Page 137 of Stolen Fate

“Pinky promise,” I repeated and turned to Simon. “Why don’t you wait for us here?” I point toward the bench. He had been following us around, plus he was carrying all of our shopping bags, so I knew he must be tired. He shot me a grateful look and took a seat on the bench, the bags sitting by his feet.

I turned back around when Elliot tugged on my hand, and I let him lead me into the chaotic store with little kids everywhere, and even a couple of teenagers.

A teenaged employee quickly came over and introduced herself as Claire. Then she proceeded to help Elliot pick out the makings of his bear. Elliot picked one with lighter fur than Wilbert, and he spent an extra-long time choosing the right heart before picking an outfit, too.

What surprised me was that he didn’t pick boy clothes, but girl ones.

“Is your bear a girl?” Claire asked.

Elliot nodded seriously. “Yes. Wilbert’s going to marry her just like Daddy’s going to marry Evelyn.”

Claire turned to me, her smile widening a bit. “Oh, congratulations!”

I shook my head. “I’m not. Elliot—”

But he was no longer listening to me. He already made his way to the stuffing station, his eyes glimmering with excitement. I watched quietly as Claire filled up the bear with cotton, my hand wrapped around Elliot’s little one as I tried to think of a way I could let Elliot down easy about the idea that I was going to marry Jace.

This was one of the reasons why I didn’t want to tell Elliot about our relationship—at least, not yet.

I didn’t want him to get his hopes up, when it might not come true.

But…

Would it ever come true?

Jace and I never really talked about the future and I honestly didn’t know where he saw the relationship going. Did he see a future with me? Did he want one with me—and, more importantly, did I want one with him?

It had been so long since I thought of my future in those terms. It wasn’t that I didn’t want that kind of future, only I didn’t think I deserved it, and a part of me had been grieving too much the past six years to really think about it.

But I had admitted I wanted to move on, and I definitely wanted to move on with Jace and Elliot.

I…

I loved Jace Reed.

I didn’t know when it happened, but I had completely fallen head over heels in love with him, and I wanted a future with Jace. I wanted one so bad, I could almost taste it, and I didn’t know how to get there, because I knew before I could even hope for a future with him that I had to tell him about my past.

About the deal I signed with the devil, and about how I didn’t regret it, not one bit.

But would Jace understand?

Or would this be too much for him, and it would be the very thing to end us?

My heart hurt over the thought, and I didn’t know what I should do anymore.

I mindlessly paid for Elliot’s bear, smiling absently when he wrapped his arms around the bear’s neck and brought it close to his face.

“What are you going to name her?” Claire asked.

He looked up at me and shot me his signature toothy grin. I smiled back. “Wendy. I’m going to name her Wendy.”

“Well, that is just a wonderful name,” I said, and he brightened. Elliot was such an easy-going child; it didn’t take much to make him happy. And that was saying something, considering Elliot’s trust fund was probably five times more than I would ever have in my savings account.

We walked out of there with Wendy the bear between us. I held one paw while Elliot held the other, and he skipped over to Simon when he saw him standing there waiting for us.

“Well, isn’t this such a cute little bear?”

“Thank you, Simon,” Elliot said. I let him take the bear from me as he brought it up to his face. Simon and I shared a smile, before a strange look came over his face once more. He had looked at me like that many weeks before when he picked Elliot up from school.

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