Ian pulled away, staring aghast at him. “You can’t.”
“Yeah, I can.” Brad narrowed his eyes. “I’m not some kid anymore, okay? I have a job.”
“But—”
Brad kissed him again. He slipped into Ian’s mouth, tangling their tongues. Ian groaned, leaning in. He wanted more of Brad. Wanted to just forget about everything, and sink into his alpha.
When Brad broke the kiss, Ian wasn’t sure how he was still upright. Probably because Brad had an arm around him, and Ian was resting his entire weight on his alpha. “I can’t move,” Ian muttered. “So tired.”
“’Cause of the pregnancy?”
Brad’s eyes grew dark. He reached between them. Pressed his palm against Ian’s belly, where the baby was.
Ian’s heart fluttered. “Yeah. The fatigue hit this morning. It’s been a struggle the whole day.”
“Come home with me,” Brad said. “Both of you.”
Ian paused. He looked up at Brad, the lamplight casting sharp shadows across Brad’s face. Brad was handsome. He had intelligent eyes, a strong jaw, a mouth Ian hadn’t had enough of.
“I bought a spare mattress for Gwen,” Brad murmured. “Just washed the sheets this past weekend. And I’ve got a bathtub.”
Ian was swayed. “We’d have to stop by home to grab Gwen’s nightclothes.”
Brad nodded at the department store entrance. “We’ll buy some new ones, get them washed. Won’t take that long.”
Ian groaned. “But it’ll cost more—”
“I’ll pay for it,” Brad said. “I’ve got seven years to catch up on my dad duties, Ian.”
Ian shivered. “I can’t move a lot further.”
“I’ll hop in and out with her real quick,” Brad said. “Watch my things.”
And now Ian had nothing left in him to protest with. “Yeah. Okay.”
Brad rumbled, tipping Ian’s face up. He pressed kisses down Ian’s jaw. “Be back soon.”
He brought Ian across the road, waited for Ian to hug Gwen. Then he took Gwen into the store. Ian sank down onto the stool Gwen had been sitting on, wrapping her blanket around himself. There was a half-eaten box of grapes sitting on Brad’s speaker, still damp from washing.
Had Brad bought that for Gwen? He must have.
Ian bit down his smile, delighted. He couldn’t help smiling at the things Brad had been doing for their daughter. He’d given her a blanket so she wouldn’t be cold. He’d kept her fed and entertained when Ian couldn’t, and Ian was starting to rely on Brad a lot more than he wanted to.
It didn’t take long for Brad and Gwen to emerge from the store, a bundle of clothes tucked under Brad’s arm. They stopped in front of him, Gwen’s cheeks flushed, her eyes bright.
“We found some truck PJs!” she said, reaching up to take her new clothes from Brad. “Look, Daddy!”
The pajamas were soft against Ian’s fingers, and they seemed like they’d fit. Ian couldn’t help grinning. “Looks good to me.”
“This is for you,” Brad said, dropping a bag of candied ginger into Ian’s lap. “Just in case you feel nauseous.”
Ian met his eyes, his heart skipping. “You’re spoiling me, you know.”
“Yeah?” Brad grinned. “So I’m doing the right things?”
“Depends on what ‘right’ is.”
“If it makes you smile, then it’s right,” Brad said, glancing at Gwen. “I’m correct, aren’t I?”
She nodded, grinning at Ian. “I want Daddy to be happy!”
Ian chuckled, kissing her cheek. “C’mon, let’s not stay out here,” he said. “It’s kind of chilly.”
Brad frowned. “Then you’re waiting in the car with Gwen. I’ll move the things.”
“But—”
“But yourself,” Brad said, dropping a kiss onto Ian’s forehead. “Let me have a chance to be all alpha.”
“I want to be all alpha too,” Gwen said, looking at Ian with her puppy eyes. “Can I?”
Ian laughed; Brad snorted. It wasn’t as though you could choose to present as alpha or beta or omega. “If you want,” Ian said. “But be careful. No heavy things.”
“Uh-huh. I helped Brad earlier.”
Ian walked with Gwen and Brad to the car, his daughter and alpha loaded up with things. The grapes and blanket felt heavy in his arms, and even though Ian wanted to carry more, Brad refused to let him.
Brad unlocked the trunk, tucking his speaker inside. Gwen set down the cables, and Brad unlocked the doors. Then he slipped his arm around Ian, pulling a couple other things out of the trunk—a tin of cookies, and a box of soap.
Ian’s heart squeezed. “What’s… what’s this for?”
“For you.” Brad looked steadily at him.
Ian traced his fingers over the cool metal tin, his heart thumping. “How did you know?”
“I told him!” Gwen beamed.
“I asked,” Brad said. “And that’s some better soap for your skin. It’s moisturizing. You might get stretch marks, so… I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
Brad rubbed his fingertips along Ian’s side, just next to his belly. Ian couldn’t speak. Couldn’t remember the last time anyone had bought him things he liked, just because. “Thanks,” he croaked.
Brad shrugged, his eyes warm. “Anytime.”
Ian trudged to the passenger door, his heart pounding. Brad opened it for him, and Ian climbed in. He couldn’t stop staring at the gifts in his arms.
They were simple things, cookies and soap and candied ginger. But the thought behind them… Brad had been thinking about Ian. He’d cared enough to buy all these, and maybe Brad was falling too far into this relationship, deeper than he should.
Ian squirmed around, watching through the window as Brad and Gwen brought the rest of the things back to the car.
The equipment thumped in the trunk. When they were done, Brad brushed his hands off, crouching to check on Gwen. He looked her over, asking her something Ian couldn’t hear through the closed doors. But there was concern in his eyes, and Gwen nodded with a smile. Ian’s heart felt too full, suddenly.
Maybe he liked Brad Saxon. Maybe he liked Brad in a way he shouldn’t.
What do I do?
Brad straightened, opening the back door for Gwen. “Get in,” he said. “We’re having a sleepover at my place. You get your own bed!”
Gwen gasped, staring at Brad, then Ian.
“You like the sound of that?” Ian asked, smiling weakly.
“Yeah,” Gwen said, her eyes round. “I get my own bed! I feel like an adult.”
Outside the car, Brad laughed. He slid into the driver’s seat, and Ian breathed out, unsure if that reflected badly on him.
“Hey,” Brad said, his tone gentle. He reached over, setting his large hand over Ian’s. “It’ll be fine.”
Ian didn’t want to unload his worries on Brad, not where Gwen could hear. So he waited as Brad drove them through town, past the busy streets and down some winding lanes, where the better houses in Meadowfall were.
Decades ago, Ian had grown up in this area. He’d moved out of his parents’ place as soon as he could, into an apartment of his own. Then he’d stayed there until he’d had Gwen, and they’d moved into the dingy apartment they now called home.
It had been six years since Ian had a decent bed, and he couldn’t help looking forward to tonight. Sleeping with Brad, curling up with him. Having Brad press him into the mattress, his hands heavy on Ian’s skin.
Ian gulped, his thoughts wandering. Would Brad agree to touch him? Share his bed?
What would it be like, waking up with his alpha?
Squirming, Ian glanced at Brad, only to see the calm smile on Brad’s lips. That didn’t help his nerves, not the slightest bit.
13
Ian
They pulled up to a small house, one with a two-car garage and a desert landscape instead of a lawn. It was single-story, with a row of large barrel cacti beneath the living room window. Ian looked at the
clean white siding on the house, the simple windows, the porch with an iron helix holding up one corner of the eaves.
“It’s not a huge place. I’ve been making payments on it,” Brad said. “But otherwise it’s mine.”
Ian glanced enviously at the house. It would be so nice to have a place he could call his own.
“Like I said, you’re welcome to move in,” Brad added.
“We are?” Gwen asked, peering up at Ian.
“Gwen!” Ian chuckled awkwardly. “I think it’s too early to decide on that. It’s… I don’t think we’re ready yet. If at all.”
Brad shrugged, but his gaze remained locked on Ian. “Tell me if you change your mind.”
He unlocked the door, throwing on the lights inside. Ian ushered Gwen in first.
The living room had been painted tan, with deep red accents on the windows and wall skirting. The couches were green, and metal floor lamps arched over them. It looked like the home of someone who had money to spare.
“Worked OT a whole bunch one year,” Brad said, following Ian’s gaze. “It paid for all the furnishing. I did the painting myself.”
“Oh.” Ian swallowed. It was ironic how Brad had his life together better than Ian did, and he was only twenty-nine.
Hesitantly, Ian followed Brad through the house. Brad led them to the kitchen first—brushed steel accents everywhere, with a matte-surface cement countertop and redwood cabinets. There was a schedule on the fridge, some magnets, some old photos.
“Put your grapes in the fridge,” Brad told Gwen. “No eating in bed.”
Gwen stuck her box of grapes in the fridge. Ian glimpsed a few items of food—eggs, trays of meat, some almond milk. “You’re lactose intolerant?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Brad said. “Can’t have cheese, either.”
“Me too,” Gwen said. Brad glanced at her in surprise.
Ian should’ve connected the dots sooner. Of course Gwen had inherited that from her other dad—it only made sense.
Embarrassed that he hadn’t figured it out earlier, Ian rubbed his arms, trailing after Brad to the laundry room. Being in Brad’s home, it seemed there was a world of things Ian still didn’t know about his alpha.
“We’re gonna get your PJs washed, and then you can wear them,” Brad told Gwen. He snapped off the tags on the new clothes. “Sensitive skin?”
Ian shook his head, so Brad dispensed some detergent into the machine, and let it run.
“Do you wanna see your room?” Brad met Gwen’s eyes.
“Uh-huh!”
Brad eased past them to the next room, flipping on the light. In the middle of the room, a mattress lay on the floor, fitted with colorful sheets.
“I found a truck one,” Brad said. “Like it?”
“It’s a rainbow truck bed!” Gwen squealed, dashing into the room. She leaped onto the bed, giggling when she bounced into the air.
“Don’t get too rough with it,” Brad said. “It’s an air mattress, so you don’t want it to pop like a balloon.”
Gwen looked warily at the mattress, stepping off it.
“It’s not that bad.” Brad sat down on one corner of the mattress. “It’s fine so long as you don’t jump on it.” He bounced lightly on the mattress, patting the spot next to him.
Gwen sat slowly next to Brad, peering down at the mattress as though it would burst beneath her.
“See? Brad said. “If you’re good to the mattress, it’ll be good to you, too.”
“Okay,” Gwen said, patting her new bed. “I’ll be good to it.”
“Atta girl.”
Brad ruffled her hair, and Gwen shied away from him. “My hair!”
“You got nice hair,” Brad said. “Like your dad.”
Ian blushed when they both looked up. He’d been enjoying himself, watching them. Didn’t know how to react to Brad’s attention on him, all warm and admiring.
“Right, so your dad and I are gonna have a talk,” Brad said. “There’s some books here, or you can watch TV in the living room. I’ll get you the PJs when they’re done drying, okay?”
Gwen nodded, padding curiously over to the bookshelves in the corner of the room.
“Some of those are from when I was growing up,” Brad said. “There’s books about rabbits and trucks, and some firefighter ones. If there’s anything you don’t know, ask your dad or me.”
“Okay.” Gwen pulled out a slim picture book, flipping it open.
“That must’ve been a well-rounded childhood education,” Ian said dryly. “Did you buy the books recently?”
“A couple of them.” Brad stood, joining Ian by the bedroom door. He slipped his arm around Ian’s waist, and pulled him out of the room.
The moment he shut the door, Brad hauled Ian against him and pressed their lips together, kissing Ian so deep his toes curled.
“She’s great,” Brad murmured against Ian’s lips. “You did great with her.”
Ian shivered, his heart thudding. It was one thing to have strangers tell him how well he’d raised Gwen, but to have Brad say that? Gwen’s other dad? That was a compliment on a whole new level, and Ian’s heart swelled.
“You’re giving me too much credit,” he mumbled, looking away.
“I’m not,” Brad growled.
Then he pinned Ian against the wall and kissed him again, all lips and teeth and tongue. Ian arched against him, sparks sizzling through his tired body. “Brad—”
“Mine.” Brad scooped Ian against himself. He stroked his palms down Ian’s back, kissed along Ian’s jaw so Ian gasped, dragging his nails down Brad’s sides. He wanted more. He knew he shouldn’t, but it was all so nice.
Brad sucked on Ian’s lower lip, dragging his teeth across it. Then he pulled away, watching Ian with that bright gleam in his eyes.
“We have some things to talk about,” Brad murmured.
Ian sighed, fighting down his whine. “I hope they’re good things.”
“They will be. Most of them, anyway.”
Brad leaned away, linking his fingers with Ian’s. Then he headed to the front door, where Ian had left his bag. “Are your bills in here?”
Ian hesitated, his stomach clenching. “Why are you asking?”
“Because I’m gonna take your bills from you,” Brad said. “And pay them.”
It sounded too good to be true. “I’m not sure you should.”
“Are they in here, or not?”
Ian slouched. He didn’t want to look at his bag. “Yes, they are.”
“If it’s in my power to help, then I’m helping,” Brad said, riffling through Ian’s bag. He pulled out the envelopes, and Ian looked away. “These?”
“Yes.”
Ian stepped away from him, so he didn’t have to see Brad judging him for the bills.
Brad pulled open an envelope, and sucked in a sharp breath. That one had been five thousand dollars.
“I’ve paid that,” Ian said, wincing. “You don’t have to.”
Brad opened another bill, and Ian looked away. He didn’t know what to do, faced with all these things. They’d come to haunt him again next month, and the month after that.
“I’m paying this,” Brad said. Then he tucked all the bills under his arm, and headed off to another room.
Ian scrambled after him. “Where’re you going?”
“Getting on the computer. It’s easier to do this shit online.”
“You really are set on paying them,” Ian said weakly.
Brad sat at his desk, the computer’s glow a bluish-white on his face. Ian squirmed. He didn’t want to say yes, but he didn’t want to say no, either. He watched as Brad opened his internet browser, typing the address for the payment page.
Brad completed the payment for one bill, grabbing Ian’s address and details off the paperwork. Then he moved on to the next bill, and Ian stared in amazement as the payments went through, and the confirmation numbers loaded. With each payment that processed, the weight on his heart eased.
It
seemed so easy, Brad making those deadlines vanish with a few clicks of his mouse.
“You could be spending that money elsewhere,” Ian mumbled.
Brad rolled his eyes. “I need you to log in for this one. They won’t let me do the payment if you don’t. Bastards. Do they want my money, or not?”
Ian chuckled. He shuffled over to Brad, hunching to type on the keyboard. Brad wrapped his arms around Ian’s waist, pulling him closer. Then he sat Ian down on his lap. Ian yelped.
“This is too intimate, isn’t it?” he mumbled.
Brad raised an eyebrow. “This is intimate?”
Ian’s cheeks grew hot. These days, it seemed everything they did was intimate. “I’m not sure you should be doing this. I mean… we’re not in love or anything.”
Brad wet his lips, his eyes dark. “You don’t know if this is love.”
Ian’s heart stopped. “Is it? You can’t be. I’m not… I’m just…”
Brad shrugged. “I like you. Maybe more. Isn’t that enough?”
Ian wasn’t sure what he wanted. He craved stability in his life. He wanted someone he could depend on. But his problems seemed too much for any person to bear, much less shoulder for the long term. “I’m a mess.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Ian cringed. Brad pulled him closer. He finished the payment on the website, then checked the auto-pay box.
“Don’t do that,” Ian yelped.
Brad saved the payment option, glancing at him. “It’s for the hospital. And it’s Gwen’s bills, anyway. You’ve been paying them long enough.”
Ian wanted to protest. But the thought of having one less bill to look at… He didn’t have the strength to say no.
Brad nuzzled his shoulder, cupping Ian’s hand as they waited. Then he turned Ian’s hand around, and paused at the line of trapped blood on Ian’s thumb. Ian couldn’t meet his eyes.
“Is it possible for you to stop doing this?” Brad murmured, stroking Ian’s thumb.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure there’s a way for me to.” Ian sagged. “It was the bills this time. I just… It’s a lot to deal with, Brad. I don’t know how long I can stay sane with all this happening.”
“If there’s bills you don’t want to look at, give them to me,” Brad said. “I promise I’ll take care of them.”
Omega Teacher’s Secret Page 13