Page 209 of Labor of Love

“It’s just the flu,” I insisted, then looked up at the sky. “Or maybe a bit of heatstroke. I’m not wasting anyone’s time on that.” My throat stung as I sipped at the water. “I’m honestly already feeling better.”

Drained, sure, but better.

He squinted. “Hmm. I’ll be keeping an eye on you, Timmy.”

Despite my embarrassment, I liked the sound of that. “Oh yeah?” I folded my arms over my chest as he picked the tubs up again from where he must have hastily put them down. “How are you going to do that when we’re working on opposite sides of the farm?”

“I’m going to take you out,” he declared. I think he was just as surprised by the words as me. His cheeks turned pink over the top edge of his beard, and he cleared his throat. “I mean, if you’d like to go out with me. On dates.”

My fox practically did backflips. I felt breathless, my heart hammering madly. “I’d like that a lot, Conrad.”

He grinned, but the smile fell as we walked towards the main farmhouse. My house. “Your dad’s not gonna like it.”

“You said it yourself,” I refused to let this chance to date my crush slip through my fingers, “I’m a grown man. Anyway,” I shrugged, “Dad’s all bark, no bite. And you’re one of his favorite workers. He won’t actually stand in our way.”

“You sure about that?” he jerked his chin towards the house, where Dad was leaning against one of the porch posts, quite obviously watching us approach.

I rolled my eyes and waved. “Hey, Dad.”

His stern expression melted into paternal affection, and he nodded, stepping down the front steps to come and take one of the tubs from Conrad’s hold. “Looks like you had a good day in the orchard,” he said, inspecting our haul. “Good work.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Dad’s expression switched to amusement. “Sir? That’s a new one. What happened to Mister Bowman?”

Conrad’s cheeks turned pink. “I…well, uh…” Floundering, he glanced over his shoulder at me, silently pleading for help.

I snorted and followed them towards the sheds where we kept the produce for sorting and shipping. “He’s afraid you’regoing to come at him with your shotgun when I tell you we’re going out on a date.”

Dad’s steps faltered for a second, but his tone was level when he asked, “Is that so?”

“But you’re not a neanderthal who treats omegas like property,” I continued lightly, “and you know Mom would whoop your butt if you said that it would be the same if you had a daughter, because we’re not living in the fifties and women aren’t property either. Besides, I’m an adult.”

“Of all that, it’s the fact that your mother would bitch me out from here ’til next June that gets me the most,” Dad teased. “But…you’re right. I can’t stop you from dating whoever you like. Although,” he placed his tub down on one of the gleaming stainless steel sorting tables and rounded on Conrad with a pointed index finger, “you’ll be a perfect gentleman, won’t you, son?”

“Dad,” I facepalmed. “Really?”

“He’s still an alpha,” he said. “I know you’re not in the same situation as Oliver and Beckett were, or Rex and Damon, thanks to Conrad’s alpha already being unleashed or whatever it is the kids are saying. But, adult or not, you’re still young and still an omega, and I’m too young to be a grandpa.Especiallywhen this is the first man you’ve gone out with?—”

“Dad!” My face was on fire. I hadn’t wanted Conrad to know just how inexperienced I was, and I certainly hadn’t wanted him to hear it from my dad.

“I respect you and your son too much to be anythin’ but a gentleman, Mister Bowman,” Conrad said while I was still plotting ways to reverse time.

Groaning, I spun to glare at him. “What if I don’t want you to be a gentleman? I’m twenty-two and I’m the one in control of my body, not him.” Glancing back at Dad, I huffed, “And I’m onlytwo years younger than Mom was when she had me. Don’t act like you two waited until marriage or anything.”

Dad scrunched his nose. “I don’t want to think about you like that. And I don’t want you thinking about your mother and me…”

“Yeah, well, I don’t want to think about it, either, but?—”

“We haven’t even had our first date yet,” Conrad interrupted our family squabble with a chuckle. “So…let’s maybe cross that bridge when it comes to it, Tim. I’m not in a rush here. I’m plannin’ on stayin’ in Shifters Sanctuary for as long as I’m welcome, and that means we have time to get to know each other properly.”

That didnothelp me. I already wanted to climb the man like a damn tree. It figured the first man to ask me out would also be the kind of guy who wanted to wait and form a proper connection first.

But his sweet side was a big part of why I liked him. Besides, he was right.

“Yeah, well, to be honest I’m not ready to…” I cast a sidelong glance in Dad’s direction and exhaled again, “rushanything. But I’m just saying I’m in my twenties. This isn’t something my parents get an opinion on.”

“You’re right,” Dad clapped his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “But you’re always going to be my little boy, Timmy. My sweet little omega. Plus, worrying about alphas is still a new concept for me. My caveman brain kicked in for a minute, and I’m sorry.”

---