Page 32 of The Omega's Surprise Baby
He pressed his lips together in a thin line, saying nothing. His hands formed little fists. I had to keep from sighing; it was obvious he hated everything about this. I didn't blame him. It must be difficult for him to watch me move on.
Even if what Kade and I had was only one night, he knew as well as I did that it was a start. A change in how things were going around here. And Conner hated change. I ran my hand in the short strands of his hair and, gently, made him look up at me.
“I'm sorry, Conny.”Sorry that your daddy isn't with us anymore, sorry I can't stay celibate forever, sorry life isn't perfect.
Conner's breath turned shaky. I knew I wasn't playing fair. I never called him Conny. That was Ron's name for him. And perhaps I was an awful parent because part of me wanted him to cry. He never cried anymore. Not since Ron left us. Much like me, he'd gone through the days following the accident in a state of shock, and then he'd fled into the fictional worlds of his books. It was my fault. I should have been strong for him and I wasn't. It had taken me far too long to find my way back to myself.
“You promised you wouldn't,” Conner said eventually, regaining his composure.
It took me a second to remember he was talking about Kade. “I promised that he would leave again and our lives would return to normal. That's exactly what's happening.”
That answer didn't seem to satisfy him. “Will he come back?”
I swallowed, trying not to let my emotions show. Part of me wanted Kade to come back, but... “Probably not.” I let go of Conner's hair and he looked to the floor. “I might kiss other people,” I told him, because we had to have this conversation sooner or later. Next time I wanted to kiss someone, it would be nice if Conner didn't try to drag me away from them.
“I don't want you to.”
“I know, but I can't be alone forever.”
“You're not alone! You have me and Mary!”
“It's not the same.” If last night had shown me anything, it was that I still longed to hold an omega in my arms. An omega to call mine, to care for, to protect.
“I still don't like it,” Conner said with an air of defiance that was rare for him. At least he was getting his spirit back. I wondered if maybe a bit of his friend's stubborn nature was rubbing off on him. I hoped it was. He shouldn't take everything lying down.
Still, some things he simply had to accept. “I'm sorry,” I said. “It's not open for discussion.”
Pouting, Conner pushed himself off the couch and left the room. I let out the sigh I'd been holding back. Maybe I needed to give him a little more time to get used to the idea of his dad dating again. That was all right, though. The only omega who stirred my interest had just left town and I wasn't likely to hear from him again.
Or so I thought.
13
Kade
I'd beenout of Oceanport for two weeks and I still couldn't get the sleepy small town out of my head. Or rather, I couldn't get that night with Shane out of my head. He'd been surprisingly sweet and tender for an alpha. For a one night stand.
That's because he wasn't thinking of you. He was thinking of his dead spouse.
That's all it was. It must be. But part of me doubted it. It was the part of me that wanted to go back to Oceanport with some silly excuse like 'Hey, I came to check on the cat.' All because I wanted one more night. It was silly, but I was like an addict. Hooked after one hit. I wanted more.
That wasn't a good idea, though. He had children to take care of, and I could never take the place of his deceased mate in his life or his family. And so I stayed where I was, in LA, and tried to write a new song while Nick paced the living room, grunting at his phone.
He always got a bit frustrated talking to his twin brother, but today it seemed particularly bad. Over the rim of my coffee mug, I watched him grab a pillow and throw it at the wall as he hung up the phone.
“What’s going on?” I asked, because I couldn’t focus like this. “Are you going to redecorate our living room?”
“Something like that,” he grumbled, still seething. I rarely saw my friend like that; he was pretty chill, usually. Sure, he got a bit frustrated at his brother every now and then, but nothing like this. I straightened and put my coffee mug down.
“What’s going on?”
“He’s going to marry.”
“What?” Nick had my full attention now. “Rhys is going to marry? The asshole he’s been dating?” From what I’d gathered, Rhys’ boyfriend was a douche, and the number one reason Nick and he got into so many arguments. “Is he trying to copy Dean or something? Just so you know, I’m not singing atthatwedding.”
“Believe me, I’m not gonna ask you to.” Nick dropped his phone to the couch, and then he sat down himself. He rested his head in his hands. “I can’t believe he’s doing this. I’m never going to see him again.”
I laid a hand on his back, trying to comfort my friend. I wanted to tell him it wasn’t going to be that bad, but how could I, when I knew the people Rhys’ boyfriend was running with? They were the same sort of people who’d raised me after my parents died.
