Page 25 of His Gentle Omega
“No, it was rather a surprise, I believe.” Reaching over with my napkin, I wiped a bit of ketchup off the corner of Lucas’s mouth. He had insisted he couldn’t possibly eat scrambled eggs without ketchup.
“Bennett, what is going on?” Seth demanded, never one for being left out of any tea if he could help it. Especially when it pertained to one of his bosses.
Nodding my head towards the glass slider doors behind me that led out to my large back yard, I picked up my coffee mug. “Lucas, we are going to be right out there. You’ll be able to see us if you need anything. Finish your breakfast, and after that we’ll go to the store, okay? We need to get some stuff for your daddy, for when he wakes up.”
“Okay, Bennett.” He was such a great kid, and my heart swelled with something each time I looked at him. And he was being so brave through all of this. He hadn’t had one temper tantrum. I knew he had to be scared, so I tried to explain as much as I could to him, about all that was going on. It helped that he could peek in and see Shay with his own eyes, whenever he wanted.
I hadn’t missed the joy in his blue eyes this morning when I had told him Shay had been awake just a few hours before and was much more lucid. That his dad would probably be awake longer today and he would get to lay on the bed next to him for a while, if he wanted. That maybe we could even make a bed for Shay on the couch and they could watch a movie or something together.
Once I slid the door shut, I settled in my patio swing, rocking it gently with my foot on the concrete slab. Seth sprawled inone of the patio chairs, wincing at the bright morning sunlight. Unhooking his sunglasses from where they rested at the vee of his shirt, he slid them over his eyes.
“What the fuck is even happening right now, Bennett?”
“Look, if you’re going to disappear for a weekend with a random alpha, you’re going to miss a lot.” Smirking, I sipped my coffee.
Even behind the tinted lenses, I could see him roll his blue eyes at me. Flipping me off, he huffed, “Don’t start. I have needs. And Ineededthat alpha’s ginormous dick. It was worth it. Even if I can’t walk without wincing for a week. Now, I need the tea. You’re the one who brought a strange alpha and his kid home. Where is this mysterious Pierce brother, by the way?”
Opening my mouth, I snapped it shut, hiding my unease by gulping another mouthful of coffee. This wasn’t my story to tell, not even to my bestie. For Shay–and Lucas’s sake–even Asher’s, I needed to proceed with caution. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Seth, because I did. One hundred percent. Withmysecrets. But these weren’t my secrets.
“This was the emergency Carrie called me about Friday night,” I finally told him. “Shay, that’s his name, passed out in the emergency room lobby. He’s pretty sick, and he has his child with him, and Asher is out of town, as you know.”
“Weird Asher didn’t know they were coming,” Seth commented, then shrugged. “But he never really talks about his brother. I mean, he’s mentioned having a little brother in passing sometimes. In conversations. Not sure he ever mentioned his name. Definitely don’t remember him mentioning a nephew.”
“I’m not sure what the story is there.” That didn’t really give anything away. The Pierce brothers were obviously estranged, but if Asher wanted to share that with Seth, that was hisbusiness not mine. “Asher and Gabe are on their way home. I expect them later today. Tristan has an ear infection so it’s making the drive longer than it normally would be with two little ones. And I told them to take their time.”
“And you what? Just brought them home with you?” Seth was clearly skeptical. He sat up, leaning forward, elbows on his knees. Waving a hand in my general direction, he demanded, “What’s going on, Benny? What aren’t you telling me? You’re all flushed and…glowing. It’s fucking weird.”
“Nothings going on,” my voice rose an octave. “I’m just helping out Asher. Shay didn’t need to be admitted to the hospital but really can’t take care of himself right now, and there was Lucas to think of.”
Seth stared at me hard, his lips pursed together in a tight line, his eyeliner smudged, raccoon looking eyes clearly telling me he thought I was full of shit. “Don’t fucking lie to me, Bennett. We’ve been friends for how long now? Five years? You’re acting squirrely as fuck.”
I huffed out air between my teeth, glancing over to see Lucas eating his breakfast at the table. He turned to look at me and I smiled and waved. He smiled back, then went back to eating. Seth was my best friend. We shared practically everything. He knew all about my life, my childhood, all my secrets that I didn’t readily share with just everyone.
“Okay, if I tell you this, you have to promise to not say a word to anyone.” My voice was low. I didn’t know if Lucas could hear us or not. The glass was thick on the doors, but Lucas was a shifter like Seth and me. I wasn’t sure what kind, some kind of big cat from his scent. I knew Asher was a cheetah, and it was possible that’s what Shay and Lucas were. Either way, shifters had incredible hearing. And Lucas did not need to hear this.
“Who am I going to tell?” Seth joked.
“I’m fucking serious, Seth. Not a word to anyone. Especially Asher. Or anyone in your office. Not Jax or Janet. No. One.” I loved Seth like the brother I didn’t have, but the guy loved his office gossip. His motto was I love the tea, as long as I’m not involved in the tea.
He searched my face for a minute, before nodding and telling me quietly, “I promise, Benny.”
“I didn’t just bring Shay and Lucas here to help out Asher,” scraping my teeth over my bottom lip, I ran a finger around the rim of my coffee mug. “Shay is…Shay and I are…I think we are fated mates.”
Seth stared at me in stunned silence, before whispering, “Holy. Fuck. Balls.”
“Yeah. That.” I agreed. Through the glass, I saw Lucas carry his plate to the sink. I needed to go inside and get him dressed for the day. We really did need to get to the store before it got any later, and busy with people.
“Have you two done the dirty?” Seth questioned, standing up when I did.
“What? No!” Wrinkling my forehead at him, I headed inside. “Did you miss the part where I said the man is ill? Do you ever stop thinking with your dick?”
“Not if I can fucking help it, no,” he assured me. “That’s what your twenties are for, Benny. Making dumb decisions with your dick. Now, what are you planning to do about–?” He tossed his head in the general direction of my bedrooms, as he slid the door closed once we were both back inside.
“Nothing,” I told him, smiling at Lucas. He was attempting to wash his hands at the kitchen sink, and I went over to supervise,then helped him dry them. “Get changed out of your jammies, and we’ll head to the store. Call if you need help.”
He nodded, then raced to get dressed. He seemed overly excited over a trip to the grocery store, but I had probably been that excited at his age too.
“What do you mean nothing?” Seth demanded, rinsing his cup in the sink and putting it in my dishwasher.
