Page 193 of Labor of Love

After dinner, we spent the last hour or so chatting with the other omegas and alphas. I’ll be honest; seeing Penn and Kai smile appreciatively at Brooks had me jealous as hell. The only thing that finally got me to calm down was the death stare he gave James when the older man got a little too close.

The entire scene made me giggle. I’ve never felt this possessive about anyone before. In fact, I kind of thought omegas couldn’t experience possessiveness the way alphas did, but here we are. Clearly, he feels something too, but if that’s the case, why did he avoid my shop?

“The remaining omegas and alphas will be here in a couple of days,” Brooks says, as we walk toward the garden. “Leah wanted a smaller group at first to see how everyone reacts and to plan for the upcoming events. We are expecting ten more alphas and omegas to show up.”

“Why did you stop visiting me?” I blurt, interrupting him.

His eyes widen, and I feel my blush return.

“I mean, not me. But my shop. You were there almost every day for weeks, then suddenly you just stopped coming by.” I snap my mouth shut.

His eyes dart away, and he runs a hand through his brown hair. “I’m sorry.”

“Was it something I did?”

“What?” he asks, outraged. “Never. It’s just… it felt inappropriate.”

“Inappropriate? How so?” I’m confused. We never crossed any lines. Yes, there was some flirting, but we always maintained boundaries. Did I come across as desperate? Too needy? Aside from my coworkers, Brooks was my first real friend in years. Maybe it was too much for him.

Brooks releases a long sigh, and, to my shock, he blushes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an alpha blush before.

After a long pause, I’m about to change the subject, but he finally replies.

“I was developing feelings for you. You were the highlight of my day. Every day, I would head over to the office, work, clock out right at five, and head over to your shop. Talking to you was exciting. You gave me a reason to leave work at a decent hour. Suddenly, I wasn’t obsessed with working through the evening or staying late. I was eager to see you and spend time with you. I loved reading the romances you recommended and coming by your shop to talk about them. I loved hearing about your day and the crazy demands of your customers. I loved hearing the way you handled them with a smile and always seemed to defuse the situation. You were constantly on my mind…you still are,” he whispers the last sentence.

My eyes widen at his admission, and I can’t seem to control my racing heart. “Then why did you stop visiting?” I ask, my voice sounding small.

He lets out a deep sigh and glances away. “I got off even earlier one day, eager to talk to you about that last romance you recommended?—”

A small smile spreads across my lips at the memory. “My Dark Desires. I remember.”

Brooks nods. “That’s the one. I just got to the part where Zial proposed to Coco.” He chuckles. “Anyway, I showed up, brought you a bouquet of daisies and lavender. Only when I got there, you were in the back dealing with a shipment, and I overheard your coworker talk about your husband. I’m pretty sure she even projected her voice. She wanted me to hear.”

I groan. “Oh gods. I kept the divorce a secret and didn’t want anyone finding out. I was ashamed at first—wait.” My lips spread into a wide grin. “Did you just say you brought me daisies and lavender? Just like Zial did for Coco?”

He gives me a sheepish smile and shakes his head. “Never said I wasn’t cheesy.”

I laugh even as my cheeks heat. “Wow. That’s…”

“Cheesy?” he supplies.

I shake my head, unable to fight my grin from growing wider. “It’s just, wow.” No one has ever done anything so romantic for me before. It wasn’t just about the flowers; it was the fact he read a book I recommended and took the time out of his day to give me something sentimental between the two love interests.

Brooks steps closer, grinning down at me. “Is that a good wow?”

“Averygood wow.”

He extends an arm out to me, and I curl my fingers around his thick biceps. We weave through the garden and take a path down to the beach. The ocean waves crash peacefully in the distance, and Brooks smiles down at me. What would it be like to spend the rest of my life with this alpha? Something flickers in his green eyes, and it’s then that I remember he’s not human.I should be terrified, but despite his animal nature, I get the feeling Brooks would never hurt me the way Franky did.

My hand absent-mindedly wanders to my stomach, where I rub a soothing protective circle over my abdomen. His gaze focuses on the movement, and I drop my hand right away.Fuck. Am I being too obvious?

“Is everything okay?” There’s a concerned furrow to his brow. He halts in his steps and faces me, placing his hands on my shoulders.

Biting my lip, I nod, indecision warring within me. I want to tell him I’m pregnant, but I’m afraid it will pop this romantic little bubble around us. I don’t want him to think I’m trying to trap him. I know he wants a child, but would he be willing to marry me if he knew someone else’s baby was growing inside of me?

Settling back by his side, I squeeze his arm and urge him forward. “Yeah, sorry. I was just lost in thought.”Can we trust him, little bean?

Brooks narrows his eyes playfully and smiles. “You’ll tell me soon,” he says with confidence. “Till then, I can wait.”

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