I turned my attention back to my mate.
“Tell me about yourself, Heaven spelled backwards.”
Her face screwed up and she looked skyward. “I HATE my name so much. Bloody hippie parents.”
I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out to her. But she slid away from me before I could feel her skin beneath my palm.
That hurt. And it shouldn’t have. The poor girl didn’t know me, even though it felt like I’d known her my entire life.
I cleared my throat and pushed away the feeling of rejection that had no place. Not yet, anyway.
“Why do you hate it so much? It’s beautiful.”
She rolled her eyes and groaned. “Because it has been the bane of my existence since high school. At home it wasn’t too bad. My mum called me her angel sent from heaven because she’d been told she couldn’t have children, so to her, I was a miracle.”
“That’s really nice.”
And it was. I’d feel the same way about any children I had.
“Yeah… I suppose, but it’s given every guy, or bitchy girl who’s not liked me the perfect way to tease me.”
“What would the guys say?”
She looked towards the floor and began imitating a man’s voice. “Oh, you sure look like heaven. Heaven on a stick, sex on a stick. You must have been sent from Heaven. You feel like Heaven. Blah, blah, blah. They made me feel so dirty all the time.”
The words were just spilling out of her now and I had to ask why.
“Not that I’m complaining, but how come you’re suddenly talking? You were practically rendered mute before.”
Nevaeh’s gaze met mine. “I don’t know. I just… don’t like being around too many people. Or really big guys. This is nice.”
She glanced back towards the kitchen, where Claire and Jay were working together.
So, she didn’t like being intimidated or outnumbered. That was going to be a problem in our family.
“From your perspective, I can understand that. You were an only child too?”
She nodded, though her posture became guarded. “Yeah, why?”
“Because it makes more sense why you want to be around less people, so to speak. I grew up with three older brothers, so I feel lonely if there aren’t at least three people in the room.”
She rubbed her hands together, appearing to think about what I was saying.
“That would have been nice. I always wanted siblings.”
“Maybe you still can, you know... have a big family when you’re ready.”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t think so. I’d have to find a man I could trust enough to marry and have children with, and that’s not going to happen any time soon.”
That didn’t sound normal, so I continued to ask questions.
“How come?”
She cocked her head at me. “Why do you make me feel safe when the others make me want to run to my car and drive away?”
I laughed, I couldn’t help it. “I always thought it was the curse of the Omega, but you’re making me feel special, rather than inadequate.”
“What are you talking about, Brad?”