Page 16 of Small-Town Secrets
"Yes, he might be an alpha, but he's not like your ex. He's not—"
"No, you don't get it," I cut him off. "He's analpha.That means if he makes a claim for custody, he's very likely to get it. It doesn't matter that I raised them for all these years. In the eyes of the law, they belong to the alpha who sired them." I remembered Conner breaking that news to me with a quiet fire raging in his eyes back when I'd still lived at the shelter and my ex had tried to fight me for the twins. I remembered panic coiling around my brain and squeezing the air out of my lungs.
I was never going to forget all the ways alphas were allowed to screw with omegas in this world, in, and especiallyoutsidethe bedroom. It didn't matter if Aaron was one of the good guys or not. I couldn't take the risk.
"Okay, calm down," Raph said.
"I can't calm down, and now my kids hate me too."
"Why do your kids hate you?"
"Why do you think? Because I pulled them out of karate. It's only for a few weeks until their actual instructor is back, but they don't know that, because I didn't know how to explain to them... and they're really angry because there's some sort of test coming up for them to get a new belt." I exhaled. "They don't understand the gravity of the situation. How could they? I know that I have to be strong, but..." I trailed off, not feeling very strong at all.
"Maybe the situation isn't as bad as you think it is," Raph suggested in a soft tone of voice. "Aaron is never going to suspect a thing if he's not given a reason to. Aaron isn't stupid, but he's not a deep thinker, you know? He'll believe whatever you tell him."
"You think I should lie to him?"
"If he never asks, you won't have to. Just don't give him a reason to believe that the twins might not be your ex's." For some reason, Raph glanced at the stack of underwear in the corner as he said that and I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.
"Who all knows that the twins aren't Howard's?" I asked. I'd only told Raph and the other people responsible for my case at the shelter and, but the news might have spread anyway. This was Oceanport after all. There was nothing this town liked better than a juicy secret. "Does Mrs. Rosewood know?" Because ifsheknew, she wouldn't have kept it to herself.
"Um, well..." Raph muttered, scratching the back of his head. I gaped at him. Had heseriouslylet my secret slip? "I'm sorry," my friend continued. "I said something stupid to her at the wedding. I did make sure to impress on her that she couldn't let anyone know, though!"
"How likely do you think it is that she's going to remember that?" I draped my hand over my face. I'd only met Mrs. Rosewood once or twice, and she was a lovely old lady—if maybe a bit peculiar—but she wasnotgoing to keep a secret for long.
It was a miracle the whole town wasn't talking about me yet.
Once they did start talking, though, and word reached Aaron... Well. He could do the math. And then he would noticed the similarities between himself and the twins. He'd notice that they had his hair—and his nose.
I was doomed.
"I can't believe you did this to me," I said, slumping in my seat.
"I'm... really sorry." Raph rubbed my back as I tried to come to terms with what I'd just learned. "I know Aaron, though. He's not going to cause problems for you or the children. He's not a bad person."
"I know that he's not a bad person... I..." I let my hands sink to my sides. "I really liked him when I was younger, you know? But I knew he never liked me that way, so... I did this really stupid thing."
"The heat inducers?" Raphael asked, glancing at the door to the studio as if to make sure we were still by ourselves. It was probably for the best if no one overheard this conversation. While I was still battling my ex for custody, I'd confided in Raphael. I'd told him the story of how I'd used heat inducers to sleep with my best friend's big brother. Something no one else, not even Aaron, knew about. I was pretty sure Aaron remembered our night together—at least I liked to think that he did—but there was no way he knew about the pills I'd popped to manipulate him.
Just one more secret I was keeping.
"It was stupid. I wanted one night, you know? Just that. I didn'tthink.And then I got pregnant and I went back to my ex because I figured... I'd slept with Howard a million times so the odds were in his favor. Besides, I knew that Howard could provide for me and the baby."
"And you didn't want to saddle Aaron with a kid, if it was even his... I get it. You guys weren't in a relationship or anything."
"Far from it." I scoffed. "I shouldn't have married Howard, but it seemed like my best option at the time." To be completely honest, it had seemed like myonlyoption.Especiallywhen 'the baby' turned out to be twins.
I didn't regret having Chris and Tyler, I just wished I could have had them under different circumstances. Be that as it may, though, I was never losing them. Not to anyone.
"You don't have to let yourself be backed into a corner anymore," Raph said.
I looked at him, not quite sure how to take those words.
"I think you need to tackle this issue head-on," he explained. "The way I know Aaron, he's not going to force your hand in any way, even if he finds out that he's the twins' father, but I think you might want him to find out onyourterms. You get what I'm saying?"
My lips drew into a thin line as I listened to Raph. He wanted me to tell Aaron before the town's gossip could reach him.
"Think about it," he continued. "If you don't tell him, you'll have no way of knowing when he'll find out. You might be worrying about this every day for the next couple of years. You might be totally fine or things could blow up in your face any moment. In any case... I think it's better to take control, don't you?"
