One: I blew my chance long ago. Two: some people deny fate. Three: He’s so pure and cute, and I don’t want to break him or lose him or…
An indistinct announcement echoed overhead, tearing him from his mental list. He ran his hand over his face with a groan.
I can’t even lose him. He’s not mine. He felt a sudden pang of heartbreak as he leaned against the gray wall of the hallway.
Damn it.
He hadn’t realized how hard it had been to breathe in that stuffy room. He loved the scent of flowers, he had to with his job, but it was overwhelming when the scent was coming from Sawyer. He walked down the flights of stairs and wandered around until he found his target: a lonely vending machine in a tucked-away corner of the waiting area.
“Oh, sweet bars of chocolatey goodness,” he whispered quietly to himself. In his mind, he was a calm, put-together alpha that was just getting a late-night snack. In reality, he was probably caressing the vending machine, but he didn’t care. He needed that candy.
“Bless me this, this daily bread of mine,” he joked as he ripped open the wrapper.
Snack in hand, he leaned against the side of the vending machine. This was a quiet, dark corner of the hospital, a small haven for those seeking respite from the blinding lights and squeaks of the gurneys. His gaze turned to the windows nearby.
Still snowing. No wonder Lukas loves it here. He sighed. Just like the hubbub of Atlanta, but with the added bonus of not drowning in sweat in February.
“Tried to sneak away, I see,” came a hushed voice from his side.
Colton jumped, startled by the face of a young man close to his shoulder. “Oh, you’re–”
“Yep, Eliseo. We met at the fair." Eliseo held out his hand with a smile. “Lukas saw you leave and sent me after you. What’cha doing all the way down here?”
Colton shook his hand and sheepishly smiled. “I had a hunger deep down inside me that could only be quelled by one thing." He motioned to his candy bar.
He hoped that didn’t sound too sinister. Last thing he needed was to have another omega afraid of him. His worries were dashed when Eliseo let out a startlingly loud laugh. He relaxed a bit. Well, good, at least he wasn’t a complete terror to omegas everywhere.
“Sounds like me and my coffee. My wakey-wakey beans,” Eliseo said with a bright smile. “But seriously, you should come hang out with us. It’s not every day you get a new family member.”
Colton sighed. “I’ll have plenty of time to sit down with her when I get settled in. Besides that, I can’t–”
“Why? Because of Sawyer?”
I didn’t even finish my sentence.
“I didn’t want to stick around and make him uncomfortable. Surely, I’ll have more time to spend with her once I get settled in.”
Eliseo sighed. He motioned for Colton to sit down on the nearby couch with him. “Yo, Colton. I gotta tell you something. Come on now, don’t be shy.”
Colton followed. He wasn’t in the mood to fight this right now. Better to go with the flow. He groaned as he sank into the soft couch and threw his free arm across the back of it.
“Don’t fall asleep on me. I have some important insider info for you,” Eliseo reported.
Colton’s ears perked up, intrigued by the secretive tone of the omega’s voice.
“Now, this may come as a surprise to you, but bear with me." Eliseo looked around, spying for prying eyes. “You ready?”
Colton wrapped up his candy bar and unintentionally leaned forward. He was definitely intrigued, if not amused.
“Big, big, big surprise here, but do you know Sawyer has talked non-stop about you since you left for Atlanta?”
“Talks about how much of a loser I am, right?” Colton smirked and threw his arms behind his head.
Damn it. He probably should have finished his candy before throwing his arms around. Wrapping it up hadn’t saved it from the force of gravity. The sugary treat was probably somewhere behind the couch now.
He’d have to fish it out later—no sense leaving more of a mess for the janitors. Luckily, Eliseo didn’t notice. He had to play it cool and pretend it hadn’t happened. Yeah, he was a cool, suave alpha.
“No! Oh, man, if you could have heard him in the first few weeks after you left. Every time he talked about you, he got this look in his eyes. And it wasn’t one of hate, let me tell you. Trust me, he’s playing the cold-hearted queen card right now, but he’s probably one of the kindest people in Boston,” Eliseo said.
Kind. Yeah, I’ve seen that side. Colton closed his eyes and relaxed into the couch.
“Yeah, he talked about how happy Lukas was when you talked about moving up here, how cute Bitty-Piggy is, and…”
Colton still had his eyes closed. He felt Eliseo shift next to him before his low voice was suddenly next to his ear.
“You know he talked about how strong and stout you were when you caught and held him—how he looked up and saw a handsome face looking down at him. All in broken, stuttering words at first. It was kind of adorable.”
“What?” Colton’s chest tightened.
“Do I need to spell it out for you?” Eliseo grinned. “It’s ultimately your decision, and Sawyer’s, of course. Just take it slow with him if you decide that…well, if you decide to pursue him. He’s had a lot of trouble with pushy alphas for as long as I’ve known him.”
“So, he really doesn’t have an alpha?” Colton asked cautiously.
“Nope. Sure, he’s had alphas go after him, but you’re the first he’s been this messed up by,” Eliseo said. “You hear what I’m saying?”
“Loud and clear, my friend,” Colton muttered. So that explained it. Sawyer was afraid of him, but not in the way he had thought at first. He felt his heart pounding as he leaned forward and balanced his elbows on his knees.
“You look like The Thinker. Come on. Stop thinking, and just do!”
“Just do?”
“Yeah. I mean, you’ve officially moved up here, so it won’t be long-distance. Besides, that,” Eliseo leaned forward and whispered, “Valentine’s Day is coming up soon.”
Oh damn, he had forgotten about that. Valentine’s Day was more of a casual day for him. He had always been the type to celebrate the day after Valentine’s Day, that wonderful day when all the candy and flowers went on sale.
“Anyway, I’m gonna head back up before the nurses kick us out of the room for the night. Think about what I told you, okay?” Eliseo stretched as he rose from the couch.
“Yeah,” Colton mumbled, lost in thought.
“Hey, man. You’re all red now. Calm down."
“Your fault,” Colton said.
“More like Sawyer’s fault. Damn, what a guy, am I right? Anyway, I’ll see ya." Eliseo snickered as he wandered back down the hall.
“Wait, Eliseo?”
“What’s up?”
“Can you let Lukas and Owen know I won’t be back in tonight? I need to get back to the hotel and get things all planned out for the next few days,” Colton said.
“Can do, cap-a-tain." Eliseo did a mock salute before he turned and disappeared.
The corner was too silent after Eliseo left. He had time to think about all the nonsense of the evening.
“Just do or just be?” Colton mussed his hair and groaned. “Always with the opposed opinions.”
The quiet chatter and clatter of the hospital hallways carried on around him as a squall of thoughts swirled through his head. Where should he go from here? He had to make a plan, or he would lose his mind. He sighed, lost in thought as he pulled the couch away from the wall.
First, he would get settled in the hotel, then maybe grab some proper dinner. Take-out and TV sounded great right now. His evaluation was in a few days. He had to get his old suit dry-cleaned and pressed before then.
“Next, move into that apartment, spend some time with Lukas, Owen, and Abigail, then get my bearings. Learn where all the good shops are. Have to plan to get all my furniture up here, too,”
he muttered to himself. He fished out the lost candy bar and discarded it in a nearby trashcan.
He stretched, happy with his plans for the next couple of weeks. He went over everything again as he walked to the entrance of the hospital. He was going to stay on track and get things done. After that, maybe he would…
A searing heat burned his ears and neck. So, Sawyer really was unclaimed. It wasn’t just his imagination, not his nose playing tricks on him.
He shook his head and fanned his neck and ears with his hand. “Don’t have time to worry about that right now. Just stick with the plan.”
He was grateful for the frigid air as he stepped from the hospital. The walk back to the hotel would give him time to cool off and get his mind back on track. He looked back toward the upper floors of the hospital before he stepped down the sidewalk.
“Look out, Boston, Colton McGuire is on the move.”
Chapter 3
“What a meal,” he sighed. It had to have been the best calzone he’d ever had. Either that, or it tasted like that because it was the first real meal he’d had in the last two days. Moving was hard. He barely had time to get everything settled on his old house, let alone remember to eat.
Colton flopped back on the cheap hotel mattress. He stretched across the bed and cringed as he felt a charley horse well up in his leg.
“Oh, my God, I’m getting old. Only twenty-seven, and I’m already falling apart at the seams." Colton sighed and tried not to move his leg.
Or am I twenty-eight now? Damn, now I know why Pa guessed at his own age all the time.
Nearby, oblivious to his troubles, Bitty-Piggy snored in her crate. For such a small creature, she sure could make a racket.
“Noisy, noisy little creature.” He laughed. “You’re even worse than Pa when he fell asleep in his recliner.”
Damn, he missed that man. He had always been a busybody, always out and about doing good in the world. He was also a damn good alpha. He always worked hard to provide for the family, but he was around enough to teach his sons some useful life lessons.
He could still hear them now, the different experiences echoing in his head.
The very first lesson had been an homage to his status. His Pa had taken him out to the lake a few days after he presented, just after he turned thirteen. A bit of an alpha-to-alpha talk, as his old man called it. He should have seen it coming, especially since they had left their fishing rods in the shed. Okay, he wasn’t the brightest kid, but he caught up eventually.
He remembered it clear as day. “As an alpha, you were put on God’s green Earth to guide those who need guidin’ and protect those who need protectin’. Now, I hear those gears a grindin’, but don’t let that big status go to your head. Humility is a virtue, Colton. It’s easy to be a cruel alpha, one who forces others to bend to their will, but a true alpha knows and lives by the fact that everybody has the right to make their own choices and live their own lives.”
The second lesson he recalled was the day he had started high school. Lukas had looked at him with such admiration, as younger siblings do, but deep down, Colton had been scared. He wondered if his Pa had picked up on that. Next thing he knew, his Pa was joking and smiling with him, and slapping him lightly on the back.
“Now, look here. I know it’s a whole new experience, but you’re a McGuire. We have the blood of champions in our veins! Oh, people will talk about you, boy, they always do, but you have two options. You can either sit back and let them lie, or you can work hard and prove them wrong.”
“Some of the best advice I ever got through high school, Pa,” he said quietly, as if talking to a phantom.
Phantoms. He shuddered as the last piece of advice slipped into his thoughts. He could still see his Pa’s smiling face. It was almost scary.
“Remember, not everyone is an axe murderer!”
He chuckled. One horror movie was all it took to mess him up, and boy, had his Pa jumped on that. He couldn’t walk around the house without getting spooked for a week. Nah, give him a comedy or action film any day.
He sighed and switched on the small TV across the room. If he couldn’t walk because of this cramp, then by God, he was gonna watch some Golden Girls reruns. He needed some more sass in his life.
Disappointment seemed to be his ever-constant roommate, however. Across all the channels, Valentine’s Day ads played. Happy couples flashed smiles across the screen as overpriced jewelry, watches, and lingerie appeared and swirled around.
“Damn haunted lacey undergarments." He scowled at the fifth swirling lingerie commercial that flashed across his screen and turned the TV off.
Such is the holiday of love and latex. Colton groaned and folded his hands behind his head. He had already showered and had food, there was nothing good on the TV, and it was too late to go out for drinks with…Well, no, he couldn’t even do that because he didn’t have any friends in Boston yet.
Might as well try to sleep. Maybe I’ll get lucky. He switched off the lamp next to the bed and slipped beneath the shabby duvet.
Strips of light filtered in through the cheap hotel blinds and danced across the ceiling. He closed his heavy eyes and sighed. He really hated this time of night. Around now was when the world started slowing down, even the big cities. It gave him too much time to think before he eventually drifted off into a restless sleep. He folded his arms behind his head and sunk into the pillows.
“He talked about how strong and…” Eliseo’s words swirled around in his mind. “All in broken, stuttering words at first…”
“Oh, boy. Here we go." Colton exhaled slowly.
“It was kind of adorable.”
Well, no doubt about that. He is kind of adorable. He flipped over onto his stomach and buried his face in the lumpy pillow.
Wonder what he’s up to?
Sawyer hummed to himself as he watered the plants throughout his house. After that visit to the hospital, he was happy for the peace and solitude of his home.
At least he hadn’t fallen into the arms of that alpha again, or swooned, as Sienna called it. Sawyer felt his head dip, and he gripped the handle of the watering can tightly. He did not swoon.
No. Not ‘that alpha.’ His name is Colton.
A strong name. It suited him. As Eliseo had said many months ago, the colt has grown into a fine stallion. He was unyielding, sleek–
Well-built, tall, extremely appealin–
Sawyer inhaled sharply, trying to force out that nagging voice that had been with him since he presented. He had beaten it before, and he could do it now.
Deep breath. Hold it in. Relax. Everything is–
A loud squawk from the corner of the living room startled him, and he sloshed water on the floor. His heart pounded hard in his chest.
Hot, way too hot. Damn it.
He quickly mopped up the water, sat down on the couch, and buried his flaming face in his hands. The small apartment was suddenly too quiet. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears. Only the noise of the streets below told him that time still marched on.
He heard the flutter of wings before he felt two pairs of clawed feet grasp his shoulder lightly.
“Oh, you two…”
Takahama and Akiko. They were a chipper pair of lovebirds, two peacemakers in a world of trouble.
“Are you two here to comfort me or to mock me? Twitter sweet songs in my ear? Or poop on my shoulder?”
Another squawk from Takahama forced a smile to his face.
“At least Akiko cares." He looked at the little bird closest to his ear. She tweeted simple, delicate notes. Yeah, she was always the soothing one.
“Hang on tight." He spoke softly to the birds as he stepped to the window overlooking the street. He needed some fresh air. He pulled it open and relished the smells of fried food from the street vendors and restaurants nearby.
Akiko chirped happily on his shoulder. He trusted these two to stay put even when the outside world was so close. Takahama might have been loud, but he wasn
’t stupid. Even if he was, Akiko would keep him in check.
Below, he watched the people wandering the sidewalk. It was already late, but countless people still wandered by. Young men, women, families, friends. He could see them all. So close, but so far.
Giggles caught his attention. He craned his neck and saw a young couple walking close together, wrapped up in each other’s arms.
They looked so happy. All of them did. He idly stroked the heads of his birds and sighed. His thoughts went back to the face Colton had made when they met in the hospital room. The alpha had looked so happy when they were finally able to talk, even if it was just a few, meager words. Just like a big, fluffy golden retriever.
“You know, guys, I was a bit of an ass today," he whispered to the winged creatures. “He didn’t do anything wrong, but I still treated him like garbage. Even back then…”
All those months ago at the fair, he had been terrified. First, it had been the thought that he was about to plummet to his death in front of his friends, then, he had ended up held tightly in the brawniest arms he had ever seen.
The only thing he registered after suddenly coming to a stop was the overwhelming scent of alpha. It had been all around him, a heated voice only he could hear. It whispered softly to him and spread goosebumps across his skin. Then, it became stifling, a heat he couldn’t escape from. All he knew was that he had to get away. Fast.
It was a bit of a dick move, running away like that, but he had been scared. Hell, he still was, but maybe, just maybe, he could make up for it once he got to know the alpha.
“After all, if all goes well, he’ll be sticking around,” Sawyer muttered. Maybe he could invite Colton out for lunch and apologize once everything got settled. “Maybe we can put all this behind us.”
The thought of being friends with the alpha who had turned him into a babbling fool was interesting. God, how would that work? He wasn’t like Lukas, who could talk to anyone, and he definitely wasn’t like Eliseo, who could joke his way out of any bad situation.
Forget Me Not, My Dear Omega Page 3