Page 11 of Alpha & Omega

Kingston shrugged. “It is what it is. If it hadn’t happened that way, I wouldn’t have ended up skating to win a lot of money, own a bar, and take in a bunch of kids who were like me. My life’s rewarding, even if it started out roughly.”

We clinked glasses. “That’s cool, man. I’m impressed. Tell me about these kids.”

Before we could continue our conversation, our server came out with our food and set our plates down in front of us. We both dug in and ate a bit before Kingston washed away his food with some beer.

“Well, as I’ve said, they’re all adults now, but they came to me one by one as teens, meeting up at the skatepark. Two of them were foster brothers, living on the streets, and because I related to them, I took them in until they could get back on their feet. As time went on, I befriended more of them. All were struggling in their own way and had been abandoned, much like me. The last two to come to me were runaway twins, who are now eighteen.”

I hadn’t lied when I told him I was impressed. The amount of understanding and empathy it took to help those in need, especially when he didn’t have much to give, either, was astounding. He did more for those kids than any billionaire. Then again, the wealthy separated themselves from any sort of community while we were in the middle of it, in a way.

“Damn, if only others empathized and cared as much as you. Perhaps the world would be better.”

“Usually, those who have little tend to understand better. Those who are wealthy are so greedy and out of touch they just quit caring, if they ever did.”

“Still, that’s a lot to take on for someone who didn’t have much.”

Kingston’s confidence vanished, replaced with shyness, as he dug into his gumbo, shrugging humbly. “They’re everything to me.”

“I can imagine. How many are there?”

He stared up at the night sky and counted. “It started with six and continued to grow as they’ve been finding love, which is a big reason I’m here tonight. Now there are nine of them. Like your son, they all nagged and pushed me to date.”

We laughed and sipped our beers. Fuck, I felt really good about this. Kingston and I had so much in common.

“Cheers to overbearing and pushy family members,” I said.

We both laughed again and worked on our meals, chit-chatting about all sorts of things. The conversation was easy, and our food was delicious.

When our server took away our plates, we ordered one more beer, prolonging our date.

“So, you’re divorced?” Kingston asked.

“Yeah, but… it took forever.”

“Was it messy?”

“Do you really want to hear this? My story isn’t exactly a good date topic.”

“Like you, I want to know. Really.”

“Okay, well… She abandoned us with a note stating she couldn’t do it anymore when Hudson was only eight. Do what, exactly? Raise a kid, be married, life… who knows? She never specified. If you can’t find your spouse, it makes divorcing them hard. I had to take all these steps to get it done. First, I needed to file for divorce, but where could we send the papers? Her parents had died in a house fire while we’d been married, which didn’t help our relationship at the time. When I couldn’t find her, we literally had to advertise the divorce in local papers as a last resort. It took two years, but finally, I got the marriage nullified, and I got full custody of my son. In all that time, I had to deal with a grieving and angry child, putting him through therapy.”

“That’s fucking rough. I bet you were angry, too.”

I eyed him and nodded. “You could say that. Honestly, I was over the marriage, anyway. We weren’t getting along, but I was angry on my son’s behalf. Things are good now. I’ve got an amazing restaurant, a confident kid, and a nice home. It was a lot of work, but worth it.”

Kingston grinned and leaned forward. “I wasn’t sure what to expect tonight, but one thing I know is that I don’t want it to end. I’m really liking you already.”

My relief was palpable. “I don’t want it to end either.”

Was it that simple to meet my match? It felt too easy, but there was no denying how alike we were along with our budding chemistry.

I leaned forward, too, until our noses were only inches apart. “Want to come back to my place? I don’t live too far.”

“Your son won’t mind?”

“He’s staying the night at a friend’s house.”

“Then I don’t mind if I do.”

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