“I guess my dreams of running my shop are going to be over,” I said.
“Jax, you’re sodumb. Why would they be over exactly? Do you think no woman or omega out there ever had a careeranda baby at the same time? One doesn’t exclude the other—join us in this century, you crazy person.”
“But…it would be hard.”
“Of course, it will be. So is anything else worth doing in this life. But people do it every day. Your business is taking off now, and you can hire more help if you need to. Plus, you hit the jackpot with that rich, gorgeous Alpha of yours, and he can help you all you’ll let him.”
“No, I don’t want his help.”
“Why not? Would you help him if he needed it?”
“Well, yeah, of course.”
“If you got him pregnant, would you help him pay for child care?”
“Of course, but…”
“But nothing. It’s time for you to get over yourself! Talk to your Alpha to work this shit out. And it’s way past time for you to grow up, Jax.” When I gasped at her comment, she patted my arm. “I know you had a rough time with your dad, but that’s over now. You’re a grown man, now, expecting his own child. You’re not that scared little boy anymore. Now go find your Alpha and tell him the good news.”
She practically shoved me out the door, but instead of going to Dominic’s office with the news, I decided to go home and then call him and ask him to come over. That would give me time to shower and change clothes and a few moments to take a deep breath. I needed to wrap my mind around this a little.
Still, I started beaming when I imagined Dominic’s face. And by the time I was about to pull into my street, I was thinking about just telling him to come right away. I wasn’t sure I could wait.
It was then that I noticed my father’s beat-up old red Ford F-150 behind me, coming too fast down my little street and crowding up against my bumper. Trembling, I pulled into my driveway and watched as my father and both my brothers jumped out and advanced on my little car.
My hands were shaking as I got out and turned to face them.
“Get your shit together, boy!” my father yelled. “I have a buyer for you ahead of the auction, and you’re coming home with me.”
Chapter Fourteen
Dominic
It had been three days since my argument with Jax at my mountain lodge—three days since I’d seen him, and both my Dragon and I were getting restless. I was trying to be patient and let Jax contact me, because I didn’t want to crowd him. But it was getting increasingly difficult.
And why hadn’t he called me? At least to tell me off. I was beginning to think that perhaps I really was too old for him. He wasn’t quite twenty-one, while I was almost thirty, and we had a huge discrepancy in our life experiences. Opposites did attract at times, but they also could drive each other crazy.
Yet he was my true mate, and I knew it. If I turned my back on him, I’d never find the same happiness with anyone else, and I knew that too. But something had to change. I was still trying to figure out what to do when my secretary buzzed me late on the afternoon of the third day.
“Sir, I have a Miss Hailey Kim on the line for you. She says it’s in regard to a mutual friend, Mr. Jordan.”
Intrigued and a little alarmed, I told her to put Hailey through. “Miss Kim,” I said when she came on the line. “How can I help you? Is Jax all right?”
“That’s just it, Mr. Bousset. I don’t know. Isn’t he with you?”
The first prickling of alarm shot through me, and I sat up straighter in my chair. “With me? What do you mean?”
“He left the shop here on Monday afternoon, and I haven’t seen or heard from him since.”
“What?”I jumped to my feet, not quite in full panic mode, but definitely headed that way. “Are you saying that no one has seen Jax in days? Is that what you’re telling me?”
“Well, when he left, he said he was going to call you as soon as he got home, and I figured the two of you were just taking some time to be together. Haven’t you seen him?”
“No,” I said, already moving to the door of my office. I opened the door and barked at my secretary. “Call Ashworth and Kyle. Now!”
I turned back to the phone as I traveled back to my desk. “I assume you’ve tried calling him.”
“Of course. Numerous times, but it just goes to voice mail. I stopped by his house, but the door was locked, and he didn’t answer my knock. The worst thing is…” Her voice trailed off, and my heart stuttered to a stop. “The worst is that his car was still in the driveway. That’s why I thought he must be with you.”