Chapter 39: 17


    Katelyn was nervous as she walked hand in hand with Darrell into the park behind the hub. The pack


    had gathered in response to Gordon calling a pack meeting. Everyone was trying to figure out why


    Gordon had called the meeting. Katelyn smiled when Stanton and Aurora came over to say hello. Their


    new young son Dayton in his mother’s arms. He was a real little cutie with his golden hair and smooth,


    soft features. He looked like his mother, which was great for Dayton because his father wasn’t much to


    look at.


    Once the whole pack was gathered, Gordon hopped up onto the nearest pic table and let out a howl


    that silenced the pack in seconds and drew their attention to their pack leader. With the attention


    focused on him, Gordon spoke. “I know there has been some gossip as to why I have gathered you all


    here tonight. Let me clear up the rumours. I know everyone has been specting about Darrell’s


    unusual choice of mates. While it has never before been done, he has chosen to marry Katelyn. She


    has proven her dedication to this pack to my satisfaction. For her dedication to her chosen people, I am


    granting Katelyn sanctuary within ourmunity. As of this very moment, Katelyn Ashwood is a full


    member of this pack.”


    A rumble of outrage rose up from the pack, and Gordon put up both his hands to silence them.


    “Silence! This is non-negotiable. Katelyn is a member of the pack. She will receive the same


    consideration and protection as any other member of this pack. Any refusal to behave ordingly will


    be considered a direct challenge and will result in the exile of any offenders. So now smile and help me


    wee our newest pack member.”


    A murmur of disapproval swept through those gathered as they reluctantly pped and red at


    Katelyn. It was going to take more than Gordon’s decree to get the pack to ept her. Her future did


    not look easy.


    ***


    The next day Darrell and Gordon took Katelyn into Aspen to a quaint little high-end bakery called


    Dazzling Desserts, which apparently Gordon’s only daughter Aster owned. When Aster came out of the


    back, it was with arge white tray loaded up with small tasting cakes. Gordon had spoken to his


    daughter the night before about Katelyn and Darrell’s uing wedding.


    Katelyn and Darrell had stayed upte the night before discussing their wedding. He did not want to


    wait. He wanted to get married as soon as possible and had suggested they get married at City Hall.


    Katelyn did not want to elope. She wanted a real wedding with a dress and a cake surrounded by


    friends and family. However, since her friends and family were not talking to her and the pack was not


    happy about her being one of them, Katelyn imagined that it was going to be a very small wedding.


    Regardless Darrell said if she wanted a real wedding, he would give her a real wedding.


    The four of them sat down in the tasting area as Aster gave them each a fork, and they took bites of


    each tiny tasting cake to decide which one they wanted for their wedding cake. Katelyn was impressed


    with Aster’s product. She was an exceptional baker.


    “You know Katelyn is a pretty impressive baker too,” Darrell told Aster. “You should see some of the


    unbelievable deserts she made the other day.”


    “You like to bake?” Aster grinned. “You know I’m looking for full-time help. Myst baking assistant just


    left because she had a baby and wanted to do the stay-home mom thing. I could use the help if you are


    looking for a job,” the Aster grinned. “You could help me make your wedding cake.”


    Katelyn loved the idea of having a hand in her own wedding cake. Since she could not photograph the


    wildlife in this area because too much of it was pack activity, Katelyn needed a new source of ie.


    Why not do something she enjoyed doing? “Are you sure? I don’t think the pack likes me.”


    “Give them time. They wille around,” Gordon promised.


    “I just mean hiring me might hurt your business.”


    Asterughed. “Most of my business is human, so I don’t think it will change my bottom line.”


    “Well, then I ept. I would love to work here.”


    “Great, you can start tomorrow. Bakery life starts early, so get a good night’s sleep because we start a


    4:00 am,” that was early. “But back to business. Which of these cakes did you like the best?”


    “I liked the lemon summer berry one,” Darrell said, taking another bite. “How about you?”


    “I really like the fresh strawberries and cream.”


    “If you like,” Aster began opening her portfolio of cakes to use as a demonstration of what she could


    do. “We could do a four-tear cake, and we can make each tear a different vourbination. We can


    tie it all together in a fresh, light berry and cream theme. Do you have colours picked out?”


    “I like yellow,” Darrell said. “It is very summery.”


    “I like purple,” Katelyn added.


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    “Perfect,” Aster grinned. “Yellow and purple areplementary colours. They go great together. I can


    tie those colours into your cake easily. Have we set a date?”


    “Three weeks from Saturday,” Darrell said, and Katelyn’s smile faded as she thought about how her


    parents weren’t going to be at her wedding. She felt Darrell rub her back and smiled at her. It was like


    he could read her mind. When she pictured her wedding day, she always pictured her mother and


    father up crying happy tears. It seemedpromising her wedding dreams was just one more thing


    she had to give up to be with the man she loved.


    When they finished at the bakery, Gordon said he was off to his shop, and Darrell was going to go


    home and enjoy his day off. Aster asked Katelyn if she wanted to stay and take a look at the kitchen in


    the back. Aster promised to drive Katelyn home at the end of the business day. Katelyn stayed. Feeling


    sad, she felt like baking, and this was the best ce to do so.


    ***


    Darrell sat outside Katelyn’s parents’ house. He knew how much having them there meant to Katelyn.


    She felt bad that they were not talking, and Darrell felt bad that he was the reason they were not


    speaking. He looked at the handmade invitation on the seat next to him. It had been a week since he


    and Katelyn had chosen their cake. The following days they had sat around the living room with Aurora


    and Stanton handcrafting wedding invitations.


    Katelyn was inviting her cousin Carl and some of her friends. And, of course, the whole pack would be


    in attendance. Even the ones that were against their union woulde because no one ever said no to


    a party. It would be small and but nice. The only people who were missing were Katelyn’s parents.


    Darrell had sat up nights thinking about them. He didn’t care too much for them, but they were


    important to Katelyn, and he knew it would really make her day if they showed up. So here he was,


    sitting outside their house trying to muster the courage to go knock on their door.


    Darrell took a deep breath to calm his nerves, then he picked up the invitation and got out of his truck.


    He walked up to the front door and rang the bell. It took a moment for her mother to open the door. The


    woman had opened the door with a smile, which was instantly gone when she saw it was him. “What


    do you want?” She snarled at him.


    Darrell held up the invitation. “Your daughter is getting married in two weeks. I know, despite your


    differences, she really wants you there. I get that you don’t like me. I waspletely out of line at your


    niece''s brunch. I waspletely honest but still out of line. I love your daughter, and I only want her to


    be happy. I know you love your daughter, and you only want her to be happy,” he offered her the


    invitation. “If you don’te, Ipletely understand, but I guarantee you will never forgive yourself.”


    Katelyn’s mother epted the invitation without a word. Darrell then respectively tipped his hat at her


    and then walked back to his truck and left.


    ***


    Katelyn had been trying on so many dresses. Aurora, Charlotte, and Aster had agreed to go with her to


    find her wedding dress. Given that her wedding was only weeks away, she needed something she


    could wear off the wrack. They had all taken the day off and had spent the whole day going from one


    bridal shop to the next on the hunt for that perfect dress. This particr store was the third one they


    had been to that day.


    She had tried on a few gowns looking for something that was perfect, but each dress had left her


    feeling underwhelmed. Because of Darrell’s strong country ties, they were getting married at the house


    in the vast backyard of their little country home. They were keeping it, country sheik, with down-home


    m. She wanted her dress to reflect that, so she didn’t want to go too formal.


    As they walked through the store, looking through the wracks. Katelyn couldn’t help but notice how


    distracted Aster was all day. Katelyn came to stand beside Aster and lowered her voice. “Are you ok?”


    “Yeah, I’m fine,” Aster lied.


    “You are a terrible liar. What’s bothering you.”


    “You haven’t heard,” Aurora said,ing around the wrack. “Gordon left his wife Melissa the other


    night.”


    Katelyn was surprised. She had not heard that. Why had Gordon not mentioned it to them? “I hadn’t


    heard. What happened?”


    “I hear. He caught her with another man,” Charlotte said from the other side of the wrack.


    “When did this happen?” Katelyn asked.


    “A few days ago,” Aster said.


    “How do you feel about it?”


    Aster frowned. “I don’t know. Part of me is happy that he finally left her,” Katelyn had the feeling there


    was an interesting story behind that answer, but this was not the time or ce to be hearing it. “The


    other part of me feels bad, after all, she is my mom, and I love her.”


    “I hear he is already seeing someone,” Charlotte said,ing around the corner with a dress.


    “Is he?” Katelyn asked Aster.


    “Mom says he is.”


    “How do you like this dress?” Charlotte asked, holding the dress she brought up to Katelyn.


    Katelyn took the dress and headed for the dressing room. She put the dress on, thinking about the


    discussion outside about poor Gordon’s marriage falling apart. Once she had the dress on, her


    thoughts returned to her shopping. Katelyn smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror. She ran her


    hands over the front of the dress. It was a floor-length champagne white covered in vintage Victoria


    lace from her scooping neckline to the long red sleeves to the hemline of her skirt, which brushed the


    floor. It was positively perfect.


    Opening the door, Katelyn stepped out, where the girls were still talking about Gordon. When she came


    into view, they all went silent. “Wow, Katelyn, you look beautiful,” Charlotte said with tears.


    “That dress is so perfect,” Aurora smiled.


    “We are not leaving this store until you buy that dress,” Aster grinned.


    Kately turned to look in the mirror. This was her dress.


    “Something is missing,” Charlotte said,ing up behind her and ying with Katelyn’s dark hair. “You


    need a vail. Maybe somethinging down from a crown of summer flowers. I can make one in no


    time at all. Darrell will be speechless.”


    ***


    Darrell tried on the purple vest and looked himself over in the mirror. “So what is this? I hear you left


    Melissa?” Darrell asked as Gordon put on his vest and looked down at it.


    “I did. I finally got sick of all the bullshit.”


    The sound of fabric tearing drew their attention to Stanton, who stood a few feet away, trying on the tux


    jacket which had torn right down the middle from the shoulders down. Stanton looked at them with an


    embarrassed smile as the shop owner stared at him in horror, having damaged his property. “Sorry. I


    guess it doesn’t fit.”


    Gordon looked at the horrified shop owner. “We will pay for that,” he promised. “Maybe something


    bigger. Much bigger,” he returned his attention to Darrell. “If you are worried about Melissa and I


    making a scene at the wedding, I promise you I can contain myself. I can’t say the same for her.”


    “It’s just strange. I mean, we mate for life.”


    “Well, we are supposed to marry others like us, but you have chosen not to, so it looks like we are both


    setting new president,” Gordon grinned.


    “Ok, I get it. You don’t want to talk about it,” Darrell snickered. “So we won’t talk about it.”


    “Good boy,” Gordon grinned, and the sound of tearing drew their attention again. Stanton had gotten


    the jacket on, but that torn the sleeves when his arms flexed. Stanton grinned and looked back at


    Gordon. The owner turned to Gordon with rage in his eyes. Gordon grinned apologetically. “Start a tab,”


    he then looked at Darrell. “We may have to get a jacket specially tailored for him.”