Page 4 of His Omega Bear

“Yeah, but they can leave my old desk out,” I said.

Shep nodded, “Yup, that one looks like it has history.”

Jayson’s family history. The thought slid into my mind unbidden, and I was lost for a second. I was back at bootcamp; it was my first day and our company commander asked if I was also Jayson with an X added to my name for no reason. Jay had found it funny and somehow, we’d been stuck together since then.

I opened my eyes to find Shep watching me; we shared a small smile, and I bet he knew where my mind had gone.

“Let’s keep moving.” His voice was gruff and emotion-filled. We’d gone into the service together, and then Jay, Shep, and I had ended up in the same company. I knew he carried the loss with him, too.

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

The house was bigger than my condo, definitely much bigger than it looked from the outside. It was actually two stories with five bedrooms. Thankfully, I’d thought to ask for a list of furniture in the house, and the lawyer had been kind enough to send one.

The kitchen was large and the yard even bigger. I could see why Jayson and Leanne would want to raise a child here. This had been his home. Lee had never left Chicago and never had a desire to live anywhere else.

Now that she was gone, I couldn’t ask her when that had changed her mind. With both of them gone. I was left with a lot of questions and no one to answer them.

And I couldn’t forget the massive responsibility of raising their child and a house that felt like it was trying to swallow me whole.

Still, looking around here, it made sense in a way why Jay had wanted to come back here. To be close to his roots. I wondered what he would think of me taking over his home and raising his daughter in it. Would he approve of my parenting, of the choices I would make for her?

I felt a hand on my shoulder. “We’ll figure it out, okay?”

I nodded, “Yeah, we will.”

There was no alternative.

I tried not to focus on the fact Shep would be gone in a couple of days.

His voice pulled me out of my thoughts. “What do you think, boss?”

I looked around at the spacious living room, with its vaulted ceilings and stone fireplace. “It’s beautiful,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Shep nodded, “It is. But remember, this is just a house. What matters is the love and memories you and Emelia will make in it.”

I smiled at him, feeling grateful for his words. “Thank you,” I said.

We continued through the house, scoping out bedrooms and the living rooms, there was a large pantry attached to the kitchen.

The whole house looked like it had been renovated recently.

Probably by Jay for when he brought Lee and their baby home.

Fuck, how were they gone?

At that moment, I couldn’t help but feel grateful for Shep. He was the only one who knew what I was going through, having lost Jayson too. I relied on his strength to keep me going, maybe more than I should be, but he kept me from falling apart.

Shep and I continued to explore the house, and I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the weight of everything. Obviously, I had never been a parent before, and the thought of raising her on my own without any guidance made my head spin. But I knew I had to figure it out. For her sake.

We finally made it to the master bedroom, and Shep nodded approvingly at the king-sized bed. “Looks like a good place to rest your head after a long day,” he said with a small smile.

I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “As long as the baby lets me sleep,” I replied.

Shep’s face softened. “You’ll figure it out, Jax. You always do. And if you need any help, just say the word.”

I nodded, grateful for his support. But again, I knew deep down that this was something I had to do on my own.

“Let’s get the bed made, so I can put this little lady down.” We both looked at her snoozing comfortably against my chest.

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