Page 20 of Ready or Not

“Are your ribs broken?”

“No, just bruised. I think. That doesn’t matter. Come sit down with me. Let me apologize.” Cooper takes a step forward, wrapping a hand around my hip. Apparently, I’ve lost the ability to form a coherent sentence. He gives me a tug and leads me to the edge of the bed. “I’m glad you’re okay. Fuck, this is surreal. I can’t believe you’re in my house.”

I scoff, take a seat, and wiggle against the mattress until my lower back hits the pillows.

“So, the baby is a girl? Is everything all right? Like, your pregnancy is going okay?” He sits down next to my feet, and his straight blond hair falls over his forehead as he leans closer.

The urge to lash out is strong.

My wounded pride and hurt feelings don’t think he deserves to know anything. Honestly, it doesn’t feel like he even has the right to ask.

My teeth grind together as I give a clipped nod. “The baby is a girl. Or that’s what they told me during my first ultrasound…” That you missed because I had no way to get in touch with you, I add bitterly to myself. “So far, so good. I only have a month left until she’ll be born. I’m planning to name her Aurora.”

“Wow, okay. That’s quick. Fast, I mean, she’ll be here before you know it. And that’s a beautiful name,” he says, patting my thigh.

I eye the contact with enough distaste that he pulls his hand away.

“I didn’t know that female omegas can have severe complications when they aren’t in contact with alpha pheromones during their pregnancy…” My voice breaks. “Why did you leave without a word? If you didn’t want anything more than a night together, why say all those things?”

“I did,” he says weakly. “I do, but I get that I royally fucked up. We lost two guys that night. I got called in, but that’s not why I left. I went to get us breakfast.” He sighs heavily, raising his gaze to meet mine. “I left you my number on your notepad from work?—”

“Don’t lie to me,” I hiss, moving to push my way off the bed. My emotions are too big, and it feels like I might explode if I can’t escape.

Only, he blocks my legs. “I’m not. I have proof, and I will show it to you. They found it in Andrew Landis’s shrine of you and your stuff. He stole it so you wouldn’t find it.”

“Shrine?” I whisper, rubbing my aching eyes.

“They didn’t tell you about what Holt found at Landis’s apartment?” Cooper curses up a storm.

“He offered, but I’m supposed to keep my stress to a minimum. I told him I didn’t need to know all the details. I don’t want to go into early labor, and I’m already at more of a risk because of what I mentioned. I’m getting alpha pheromones now, but I only got here recently.”

“And you’re married to the guys I told you I wanted to introduce you to. That’s fucking wild,” he says a little bitterly.

“You left your number. Okay, great. I didn’t get it, so I didn’t call. You could’ve come back into the club if you really cared.” I shove my hair back from my face to distract from the pain in my chest. “You knew how to find me, but I had no idea how to locate you. Don’t try to blame me for this.”

“No, fuck no. That wasn’t what I was saying.” Cooper frowns, swiping his hand over his face. “I know what I did was shitty. That morning, when I was leaving, I walked right into Andrew Landis…” He goes on to explain how Andrew told him we were dating and how he made it seem like I was cheating on him to be with Cooper. Then he explains that he thought I’d call and we’d clear everything up, but when I didn’t, he started to get really upset about the entire situation. “I’m not that guy who messes around with someone if they’re taken.”

I try to put myself in his situation.

I never liked the idea that some of my cam clients could be in relationships.

I get him not wanting to help someone cheat on their significant other…

“But instead of talking to me directly by coming to the club, or hell, even stopping by my apartment at some point over the last nine months, you just believed him?” My voice sounds shrill, even to my own ears.

“I was hurting, too, Vale. I felt like I got played.”

I laugh derisively. “Oh, I know all about feeling like you got played. I also know it’s not only on you that I ended up pregnant, which, by the way, I’m still baffled about because we used condoms, but I could barely provide for myself, Cooper! Do you know how hard it is to keep a job as an omega?” I lean forward, and the giant baby belly squishes against my boobs, but I don’t care. I jab a finger at him. “I almost had an abortion because I honestly couldn’t see a world where I could provide a safe and stable life for her. Do you understand the hell I wrestled with?” Tears burn in my eyes, but I don’t look away from his gray gaze.

A multitude of emotions cross his face, but there are some giant hurts bouncing around my chest right now too. I don’t even like thinking about it because it makes me feel awful. She’s very much still a part of my body, and I don’t know, maybe that’s what makes everything feel a thousand times worse.

“I am so fucking sorry.” Cooper leans forward, trying to grab my hands, but at some point, I crossed them over my chest. I hate that he makes me feel so vulnerable. He moves to cradle my cheeks in his scratchy hands. “I wouldn’t have blamed you if you did. I can’t imagine how hard that must have been. I know you have the guys, but I’m here if you need anything. And I do want to be a part of her life. Yours too, if you’ll let me.”

A terrible scoffing sound escapes my mouth. “I won’t stop you from being in Aurora’s life. Legally, I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to—which I don’t, just to be clear.” I mean, my heart wants me to be petty, but I truly don’t think it would be the right call to keep her away from a willing parent. “But you showed me what you thought of me, and the really hard part is that, outside of Bishop, you were the one person I was starting to trust.”

“I am genuinely sorry,” he says, his eyes boring into mine. “Can you try to see how much this shit fucked me up too? Maybe not to the level you experienced, but I was in a bad place. I wanted to bring you home to meet my family. For months, I kept hoping you’d call.”

Being an omega is awful.

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