Page 69 of Act Like You Don't Care
“I’ve been thinking about that,” he said, turning down the street past the old fish and chips place.
I could see the park in the distance, but the smell of deep-fried fish made my stomach growl and I paused between one step and other before shaking my head and skipping to catch up with Kade. Even if I didn’t have a giant hot chocolate in my hand, the amount of grease on that fish would fuel me for a week probably. Or give me a heart attack.
Kade grinned. “Cravings already?”
“What? No—” I stopped, stunned. “Fuck.”
He laughed at me. The jerk. “Come on, we’re almost there.” He cut across the street and skirted the edge of a snowbank that was digging its heels in and refusing to melt in the shade of some spruce trees. “I expect you could probably bold-face your way through the whole thing. You might have to pivot a bit, but the more I think about it, the more I see this as maybe a chance for you. After all, it is Margaret Grant running the show.”
I gave him an odd look, but he wasn’t entirely wrong. She’d given me the part, and over the bodies of several much better known and more respected actors. She’dseensomething in me. “I don’t know. It’s the schedule, right? We start in a couple of weeks. We’re scheduled for six weeks of read-throughs and rehearsal and then another ten for shooting. That will put me at six months. No hiding it then. And the costuming…” I pulled out my phone and showed him the sketches the costume department was toying with.
He whistled as he paged through them, then paused on one. “When you’re done with this one, can I have it? I think this would be fantastic for next Valentine’s.”
“Ha. Funny.” I snatched my phone back and jammed it in my pocket.
He looked me up and down and, for a moment, it felt like being dragged by an alpha. That purely physical assessment that made me want to get right up in a guy’s face and punch him until he begged for mercy. Then punch him again. “What?” I demanded.
Kade shrugged. “I think you’ll probably carry well. You’re not a waif-style omega at all. At six months, you’ll probably look like you’ve just had a good Thanksgiving dinner.”
I wanted to argue with him, but I wanted to believe him more.
“Kade!” yelled someone’s kid, and then we were inundated with my cousins’ children. And dogs. So many dogs. Conner’s dog Max was the only one I knew, but there was a black one and a big one and another smaller one, and then there were the kids. I must have been getting a little wild-eyed because Kade shooed them all off one by one, called Conner over from where he’d been sitting with an older, dark-haired boy, and asked him to run interference for us.
“Fine,” Conner said. “But I want something in return.”
“What?” Kade asked, eyes narrowing.
“I want to go stay at Jake’s tonight.” He crossed his arms across his chest defiantly.
Kade mirrored him and I watched, fascinated. Would this be me someday? It felt almost comforting to watch them together, as if knowing this could be a possible future made it all that much less daunting.
“Let me talk to your father,” Kade said finally.
Conner nodded briskly at him, then disappeared in the direction of the dark-haired boy, who must have been Jake.
“You remember Dean’s mate?” Kade asked as he texted Shane. “Well, Jake over there is the son of Dean’s mate’s brother. I know Eli won’t let anything happen, but…” He sighed and watched his phone’s screen, obviously waiting for a response. “I wish sometimes I had your balls.”
“What?” I almost laughed out loud.
His lips twitched. “I worry a little. Jake’s omega dad got pregnant young and unmarried and he had a rough time of it. And then there’s me.” He shrugged and put the phone away. “I just worry that neither of them has a very good role model for staying out of trouble at a young age. I don’t think your baby is going to have that worry.”
I raised my eyebrows at that.
He smiled and huffed a laugh. “Oh, shit.”
“What?” I did a quick survey of the park, but couldn’t see what had raised that expression of mild alarm and exasperation.
“We should go— No, too late. She’s seen us.” He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and pasted a resigned smile on his face. “I’m going to apologize right now for this.”
“What?” I didn’t see anything, except an old lady in a wheelchair, her caregiver trundling her along the path toward us in a slow amble. “Wait, is that…?” It couldn’t be. “How is she not dead yet? She was as old as dirt when I used to spend summers here!”
“I have no idea,” Kade breathed, then chirped, “Hi, Mrs. Rosewood. Getting in some fresh air?”
“Hello, boys,” she cooed in that sweet little old lady voice of hers.
I smiled awkwardly at her and wished I was anywhere else but here.
“Now, I’ve seen you before,” she said, pointing one bony claw at me.
