Page 38 of Omega Tricked
I was horrified when my eyes stung. The lump in my throat was painful as I struggled to keep my emotions in check. I didn’t understand why I felt so emotional at the sound of his voice, but something tugged at me. “I never talk about it,” I whispered.
“Maybe you should,” he said softly.
Whydid I want to tell him? I barely knew Lex. Was I simply shell-shocked from the kidnapping? Why would being held hostage make me want to bare my soul to him? But I did want to tell him things. I wanted him to understand why I’d been such a prick to him from the first moment we’d met. I wanted him to know why I’d bit his head off earlier when he’d looked at Ayden’s photos. I wanted him to understand that I wasn’t just a jerk, I had a reason for how I was. Jacob had turned me into this bitter asshole who stumbled through life afraid to feel again.
He surprised me when he stood and pulled me up too. His strong arms went around me, and a few hot tears spilled down my cheeks. It felt so nice to be held as he stroked my back, telling me he understood. Of course, he didn’t. He probably thought I was unhinged. Maybe I was. I felt like I’d gone insane the day Ayden died. I hadn’t been myself since. I hadn’t been able to find comfort in anything. Nothing. Everything left me cold.
But I did feel a sense of comfort as Lex held me. The heat of his body against mine and the sound of his soothing, husky voice sank right into me. His touch was like a shot of Oxycontin, blurring away the pain that usually ravaged me. I buried my face against his chest. Any second I expected him to push me away, pat my head, and remind me he liked women. But he didn’t.
I straightened and wiped roughly at my wet eyes. “Jesus. You must think I’m the biggest wimp.”
“No.” He shook his head.
I blew out a shaky breath and sat down again, staring at the food. “We should eat before it gets cold.”
“Right.” He settled in his seat and picked up his fork. He started to eat, keeping his eyes on the food.
I grabbed my fork too and cut into the cheesy omelet with the side of the utensil. I was hungry from days of not eating, but I barely tasted the food. Not because it wasn’t delicious—it was. But I was aware of tension between us. I knew he wanted me to talk to him. He wanted me to share what it was that made me lose my shit with him simply because he looked at a photo. I couldn’t blame him. He was staying with me. He was probably uneasy about what harmless thing he said or did that could next set me off.
I set my fork down and finished my beer. I stood and grabbed another from the fridge and returned to my chair. After I’d polished off half of my second ale, I wiped my mouth and met his curious gaze. “That photograph is of my son, Ayden.”
He nodded but didn’t speak.
“He was eighteen months old when that photo was taken.” I swallowed, trying not to think about the sweet scent of my son’s skin and his husky little laugh that had melted my heart.
Lex pulled his brows together. “But he doesn’t live with you.” It wasn’t a question.
I shook my head.
“I assume you used a surrogate because he looks just like you.”
“Yes,” I said quietly. Of course, he had no idea I was a solar eclipse omega and able to have babies. But I could only get pregnant with my fated mate, and Jacob hadn’t been my fated mate. We’d also used my sperm because Jacob’s sperm count had been too low. Maybe that had been the universe trying to prevent someone as defective as Jacob from reproducing.
“Do you have an alpha?” He studied me intently.
That was a very logical question. Few omegas would try and raise a family without an alpha in their life. There was a stigma about single omegas raising children without the presence of an alpha in the home. If you asked me, it was antiquated thinking, but it was how our society functioned.
I cleared my throat, trying to force the words from my tight throat. “I had an alpha. Jacob was his name.”
“I see.” He stopped eating and set his fork down slowly. “Did he leave and take your child from you?”
I dropped my gaze to the table, fixating on the little scratches in the wood. “He did take my child away.”
“Damn.”
When I looked up, the empathy in his eyes was obvious. I knew he thought Jacob had simply left me and gotten custody of our son. I clenched my hands, trying to make myself tell him the rest of the story. But I hated saying it out loud. It made it more real when I said the words.
“Do you at least get to see your son?” he asked quietly.
I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
“That’s bullshit if he won’t let you see Ayden.” Anger flashed through his eyes. “Listen, Dylan, I know a lot of lawyers. Great lawyers. Let me hook you up with a good divorce attorney. We might be able to change the terms of your visitation arrangement.”
“That won’t do any good,” I whispered.
“You don’t know these lawyers. They’re beasts in the courtroom.” He sounded confident, and I knew he liked the idea of helping me.
I winced. “No, you don’t understand. Of course you don’t….”
