Page 8 of The Omega's Secret Baby
Jake considered this for a moment. “Can I throw snow balls at you?”
“Don’t youdare.”
He only grinned.
* * *
Our walk tookus a little farther out than usual, to the park where I’d first found Fiona when she was still a stray. I wasn’t really surprised that my feet led me to this place. I often found myself coming here when I was feeling nostalgic. It was a nice park. High trees, wide patches of green, lots of benches to sit on and a swing set for children.
Roughly nine years ago, I’d met Jake’sotherfather here for the first time.
I'd been home from college on my first summer break, trying to read a book in the shade of the large oak at the outskirts of the park where it was quiet, when I'd heard the playful yips of a puppy. When I'd gone to investigate, I'd found a guy my age play-fighting with a young black dog behind the bushes.
I'd never talked to the guy before, but I recognized him anyway. He was Matthew Lowell. In a town the size of Oceanport, you knew who the wealthiest bachelor was, even if you weren't looking to get hitched. Everybody knew of the Lowells. If the rumors were true, they had more money than the rest of the town combined, and that kind of wealth sparked interest everywhere.
Once I knew who I was intruding on, I took a step back, but it was too late. Matthew had already turned his eyes on me. Warm brown eyes.
I'd never dated before, never even been tempted, so I wasn't sure what to make of that tingling sensation I felt in my gut when this handsome stranger smiled at me.
I should have run.
I knew that now, but I didn't know it back then.
And I was ripped out of my reverie when my son hit me in the face with a snowball.
“You little...!” I growled, wiping the snow off.
Jake held his belly laughing. “Your face! I got you!”
“Wait, you!” I bent down to scoop some snow up in my hands and throw it at him.
He ran, still laughing.
“You can't escape!” I gave chase, dog barking at my side as we plowed through the snow.
“Catch me, Daddy!” Jake yelled back at me, not looking where he was going until he ran head-first into a man coming down the road from the other direction. I could do nothing but watch him knock the stranger over until the both of them landed in a heap on the cold ground.
I ran up to them. “Are you alright?” I peeled my kid off the other man. “I'm so sorry. We were playing and he wasn't looking,” I apologized, patting the snow off Jake.
“I'm sorry,” Jake apologized as well.
I looked back at the stranger only to feel even more embarrassment as I saw my dog lick his face. At least he seemed to take it in stride. Actually, he was taking it far too well, hugging my excited dog like an old friend and whispering her name with a sense of wonder.
“Fiona...” he said, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
And I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Who was this guy?
I squinted, heart racing.
Could it be?
One drawback of this park was how poorly illuminated it was during the evening hours, but...
I crouched down to take my dog from the stranger, and one whiff of the other man's intoxicating scent told me all I needed to know; he was an alpha. One that I knew intimately.
Matthew.
