Page 133 of His Surrogate Omega

Rohan reached over and took his hand, squeezing it.

The preacher stopped and smiled to himself before continuing. “I once asked him about those babies, and I’m sure there are many of you here now who are very curious about them, too. I asked him if it would be harder to leave knowing he’d have to say goodbye to them. ‘Of course’, he answered me, a small, sad smile on his face. And then he said something that amazed me. He said, ‘who would want to live a life that was easy to part with?’”

Gray clenched his jaw, his eyes stinging.

“And that’s the rule I think Jamie lived by. He made dying harder by living his fullest. He fought for his happiness and for that of the ones he loved.” The preacher turned to Rohan. “And he spoke of so much love and the joy you brought into his life, Rohan. The smiles on his face when he talked about you made me smile. But then, Jamie’s joy always seemed to be contagious.” The preacher laughed. “I’d say that’s one virus we should all catch. Isn’t it? We could all use more of that in our lives. Joy.”

The man paused, smiling at the crowd.

“One of his greatest joys, after his mate and his brother Wilder, were his children who grew within his best friend, Gray. He called Gray a brother of his heart, and his face lit up when he spoke of that relationship, as well.”

Gray couldn’t hold back any longer. The tears came again, and he let them flow.

“I hear from Rohan that Jamie passed this world holding those babies close. He already loved them so much and will continue to from above. He will watch over his mate, his family, and his friends and hopefully ensure they find their own joy now that he’s gone. I know it will be hard, after losing such a precious light, but after the darkness, therewillbe joy again.”

The preacher led them in a prayer. Everyone in attendance murmured it together, in concert. After, the preacher tucked away his papers and closed his book. “If there’s anyone else who would like to come up and speak about Jamie, please do.”

One by one, men went to the podium. An old omega friend from school. Another who’d gone to many balls with Jamie. An old friend of the family. Jefre and Serge took their own turns. Wilder. Vaughn. Jamie’s father.

Finally Rohan came up to speak. A tear-filled gaze lined with red searched the crowd until it landed on Gray for a moment. He looked down at the podium and cleared his throat before lifting his stare. “I don’t have much to say that hasn’t already been said about my mate. He was a shining light… gone too soon.” Rohan paused, collecting himself. “I loved him. With everything I am.” He looked down. Silence filled the room. Hushed murmurs came next. Rohan finally lifted his stare and met Gray’s eyes. “That’s a lie. I didn’t love him witheverythingI am.”

Tears filled the alpha’s eyes.

“I should’ve given him everything I was… and for years, I did that. He was the only one for me.” Rohan met Gray’s stare again before he closed his eyes, a pained look on his face. “I didn’t deserve him. I wasn’t good enough. He should’ve had a better man than me.”

Wilder leapt to his feet. He went to the podium and tried to calm Rohan down. Gray wanted to rise and go to the alpha, but he dared not. Not just because of the pain, but he sensed he was part of the reason for it.

The two mumbled between them, unheard.

“No!” Rohan suddenly roared. “I wasweak!”

Wilder dragged Rohan away from the podium and out of the room. Gray sat there, the instinct screaming for him to help calm a raging alpha was a call in his blood. But just as he was about to rise, one of the babes began to cry. He reached down and lifted the alpha babe into his arms and calmed the child.

An omega in the row behind leaned forward and smiled. “How old?”

“A few days,” Gray whispered.

“Oh! They’re newborns… oh wait…” he frowned. “Are these Jamie’s? The ones the preacher was talking about?”

Yes. Not mine. Jamie’s. Remember that.“They are.”

“Oh, that’s so incredibly sad… that he won’t be here for them.” The omega smiled wanly. “And you are?”

“Gray.”

“The surrogate,” the omega said.

“The best friend,” Gray corrected. He was more than just a surrogate. Wasn’t he? He stiffened at the thought of being less… but he knew ultimately, that’s all he truly was.

“Of course,” the omega whispered. He turned and reached into his pocket before pulling out a small piece of paper. “Here’s my card.”

Gray took it, not sure why the stranger was handing it over. “Okay.”

“My alpha and I have been looking for a good surrogate. And it appears you’ve done a wonderful job bringing babies into this world. Twins are so rare.”

Gray shoved the card back. “No thanks.”

The omega looked bewildered. “Sorry… I just assumed you might be interested in another job.”

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