Page 52 of Unexpected Delivery

My head hangs.

I don’t get to be possessive, then only help when Arbor is so overwhelmed that she seeks us out.

We need to be on top of things so she doesn’t have to come to us.

I want Arbor in a way I’ve never experienced. She’s more than a scent match, and it’s more than alpha and omega biology.

Every time I see her, I feel lighter.

When she smiles, my fucking chest gets warm and fuzzy.

And I intend to keep her.

It’s time to get proactive about the issue with her ex too. We’ve been overly cautious, trying to let her lead, but that’s the entire reason alphas and omegas work so well together.

Alphas handle the tough calls that omegas are too soft to make. In return, omegas keep us from going feral, and having them around softens our edges. Well, except in protection of said omega.

There’s not much I wouldn’t do to keep Arbor and Gracie safe, and I have no problem being vicious when the need arises.

Mine and Hael’s older half brother runs a security company down in Vermont. When we were growing up, our parents called him J.R., mostly because he hated his name of Jacob Ryan. Once he moved out, he started going by Easton, which is our last name.

I briefly considered going to work with him at Shadow Security once I got out of the military, but truth be told, I couldn’t stomach the thought of more death.

I was also a little worried that if I wasn’t careful, I’d end up like Easton. It’s not an insult necessarily, but he’s cold and detached in a way I don’t ever want to become.

It’s past midnight by the time I get Gracie settled, and I still don’t hesitate to call.

Easton answers on the third ring. “What?”

“I need your help.”

“Is Hael okay?” he asks, and there’s rustling in the background. “Is he strung out again? For the love of God, tell me he didn’t fuck someone’s wife.”

“Jesus Christ, you are such a fucking dick,” I mutter, swiping a hand over my face. “No and no. He’s fine. You know he was never a full-blown addict; I hate it when you say that shit.”

“Why are you calling me?”

I take a deep breath and exhale it slowly.

Owing Easton isn’t something I prefer to do, mostly because he’s vindictive as hell, but he’s also my brother. At the end of the day, he would never do anything to hurt our mother.

“Hael and I met someone. She was nine months pregnant and running from her abusive ex. I delivered her baby in a snowstorm?—”

“I’m sorry, perhaps I asked about the wrong brother. Are you high, Hayes?”

I growl, shaking my head. “No one is on drugs. Listen to what I’m saying!”

“Go on,” Easton says in that bored, disinterested tone he always uses. “Not you, you get your sexy little ass back in bed.”

I frown until I faintly hear a woman’s voice in the background. “I need your help. If I send you a name and city, can you dig up information on her ex?”

“Just put a bullet in his brain and bury him in a snowbank,” Easton says drolly. “This is why I always recommend living near a large body of water. It greatly speeds up decay, and wildlife does half the job for you, at least in temperate?—”

“I’m fucking serious, Easton,” I growl, freezing when Gracie starts to fuss again. “Motherfucker, I woke up the baby.” I stride down the hallway, into Arbor’s room, and scoop up the now-awake Gracie.

“Oh, you weren’t joking. Does Mom know?” he asks, sounding strangely chipper.

“Not yet,” I grind out, rocking Gracie in my forearm. Holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder, I bend over, scooping up her pacifier and popping it into her mouth. “I didn’t want to get her hopes up until I knew Arbor wouldn’t try to run. The baby isn’t biologically ours, and you know how Mom is. She’s going to try to fly up here the moment she hears. Arbor is skittish. Are you going to help or not?”

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