Page 45 of Alpha & Omega

I nodded and removed the patties from the pan when they were ready. In another pan, I quickly seared the open side of the hamburger buns.

“I do.”

“And you keep trying, too, Dad.”

I chuckled. “I’ll do my best.”

When everything was ready, I placed the meat on the buns on plates and gave one to Hudson. “There, Your Royal Highness. Regular hamburgers, grease, and all… A heart attack on a plate. You can dress it how you want.”

“Iknewyou loved me. Thanks, Dad.”

On Thursday night, I pulled up in front of Alpha’s Rejects. I took the evening off work to deal with Kingston and get him back. If that didn’t work, nothing would. I wouldn’t pursue him again. It was my last chance.

I generally gave off a vibe of confidence, but I was nervous as hell. I hadn’t been kidding when I told Hudson this was out of my comfort zone. Joining a dating app had been bad enough, and I definitely didn’t want to do it all over again. Kingston was the only man I wanted.

I’d fucked up royally, and I just needed him to give me a chance to apologize and fix things.

When I got out of my car, I patted the front pocket of my short-sleeved button-up to make sure my gift was still there. Hey, a little bribery wouldn’t hurt, right?

The evening was still early enough that the bar wouldn’t be too crowded, allowing me to talk to Kingston. I hated cornering him like this again, but I knew he wouldn’t have let me into his apartment had I met him there.

Regardless, with a deep breath, I prepared for his stubborn anger.

With clammy hands, I walked into Alpha’s and found that big guy with cropped dark brown hair and hazel eyes at the front, checking IDs. He let me through without a word, but that didn’t stop him from sneering at me.

I looked around for Kingston when my eyes landed on the other dark-haired guy. He was equally huge, but he looked sick with dark circles under his eyes. I recalled he was the one who told me to leave the skatepark. He gave me the bird and walked off.

Jesus, did Kingston tell them all what I’d done? If I could repair my relationship with Kingston, I’d have to work things out with his family, too, which wouldn’t be easy.

I found Kingston behind the bar, wiping down the counters, glaring at me. My stomach fluttered at seeing him. Even through his anger, he was gorgeous. The diamond studs in his ears were new and looked good on him.

“I’m busy,” he snapped when I sat in front of him.

“No, you’re not.” I sighed and summoned all the courage I had. “Kingston, will you please stop being stubborn for one damn second and talk to me?”

He tossed the rag behind him. “Fine. You have five minutes.”

He stepped out from behind the bar, and I followed him back toward his office, where he shut the door behind him. Kingston leaned against his desk with folded, tattooed arms. “Well?”

Here we go.

“I am sorry for what I did. Truly. I never meant to upset you.”

“Noted. Accepted. Now, if you’ll let me get back to work?”

He tried to walk by me, but I pressed my hand to his chest to stop him, suddenly getting angry at his attitude. I know I hurt him, but dammit, he still wasn’t listening.

“Enough, Kingston. Stop being a stubborn ass and grow up.”

His brows slammed down as he glared at me with hard turquoise eyes. “Grow up? Speak for yourself.”

“Iam. I’ve been trying to apologize to you for over a week now, and I’m getting tired of you not listening. We’re goddamn adults. Can we not behave like them for five minutes? Look, communication is very important to me, and I hate that we aren’t talking because I truly feel this can be fixed between us, and you’re worth it.”

His face softened for a moment before he nodded and waved his hand at a chair in front of his desk as he sat behind it.

“Fine. Let’s hear it then.”

I could do this. I knew once Kingston stopped to listen for a second, I could convince him we’d be good together.

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