Page 16 of His Omega Bear

“Come on, let’s go inside. I made pie and I have ice cream. The kids are in bed and your brother’s five seconds away from coming outside.”

I looked towards their house, and sure enough, Gabe was at the door watching us. I knew if I tried to leave now, I’d have the whole family at my door in five-minutes flat. They were nosy that way.

Not that I didn’t need the advice now. I wasn’t sure what to do. For some reason, I figured finding my mate would be uncomplicated.

Silly me.

And any hopes of him knowing what I was… what Mia was… had gone out of the window after speaking to him. It was clear Jayson had never filled him in.

Everything I’d ever wanted was so close, so why did it feel so far away all of a sudden? My mate, a daughter, they were finally within reach, but it felt like they were slipping further away.

There you go again, being selfish. Making it about you.

“That’s it, pity party over.” I heard Papa’s voice and looked up in surprise. When did he arrive?

“Papa?”

“I waited for you to either leave the car or head home.” Papa crouched down until we were almost at eye level and gently placed his hand on my cheek. “What’s the matter, baby boy?”

I let out a deep sigh and leaned into him, seeking comfort. After a moment, I pulled back and whispered, “I met my mate.”

A broad grin appeared on his face as he wrapped me in a warm embrace. “Oh, Rhys, this is wonderful news.”

I couldn’t help smiling at Papa’s happiness, and I could definitely relate to the relief in his voice. There was a part of me that thought it would never happen.

He released his hold on me, but kept his hand on my arm. “So what’s wrong?” he asked, concern etched on his face. “You should be overjoyed, we should be celebrating, but you look like someone stole,” he chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, “well your mate.”

I let out a heavy sigh. “Let’s just go inside before I have to explain this multiple times.”

He snorted but stood and held out his hand for me to help me out of the car.

My family cared, and they were nosy as hell. And to be honest, I did need their advice. I wasn’t sure what to do next.

I wasn't the least bit surprised when I entered Kian and Gabe's house to find everyone gathered in the main living room: Dad, Austin, Nash, Graham, Cooper, Hunter, Sage, and my niece Serenity Hope, who was peacefully snoozing in Hunter's arms. I scanned the room for the other kids.

“They're sleeping in the nursery,” Cooper informed me. “They might have to stay here because I don't want to deal with getting them back to sleep if they wake up again to get them home.” Nash nodded in agreement, and Kian happily offered to take care of them.

They chatted around me. I knew they were giving me a moment to collect my thoughts. Then Dad finally looked at me expectantly. “Are you ready to tell us what’s going on now, son? Austin mentioned you were going over to Jayson's? Did something happen? Do we need to?—”

I held up my hand to stop him before he could finish the sentence. I’d thought about how I was going to say it, but decided the simplest way worked best.

“I found my mate.” I figured ripping the band aid off was the way to go.

I mentally counted to three, but the entire room erupted with questions before I even reached my number.

“When?”

“Who?”

“When?”

I lost track of who was asking, but it didn't really matter. Papa's voice cut through the chatter and everyone fell silent. “Can we let him speak?”

I smiled gratefully at Papa, then turned to Hunter, who had Sage snuggled up against him. “I can't stay angry at you,” I said, making eye contact with him. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, as if he didn't understand what I meant. “If you had gone over to see who moved in at Jayson's, I wouldn’t have met him.”

“You mean the guy that moved into Jayson’s?” Austin asked, leaning forward, curiosity written all over his face.

“Jaxson,” Hunter replied, his brow furrowed in thought. “I can’t recall his last name.”

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