Page 5 of A Home for His Omega

“Drive carefully.” Carter slapped Tomás’s shoulder. “See you in a few.”

“A’int no one smarter than a carpenter,” Juan sang softly, as he climbed into his truck.

“Oh, fuck off.” Carter stomped to his own vehicle and left.

A short time later, wet snow and mud squelched beneath the tires of Tomás’s heavy work truck as he pulled into the driveway of the old Victorian farmhouse. It had seen better days, but the roof was solid. At least, that’s what Carter had said. It was large, two stories with a rough tower and wrap-around porch. Care had gone into building her, and he thought she must have been lovely in her heyday.

Now, though, she could really use some work. The wood siding was missing in places and what was there was rotting with age and grime. The porch sagged in the middle, the once beautiful spindles were broken and the stick detailing on the gable was in pieces. The large windows would need replacing and the door resealed as well.

He winced, thinking of how much work it would take to make her beautiful again. He was almost afraid to see the inside. At least I’ll have plenty of work for the next six months, he thought.

Cold rain pelted his windshield, so he grabbed his thermos of coffee before he hopped out of the car. A young man stood on the porch, shivering. He looked out of place in his expensive green coat and designer jeans. Even the pricey gray dog carrier bag on his shoulder stood out.

“Tomás Wilson,” he said, introducing himself and holding his hand out as he came up the steps.

“Henry,” the omega said, flushing as he smiled shyly. “Gramps told me all about you and the other Wilsons. I feel like I know you already.”

Tomás laughed happily. “That sounds like the old man. He’d talk for hours about his family if someone would listen.”

A small, furry head poked out of the pet carrier bag. The Pomeranian mix watched Tomás with a serious expression on its little face.

“This is Journey,” Henry said, smiling softly. “He’s my sweet baby boy.”

“Hello, Journey.” Tomás held his hand out for Journey to sniff. “I have a pup of my own. Mitzy is a Havanese-mix.”

Henry’s shyness seemed to melt right in front of him. The omega’s smile brightened, his eyes filling with joy.

“Aren’t dogs the best? Journey is super smart. He sits, shakes, and speaks on command. I’m still trying to teach him to rollover, but he’ll get it soon.”

“Mitzy isn’t the brightest, but she is fun.” Tomás chuckled. “My horse, Paulo, is smart, though. Did you know horses can learn to shake hands too?”

“I didn’t know that.” Henry looked impressed. “We don’t have any horses at the sanctuary, but we have a couple of donkeys. I wonder if I can teach them to shake.”

“What other kinds of animals does the sanctuary have?” Tomás asked, suddenly enjoying the rain pattering against the roof of the old porch. At the moment, Henry and he were the only two people in the world.

Henry happily listed the animals at the sanctuary and told Tomás a few funny stories, his face glowing with happiness the whole time. “We have a chicken named Sophie who is the sweetest little thing. The other chickens pick on her, so she’s all by herself. I wish…” Henry trailed off with a wistful look.

Tomás was fully invested now. He absolutely had to know what the omega wished for. “Here, let’s sit down and you can tell me what you wish for.”

Henry let Tomás lead him to the old bench next to the front door. “Well, it’s silly really, and I don’t know how Teague would feel about it.”

Tomás opened his thermos and filled the thermos lid with coffee before handing it over to Henry. He gave the omega an encouraging look, giving him time to find his words.

Henry sipped the coffee, humming in appreciation. “Thanks for that. So, um, I want to build a chicken coop here for Sophie.”

Tomás grinned. “Why would that be a bad idea? Carter said there were a few ramshackle sheds on the property. I could use one of them as a starter for the coop. It wouldn’t take long at all.”

“It’s mud season right now,” Henry pointed out, shaking his head. “It would be too hard.”

“Not at all,” Tomás said, waving away the omega’s worry. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll have a coop for Sophie ready by the time you move in. Okay?”

“Really?” Henry looked excited. “It wouldn’t be too hard?”

“Trust me,” Tomás said, nudging Henry’s shoulder with his own. “I can handle it.”

“Thank you so much.” Henry wiggled in place, then pulled Journey out of the dog carrier bag. “Let me show you inside the house. It may look rough at the moment, but you have to picture it all fixed up. Okay?”

“Okay.” Tomás trailed after the omega as he spoke about all his plans for the house. Like most older homes, the house was full of small, cramped rooms, so opening it up would be a good start. The wiring was a mess, and the plumbing needed to be completely redone, but there were treasures to be found. At one time, someone had put a lot of love into the house.

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