Omega Wanted: Bad Boy Mpreg Romance

by Stephan James

  Cameron looked up when his father entered the room, opening his arms and whimpering until Kayden lifted him up. Pressing his tiny, scrunched-up face against his father’s shoulder, the toddler began to babble nonsensically about being thirsty and having an ‘owie’ head.

  “I know sweetheart, I know,” Kayden hushed the fussy child, kissing his forehead and letting the boy complain against his shirt.

  If his head hurt, he didn’t want to know how badly his poor little son’s head felt. Rubbing at his son’s back and carrying him into the kitchen, he hesitated when he spotted Neil sitting at the table. The man’s shoulders were rigid, his hand shaking around the phone in his hand.

  The man was obviously lost in his conversation, his hands shaking as he held the phone to his ear. His bow was furrowed, his lip between his teeth as he glared into the distance. Whoever he was talking with obviously wasn’t happy, and though Kayden couldn’t hear what they were saying, he knew that whatever they were discussing was aggravating his mate.

  “I had nothing to do with it, I’ve told you that three times,” Neil whispered, his hand white-knuckled around his phone. “You told me that no one else was involved. I’ve done everything you said, so what the hell was that? It was completely out of control,” he hissed, leaving a frown on Kayden’s lips as he pressed against the wall and listened in to what the man was saying.

  Whatever the man was discussing wasn’t good. He looked upset, his face contorted and livid as he held onto the phone. Leaning against the wall, Kayden strained to hear what they were talking about while cradling his confused toddler to his chest.

  “You told me when I agreed to help you that this sort of thing wasn’t going to happen,” Neil growled lividly, anger rolling off him in waves. “I told you I would help, but if this happens again? I’m done. You hear me? I don’t care what my brother owed you.” He growled, ending the call and setting the phone down on the tabletop.

  Sitting back in his chair, he shakily ran his fingers through his hair looking up when Cameron let out a noise of protest when his father refused to move into the kitchen. Flinching, Kayden took a deep breath before moving in. He knew that he was just being suspicious, but something about what the man was saying over the phone didn’t sit well with him. He was sure that it was nothing, and that whatever the other was arguing about was harmless, but he couldn’t swallow down the feeling that it wasn’t as innocent as he would hope.

  “How long have you been up?” Neil asked, moving to his feet and taking two quick steps across the kitchen to cup Kayden’s cheek in his hand. When he leaned down and pressed their lips together, Kayden felt all of his worries fade away into nothing.

  “Just for a little. Cameron has a headache,” Kayden explained when Neil pulled back, smiling when the other reached out and cupped Cameron’s cheek in his calloused hand.

  “Is that right? I’m sorry, little guy.” The man frowned, brushing the boy’s hair from his face. “How bout I make you some breakfast, and then we’ll see about going and picking up something for that headache of yours?”

  Cameron didn’t look terribly convinced, but he did relax when he felt the man’s warm hand press against his temple. The child was still crabby, but the warm touch to his aching head seemed to help enough to quiet his whimpers.

  “I think that’s a good idea. I need to pick up a few things for him anyway,” Kayden mumbled, trailing his hand over his son’s back. The realization that his wallet, as well as the rest of his belongings, had been destroyed in the fire left Kayden groaning. A curse fell from his lips.

  “What’s the matter?” Neil asked, a worried look on his face as he trailed his fingers through the man’s hair.

  “My wallet, my ID, everything is still in the apartment. What’s left of it.” Kayden swore, blinking when the man smiled sadly back at him and pulled him into a hug.

  “You know when I said I’d take care of you, I meant it,” Neil promised, kissing the top of his head and rubbing gently at his back. “Don’t worry about money for now, just focus on getting your feet under you. You don’t need to worry about a thing,” he insisted, kissing the small bite mark on Kayden’s shoulder and coaxing a hum from his new mate.

  He didn’t need to worry about a thing. The notion was completely foreign to Kayden. He’d had to worry ever since he left home. He had been on his own. No friends, no family. He had been completely by himself, left to raise a son while the rest of the world loomed over him like a mountain he had no way to scale.

  Somehow, after a terrible accident that stripped everything from him, he was in a better position than he was before the fire. He had found a guardian angel in Neil, and strange phone call or not, he couldn’t allow himself to overthink the kindness he had been shown. Maybe for once things were actually going his way.

  Sitting down at the table with Cameron hanging off of him like a leech, Kayden watched for a moment as Neil moved around the kitchen and started to prepare breakfast. The apartment was cozy, well-decorated for a single alpha’s place. On the wall, pictures of family members hung clearly on display. From where he was sitting, he could see images of a couple who he assumed was Neil’s parents, standing with two boys that both clearly resembled Neil.

  “You have a brother?” Kayden asked when Neil returned with plates full of eggs and bacon. Neil hesitated when Kayden spoke, looking over at the picture and smiling sadly.

  “Yeah, I do. His name’s Aiden,” Neil explained, sitting down beside Kayden and starting to dig into his food.

  “Does he live around here?” Kayden asked, curious to know more about his lover and his family. For a moment, Neil didn’t answer, his fork hesitating in his food as he frowned.

  “He used to, but he doesn’t live here anymore.” Neil’s voice was soft, his eyes locked onto his food as he spoke. “My brother, he got himself into some trouble. He had been messing around with some of the mobs around here. I moved here hoping that I could get his life back in order, but it never happened. He refused to give up the criminal life. I don’t know what happened, or where he went, but I know that wherever he is, he’s in trouble.”

  Kayden frowned sympathetically, reaching out and resting his hand on the other’s arm gently.

  The organized crime in the city had been out of control for years. Mobs ran the already-strained law enforcement ragged, while the mob bosses infiltrated everything from political positions to corner coffee shops. Kayden knew too many people who had lost family members, friends, and neighbors to the mob, and it was only getting worse with time.

  As the mobs grew in power, the groups started to combat each other. Violence was common in the lower half of the city, and there was little to nothing that anyone could do about it. His own father, an alpha who worked an honest job every day of his life, had been shot walking home from work when a fight broke out in a nearby bar. Kayden had spent every day after his death wishing that he could leave the city, but moving cost money, and money was something that he didn’t have.

  “I’m sorry. I know how hard that must be,” Kayden sighed, leaning in and kissing his lover on the lips, ignoring his son’s noise of protest at the movement. “I’m sure wherever he is, he’s fine.” Neil shook his head, looking back at the man sadly. Neil just laughed, shaking his head and gently capturing Kayden’s hand in his own.

  “I moved to town to find the stupid son of a bitch. That doesn’t mean I was expecting to find him alive.” Neil smiled, his eyes soft as he lifted Kayden’s hand up to his lips. “I hope that he’s alive, but the pessimist in me fears the worst. He was always lucky, but I don’t think his luck can save him from his own stupidity.” Neil admitted the words doubtfully, leaning in and kissing the other on the lips slowly. “Don’t worry about it alright? I’ll worry about my dumb ass brother, and you? Focus on keeping that cutie happy.” He smiled, reaching out and tweaking Cameron’s nose.

  Kayden couldn’t help but smile at the gentle action and the way that his son giggled despite being so cross. Leaning ag
ainst the alpha, he felt his heart soar when the other immediately wrapped an arm around his shoulders. For the moment, the only family that he felt he had to worry about was the one growing in the dining room of Neil’s apartment.

  Chapter Five

  Three weeks. They had been staying with Neil for three weeks, and in that time Kayden had fallen hard for his rescuer.

  Though life with Neil appeared to be a Utopia, reality had a way of finding him. After a few stress filled weeks of dealing with insurance agents, his apartment manager, and the police, Kayden was expected to return to work and once again return to normal as if nothing had happened.

  The only difference? Neil was there. He was there to make them both breakfast, and then drive them both around town so that he didn’t have to walk to drop Cameron off at daycare, only to walk three miles to get to where he was employed. Neil didn’t seem bothered in the slightest by the distance, and seemed to enjoy just being able to hold Kayden’s hand as they drove.

  He thought that their newly formed family couldn’t get any better, but he was wrong. He had meant to tell Neil, but a few days prior, he had discovered that he was pregnant. He was going to have Neil’s child, and now he just had to think of a good time to tell him. It would have to wait, he told himself. The last thing he wanted to do was scare Neil away with the news, even if he was almost certain that the other would be as excited as he was about the whole thing.

  “I’ll pick Cameron up after I get done running errands for the guys down at the station,” Neil explained, pressing his lips to Kayden’s lips the moment that they pulled up in front of the bookstore. “Then we’ll swing back here and pick you up, and go get some dinner.” He winked, trailing his fingers through Kayden’s hair gently.

  “Sounds great.” Kayden smiled, reluctantly pulling away from the man and moving to get out of the car.

  “See you later, sweetheart,” Neil waved, his car pulling away as Kayden waved after him. For a moment, Kayden just watched until he could no longer see the man, thinking that if he turned away it would turn out to have just been a dream.

  “Kayden?” A familiar voice drew him out of his daze, and warm arms wrapped around his waist before he could turn around.

  “Abby, hello.” He smiled, hugging the old woman to him when she squeezed him closer. “I’m guessing that you heard about the-.”

  “Fire! Yes of course I heard about the fire! It was all over the news.” The woman huffed, adjusting her large framed glasses as she stepped back and examined the omega in front of her. “You should have called! For all I knew, you were dead.”

  “I would have, I promise, but my phone was another thing that I lost in the fire,” Kayden pointed out, sighing and following the woman into the small corner bookstore.

  Jobs were hard to find for omegas. Most people who ran businesses believed that omegas wouldn’t be able to do the work that an alpha or beta would be able to handle. They were seen as weaker, and a distraction to the alphas that worked in the same place.

  Abby Lichsten was a firm believer that there was nothing that an omega couldn’t do. She had been married to another omega, something that was seen as taboo even by the more open-minded members of society. She never had children, and built a small fortune in business before retiring and starting up the bookstore where the primary purpose was helping people like him find jobs when they needed them most. Her entire purpose in life seemed to be building equality amongst those born with different birthrights.

  It was her that managed to find Kayden an apartment even without a mate, and her who ensured that Cameron would be given free childcare. If she had it her way, Kayden would have long since returned to school and would be well on his way to a degree. He had considered it, but decided that his main focus should be his son, even if that meant struggling for a little longer.

  Closing the door behind them, Abby quickly moved over to a small electric teapot, flipping it on before moving to sit in her chair beside the register.

  “Sit,” she ordered, gesturing to a stool with an impatient look in her sharp, dark eyes. “Now you’re gonna tell me everything that happened, who that young man was that dropped you off, and then we’re going to go over a list of apartments, because there is no way I’m letting you go back to being homeless.” She brushed some lint off of her sweater before giving her full attention back to Kayden.

  He had to give her credit. She didn’t skip a beat when it came to providing for those around her.

  “You don’t have to find me an apartment. I’m actually staying with a- well a friend,” Kayden started, trailing his fingers through his hair with a sigh. “The man you saw who dropped me off, he was the firefighter who saved my son and I. His name is Neil, and I really think that he likes me.” He looked up at the woman with soft, excited eyes. Abby didn’t look terribly convinced.

  “You just met this man and already you’re planning on shacking up with him?” The woman raised an eyebrow. “You barely know the man, and let me guess, he’s an alpha who gave you a pretty smile and offered you a warm meal and a place for your baby boy to sleep safely.” Kayden opened his mouth to protest, but he couldn’t. She was right, of course, he really didn’t know much about the man at all.

  “I trust him,” he sighed, looking back at her and grimacing when he caught the incredulous look on her face.

  “I’m sure yah do, big strong man like that taking you and your baby in like that. I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but you don’t know anything about him,” she pointed out firmly. “You don’t know anything about him. Bein’ a firefighter doesn’t necessarily make him a good person, ya hear?” She reached out and lightly boxed him on the ear. “What did I tell you about talking to pretty strangers?”

  Kayden sighed, rubbing at his aching ear and looking up at the woman. He knew she was right. He knew nothing about Neil, not really, but at the same time? He wanted to trust him. He wanted to believe that there was love at first sight. He wanted to think that the man would always be there to take care of Cameron and himsel.

  “I want to believe that he’s as perfect as I think he is,” Kayden whispered looking up as the woman poured out a cup of tea and pressed it into his hands.

  “No one’s perfect, hun, not even my Lexi was a saint,” Abby pointed out, sipping at her own tea with a soft smile on her lips. “You know how many times I nearly up and walked out the door on her? Don’t ever believe that anyone has a perfect relationship, because perfect doesn’t exist. Everyone has their demons, you just gotta learn to love those too. Love is hard. It takes time, heartache, and headaches to get to the point where you can stay together for years like my Lexi and I did.” Kayden nodded, wrapping his arms around his knees and sighing.

  “I know, I guess I want to believe that maybe I got lucky this time?” he pointed out, blushing when she reached out and touched his knee.

  “Whether or not you did, I’ll be here,” she insisted, pulling the boy into a hug and pressing a kiss to the top of his head when he nodded gratefully. Sitting back, she reached out and ruffled his hair gently. “Now, how about you get started on shelving the new releases? I’ll be upstairs taking a nap if you need me.” She winked, waving him off before moving towards the back room where the stairs to her apartment led.

  Smiling as he watched her go, Kayden moved over to the boxes of books and got to work on starting to put them onto the displays. Anything to get his mind off of the questions now circling through his mind. He had to believe that Neil was the one for him. He couldn’t go through what happened with Cameron’s father again. Reaching down and resting his hand on his stomach, Kayden let out a soft sigh.

  Neil wasn’t like that.

  Chapter Six

  Books had a way of pulling Kayden into a world that made him forget about anything around him. Even just sorting through them transported him away from thinking about his problems. The images printed on the front, heroic men and woman battling through evil doers, and sweeping their true loves off their feet, left his h
eart soaring. It made him believe, even for a moment, that maybe there was such a thing as a happy ending.

  He was just stacking away the last of a new series on the shelf when he heard Abby move back down the stairs. Turning to face her, he smiled when she shoved a small wad of cash and a list into his hand.

  “I need you to go down the street to the holistic market and pick me up a few things. My hip is acting up again. Damn doctor doesn’t know what he’s talking about with all those pills he’s trying to shove my way,” Abby pointed out. Looking over the list, Kayden raised an eyebrow.

  “Devil’s Claw? White Willow bark? What are you making?” he asked, sighing when the woman shoved his jacket into his hands.

  “Never you mind,” she tutted, opening the door for him. “Hurry back. It’s almost dark, and you know how much I hate it when you’re out after dark.”

  “I’ll be right back,” Kayden smiled, shoving the cash into his pocket. It wasn’t the first time that Abby had sent him out to run an errand for her. The woman was a bit odd, but he adored her for it. The world needed more people like her.

  The store was four blocks away from Abby’s bookstore, and took about half an hour for him to hike up the hill to get to it. Obtaining the strange herbs that she requested, he was just about to make his way back down the street when he caught the scent of smoke billowing his way.

  Looking up in confusion, he barely had time to dive to the ground when an explosion of flames burst from the windows across the street. A shower of glass, debris, and ash covered the ground as what had once been a locally-owned pharmacy buckled and collapsed in on itself. Smoke billowing through the air, Kayden stumbled to his feet and looked around in confusion for anyone who knew what was going on.

  The streets were practically empty, most of the foot traffic had long since cleared the streets to return home for dinner. He was the only one there. At least he thought he was the only one, until the smoke billowed to the side and through the rubble he made out someone making his way through the ash and debris.