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Alec listens to the way Parker says it to the client, like she believes it to be fact with every single fiber of her being.
“Absolutely nothing is wrong with you,” Parker repeats. “These guys? These assholes? They make their livings taking advantage of good, honest people because they’re awful. That doesn’t mean something’s wrong with you for falling for it. It means something’s wrong with them for doing it in the first place.”
She touches their client’s arm, every pore of her radiating sincerity. “You being a trusting person isn’t a bug, it’s a feature.”
Their client smiles through her tears, and Alec has to cover his mouth not to laugh. Across the table, Eliot glares at him, which could either mean stop laughing; this is serious or she’s spending way too much time around you.
Their client leaves, and Parker turns to both of them as soon as the pub door swings shut. “Did I do okay?”
Alec slides his arm behind her chair and kisses her temple. “You did amazing, baby girl.”
Eliot smiles. “It was a good pep talk.”
Parker returns the smile shakily. “I’m glad. I know I’m not good at those kinds of things, but–”
“But nothing,” Alec cuts in. “You did great. Better than Nate.”
She stares at him, like she’s trying to figure out if he’s lying. “Really?”
Eliot nods. “Really. With Nate, sometimes, even when he means something, it still sounds like he’s trying to pull one over on you. But it doesn’t sound like that with you.”
Alec puts his arm around her shoulders and squeezes. “It sounds like you mean it. Because you do, with everything you got.”
Parker grins and buries her face in his shoulder, and Alec shares another smile with Eliot. He knows where she started, and he knows it’s still hard for her to talk to other people like this, no matter how much she cares. But he’s proud, so proud, of how far she’s come.
We all change together, they promised once. And even though Alec knows they’re all holding to it, it still blows his mind to actually see it.
Eliot stands and drops a kiss on both of their heads. “Come on, I’ll make waffles.”
Parker’s head snaps up. “Oooo, waffles! With strawberries?”
“If that’s what you want,” Eliot says.
Her eyes light up like Alec only sees around Christmas.
He laughs and pulls her to her feet. “Looks like we’re getting strawberry waffles.”
Eliot takes his free hand, and the three of them walk back to the kitchen together.