189 Pre-Wedding

The rest of the evening went off without issue.

Before the rest of the party arrived, Axel took a moment to pull Ashleigh aside. He apologized for his behavior while still reminding her of the boundaries that should exist between mates before marriage.

“Thank you for checking in, Axel,” Ashleigh said. “It means a lot.”

Axel nodded.

“There’s something else going on with you, isn’t there?” she asked.

Axel sighed.

“Ash, today and tomorrow, let’s just be here for Bell,” he said. “Anything else going on, will still be there after we make sure she gets the wedding she deserves.”

Ashleigh nodded.

“So, are you admitting that Galen is good enough for Bell?” Ashleigh smiled.

“Oh…no,” Axel replied with a shake of his head. “No, but… she wasn’t given a choice in her life before. He’s the one she’s choosing. I’ll respect that.”

“And Caleb and I… will you respect that too?” she asked.