Page 25 of Alpha Wolf's Arranged Bride
“About once a month,” Rex answers. “We have four guilds that run different sectors in town, and they are constantly competing for quality. They all like to show off, and the best way to do that is to give away a lot of samples.”
“Free ice cream,” Jarrod mutters as he gets into the car. “What a world. Are you sure we’re not dreaming, Mom?”
“I’m definitely not,” I mumble.
“What?” Jarrod asks.
“Nothing, honey. Just thinking out loud. It does seem like a dream come true.”
More like a waking nightmare, but okay.
“The townsfolk will be very keen to impress you,” Rex says to me. “After my father died and I came back to be alpha, everyone was happy to hear we already had a new luna.”
“When did your father die?” I ask, alarm bells going off in the back of my head.
“A few weeks ago,” Rex answers carefully.
“And where were you before that?”
The air in the car suddenly feels electrified, as if the slightest movement will cause it to crackle and boom with thunder.
“I had work.”
“Okay, but where? And what did you do?”
Tension in the car increases even further, and I can see Rex’s knuckles going white as he grips the steering wheel.
“I’m happy to go into the details,” he says, his tone implying the exact opposite. “But does it have to be right now?”
I look over at him, and he catches my eye with just a hint of desperation. His gaze flicks nervously to the back seat, and I sigh.
He’s right. We shouldn’t have that conversation in front of Jarrod.
“Okay,” I concede. “I would like to know more about what you do for work. It seems like as your wife, I should know that.”
“Well, now my entire job description is to run the town, be a husband… and a father.” He turns to give Jarrod a smile, and my son grins back, his face lighting up under Rex’s attention.
They really love each other, even if they don’t realize it yet. I wish I knew how to tell them…
As Rex parks the car, I go over a few ideas in my head and discard them all. There’s just no way to drop a bomb like this softly.
Maybe Rex is thinking the same thing about his story.
I push the thought away, knowing that feeling sympathy for Rex is a slippery slope. My attraction for him hasn’t waned even slightly, and I don’t want my body to make decisions my head will regret later.
Both Rex and I take Jarrod’s hands, and we walk up to the park on Main Street where the fair is being held. A few small stalls and games are being set up, and a whole army of kids charge around with the unruly energy of puppies on their first day out of the den.
“Can I go play, Mom? Dad?” Jarrod asks.
“Sure, sweetie,” I say, letting go of him. “Have fun.”
“You need me to introduce you?” Rex asks.
“No, I’m good!” Jarrod yells as he runs away.
I watch him join the group, and the way all the kids stop and welcome him makes my heart swell so much, I feel like it will burst. After a quick conversation, the kids pile onto the jumpingcastle, all of them giggling and screaming as they fall over each other.
He went from outcast to celebrity in one night. He was a bastard child of a single mother, and now he’s the alpha’s son.
