He blinked, thought about what he said, and then shook his head. “No, it’s not. I love my family more than anything, but what I have with the boys…” His jaw flexed, his eyes dropping to the tablecloth. For a moment, he looked almost omega-like. “It’s hard for them. They expected me to find some nice girl from the suburbs, like them, to have a massive brace of babies, like them, to find a good solid job and work that job until I retire.” His gaze flicked up again, meeting mine head-on. “Instead, I’m me.”
“They’re betas, like Mum.” I looked behind at the flowers, at the crystal vase. Most alphas wouldn’t think to do something like that. Matings were either instinct driven or negotiated by the family. Bringing flowers might be something you do to please a skittish omega, but her mother?
“Yeah, they are, and they’re trying, really really trying. They did some night classes at the Omega Centre and watched videos on YouTube, but that doesn’t really prepare them for what we have.” His hand squeezed my knee, stroking the skin there for a second before pulling away, leaving a hot imprint behind. “Nothing does. So when they saw mention of you and us in the social columns, they rang me up, demanded a meet and greet.” He laughed, but it was a hollow, desperate sound. “They’re so fucking happy. For them, they can put what we are in a reliable framework now. We’ve found our fifth, our omega. I need you to do this for me today, Cyn. Just this once. When we ‘break up’ and you find your true mate, I’ll let them down easy. You’ll never have to see them again.”
There was command in his voice, he couldn’t stop that from bleeding through, but he tried and that shocked me. He really fucking tried. He wanted me to choose this, choose him, choose to give his family a little pea
ce. I fished out my phone, flicking through my messages until I found George’s.
Me: Gotta postpone. Something’s come up
As I waited for the little dots to resolve themselves as George texted me back, my hand snuck across the table, finding his on automatic and wrapping my fingers around them. Instantly, it was swallowed by his much bigger one, clasped tight, his thumb making frantic sideswipes back and forth as I received a text.
G: Thank fuck. Am trashed. Never drinking Scotch again. Let’s chat in the PM
Me: Done.
I set the phone down, staring out the back sliding door to the forest beyond, the sight of it settling me where only traipsing for hours would do so. I looked up, only making it to his lips, scanning the square jaw and the careless stubble and those full fucking lips that pursed and then relaxed again. What would his mouth taste like? Would his kiss be slow but intense like Rhys, or hard and vicious like Marcus? Or was he something else again? I felt something prickle at the edges of my mind, like somehow, I already knew, but how could I?
“I suppose we’re due at your parents’ place soon?” I asked.
“Soon as we can be. They’re keen, I’ll get that out of the fucking way right now, embarrassingly keen.”
“I’ll get dressed.”
I rose to my feet, only letting go of his hand when I had to, but his free hand reached out, hooking around my waist and pulling me close. I blinked, frowning, not sure what to do when he pressed his head to my stomach. Seconds ticked by, marked by the sounds of the birds, the wind in the trees, and Mum’s muffled conversations from behind her office door. I lifted my hand slowly, like one would when stroking a wild animal, my fingers only just touching the tips of his hair when he spoke.
“Thanks for doing this, Cyn. It’s a bullshit gig. You won’t find your alpha at the Slattery house, that’s for sure. But…”
His words fell away as I stroked my hand through his hair, just feeling the soft slip of it over and over, and it settled something deep inside me.
It wasn’t such a stretch. This was what we were socialised to be. Whatever physiological difference between alphas, betas, and omegas there were, the gentle, caring side of our nature was the one we were encouraged to display. We were supposed to be this, the counterpoint to all that alpha pushiness, but it was a side of myself I had never really felt before now. When I touched the shell of his ear, sliding down the cartilage, he pulled away, seeming to realise what he’d just done, the line he’d just crossed.
“Fuck, sorry, it’s just…” He cleared his throat. “Get dressed, omega, and then meet me by the car.”
So why did I feel as fragile as the glass the light poured in through as I watched him walk outside, striding towards the big muscle car parked on our verge? Why did I feel like I’d just lost something precious? My hands flexed, as if somehow, I could still grab at whatever that was, before I shook my head and raced upstairs.
Shower, subtle makeup, and parent friendly clothes later, I trotted downstairs like a good little omega and went towards the car. He got out, running around and opening my door, making me pause before getting in.
“Thank you,” he said, sliding his hand up under my ponytail, just holding it there for a second, before pulling away and walking around to his side of the car.
Chapter 12
“Oh my god, look at you! You’ve gotten even bigger!”
A shorter woman, with a head of dark blonde curls starting to grey, exclaimed that as we walked up the driveway to a very nice suburban home. The garden obviously got a lot of work, perfect rose bushes and clipped hedges following the path up. We didn’t even get to knock on the door. It opened, and the lady who I assumed was Brendan’s mum came rushing out to the doorstep. She wrapped her arms around her massive son, struggling to get them around him and failing, but it didn’t stop her from trying.
“Charlene, let the boy come inside, for Christ’s sake,” a masculine voice said. Not as deep, not as resonant as his son’s, the tall man filled the doorway, looking at his wife ruefully.
“Yes, of course.” Looks were flicked my way, but niceties were observed as we were ushered into the house. “I’m Charlene, and this is Bren’s dad, Simon, and you must be Cyn! We’ve heard so much about you!”
They had? I slid an inquisitive look Brendan’s way, but he just took my hand and steered me inside.
“We got so excited when we read about you—”
“Char.”
“When we heard our boy—”