Page 16 of A Baby for Christmas
"I'm not pretending anything." I sat straight. "But you know I have some strong opinions on omega rights." We'd clashed on this topic before. Seriously, Mrs. Sanders was only a fellow teachers, but she acted like she thought she was the principal. She felt it was a shame that I passed out pamphlets advertising schools outside of Oceanport to my 4th grade students, simply because I knew there were better options out there for omegas who were interested in more than child rearing. I was a somewhat typical omega in the sense that I wanted babies, but that didn't mean I wanted to be reduced to that—or that I wanted my students to be reduced tothat.
"I know you do." She shook her head again as if this was all very regretful. I was quickly becoming fed up with thisconversations.
"If you'd excuse me," I said. "I have some grading to catch upon."
"Of course." She glanced at my stomach again in a way that made my skin crawl. "I hope the rumors aren't true," she said before leaving the classroom. "I'd hate to see you get introublewith the schoolboard."
I swallowed.Fuck that old bitch.Dragging the heel of my hand over my face, I tried to calm down. The school board wasn't going to fire me just because some old-fashioned people believed omegas shouldn't have sex before marriage. They weren't going to side with Mrs. Sanders on this. Still, I hated the thought that everyone at the school knew. For now, it was only rumors, but they'd be watching me more closely in the following weeks, and they'd get their evidence soonenough.
Also, this wasnotthe way I'd wanted to tellAaron.
As if thinking of the devil summoned him, Aaron appeared in the doorway to my classroom. "Please tell me you're not here to lay into me as well," I said when he steppedinside.
He quirked an eyebrow atme.
"Mrs. Sanders was just here," Iexplained.
"Oh." He sat on the edge of my desk. "The old lady heard therumors?"
"Yes." I sighed. "Do you know where theystarted?"
He shook his head. "No idea, but I don't like them. We haven't had sex without protection. How could you bepregnant?"
I scratched the back of my neck, suddenly feeling super uncomfortable in my skin. Aaron was asking me whether there was anythingtothe rumors, wasn't he? I knew I had to tell him sooner or later, butstill...
Why couldn't it belater?
Unwilling to sit for this conversation, I got up. "Aaron..." I paused because I didn't know how to go on.I'm pregnant but it's not from you?No matter how hard I thought about this, I couldn't come up with a good way to explain the situation to him. That's why I'd been putting this off in the firstplace.
"Why do you look so serious?" heasked.
I chewed my lower lip. "I..." I exhaled.Just get it out."It's not onlyrumors."
Aaron looked surprisingly not surprised. "So you really arepregnant."
He sounded like he'd known all along. But how could thatbe?
"Were you planning to tell me at any point?" he asked, toneaccusing.
"Of course I was planning to tell you,but..."
"But what?" he demanded, jumping off the desk and taking a step toward me. Suddenly feeling threatened rather than turned on by his alpha pheromones, I backedaway.
"It's not so simple," I said. "The child..." For a split second, I considered pretending it was his, just so he wouldn't get angry, but I couldn't do that. This child was Ben's. Nothing was ever going to change that. If Ben didn't want me to, I wouldn't tell people it was his, but I wasn't going to make up another father either. That wasn't the sort of omega I wanted to be. Bracing myself, I spoke on. "The child isn'tyours."
For a split second, Aaron's eyes became huge. And then they narrowed. "What do you mean it's not yours?" He came yet another step closer. "Are you telling me that you've been sleeping around? I should have known. There had to be a reason you're still single after all. Pretty omegas like you are all the same. All sluts. I should have known when you never wanted me to sleepover."
"It's not like that! I haven't slept with anyone else since we started going out," I tried to defend myself, but I could tell it was too late forthat.
"Right, like I'm going to believe that." He pushed me against the wall, and then he stormedout.
I inhaled deeply, trying to gathermyself.
This relationship was probably over. Burying my face in my hands, I focused on mybreathing.
Why could I never make itwork?
11
