Page 21 of Jake and Conner
"I get it," Raph said, as if he could hear the things I wasn't saying. He rubbed my back. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Can you turn back time?" I asked. At least a few days, so I couldnotgo into heat in front of Jake. He had to know now. That I hadn't had the surgery, that I'd bluffed.
"I don't think I can do that." Raph's smile was apologetic. "But I could get you some groceries and walk your dog."
"That's a start. You're a good friend, Raph."
"Us omegas gotta stick together, right?"
"Thank you."
"You're welcome." Raph got up from his chair and I watched him move about my kitchen, checking my fridge and cupboards to see what I might need from the store. He was great.
So why did I catch myself wishing he was someone else?
It was just the heat, messing with my mind.
It had to be.
8
Jake
The evening of the day I woke up to find Conner in my living room, I made plans to visit family because I needed to distract myself, and I needed to talk to someone who might understand what I was going through at my job. So I had dinner at my Uncle Griff's house. Griff was a photographer, but he'd married a firefighter when I was young, my Uncle Dean. I thought if anyone, Dean might get where I was coming from.
And besides, Dean was a fantastic cook. His main courses were only beaten by the desserts he served. Honestly, I invited myself over for dinner any chance I got.
That night, we were having steak. The meat was melt-in-your mouth awesome. I had no idea how Dean managed to cook it this way, even though he'd tried to show me on more than one occasion. The only thing I'd ever really learned from him was baking. That, I picked up more easily for some reason.
Probably because I was doing it to impress the omega I loved--which always amused my uncle to no end.
"How are things going for you, Jake?" Griff asked while we were all seated around the dinner table. He sat at the head of the table with Dean sitting kitty-corner to his left and their two sons, my younger cousins Bastian and Aiden, sitting opposite Dean and me.
"I'm good," I lied in spite of the many things taking up space in my mind.
"No exciting car crashes lately?" 15-year-old Aiden piped up while shoving some mashed potatoes in his mouth.
"Swallow before speaking," Griff reminded his son.
"Sorry, Dad," Aiden said, chewing.
Griff shook his head, but had apparently given up trying to instill manners in the teen.
It didn't look like anyone was noticing that I'd frozen at the words 'car crash'. Good. I cut into the meat and had another bite, chewing carefully. "My job isn't all that exciting," I said finally. I'd picked it because I wanted to help people, not because I was a thrill-seeker. Okay, maybe I'd picked itin partbecause I was a thrill seeker. Originally, I'd wanted to follow in my uncle's footsteps and become a firefighter. Watching someone get injured at a demo had changed my mind.
If that wasevergoing to be Conner, I wanted to be able to help.
That probably wasn't the best reason to choose a career, but it worked for me. My father was a veterinarian, so he supported me in my medical ambitions, which helped.
"I'm done," Bastian announced suddenly, pushing his chair away from the table and getting up, even though he hadn't eaten more than half his meal.
"Are you sure about that?" Dean asked, but the 17-year-old was already on his way out of the room and didn't stop.
"What's up with him?" I asked, because that was unusual behavior for my normally easy-going cousin.
Griff gave me a shrug. "He's being a grumpy teen."
"He's been grumpy all week," Aiden added. He grinned. "I think he's fighting with his boyfriend."
