Page 12 of Remember That Time

I stiffened, the smile on my face freezing in place. "They are."

Dean Roberts nodded. "My nephew on my mother's side is an omega. He's currently carrying his third child." Surprisingly, the man smiled. "Don't think I've ever seen someone so happy to be pregnant before, not even my own wife and she gave birth to five children. Garret's husband totally dotes on him, and those kids, smart as a whip even at their young age."

The tension in my shoulders lessened, but not by much. This was not my favorite subject to discuss. "My brothers-in-law seem pretty happy, too," was my only comment.

The comment did make me wonder if I would ever get to feel the same joy they did about being pregnant. It hadn't happened yet. I was still confused, worried, and terrified.

This was not joy.

I lifted my half empty glass. "I'm going to go get a refill."

And maybe a little fresh air.

Dean Roberts nodded to me before patting me on the shoulder. "We'll talk later."

Right.

Instead of heading back to the champagne glasses of apple juice, I walked out onto the patio into the opulent backyard area. I had to give it to this event owner. They knew how to make a place look like a million bucks.

The patio was large enough to host a small gathering, but it opened up into a lavish garden lit with fairy lights to give it an almost fairytale feeling. It didn't hurt that the small pathway weaving through the outdoors space was lined with flowers of every color.

There were a few people lingering on the patio so I started down the winding pathway until I found a small cement bench in front of a Koi pond. It was set off to one side of the path so I didn't think I'd be disturbed.

It was quiet here and I needed that. The trickling sounds of the water and the gentle breeze through the tree leaves helped ease my mind.

I took another sip of my apple juice and then set it aside. As much as I wasn't sure what I was going to do about being pregnant, I knew I didn't want to bring any harm to my baby until I'd made a decision. Apple juice, while better for me than champagne, still had a lot of sugar in it.

I really didn't need the extra stimulation right now.

Even in this relative calm, my thoughts were chaotic. There was a large part of me that wanted to keep the baby simply because it was my own flesh and blood.

Another part was scared out of my mind. What did I know about raising a kid? I'd spent a few days here and there with my nieces and nephews. That was it. That was the extent of my knowledge.

I'd heard stories about what Ryan and Henry went through being single parents, but at least they had each other to rely on. I knew I'd have the support of my family, but that wasn't the same thing.

And it wasn't like I could tell this kid who his father was when he got older. I still had no freaking idea. He was just a hazy memory that came to me in the deep of the night. I couldn't picture his face if I tried.

Tears sprouted to my eyes as I rested my hand over my abdomen. So much would change if I had this baby, but could I really give it up? That was the question that kept swirling in my mind.

The scrape of a shoe as someone casually walked through the garden caught my attention. I smelled cigar smoke before I saw the glowing red ash from the tip of it.

"Who's there?" I asked when it didn't come any closer. I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes and then called out again. "Hello? Is someone there?"

Chapter Four

~ Janos ~

I took a puff of my cigar and watched the man sitting on the bench from the shadows. I'd spotted him come into the fundraiser and had been unable to look away from him ever since.

There was something about him that reminded me of the man I'd spent the night with all those weeks ago. I doubted they were the same person simply because this guy didn't scream "gold digger" to me. He was dressed as if he came from money and he carried himself as if he was used to the finer things in life.

Still, I had been intrigued, and that didn't happen often. When he walked out onto the patio I had felt compelled to follow him. At a distance, of course. I wasn't ready to make myself—or my weird obsession—known.

"Who's there?" the man asked before wiping quickly at his eyes, making me wonder if someone had upset him. "Hello? Is someone there?"

I stepped partway out of the shadows, just enough for him to know where I was. "I didn't mean to intrude."

A faint smile graced his lips. "Oh, no, you didn't. I was just getting some fresh air." He was polite and his speech said he had some higher education.

---