by Jena Wade
“He knew I was with you, I’m sure,” I cooed in his ear, not sure if I was with him, but very much wanting to be. “He saw my concern. I missed you.” Because sometimes you have to put it out there.
He stepped back, and I dropped my arms. “I need to work. I’ll get you your room.” His faux professional tone had me second guessing everything I’d said as he walked behind the counter and tapped away on the keyboard.
“You didn’t do that.” Harrison kept his voice low as he sidled up beside me, indicating the physical mess that was my Omega’s face. ’Cause fuck it. He was mine.
“Never.” It was a vow more than an answer.
“He’s Lex’s cousin, and when he came to us, he had not even a quarter tank of gas to his name. Why didn’t he go to you?” Lex. Alex. How had I not put those pieces together?
“We are casual.” The words hurt forming in my mouth and came out as but a whisper. There was nothing about casual about the feelings brewing inside of me for this Omega. Nothing.
“Nothing feels casual in this room.” He gave my shoulder an understanding squeeze. Maybe he was seeing something I wasn’t because Carter jumped out of my arms as quickly as he could.
“It never felt it was to me either, but it was what he wanted,” I confessed. It hurt. Deep inside me that knowledge hurt. I wanted him to be mine in truth, not just in my daydreams.
“I am calling bullshit,” Harrison snapped at me. He was done with my pity party for one. I couldn’t blame him. “Meet me for pancakes tomorrow?”
“Yeah, sounds good.” I caught Carter out of the corner of my eye, walking my way with a card key in his hand. “Carter, you coming with?”
Please let him say yes.
“Umm, here is your key.” He shoved it into my hand. “Coming with where? I’m working tomorrow.”
“Breakfast tomorrow,” Harrison jumped in. “I’m going to get the pregnant Omega special. I bet you’d love it.”
“You aren’t pregnant,” Carter countered, his tone slightly off. What the heck?
“Not the point.” Harrison shook his head, a smile on his face, amusement at some joke I was missing apparently. “It is the best meal in the house.”
That I knew. Nothing like stuffing your face full of breakfast yums.
“I don’t know.” He bit his lip, looking down. “Maybe. Do you need me to show you to your room?” And subject change it was.
“I need to get my things from the car. But thanks. I hope to see you tomorrow.” I pivoted on my heel and walked on out.
Nothing was said during out conversations, nothing that shed any light on what happened to him. Until I was settled in my room and figured out a plan to help Carter, nothing would change. He’d been scared when I mentioned Timothy sharing information, which led me to believe he knew his assailant. He might not be mine or want me as his, but I was going to protect him.
I headed out to the car, saying goodbye to Harrison as we hit the parking lot. He wanted to ask me all the questions, opening his mouth to speak a few times before just saying he would see me in the morning. Breakfast could very well be an interrogation, which was fine with me. Maybe having someone to talk this through with would be helpful.
I grabbed my things, locked the car, and headed inside. Carter had played a Houdini. I tried to not read too much into it. For all I knew, there was a leaky toilet or something he needed to deal with.
I found my room with ease. Harrison had teased I was getting one of the best rooms in the house. And true, maybe this one and a few more square feet of space, but the furnishings were identical to all the others.
I settled in, trying to do some things for work to keep my mind off Carter. He was working, and the last thing he needed was me interfering with that. There would be time later. I wasn’t going anywhere.
One hour then another passed with very little accomplished. There was no point in pretending I’d be able to do anything other than concentrate on Carter and his freaking broken arm. Pushing myself up and out of the desk chair, I padded to the door just as a knock echoed through the room.
I swung it open without looking and there before me stood Carter, his arms full of towels and mini shampoos.
“I thought you would need these,” he spat, and I stepped out of his way. The gentleman in me wanted to take them from him. He had a broken arm and shouldn’t be doing that kind of work. But then the selfish prick in me took over and pushed him to come in with my subtle action.
He brushed past me as he walked through the doorway, and it was all I could do not to wrap my arms around him and hold him tight.
“I just wanted to make sure you had what you needed.” He lied. No one needed that many towels and bottles of shampoo. The question remained as to why he was there. Dare I hope it was to see me? His weird welcome had me not so sure, and for a man who was so good at saying exactly what he wanted, this perplexed me to no end.
I clicked the door close after stepping inside. “I missed you.” I just blurted it out like a lovesick fool. “Carter. Please tell me who did this to you?”
He froze slightly then turned on his heel. “It’s fine. I’m fine.” His voice quaked. He was far from fine.
“Carter.” My voice came out sterner than I intended. “If you are in danger, I can help.” And would, no matter the cost. He deserved better. He deserved everything. Carter hadn’t opened up about his past much at all, but the few hints he allowed to slip out told me it had been less than ideal.
“I’m pregnant.”
Those were not the words I was expecting. My knees nearly gave out.
“And he beat you for it?” He would die.
“No. The baby—the baby is yours.” Carter’s voice wavered, but he kept his eyes locked on mine.
And just like that, my world turned on its axis.
Pregnant.
He was having a baby. My baby. And how did I reward him? By leaving him both vulnerable to an attack and so unsure of me and my feelings that he fled to see his cousin instead of coming to see me.
“You’re mad.” He sidestepped toward the door. “I don’t expect anything from you. I can make a life here.”
“I am mad,” I confessed, reaching forward and cupping his cheek. “Mad I never told you that you were more to me than a quick lay, mad I never let you know I cared, mad I wasn’t enough for you and you felt like you needed to come here instead of telling me and letting me be your anchor, your rock, the father of this miracle who is our child.”
He threw himself into my welcoming arms as tears flowed down his cheeks. I still didn’t know what had happened to him or where we would go from there, but for the moment he was right where he belonged—in my arms.
And he remained there until his phone went off with a call from another resident, telling him there was an emergency in one of the rooms where the tub would not turn off. There was so much still to be decided and said, but for the first time since I arrived, things felt like they were on the right track.
Chapter Seven
Carter
I hadn’t slept well knowing just one wall away, Jamison rested in his king-size bed in his motel room that was a perfect mirror to mine. If I talked loud enough, I’m sure he would be able to hear me. For that reason, I’d kept my movements to a minimum last night. I lay perfectly still in bed, with the TV on low as I tried to relax. Sleep didn’t come, though, and I was paying for it today.
I was only twelve weeks along, barely a blip on the pregnancy radar. Some people didn’t even know they were pregnant at this stage, but I felt the symptoms more and more each day, morning sickness, fatigue, all of it. Alex had told me those would go away soon, and I would be back to my energetic self in no time at all, at least until I got too big to move.
The exhaustion weighed me down so much each day that I fell asleep as soon as I got back to my room and collapsed on the bed. He’d made the whole thing sound so glamorous. At the moment, I was feeling less than excited about the whole ordeal as I fought to keep my break
fast down and my eyes open.
I was sitting at the front desk, reading my book, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, the Omega Edition on my tablet when Jamison walked in.
“Good morning,” he said.
I tried not to blush. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. When I was in the city with Jamison, I was a completely different person. But here, without the darkness of the bar or the intimacy of his apartment, I felt stripped bare for him to see. Not to mention the fact my face was still healing, the bruises from Bryan’s hit turned from deep-purple to blue to yellow. My arm was enveloped in a thick cast.
“Good morning,” I said. “Did you need something?”
“No. I wanted to see if you’d like to go out to lunch.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Here in town?”
“Yeah. Harrison said we should go to the diner.”
“Weren’t you just there with him for breakfast?” At least, that’s what it sounded like they were planning on yesterday.
Jamison shook his head, and moved closer to me. It was if he was gravitating toward me, and I couldn’t help but do the same. “We had coffee at his house. Apparently, it was a long night with the baby. But he said something about a pregnant Omega special?”
I chuckled at that. “Yeah, according to Alex, it’s to die for.”
“You haven’t had it yet?”
I shook my head. “My appetite hasn’t been the best.”
He stepped closer, his eyes lit with concern. “Morning sickness, right? I hear that’s a pretty intense pregnancy symptom.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, it is.”
“How’s that been going?”
I shrugged. “It is what it is. I’m taking it all one day at a time.”
“Have you been to the doctor?”
I nodded then stood up. I needed to keep myself busy. The intensity of Jamison’s gaze had me feeling restless. The man could get a mime to talk with the way he asked his questions. Demanding, without being forceful. I suppose that was what made him a good lawyer. He may have missed his calling as a prosecutor. “I’ve been to the same doctor Alex saw for his pregnancy. She’s very good.”
“That’s great,” he said. “Why don’t we go to lunch once your shift is over?”
I debated in my head about whether or not that was a good idea. On one hand, we had some things to discuss, on the other, I didn’t want to open myself up to any stress right now. I’d spoken to the officer in the city just yesterday, and nobody knew where Bryan was, but they were investigating another robbery that appeared to be perpetrated by the group of individuals he was involved with. Maybe he’d forget about me, and I could go on with my life as normal, but, unfortunately, until I had that closure, I couldn’t quite end that chapter.
“I’ve got work to do.”
“I know you get off work in fifteen minutes.” Jamison sighed. “I came on a little strong last night, but it’s a simple, no strings attached request, Carter. Would you like to go to lunch with me?”
I would. I did want to spend time with him. That was the problem, but I went against my better judgment “Yes. Lunch sounds great.” I wanted to be near him in some place other than the bar and his apartment, wanted to share a meal and get to know him. Even the one weekend I’d spent at his apartment, we’d laid around in bed most of the time. At one point, I had woken up and found him in his study working, but it wasn’t as if he had made me food or taken me out to dinner.
If I had the necessary equipment, I’d love to make him a meal now, care for him in the way he deserved. But I was quite limited in the space I had, as was he.
“I’ll meet you outside your room at twelve-fifteen.”
“Perfect.” He turned and left.
Once he was out the door, I let out a deep sigh.
What in the world was I getting myself into?
***
The drive to the diner was quick; it was a small town after all. The motel was on the outskirts, but it was still only a mile or so to the diner.
We were seated right away, which wasn’t overly surprising considering it was a weekday. The waitress, Sally, asked us for our order.
“Apparently I should have something called a pregnant Omega special?” I asked. “But I don’t see it on the menu.”
Sally laughed. “Oh, that’s the unofficial name for the Alpha special.”
“I’ll have that then.”
Jamison eyed the menu cautiously. “Can I get a bowl of fruit and the baked oatmeal, please?”
She nodded then hustled off.
“Not used to slumming, huh?” I said.
He narrowed his eyes. “I don’t consider it slumming.”
I winced. “Sorry, bad choice of words. It’s just, I’m sure you’re used to five-course meals at five-star restaurants or the stuff you have your chef prepare for you.”
“How do you know I have a chef?”
“I’ve seen inside your refrigerator. The labeled boxes with the dates and times on them. I doubt that was from you.”
He grinned. “It’s true. I do have a person come in who makes my meals for me throughout the week, and most dinners are at restaurants with clients, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy this type of thing.”
I grabbed the bundled-up silverware, unrolled it, and fiddled with the napkin. “How is it you got to be where you are Jamison? Before seeing you yesterday, I would have guessed you grew up richer than richer and came from a family of lawyers. Harrison grew up here in town, but he stayed, and you…what? Went off to college? Made yourself a millionaire?”
Jamison shook his head. “I grew up one town over, actually. Rochdale.”
“Really? How’d that work?”
Jamison looked around and lowered his voice. “Harrison is my half-brother. His Alpha father had an affair with my Omega father not long after he married Harrison’s mom. Kelly didn’t like the idea of having her husband’s bastard brat around, but Harrison the first, my dad, still supported my Omega dad. He provided for us in the only way he knew how, by throwing cash at us. Enough to live comfortably, but nothing to actually build on.”
“Money isn’t quite an adequate substitute for love.” My heart ached for the young boy Jamison had been, and the man he grew up to be.
“No, no, it’s not,” Jamison agreed. His eyes took a faraway glazed look, and I realized he had a few more hang-ups about his upbringing than he let on.
I reached across the table and laid my hand over his. “We’ll be different sort of parents than that. I promise.”
He grinned. “Thanks Carter.”
Chapter Eight
Jamison
One week working out of a motel had been doable. Two, exponentially more difficult, but I made it through. But by the third week, something had to give.
Leaving wasn’t an option. Not until Carter and I worked things out. He still wasn’t forthcoming about what happened to him but remained adamant Millerstown was where he wanted to raise his baby.
As I saw it, that left me with a few options. I could start a practice in Millerstown. I could figure out a way to extend our current practice into Millerstown. It would be challenging, but possibly workable. I could open my own practice in town. Or I could switch gears altogether.
The hard pass was going back to my penthouse and leaving Carter here to start our family without me. Not once had he indicated he didn’t want me here, by his side. He never opened up to me enough to say he did want me to be his Alpha in all ways either.
Baby steps.
I dialed the phone before I could chicken out. None of my options could be done on a second’s notice, so I needed to buy time.
“Jamison.” My co-worker, Paul, answered on the first ring. “Are you calling to say you are coming back?”
All they knew was I needed time off and whatever gossip grew from that.
“That’s what I’m calling about. It seems I need to take a leave of absence.” I basically gave the kiss of death for any future partnership potentia
l. Which was fine. I didn’t need power or prestige. I needed my family. “I’m needed in Millerstown for longer.”
“Ah, your brother.”
I didn’t correct his misassumption. My brother was here and I lived, albeit temporarily, on his property. Or so I justified as I failed to correct him.
“Things are fine. I just have some things to deal with.”
“Do you have a timetable or—”
“Or, Paul. I have things really well laid out, but I don’t have the resources to go past that and it’s doing none of us any favors for me to do a half ass job from here.” More like quarter ass.
We discussed the details and while he understood, or at least professed to, I still felt the guilt of letting them down. I’d rather let work down than Carter and my child any day. And that in and of itself was so completely different from everything and everyone else in my life. My career had come first—always.
Until it didn’t.
Now all that mattered was having enough to support my family. At least when Carter would start accepting my help. Frustrating didn’t begin to describe it. I loved that he was willing to work so hard for our child, but sometimes accepting help was the best thing you could do.
I picked up my phone again, dialing my brother as I walked out of my motel room. He probably saw my number and immediately guessed what I was going to ask. I’d already called him five times for extensions on my stay.
“I told you already, the room is yours until you don’t need it anymore. Hell, I’ll put a permanent hold on it if you want,” he answered the phone sassing me. Odd how it took me getting my Omega—for he was mine—pregnant and being in a relationship pickle for my brother and I to have the kind of relationship I’d always wanted with him.
“Yeah, yeah.” I headed out the side door, purposefully bypassing the front desk. I had a surprise in mind for Carter, and if he thought I was in my room, all the better. “I sort of kind of quit my job today.” Or at least pre-quit it. Unless Carter did a one-eighty and said he wanted to live in the city more than anything, I was done there. My life was here with him. He just didn’t know it yet.