Chapter 79
Chapter 79
Kaeleen’s POV
"Kaeleen?"
Her voice, soft and slightly breathless through the speaker, washed over me like a warm tide, extinguishing the last embers of my anxiety. The frantic, restless energy that had propelled me out of Alex’s office evaporated, leaving me feeling boneless with relief. I leaned back against the cool wall of the hallway, my eyes closing for a brief second as I just savored the sound of her saying my name. It was confirmation. It was real.
"Astrid," I managed to say, my own voice thicker with emotion than I intended. I cleared my throat, trying to sound like the calm, collected Alpha I was supposed to be, and not the anxious wreck I’d been five minutes ago. "Hi."
A sound that was half-laugh, half-sob came from her end of the line. "Hi," she replied, her voice filled with a happy, watery amusement. "I... I tried to find the right words to text you, but they all felt too small. Nothing seemed big enough."
A genuine smile spread across my face, slow and wide. "The ones you sent were perfect," I assured her, my voice softening. "But I have to ask anyway. Do you really like it? It wasn’t... too much?" I needed to hear it again, to have her voice chase away the last lingering whispers of Ryker’s doubt.
"Too much?" she repeated, and I could hear the incredulous shake of her head. "Kaeleen, it’s... everything. I’ve never... No one has ever done anything like this for me." Her voice cracked on the last few words, and the raw, unvarnished emotion in her tone sent a fresh wave of warmth through my chest. This was why I’d done it. For this. For her to feel this cherished.
Just then, the quiet emotion of our call was joyfully interrupted by a loud, childish shriek from her end.
"Lulu! Who are you talking to?"
I knew without a doubt that it was Yvonne’s kid. Christian was the cutest child ever. But I didn’t like the fact Yvonne had still not settled issues with his father. Not that I meant Christian had to have a father to grow up well but...the thing was there wasn’t much of an issue here. If only the two blockheads could sort it out.