Page 28 of The Dark Elf's Surprise Baby

Perhaps it had just been a dark elf who looked similar to him. It isn’t uncommon to see dark elves parting their hair the same way, or braiding it in a similar fashion. Demethys had been a miou, after all and a refined sense of style had been certainly a class indicator.

My heart eases in my chest, loneliness and the bitter taste of grief taking over from the panicked state I’d been in.

It was only my wishful thinking that had led me to believe that he’d come back from the dead. I’m certain that if he were still alive after that horrible battle, that he would’ve done anything to find me.

But he hadn’t and that’s how I knew—how I’ve always known—that he’s still gone.

I brush my hand over my cheek, feeling a few tears roll down.

It isn’t fair for Adelaide to grow up without a father, especially one as wonderful as Demethys was. Every day I look at her, I’m reminded of his giant heart and the warmth he always radiated. She’s practically his mini-me and everyday I get to watch her grow into an amazing young lady.

I only wished she could’ve met her father before he died.

Even if for a short moment.

“Harper?”

I jump at the sound of someone calling for me and turn on the bench to see Layla walking through the garden. She smiles at me, giving me a curious look as she gets closer.

“What are you doing out here? I saw you run off, I thought something happened.”

My face flushes. I don’t have the heart to tell her what I thought I saw, especially because it’ll make me sound absolutely insane. Not to mention, it’s been Layla’s personal mission over the past year or so to find me a ‘new Dad’ for Adel.

She had told me that coming to this party with her to celebrate her anniversary to her own mate would mean theworld to her. But I had a feeling, the moment I stepped foot into the hall and saw all of the bachelors wandering around, that she’d had an ulterior motive.

As sweet of her as it is for her to be concerned about my love life, even thinking about someone else courting me feels like a slap in the face to the love Demethys and I once shared.

How could I fall in love with someone else when he’d been my happy ending?

Layla comes to sit next to me on the bench, drawing up the ends of her dress and folding them over her lap. “You okay?”

I flash her a quick smile. “Of course. Just got a little stuffy in there.”

She laughs. “Uh-oh, did someone start hitting on you?”

Ugh.

“Well…”

She nudges me. “You’re going to have to accept an invite for a stroll at some point. Or even just a dance! That would be the perfect step to get you back out there.”

I sigh softly. I know she means well, but it all feels too overwhelming. I’m more than happy to simply take care of my daughter and only worry about the two of us. Adding someone else into the mix seems like too much work.

“Layla…”

“Hey, now.” she grabs my hands. “Don’t be like that. Come on, a dance won’t kill you.”

Actually… it just might.

Even though it’s been years since Demethys’ death, the heartache still feels new. The wound has never healed over and is still raw like I’d only learned of the news yesterday. It’s a day I’ll never forget, no matter how hard I try to push the pain away.

Just as Layla squeezes my hands and opens her mouth to say something else, excited chatter catches both our attention. Weturn around on the bench, seeing both Jasper and Addie running down the pathway and into the garden.

“Mama!” Addie holds up her arms when she sees me.

Both Layla and I quickly rise and bend to scoop up our little ones into our arms.

“Wow, you two sure are getting all your energy out.” Layla squeezes her son.

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