by Aria Grace
Just then, Naheed walks out of his office. He’s on the broader side of the alpha spectrum, and even though the oaf in front of me is not small, he seems to bristle under Naheed’s heavy stare. “Everything okay out here?”
I try to hide the relief I feel from both men, but I can tell Naheed knows his timing is impeccable as he steps closer to me. The man in front of me plasters on a grin of his own. When he smiles, he’s actually handsome. Just goes to show that you can’t judge a book by its cover. “Everything’s peachy.”
“Yup, this gentleman was just about to leave.”
The guy looks between Naheed and me before scribbling his number on the paper and storming out. Once he’s gone, I let my calm façade drop as I fall into the chair behind me. My eyes are already welling up. Damn pregnancy hormones.
“Thanks,” I mutter to both Naheed and Andy.
“Are you okay?” they both ask at the same time.
“I’m fine. He was just an asshole.”
Andy steps forward and puts his arm around my shoulders, giving me a quick hug. “Sorry I got Naheed, but after the guy threatened you, I didn’t know what he might do.”
“You did the right thing, Andy.” Naheed places a gentle hand on Andy’s. “Thank you.”
I lean against him for a second in a brotherly way. “Yeah, thanks. I might’ve gotten a little cocky toward the end there. I’m glad you guys had my back.”
Naheed squeezes Andy’s hand on my shoulder then steps back. “Why don’t you two go get something to eat? I think there are some chocolate chip cookies coming out of the oven, if my nose isn’t mistaken.”
I take a whiff and nod at his assessment. “I think your nose is on point. And as soon as I pee, I’m gonna go help myself to a few.” I stand up and slide my hand underneath Andy’s elbow. “Shall we?”
“We shall,” Andy says indulgently as he leads me down the hall to my second home, aka the bathroom.
Over the past week, Andy and I have become great friends. He doesn’t stay the night, but he shows up every morning to shower and ends up helping out around the house and hanging with me until I’m ready for bed at night. I don’t know where he’s staying, but he insists he’s safe, so we haven’t pushed the issue with him.
I empty my bladder of the tablespoon worth of urine that fits it in these days, and then we head to the kitchen for some snacks. As soon as we’re comfortably seated in the game room with a plate of cookies between us and tall glasses of milk, Andy starts in on his daily line of questioning about my pregnancy. As usual, he starts off with my plans after the baby is born.
“So, you’re definitely gonna stay here for a while?” he asks.
I take a bite of the warm cookie, savoring its chocolatey goodness with my eyes closed. “Don’t have much choice. Marge is saving a spot for the baby in the infant room, and Naheed said he might have a paid position opening up in about a month, which is right around the time I’ll be able to start working again. So, yeah, I’ll be here for the foreseeable future.”
“Good.” Andy’s voice is full of relief until he realizes what he just said and checks himself. “Sorry, I don’t mean good like, ‘good that you’re living here,’ but more like, ‘good that you’re not leaving yet…’ Well, you know what I mean…”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” I laugh and nudge his foot with mine. “What about you? Did you register for the GED yet?”
He gives me a half grin, and his eyes hold something akin to pride. “Yeah, I started going over the practice tests today. I’ve got a test date set for March 30th.”
“That’s great!” I hold up my glass of milk and wait for Andy to do the same so we can toast his accomplishment. It’s just a start, but it’s a lot further than I expected he’d be when he was sitting out on that bus bench last week. “I need to do it too, but I’ve got a lot more studying to do. Maybe I’ll wait until the baby is in high school, and I can learn everything then.”
“Nah.” Andy looks at me pointedly. “Don’t wait. It’ll help you find a good job, and you’re gonna need that. Now is the perfect time to start studying. You finished ninth grade, right? That’s probably good enough for the test. If not, we can study together.”
I want to decline the offer, but he’s right about me needing to do whatever I can to become employable. Besides, my baby deserves to have a daddy who has at least a high school equivalency. “Yeah, okay. How do we sign me up?”
His grin grows triumphantly. “We’ll do it tonight. It’s easy.”
“Well, we better do it soon.” I cringe as a very mild contraction causes the muscles in my abdomen to cramp up. “’Cuz this baby is getting antsy in here and might be making an appearance sooner than we thought.”
“Really?” He sits up from his relaxed position and looks like he’s ready to call 9-1-1. “You think so? How far apart are the contractions? Should we call an ambulance?”
I laugh out loud at his adorableness. “They’re like two hours apart. It’s gonna be days…maybe many, many days. But I doubt I’ll get to the due date. If there’s a pool, put my name down for March 5th.”
“The 5th?” He looks at his watch and then back at me. “It’s February 26th. You think you’re gonna last a whole ’nother week if you’re already feeling contractions?”
“Oh, ye of little faith.” I pat his knee like a child. “I’ve done this before, and I know how my body works. When I say I’m close, that means I’m close and we need to get to the hospital. Until then, I’m fine.”
He shakes his head in half terror, half fascination. After a quiet minute, the fascination wins out. “Can I go with you when it’s time? I’ve never seen a baby being born, and it sounds really…”
“Gross?” I offer my own opinion on the matter. “Yeah, of course you can. It’ll be like a PSA for practicing safe sex because I barely wanted to have sex ever again after I went through it. From the angle you’re gonna be watching it from, I’ll be surprised if you don’t decide to become a monk after all is said and done.”
“No way,” he says, looking at a man rocking a toddler to sleep in his lap. “It sounds amazing.”
17
Ethan
I’m not gonna say I’ve given up hope because I never will, but I’m definitely starting to get scared. I’ve been searching for Andy at omega shelters, hospitals, police departments, and even high schools, and no one has seen him.
I want to believe that means he’s safely holed up with a friend somewhere, but none of his friends had seen him in days when I went looking for him. And although it’s possible they were lying to protect him, I don’t think they were. They had no reason to protect him from me. I love my brother and would do anything to for him.
And that’s why I’m still out here, even though the unchecked areas on my map are getting smaller and more unlikely with each passing day.
I park in front of the ninth Omega House on my list and say a silent prayer that this one will be my last. That this is the clean and safe shelter Andy has been staying in and the place I can bring him home from.
When I walk inside, a very pregnant omega is squatting beside the front desk and doing some kind of breathing exercises. His eyes are closed tightly, and he looks like he’s in pain.
“Um, excuse me.” I get close and squat down in front of him so we’re at eye level. “Are you okay?”
The man opens his eyes and gasps when he sees me in front of him then loses his balance and almost falls on his ass.
Fortunately, I’m close enough to reach for his arm to stop him from colliding with the hard floor. “Shit, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
His brown eyes lock on mine, and his mouth is hanging open. Then he slowly draws his gaze down to my hand on his arm.
That’s when I realize I’m still holding him. I also realize how soft his skin feels beneath my fingers and that my thumb is rubbing the inside of his forearm. Shit. When did that start?
“Sorry.” I force my hand to release its grip, leaving
the man still squatting in front of me.
“Um, actually.” He sways forward as if he’s trying to stand but can’t. “Can you help me up?”
“Oh, of course.” I place both hands under his elbows and pull him to a standing position. “Sorry. I wasn’t sure what you were doing down there.”
“No worries. Just trying to get comfortable.” The man wipes a bead of sweat off his temple then leans on the counter so his elbows are resting on it and his ass is sticking way out behind him.
God, that is a dangerous pose. Beautifully dangerous.
He looks up at me and flashes a perfectly white smile. “Spoiler alert. Nothing works.”
“Shouldn’t you be lying down or something?” He looks like he’s seconds away from delivering that baby, and I’m wearing my favorite white shirt. It’s not ideal for baby catching, but I guess I could make it work in a pinch.
“God, no!” He seems to give up on this position and pulls the tall stool behind him close enough that he can perch on the edge of it. “Lying down is the worst. This munchkin just presses against…everything. Letting my belly hang forward is the most comfortable…but it’s not exactly conducive to greeting guests.” He finally takes a good look at me, and his tortured expression softens up for a moment. “And speaking of, how can I help you?”
“Um, right.” I pull out the missing person poster I had printed with Andy’s photo and stats. “My name is Ethan Carson, and I’m looking for my brother, Andy. Have you seen him in here before?”
The man’s eyes grow wide. I see definite recognition in them before he schools his features back to the slightly pained expression he’s been wearing since I walked in. “Hmm, I don’t think so, but if you want to leave your contact information, we’ll keep it on file in case he shows up.”
I heave out a deep sigh and look into his eyes. “Look, man. I know you have to be careful about sharing information about the residents here, but if you know my brother, please tell me. I’ve been searching all over the damn state for him, and you’re the first person to give me even a glimmer of hope that he’s okay. Please, I’m begging. I just need to know he’s okay.”
The man is sweating more profusely now, but he takes the flyer and studies it carefully. Then he holds it up so Andy’s photo is aligned with my face. “You definitely bear a strong resemblance to this guy…”
I know he’s still hiding something from me, but it feels like he’s starting to come around. “He’s my only brother, and when my parents told me they kicked him out…or well, I guess he left when they said they were going to kick him out… I’m not really sure how it all went down, but I’ve been sick with worry ever since.”
The guy scoots off the stool and walks around the counter to inspect me up and down. I don’t know what he’s looking for, but I sincerely hope he finds it. After a full minute of just staring at me, he finally gives me something to hold on to. “I think I’ve seen him before. I’m pretty sure he’s safe, but that’s all I can tell you. If you leave your… Fuck.”
Before he can finish his sentence, the guy folds forward, and a rush of fluid flows down his legs into a puddle beneath him.
Instinctively, I reach around his chest to keep him from falling to the ground. “Are you okay?”
“No.” He finally admits what I’ve suspected since I first walked in. He nods toward an open office door at the other end of the lobby. “Naheed, it’s time.”
A large alpha rushes into the lobby and quickly surveys the scene. I can tell he’s surprised to see this man in my arms, but since the guy is clinging to me and panting against my chest, the alpha’s hackles come down, and he reaches for his phone. “I’ll call an ambulance.”
“Dammit.” The omega pushes off my chest when the worst of the contraction eases. “I thought I’d have until the end of the day.”
“He’s in active labor and needs to get to a hospital. Now.” The alpha is practically growling into his phone, and even I can feel chills on my skin from the command in his voice. When he sees us both staring, he pulls the microphone away from his mouth so he can talk to us. “They said they’re thirty minutes out.”
“I can take him.” I’m speaking to the alpha but looking down at the desperate omega in front of me. “If that’s okay.”
“Freddie?” The alpha is asking several questions with that one word. We both hear it, and thankfully, the omega, Freddie, has the wherewithal to respond.
“Oh, right. Naheed, this man is looking for his missing brother, Andy Carson. He’s been searching for a few weeks.”
Recognition dawns on Naheed’s face, and he nods. “I see.”
Freddie tenses up and practically falls into my arms again. “Um, yeah. If that offer for a ride still stands, I’d appreciate it.”
“Yeah, sure.” I take a step toward the front door, gently guiding him with me. “I’m parked right out front.”
“Naheed.” Freddie takes a few deep breaths before steadying himself and pulling away. “Can I borrow some towels for the ride? He probably doesn’t want to have to burn his seat after I’m done with it.”
Naheed chuckles as he turns toward a hallway. “Sure thing, Freddie. I’ll bring them out.”
We’re halfway to my car when Naheed runs after us with a plastic trash bag and several large towels. “This should do it.”
“Thanks.” I grab the bundle from his arms and arrange them on the back seat of my car, hoping the bench seat will be comfortable enough for Freddie during the drive.
“Thank you.” Naheed reaches for my arm and gives me a menacing look. “Take him straight to County. It’s two miles down this road then make a right on Cherry.”
“Done.” I hope he can read the sincerity in my eyes. Even though I’m a stranger, I like to think I give off a good Samaritan vibe that people can trust. “Do you want me to call anyone once we get there?”
Freddie climbs into the car as Naheed hands me a business card. “I’ll be there as soon as I get things squared away here. I shouldn’t be more than an hour behind you.”
I nod and start to close the car door before Freddie reaches out to stop me. “Naheed?”
The large alpha brushes past me to peek inside the car. “Yeah, Freddie?”
“Can you tell my birthing buddy where I’m at? I sent him out for donuts, and he’ll kill me if he misses this.”
They share a meaningful look before Naheed agrees and backs away from the car. “Will do, kid. See you in a bit.”
18
Freddie
“Hee-hee-hoo. Hee-hee-hoo.” Whoever the hell invented this breathing technique to counteract labor pain is a sadist. It does nothing but make me look like I don’t know how to tell a knock-knock joke.
“Is…there anything I can get you?” Ethan is standing awkwardly in the corner of the room while we wait for the nurse to come back.
She put some attachments on me then took off and said to call her if the number on the monitor went below 110 or above 160. The monitor shows a steady 140-ish, so I’m trying to get comfortable and settle in for the long haul. “No,” I pant out between breaths. “Unless you know how to wield a scalpel to rip this thing out of me…” I ask, giving him a hopeful look.
Ethan offers a small smile for the first time since I met him, and it changes his entire appearance. Ethan Carson is a very attractive man. Not surprising since Andy is cute as hell. But those hazel eyes and the deep dimples in a slightly more mature and chiseled package are hard to look away from. To distract myself, I decide to further question him on why he’s looking for Andy now.
Andy has never mentioned his family. Every time I try to ask, he gets weird and changes the subject. I figured it was an abusive situation, so I haven’t pressed him for details. But if what Ethan is saying is true, they seemed to be pretty tight.
I don’t understand why Andy didn’t go to Ethan for help instead of choosing to live on the streets…or wherever the hell he’s been staying. I take a few deep breaths then look up at Ethan through
squinted eyes. “Tell me about your brother.”
Ethan seems surprised by my question, but his mini smile from earlier morphs into a real, genuine toothy grin.
“Andy’s a cool kid.” He takes a step toward me, coming from out of the shadows. “If you’ve met him, you know he’s sweet and caring and wants to be everyone’s friend.”
I don’t confirm what he already knows, merely nodding to indicate that I understand.
“My parents are going through some kind of midlife crisis or some shit. As soon as he turned eighteen and was legally tested as omega, they basically told him he was on his own.”
I raise an eyebrow, finding it hard to believe. “You never had a clue he was omega? Really?”
Ethan shrugs. “I guess we knew he wasn’t alpha, but I kinda assumed he was beta. He’s athletic and kinda tall. Not scrawny like…” His eyes bulge out, and an expression of horror flashes across his face. “I didn’t mean… Fuck, I’m sorry. I just mean a lot of omegas are on the smaller side, and Andy’s always had a bigger build. Not huge but not skinny.”
I nod through a few more shallow breaths. “Yeah, I get it. I probably would have pegged him as beta too if I saw him on the street.” The memory of when I first saw Andy makes me bark out a pained laugh since I did find him literally on the street.
Ethan closes the distance between us and stares at me with beautiful hazel eyes that look exactly like his brother’s. “So, you do know him?”
It takes a second for my mind to clear enough for me to realize my mistake. “Shit.” I shift my weight onto one hip, trying to find a more bearable position. “Talking to me right now isn’t fair. I’m a little distracted.”
Ethan blows out a long breath, and his chin falls to his chest. “Thank god he’s okay.”
Before I can go into all the reasons why Ethan can’t start stalking Omega House, Andy pushes through the door and rushes to my side. “Freddie, oh my god! Are you okay? How far apart are the contractions?” He watches the blinking monitors as if the numbers and lines actually mean something to him.