Page 7 of Red River

"That’s still a lot. Are you sure you want to do this? You’re kind of a loner, and suddenly, you’ll have a noisy family around. River’s youngest is seven!"

Speaking to him, I took on the tone one would use with a stubborn child. "Sam, the house is huge. I have a pool, a lake nearby, a big yard and garden, and lots of open space for the kidsto play. They won’t be in my way with all the activities around. And three miles from here is Darton, with an elementary and high school. They can start when the winter break is over."

I knew what I said made sense, and the idea started appealing to Sam.

For a moment, there was silence on the line, then he said, "That actually doesn’t sound remotely stupid. And the fact that you live so close to his parents… that’s a real advantage. You may slowly work on him to change his mind."

"Yup."

Sam chuckled lightly.

"Alright, Archie! You convinced me. We’ll go to River’s tomorrow and pitch your offer. He’ll probably call you to discuss the details."

"Great! Let me know how it goes," I replied in a seemingly light tone, even though I was bracing myself for the huge—craziness?—I’d just set up for myself.

After he hung up, I stood and walked to the window, feeling my heart pounding in my chest.

River…

The redheaded beauty from my past.

My childhood dream, the person I hadforevergiven up.

An impossibility?

Or maybe it wasn’t, after all.

Maybe Fate was giving me another chance.

***

River’s story was pretty unique—so unique, in fact, that they even wrote about him in the papers and called him a hero.

When he was sixteen, he witnessed a terrible car accident. A car flipped over on the road, crashed into a building, and caught fire. Without hesitation, River rushed to help the couple inside. It was a businessman named Thomas and his husband. The omega died on the spot, but Thomas was still alive when River pulled him out at the very last moment, with what seemed like superhuman effort.

This heroic act made headlines at the time, and many people admired River’s courage, especially given how young he was. He was also so tiny, while Thomas was a much bigger man, so the media went wild over the story. And his beauty caught everyone's attention. People talked about Thomas being saved by a red-haired angel.

"An Omega Hero!""A Red Angel!""Heroic Beauty!"screamed the headlines.

Some noticed that Thomas was a looker too and were already pairing them up.

River kept in touch with Thomas for the next year while the man was grieving the loss of his husband. Despite the age gap—Thomas was 34 at the time—they became close friends, bonded by the tragedy.

A year and a half later, when River’s glands fully matured, they discovered they were High Mates. Thomas proposed, and River accepted, but his parents were disturbed and adamantly opposed to such an early marriage.

One day, River ran away and disappeared without a trace for six months. He resurfaced on his eighteenth birthday at a city office, where he legally married Thomas. They even made the news again. People called them a fated couple, even though they weren't True Mates.

The couple did not invite River's parents to the wedding, only River’s uncle, Van, was present. The man didn't take sides in the conflict, probably because he didn’t mind the age gap—hewas a widower well into his fifties when he married an omega twenty years his junior.

Afterward, Thomas moved with River far from his parents’ hometown and forbade him from contacting his family—except for Uncle Van, who sent him occasional, very circumspect emails. River stayed with his husband, helping him as he tried to grow another business. Since Thomas needed a customer service manager, he paid for River to take a few college courses in the field so his young husband could assist with the company.

That's how my brother met him, and they immediately became best friends.

And here’s my part of this story.

Sam was my father’s son from his marriage. I, on the other hand, was born out of wedlock, conceived during a drunken party while my father was working in a corporation. An omega had gone into heat and picked my father as a heat service man. Under the influence of rut pheromones, my father succumbed. The omega claimed to be on contraceptives, but they failed.

For five years, my father had no idea I even existed.

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