Chapter 92: Chapter 92 Something Felt Off.
Author
Yardley quickly pulled himself together.
"Orion," he said, keeping his voice steady.
"Dad!" Orion’s voice was full of excitement. "Dad, this is Aunt Nancy. Her name is Nancy!"
Nancy felt awkward with the sudden introduction. She couldn’t shake the feeling that both father and son were staring at her weird.
"Since Mr. Wolfe is here now, I should get going," she said, grabbing her purse. "My fiancé is waiting for me. Good evening."
[Fiancé?]
Yardley was still trying to wrap his head around seeing her face when this new piece of information hit him. He pressed his lips together and nodded slightly. "Thank you for your help, Nancy."
He studied her face carefully for any sign of recognition, but she simply waved and walked away.
[Something felt off. Her scent was completely unfamiliar, nothing like what his instincts expected.
But that face, those mannerisms - the resemblance was uncanny. Could it really just be a coincidence? But if this was Nancy, why would she pretend not to know him?
Maybe he was losing his mind. ]
"Dad! Did you see? Doesn’t she look just like Mom?" Orion tugged at his sleeve hard.
Yardley moved the small hand away from his jacket. "Orion, she’s not your mother. I’ve told you before, your mother is gone."
Orion’s eyes suddenly filled with tears. "I don’t believe you! If she’s gone, why don’t you ever take me to visit her grave on holidays?"
"Dad, you’re lying! You’re a bad person!"
"Orion!" Yardley’s patience was wearing thin. He loosened his tie, trying to control his temper. "If you run off like this again, I won’t come to get you next time. Understand?"
"And when you’re staying at your aunt’s house, you need to behave and not make trouble for others. What you did today was wrong!"
Tears streamed down Orion’s face as he sobbed, "Dad, you’re so mean."
His crying grew louder, making people stare.
Feeling embarrassed, Yardley picked him up with one arm and carried him to the car.
"Stop crying, Orion. You need to learn to control your emotions," he said sternly.
Finally, the little boy cried himself to sleep in the backseat.
Yardley drove him to his brother’s house, arriving just as Elara was coming home.
"Yardley?" she said, surprised to see him.
He nodded slightly. "I’ve brought Orion. He’s... upset with me. Could you watch him for a few days?"
Elara glanced at the sleeping child in the backseat, his eyes still red from crying.
She couldn’t help smiling. "Don’t worry. I’ll sleep in his room tonight."
"Kids get over things fast. Try not to worry too much."
"Thank you," Yardley said simply. "I’ll be going now. I won’t keep you."
Elara called for Linda to help bring the little pup inside. She carefully got him into his pajamas and tucked him into bed.
Looking at the sad little guy, she suddenly wondered if her own pups would be this challenging someday.
The thought made her stop.
What pups? Her mating wasn’t even real. She was getting way ahead of herself.
--
Meanwhile,Nancy got out of her car and spotted her fiancé on the phone. She waved to catch his attention.
"Nancy!"
"Ben, have you been waiting long?"
Nancy had been with Ben Sullivan for two years now. She wouldn’t say she was madly in love, but he treated her well.
He’d pursued her for a whole year before she finally said yes. After that, Nancy had moved back to the States with him.
"I ran into that little boy again today. The one I told you about who called me ’Mom.’ He got separated from his group, so I called his dad to pick him up."
Ben smiled warmly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Poor kid. Sounds like his parents need to keep a better eye on him."
Nancy wasn’t so sure about that. The father seemed responsible enough. Just... really intense.
"Do you like kids?" Ben asked, squeezing her hand. His voice got softer. "Nancy, when are we getting married? We could start a family."
Nancy’s smile slipped a little. "Ben, we talked about this. No kids until I’m at least thirty."
Ben paused, then gave her hair a playful ruffle. "Right, right. Just thinking out loud. Let’s drop it and go eat."
But the math wasn’t great. Ben was five years older than her. When she hit thirty, he’d be thirty-five.
