding up there and had thrown a little fit until Archer finallygave in—despite my protests that, at seven, he was more than capable of walking on his own.

But his pouting mouth was enough to make Archer cave, just like Thomas used to. I’d noticed they both had a soft spot for Lake, spoiling him the second he looked up at them with those big eyes and that cute, full-lipped smile.

I wasn’t exactly thrilled about it. I never believed omegas should be treated like little princes right from the start—it could turn them into spoiled brats who learned to use their looks to manipulate people. But making sure Lake grew up kind and grounded,withoutturning entitled, somehow ended up being my job alone.

I knew Archer sensed Lake’s omega nature, and unlike with the other boys, he didn’t feel the need to regulate his energy too much. But I was still determined to raise him into a good person, not some pampered little prince—even if it felt like everyone else was against me, letting Lake off the hook way too easily.

At one point, Archer seemed to sense my need to be… a little closer to him, so he reached for me, and we walked like that, holding hands.

It was… so pleasant.

Meanwhile, Igor trailed behind us at a distance, silent and gloomy, probably staring at our joined hands.

A few times, I turned toward him, and tried starting a conversation, but he only gave one-word answers. Even when we reached the summit—with its breathtaking view of the lake by Archer’s house and Darton visible in the distance—Igor stood several feet away, scowling, saying nothing.

I stared at the lake for a while, quiet as well, my eyes fixed on the small islet in the middle, covered with trees and bushes. There was something about it that strangely drew me in.

Archer was chatting with the younger boys, and I felt happy seeing how their bond was growing stronger by the day.They had fully warmed up to him, constantly competing for his approval.

But Igor… His silence was almost worse than his previous hostility. I had no idea what was going on in his head.

After we got back later that evening, I went to his room to try and talk.

The conversation went like this:

"How are you feeling? You were so quiet on the hike."

Not a word. His gray-green eyes stared into mine.

"Are you sure you don’t want to give Archer a chance?"

Silence.

"At some point, you’re going to have to decide. Are you moving forward or staying stuck?"

Still nothing.

"We’re here, Igor. We’re not going anywhere. Please… make the best of this situation."

And… nothing.

Was my relationship with Archer the final nail in the coffin for him?

The only person he occasionally exchanged words with was… Oliver.

A couple of times, I overheard their brief conversations. One in particular stood out, giving me a glimpse into Igor’s mindset.

In the morning, right after Igor and Archer came back from jogging, I was in the laundry room in the basement when I heard a muffled conversation coming from the kitchen. I moved closer to the stairs to hear better.

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