Page 48 of Excess

Between the salary I’d been saving for years and the investments I had from the inheritance my grandparents had given me…

I could move. The idea had never occurred to me before. But why not? If I wasn’t going to dedicate my future to being mated to the director of Om-Guard… Well, I didn’t have to stay here.

Was this what a mid-life crisis looked like?

Or perhaps it was just my impending heat approaching and making me restless. Now probably wasn’t the time to make any major decisions.

But I was tempted.

Shaking off the sudden urge to torpedo my entire life just for a change of scenery, I put my own dishes in the dishwasher and made two cups of tea in travel mugs. What I needed to be focusing on was the arrangements for my heat first. The existential crisis could wait until later.

I heard Blake before I saw him, his voice filled with frustration as he spoke to someone on the phone. He gestured for me to stay as I set the cup I’d made for him down on the scaffolding.

“Alright. I’ll sort it out,” he snapped before hanging up, exhaling heavily as he pocketed his phone. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for you to hear that. Though I suppose I don’t need to be quite so worried about professionalism with you,” he added wryly, picking up his tea with a nodded thanks.

“Bit late for that,” I agreed with a laugh. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes. Well, no.” He frowned, surveying his surroundings. “I can’t really leave now—I’ve already started plastering. But Freya’s school is closed today and she needs picking up from a sleepover, but my brother is… out of commission. Dad was going to go, but the car has crapped out.”

Blake shook his head, the frustration pouring off him in waves.

“I can get Freya? Or is that weird? It’s probably weird.” I shrugged. “But she’s more than welcome to come and hang out with me here until you’re finished for the day.”

He paused with the cup halfway to his lips, giving me a considering look. “Are you sure? It’s a bit of a trek to get there, but she wouldn’t be a problem. Freya is very well-behaved.”

“I know that.” I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile. She was a great kid. “It’s honestly fine. I’ve got a bunch of emails I need to answer. I’ll do them in the car.”

“If you’re sure… I’ll call the kid’s mum and let her know to expect you.”

“Perfect. Message me the address. I’ll go rouse Lúcás.” It was between him and Maia for who had the easiest job in the house these days. I barely went anywhere or did anything.

Traffic was awful, and it was a trek to Norbury, where Freya’s friend lived, but the look on Freya’s face made it entirely worth it. She threw open the front door with a beaming smile, barrelling down the path and throwing herself against me, her little arms wrapping tightly around my waist.

“Hi,” I said gently, hugging her back, my heart turning into a puddle of goo in my chest. “How are you? Did you have fun with your friend?”

A beta woman came out of the house with a tentative smile, holding out a sparkly pink unicorn bag for me to take here. “Hi. Here are Freya’s things—I think we got it all, didn’t we, Freya? If not, Hallie can bring it to you at school. Sorry I couldn’t drop her off—I’ve got six-month-old twins and leaving the house is a bit of a production these days.”

“It was no trouble for me to pick her up,” I assured her. The woman gave me a slightly bemused smile, glancing at the brand-new vehicle behind me with Lúcás sitting in the front seat. Admittedly, it did stand out a little. “Ready to go, Freya? You’re going to come and hang out with me until your uncle finishes work. Is that okay?”

Freya squealed, releasing my waist only to grab my hand and drag me towards the car, shouting a hasty goodbye to her friend over her shoulder.

That she was so touchy-feely wasn’t unusual—omegas were like that with people they cared about from the moment they could. I just hadn’t expected to be part of that circle.

“What are we going to do at your house?” Freya asked, sliding across the backseat and buckling in. Shoot, did she need a car seat? Probably. I didn’t know anything about children. “Oh hello, I’m Freya. What’s your name?” she asked, noticing Lúcás in the driver’s seat.

He grinned at her through the rearview mirror. “I’m Lúcás. How old are you, Freya?”

“Five and a half.”

“I have a little boy that’s just one year older than you,” Lúcás replied.

I exhaled in relief at the proximity of an actual parent. “Do you usually sit in a car seat, Freya?”

She shrugged. “Not in Grandad’s car. He says they didn’t bother with them back in his day.”

I caught Lúcás’s lips twitch in the mirror. “There’s a shop round the corner where we could probably pick up a booster.”

“Let’s do that then.”

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