Forget Me Not, My Dear Omega

by Marianna Forrest

  “You didn’t mention this before!” Eliseo’s panicked voice rose an octave.

  “I know.” Sawyer raised his eyebrow, then turned away from Eliseo. “Hey everyone! Colton, you remember Abe.” Sawyer smiled at his mate. “And is that Rachel I see back there?” Sawyer leaned to the side to see. A young girl peeked shyly from behind the man.

  “Hey, Abe. Colton. Nice to meet you.” Colton reached out.

  “Yeah, likewise.” Abe shook his hand enthusiastically. “And yes, Sawyer, Rachel’s here. She’s just a bit shy today.”

  “Hey, Rachel. Wanna meet the little one? It’s okay.” Sawyer softly called out to her.

  “It’s okay, Rachel, go on,” Abe encouraged her.

  After a moment of hesitation, Rachel carefully walked to the edge of the bed, and Sawyer held the little bundle out.

  “Wow…she looks just like you,” Rachel whispered. “A little you.”

  “A mini-me?” Sawyer gently ran his finger over the baby’s cheek and smiled as she stirred.

  Rachel nodded. “Yep! A mini-me!” She paused for a second and looked back at Abe. “Oh, yeah!” She hopped from the edge of the bed, rushed back to the man, and rummaged through a gift bag he held.

  “Oi, Rachel, be careful. Don’t rip the bag.”

  “Sorry, I want to show him the toy we got for her.” Rachel found what she was looking for and plopped it on the bed. “This is Hamtaro!”

  “What a cute little hamster! I haven’t seen this guy in years…” Sawyer gasped and held it up, showing it off to everyone. “She’ll love this. Thank you, Rachel.”

  Abe held up another bag. “And this is from Oppa. A few meals for both of you so you don’t have to worry about cooking when you get home.”

  “Oh, that’s what I was smelling.” Colton beamed. “Thanks a ton, man. And thank your Oppa for us, please.”

  “Not a problem. He enjoyed every second of it.” Abe smiled. “It’s not often he gets a chance to cook for others anymore.”

  “Mhm, Oppa had a lot of fun with this.” Rachel pointed to the bag. “He even made some fresh clam chowder!”

  “With his secret ingredient,” Abe confirmed. “Don’t ask. It’s called a secret ingredient for a reason. I don’t know it, Micah doesn’t know it, not even Appa knows it!”

  The chatter picked up again as people exchanged gifts. Eliseo gathered his courage and stepped over to Sawyer’s side.

  “And I have this.” He pulled an elf costume from one of his bags. “I mean, it’s a bit big for her now, but maybe next year?”

  “Absolutely.” Sawyer nodded.

  “So, what’s her name?” Rachel asked.

  Sawyer smiled and held up the baby. “Her name is Iris. Iris Josmida.”

  “Josmida?” Owen asked.

  Colton wrapped an arm around Sawyer’s shoulders. “A combination of his Nomo and Noma’s names, Josie and Sumida.”

  “I love it!” Rachel beamed. “I wish Hazel could be here, too.”

  “Oh, yeah. Sienna, Hazel, Andre, and Dahlia wanted to be here so badly, but they were already out of town by the time the contractions kicked in.” Sawyer sighed. “Iris will be here when they get back.”

  “Can we play a game?” Rachel rocked back and forth on her heels. “We brought a couple of board games and cards.”

  “What do we have?”

  “Uh…” Rachel dug through a bag Abe had set down. “We have checkers, Life, and Candyland!” She stacked the boxes on the bed.

  “Well, in celebration of life, we should play that.” Colton leaned down and kissed Sawyer’s hair before moving a table near the bed. “C’mon, everybody.”

  A few short hours later, the room was quiet again, as everyone had gone home with a promise to return the next day. Or it would have been quiet if Colton had stopped pacing. Sawyer grumbled. He forced his eyes open as Colton’s shoes clicked past the bed.

  “What’s got you in a tizzy?” Sawyer mumbled as Colton paced back and forth across the room for the umpteenth time. “Aren’t you tired? You should get some rest.”

  “Sorry, angel. There’s something bothering me,” Colton started. “It’s about Abe.” He crossed his arms and leaned back against the door.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Back in the bar, he had a distant, hurt look in his eyes when Eliseo left the building. But seeing him in here, so close for so long? There’s just…something.”

  Colton was quiet for a moment before he drew a sharp breath. He pushed off the doorframe and crossed the room.

  Sawyer shifted in his bed and yawned. He mumbled restlessly, “Did you figure it out?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, I did. His scent and demeanor said ‘beta,’ but his eyes—” Colton looked out into the dark hospital courtyard and crossed his arms. “His eyes screamed ‘alpha.’”

  The End

  Author’s Note

  Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed Sawyer and Colton’s adventures!

  Be sure to keep an eye out for my next book, A Tale of Satin and Steel, where we will follow the shenanigans of Eliseo and Abraham! (You know it had to happen eventually!)

  Other books by Marianna Forrest

  Omegas of Boston series – M/M Romance, Mpreg, Fated Mates, Low Angst.

  Starry Skies for My Omega.

  Forget Me Not, My Dear Omega.

  (TBR) A Tale of Satin and Steel.

  (TBR) A Road Trip with My Mate.

  * * *

  To keep up with new releases and updates, please join my group on Facebook! In the near future, there will also be world lore, character info, and such posted here.

  Marianna Forrest’s Forest of Fancies

  Excerpt

  Book 3 Excerpt:

  A Tale of Satin and Steel

  * * *

  That looks like the place…

  Eliseo had spotted the picturesque little mechanic’s shop at the end of Old Town Road from a mile away. Even from a distance, it was easy to see that this historic road was a haven. It was surrounded by a dozen other mom-and-pop shops, all of them hidden from the excitement of the big city.

  Which was just what he needed. Maybe he could get some new designs done while his car was being worked on. As if on cue, his car sputtered a little bit.

  “Yeah, I feel that. I need a break too, girl.” Eliseo patted the console gently before he pulled into the shop’s lot. As he stepped from his car, he noticed that, despite the glowing reviews the shop had, the lot was relatively empty.

  He gave a quick glance to his phone, eyeing the time. Only 10am. I guess it’s not often I’m out on the roads now. Usually, I’m stuck at work.

  Eliseo shoved his phone back in his pocket and slung his bag over his shoulders. Well, maybe it was for the best. If it was this slow, they should hopefully have no problem squeezing him in.

  This place is really… He stroked his chin and stared at the vines climbing the red brick walls. Old, rusted signs decorated parts of the windows, and a wrought-metal sign lightly swung above his head. …Charming.

  Charming wasn’t even the half of it. When Eliseo stepped through the door, he realized that it was like a whole new world inside the shop, and the ruler of that world, a little Boston Terrier, rushed to greet him with enthusiasm. Living in Boston had its perks, you know?

  “Oh, my goodness! Hello, sweet baby!” Eliseo stooped down to harass the wrinkly little pooch at his feet. “Aren’t you just the cutest little pupper?”

  “She is cute, isn’t she?” The clerk behind the counter stood from her chair with a giggle. “Her name is Kiwi. And that one…” Her eyes motioned to a corner of the shop. “…is Peaches.”

  “There’s another one?” Eliseo stared in awe. “Am I dreaming?”

  Sure enough, in the corner was a comfy-looking dog bed, and atop it, slept another Boston Terrier that could rival the cuteness of Kiwi. Really, it all came down to which one was the fattest. Eliseo grinned, imagining how they would look all bundled up in some custom-made doggy sweaters.
Winter was coming up soon, after all.

  It was a struggle to tear himself away from the rotund animals, but he had business to attend to. He gave Kiwi one last snuggle and stood before dragging himself to the counter.

  “Hey, I was wondering if you had a bit of time to squeeze my car in?” He cast a sidelong glance to his old Ford Mustang sitting out in the parking lot. “It’s had a rough couple of days.”

  “Yeah, I’ll say.” The clerk’s eyes widened, and she let out a low whistle. “What happened?”

  Eliseo leaned on the counter and sighed. “I don’t even know. I was at work, and I came out, and it was like that. They didn’t leave contact info or anything.”

  The clerk nodded and crossed her arms. “There’s been a lot of that recently…”

  “Luckily, some guy at the convenience store saw my car roll up, and he gave me this card.” Eliseo pulled the card from his wallet and held it up between two fingers. “Decided I’d check it out since I’ve heard so many good things about this place.”

  The clerk’s eyes lit up. “Absolutely! Let me tell you, I’ve worked for a lot of shops in my lifetime, and I’ve never seen people so dedicated to their work.” She motioned to a picture on the wall behind her. “See that lady? That’s old Leonetta. She’s the owner of this shop. She opened it up quite a while ago, and she’s like this perfect mix of crazy and caring. They’re like a big ol’ family here.”

  Must be nice. Eliseo bit his lip, pushed down the pain in his chest, and forced a smile. “Anyway, the guy that gave me this card said to ask for someone named Abby?”

  The clerk perked up again. “Let’s see…”

  She clicked away on her keyboard faster than he could keep up. He would never understand how people could type that quickly.

  “Yep, he has a few spots open today. I’m sure he can get you squeezed in!” She stopped a passing mechanic and called him over. He wiped his face with a soiled cloth, getting a bit of oil and grime on his skin before he glanced at Eliseo.

  Wait, that’s–

  “You’re the guy from the store!” Eliseo’s eyes gleamed with delight, and the man’s face seemed to mirror his.

  “Hey! Nice to see you again. Glad to see you took my advice and stopped by.”

  “So, it was all a ploy to bring in more business, huh?” Eliseo arched his eyebrow. “Should I assume that this is all staged? Were you planted in that store to wait for me?”

  “You got me.” He threw his hands up. “I confess.”

  The clerk stretched her hand out to the mechanic and tried to get his attention. “Siegal, sorry to interrupt, but he needs to see–”

  “I got you, girl. I know exactly who he’s after.” Siegal tossed the rag back over his shoulder and headed back to the work area. “I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

  The clerk sat back down with a relieved sigh and started working on her computer again. After a short time, she looked back up. “Alright, if you’ll just toss me those keys, I’ll pass ‘em over to Abe when he gets out here.”

  “Abe?” Eliseo squeaked. “Wait, Abe, as in, Abraham?”

  Surely not. Maybe it’s a different Abe.

  “Of course! Abby is his nickname. Abby, Absters, Absalom, you name it. He’s one of the best ones here, so I’m sure he’ll get you in and out of here right quick.” She leaned forward and whispered, “But don’t tell Siegal I said that. It’ll break his little heart.”

  Eliseo quickly handed over his keys and claimed a seat in the waiting area.

  It’s fine. Everything is fine. There’s, like, a million Abraham’s out there…

  His ears perked as he heard distant voices becoming clearer. He grabbed the newspaper from a nearby table and tore it open, holding it up to hide his face. And not a moment too soon. The squeak of the door leading to the work area echoed throughout the small shop, followed by that cheery voice he knew so well.

  Oh, hell.

  Fate liked playing tricks on him, it seemed. He gripped the newspaper tightly, crumpling the edges before he whipped out his phone and started frantically texting Julian.

  I swear to Goodra, he better be paying attention to his phone for once.

  < Danger. Danger! >

  This can’t be happening to me.

  < Mayday! >

  Out of all the shops in Boston–!

  Eliseo stared at his sent messages for one whole hot second before he started dialing Julian’s number.

  I know you’re not at work. Please answer me, it’s an emergency!

  Relief flooded his system as he heard Julian’s quiet voice on the other end of the phone. Goodra seemed fit to never let him down.

  “Julian? Please tell me you can come.”

  “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

  “No, I’m not okay,” Eliseo whispered roughly into the phone. “I called upon the power of Goodra if that says anything.” He ignored the stares of the few patrons nearby.

  “I don’t–” Julian paused. “That’s Pokemon, right?”

  “That’s what you’re worried about?” Eliseo trembled. “There are bigger things at stake here, Julian!”

  “Alright, alright. So, what’s going on? Did your car die on the way to the shop or something?” Eliseo could hear him tapping away on his computer, no doubt working on his next book.

  “No, it’s the shop itself!”

  That got his attention. “What do you mean? The reviews for that place are astounding!”

  “Julian, you don’t understand. Abe is here. Julian, I repeat: Hot guy is here. He works here. He’ll treat me right, that’s what the guy at the convenience store said! Oh, and that guy works here, too! Ohhhh,” Eliseo gripped his phone tighter. “Dude, please, I can’t!”

  “Why not?”

  “He’ll. Treat. Me. Right!” Eliseo stammered into the phone.

  “Oh no, a tragedy.” Julian sighed. Eliseo’s ears perked as he heard Julian’s rickety old chair squeak and his closet door slide open. “I’ll be there in a few.”

  “A few? A few what? Minutes? Hours?”

  “It’s a mystery to all.”