Page 47 of His Surrogate Omega

He’d be completely alone one day… completely. It was suddenly too hard to breathe.

Avery offered his uncle a hand. Gray leaned across the island and shook it.

“Deal,” Avery murmured.

Gray grinned.

Hours later, they arrived at the bowling alley and fed the boys. The youngest members of their tribe wandered to the arcade, leaving Gray and Avery alone. As expected. Gray looked over at Lake, watching as he argued with Auggie before one of the arcade games.

“We really need to do something about his attitude,” Avery said.

“He just lost his fathers. He’s lashing out in pain,” Gray said, lifting his borrowed ball from the return. “I wasn’t much older than him when my papa passed, and I made my father’s life hell.”

“I wished I’d had a chance to meet them,” Avery said.

Gray smiled softly. “Me, too.” He rolled a spectacular gutter bowl immediately after. Just like the one before it.

“Why did I suggest this game?” Avery asked, rising to take his own turn. “We both suck at it.”

“Because you can fail and still have fun playing,” Gray said with a smirk. “So, what comes next for you, college wise?”

“I still need to go in and purchase my books and download the syllabi for the classes.”

“You haven’t even started and you already sound smarter,” Gray said with a chuckle.

“Hardly,” Avery answered before getting himself lined up to the pins. He rolled the ball and split it right down the middle.

“Hey, at least you got some pins,” Gray said with a grin once Avery turned around.

His next attempt cleaned up one half.

“We only have a couple of weeks to prepare. We need to get ready. The boys will be starting school not long after you do. You’ll all need supplies.”

Auggie rushed over, a wide smile on his face. “I need more coins!”

Avery reached into his pocket and handed his baby brother another couple ofrenosworth. “Lake playing nice?”

“No. But a kid from the summer program is here. We’re playing a game together.”

Gray brushed Auggie’s hair. “Good. I’m glad you have someone to play with.”

Auggie ran back toward the arcade, all youth and excitement. His gaze fell on Lake, hard at work killing aliens or shooting bad guys—whatever he was playing. He looked back to Avery and knew these were his reasons for helping Jamie and Rohan.

These boys. They were the only thing he truly had left.

“By the way… next heat, we’ll have some help for the boys,” Gray said suddenly. “I won’t be there… and the solicitor is going to make plans for help at home.”

Avery turned to his uncle. It took him a moment to realize what Gray was saying.

“The insemination? Already?”

There was no way he was telling Avery the whole of it. He couldn’t tell his nephew just how craven and horrible he was. “The contract has been signed. You saw the check. It’s a go.” Gray looked straight ahead. “A beta babysitter is coming for all four days to take the stress off you. I won’t be there… and if it doesn’t take… it might be more than one cycle that I miss.”

“A good sitter is almost impossible to find.”

“Jamie and Rohan are going to supply someone. They’re aware I have my nephews at home and offered.”

“That was kind, but technically, they are my responsibility, not yours, so they don’t have to do that.”

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