Page 27 of One Wild Omega

Fitz sighed. “I thought Harrison was your favorite?”

“You’reallmy favorites,” his papa said, grinning.

“Even River?” His wild-child littlest brother was still giving their parents grief.

Papa rolled his eyes before lifting onto his toes to give Fitz a kiss on the cheek. “Even River. Be nice.”

Fitz chuckled, hearing his father yelling from inside the house, asking who was there.

“It’s Fitz,” he screamed back before turning to face Fitz. “I’ve got a batch of chili on the stove. You hungry? You look too thin. I’ll get you a bowl.”

“Sure,” he mumbled as he followed his papa inside.

Chapter Six

A new houseguest…

“There’s a closet in the bathroom where the fresh towels are and another in the hall where the fresh sheets are kept. I have a cleaning man come in once a week, he does all my laundry, as well as the linens, but you’ll have to take care of your own clothes,” Tanner said, turning to Bellamy a few hours after their café conversation. “There’s some washers and dryers in the basement, so you don’t have to go far.”

“Perfect,” Bellamy said, smiling wanly. “I don’t even know how to thank you for letting me stay here.”

Tanner returned the smile. “Honestly, I spend so much of my time in my studio these days that I’m not here all that often. Especially right now. I’ve got this huge showing in a couple of weeks and my brain just won’t let me work. I sit for hours at a blank canvas and I keep filling them with…” He paused before giving away his secret. “The wrong thing. That’s why I went for that coffee today. I needed to walk away for a minute and get some air. And boom, who do I bump into?” Tanner grinned. “It was kismet. You needed a roof over your head, and I needed to shake things up. Maybeyouwill be my new inspiration.”

“Inspiration, hmm? I think trying not to get on your nerves by overstaying my welcome might be the most I can hope for. And on that note, I promise not to take advantage of you, either,” Bellamy said. “Like I told you, I was just hired at a great design firm downtown. I can pay rent. Once I’ve gotten a few paychecks saved up, I’ll have enough to get my own place and get out of your hair.”

“There’s no rush. Honestly… it might be nice to have someone around when I’m stumbling in late after a long day at the studio.” He and Bellamy hadn’t had a chance to know each other well in school, but what little Tanner did know, he liked the guy. Bellamy seemed very genuine. That was something Tanner held sacred in his friends. “So don’t worry about a thing.” He smiled. “To be honest, I can’t believe how strong you’re being right now considering everything that’s happened to you.”

He’d just gotten the lowdown. Bellamy’s grandfather had recently passed, leaving him an orphan, of sorts, and homeless. Just out of school and with little to no money, Bellamy had run out of options. The guy’s parents lived in the Eastern Provinces, and if Bellamy returned there, he’d be placed into omega prison—something they called the Omega Quadrant. Other provinces didn’t allow their unmated omegas any freedom, and there was no way Tanner would send Bellamy back to face that kind of hell.

Not while he had space under his roof.

Tears shone in Bellamy’s eyes. “Strong? I don’t feel very strong right now.”

Tanner moved closer and wrapped an arm around Bellamy’s shoulders. “You are. But now you have a place to stay… and if you needanything, I’m there for you. Do you understand me?Anything.”

Bellamy smiled up at him. “I appreciate all you’re doing for me. I’ll repay you for this kindness. Trust me.”

“I feel quite sure if the roles were reversed, you’d be there for me.”

Bellamy nodded. “I would. Most definitely.”

Tanner felt a grin stretch across his face. “Well, you know what you can do for me right now?”

“What’s that?”

“Come have dinner with me. I’mfam-ished!”

“Perfect. I’ll buy you dinner,” Bellamy said.

“No you’re not,” Tanner said, his grin widening. He pulled a credit card from his wallet. “My big brother Quinn is buying usbothdinner.”

Bellamy chuckled. “Is he aware of this?”

“Not exactly,” Tanner answered with a crook of his brow. “But what he doesn’t know won’t kill him.” Tanner linked an arm through Bellamy’s. “So what are you wearing for your first day at the new job?”

“I really hadn’t thought about it,” Bellamy said as Tanner led them to the front door.

It hadn’t escaped Tanner’s notice that Bellamy had shown up with a tiny, threadbare suitcase. He also knew Bellamy had only had a few minutes to pack up before the landlord had kicked him out. Bellamy had begged the man for more time—with his new job starting, he could’ve paid the back rent.Too bad I hadn’t bumped into him sooner. I could’ve saved his apartment.

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