Page 3 of The Omega's Secret Baby
“Your child is out of control, that’s what happened!” Mrs. Foster screeched, even though she hadn’t been asked.
“Please, Mrs. Foster,” Mr. Stein cut her off.
“My baby has been hurt by this wild—”
“I’m very sorry for what happened to your child,” I spoke up before she could insult Jake, although I wasn’t overly pleased with my son myself that moment. “Please be assured that it won’t happen again.” I took a moment to glare at my offspring, who stubbornly looked at his feet instead of meeting my gaze.
Whatever was I going to do with him?
Before I could come to a decision, Mrs. Foster started screeching again. “You know this happens because he has no positive role model in his life!”
And this was exactly why I hated being around the other parents and their judgmental—
“Leave my daddy alone!” Jake spoke up, interrupting my thoughts. Everyone in the room turned to him. He met every questioning look with a challenging one. That wasnotgoing to get him out of trouble.
And I had no idea what to think about the fact that he felt like he had to protect me.
I just wanted to take him by the hand and leave this room.
“No one is trying to attack your dad, Jake,” the headmaster said. “Please wait outside. You too, Miles.”
Once the children were outside, I apologized for my son’s behavior. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”
“He’ll be suspended for the rest of the day,” the headmaster said, “but since this is his first violent offense, he can come back tomorrow. He’ll be in detention for the rest of the week. And I hope nothing like this happens again. We do take these matters seriously.”
“I understand. Now, if you could excuse me and Jake, I have to get back to work.”
“Work.” Mrs. Foster scoffed. “You’d better put some time into taming your child.”
I gave her a tight-lipped smile because I could suddenly imagine just howherchild had gotten himself punched. “I’ll consider it,” I said, leaving the office and taking my son with me as I headed back to the car.
Neither of us spoke on our way to the parking lot. It was only when we’d both climbed into the Honda that I trusted myself to start the conversation without raging at my son for being stupid.
“What do you have to say for yourself?”
Jake pressed his lips together and played with his seatbelt in the back of the car.
I took a deep breath. “Don’t make me late for work. I’ll put you in a cage with the birds.” Jake didn’t like the birds. He found them too loud.
“That’s not fair!” he burst out.
“What’s not fair is that I had to come all the way here because youpunchedanother child! What’s gotten into you? We don’t punch people!” If I’d failed to teach him that, maybe Mrs. Foster was right and I was a horrible parent.
Jake pouted. “He was mean.”
“I don’t care how mean he was. People are mean to me all the time, and I don’t—”
“That’s why! People are mean to you and you don’t do anything!”
I blinked as my son nearly screamed at me, his little hands balled into fists. “Jake…”
“He said I don’t have another dad because you don’t know who my other dad is, because you’re a stupid omega.”
His words felt like a punch to my vitals.
Oh, Jake. I’m so sorry.
I took a moment to close my eyes and regret every choice I’d ever made that led to my son defending my honor on the school yard. I didn’t care what people said about me, but I hadn’t given enough thought to how my reputation affected Jake. “You know it’s not like that, right?” I asked softly, all my anger evaporating.
