Page 86 of Omega's Refuge

“What?” I looked up at him, startled. I didn’t like the idea of him not being here with me one bit. “No, I want you here.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive. I want you beside me, Rex.” I really did. I wasn’t just telling him what he wanted to hear. I craved his presence. “I mean it. I want you here with me.”

“Then that’s where I’ll be,” he said huskily.

“Good.”

“But I want you to know, I’ll help you no matter what. If this all gets to be too much for you, or you change your mind about me claiming you, I’ll still help you with the baby.” He cleared his throat. “Just be sure you let me knowbeforeI claim you. Because once I do that, you’re not going anywhere, Tanner.”

I shivered. “Okay. But I don’t see me changing my mind.”

He let go of me. “Now, unfortunately, I have to go help out with the guests or Mrs. Rodwell will have my hide.”

“Yes, go. I can unpack the boxes. I have nothing else to do.” I returned to a stack of boxes near the fireplace.

He grimaced. “I do feel guilty though, leaving you to do it all alone with your injured hand.”

I held up my bandaged hand. “This old thing? Why I barely even notice it anymore.”

He laughed. “Liar.”

“Go on. Go charm the guests. I’ve got this handled.” I opened the flaps of one box. “But don’t expect me to have dinner ready when you get back. I’m not a good cook with two hands, let alone one.”

“That’s fine. I have to have dinner with the guests again anyway. I’m also tending bar after dinner.” He moved to the door. “And remember, you’re welcome to join us if you get bored.”

The thought of being with Rex pleased me, but not the thought of being anywhere near Mrs. Rodwell. “Nah, I’ll just eat something here, and watch TV till you get back. I bought some cans of soup when I went into town yesterday, and there’s a new season of Below Deck on.”

“You like reality TV?” he laughed.

“I do. Is that a deal breaker?”

“Nope. No such thing when it comes to you.” He opened the door. “Oh, I keep forgetting to ask. Did you get your art supplies yesterday?”

“No, but Tom’s Hardware ordered me all the stuff I need. The rest I’ll bring back with me when we go to Billings on Saturday.”

“Sounds good,” he said distractedly. “Well, I’ll see you later tonight.”

I nodded, a little thrill going through me at the idea of him sharing the bed with me tonight. “See you later.”

Once he was gone, I emptied the contents of my two suit cases onto the bed in the master bedroom. All I really had with me was what I’d packed for my original week-long vacation. The majority of my things would come later. I put my toiletries in the bathroom, and the dirty clothes in the laundry hamper. Next, I hung up my clean clothes in the master bedroom closet, and put my socks and briefs into the dresser.

After my things were dealt with, I moved on to Rex’s boxes. Most of his boxes held clothing and books, including a few cozy mysteries and some well-worn copies of Louis L’Amour westerns. I put the books on the shelf in the living room, and hung his clothes in the closet with mine. Once that was handled, I sat down to look through a small wooden box that had accompanied his things.

The wooden box had the initials RP burned into the lid. It occurred to me I didn’t even know Rex’s last name. I felt so comfortable with him, it still surprised me how many things we needed to discover about each other. Not only did I not know his last name, I didn’t even have his phone number because it had never come up. Yet, despite all the stuff I didn’t know about Rex, the things I did know comforted me.

I opened the wooden box and examined its contents. Inside were photos, golden cufflinks, and an expensive-looking watch. The photos were mostly of a younger Rex with another boy, along with a woman who closely resembled him. I was fairly certain the photos were of Rex’s mom and his brother, Jack, since the three of them shared the same coloring and eye shape.

I enjoyed looking through his photos, until I came across a photo of Rex with Vance. The photo looked recent as far as I could tell. My gut churned as I studied the picture, taking in the two men’s carefree smiles. I didn’t like how relaxed Rex looked with the other omega, or the way he had his arm looped around Vance’s shoulders. There was an obvious intimacy between them.

I didn’t want to overreact, but I was a little confused as to why Rex had a photo of Vance stashed alongside those of his family. That implied the picture was important to him. According to Rex, he’d never wanted anything serious with Vance, yet the only non-family photo he had in the box were of the two of them together. If there had been pictures of him with other people as well, I probably wouldn’t have thought much of it. But that wasn’t the case.

As I studied the photo of them together, my jealousy and suspicion bubbled. It had always bothered me that Vance had seemed so possessive of Rex the day we’d met. Why would he havebeen like that if Rex had made it clear he didn’t see Vance as anything serious? Had Rex led Vance on? Made promises he didn’t keep?

I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy, Tanner. Trust me.

Rex’s words came back to me and I felt foolish for doubting him. I was feeling paranoid because of what I’d gone through with Steve. Rex hadn’t done anything to make me think he was fake. While the photo of him and Vance bothered me, I was being silly. Rex wanted to claim me. I had nothing to be jealous of. He’d picked me, not Vance as his omega. Perhaps after he claimed me, I’d feel less threatened?

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