#Chapter 189: Coward

DEREK I was more nervous than I had ever been in my entire life. And that included some truly horrible moments. Moments when life and death had been in the balance. Worse than when Aiden had been in the hospital, his little body limp and pale against white sheets, machines screaming at me that I might lose the only thing that truly mattered. Worse than when I faced my mother for the first time after my father’s death and had to admit out loud that I wasn’t enough to save him. This was different. This wasn’t life or death. Not exactly. But it still felt like everything was on the line. Because this was Elena. And I had no idea what she would say. I straightened the collar of my shirt. Again. Smoothed my palms over the front of my jacket. I adjusted the chair behind my desk, then pushed it back again. Checked the position of the crystal decanter on the credenza. The stack of papers on my desk. The blinds. It was already perfect. The blinds were even, the desk cleared