Page 50 of Ryder

“I’ve…I’ve been with him, while you were busy.”

“Jesus!”she said.

“I’m fine.Don’t worry about it.Ryder is one of the good ones,” I said, repeating his phrase, feeling the eyes of both men on us.

“Yeah,” she said.“It’s been a rocky road, but so is Jace.”

There was a knock on the door, and a portly lady with steel gray hair breezed in, carrying a tray loaded up with food.

“Don’t mind me,” she said.“How are you feeling, lovey?”

“I’m good.Thanks, Ma,” Sloane said.

I gave the woman a double take.

“Emma, meet Dane’s mother,” Jace said.“You met Dane?”

I nodded.

“Everybody calls me Ma,” she said.“You can call me that too.”

“Thank you,” I said, not at all sure what to make of her.Still, my nose was twitching at the delicious food on her tray, and my stomach rumbled.

Ma scowled over her shoulder at the two men.“Don’t you feed your women?”

“Don’t fucking go there,” Jace said.“Of course we do.Well, I fucking do.”He threw a pointed look at Ryder.

“What?”Ryder said.

“Your woman is hungry,” Jace said.“I can hear her belly rumbling all the way over here.”

Sloane snickered.“Don’t mind it.She might be small, but she eats like a fucking horse and is surprisingly strong.”

“Have a sandwich, dear,” Ma said, taking a seat with us.“How are you feeling, Sloane?How’s the baby?”

“Baby?”My head swung around.

“I don’t think it’s more than a bunch of cells just yet,” Sloane said.

“You’re pregnant?”I hadn’t thought through that part, but I understood omegas could only conceive while in heat and when they did go into heat, there was a high probability they would get pregnant.

“Yeah,” she said.“I am.”

“Oh my god.I’m going to be an auntie!”

Sloane laughed.“You think you’ve got problems?I’m going to be a mother.”

The men came and joined us.The minute Jace sat down next to Sloane, they both turned to one another, their hands reaching out and touching each other.His rested on the back of her neck, rubbing soothingly, while hers went to his thigh.The intimacy between them was startling.Sloane wasn’t much of a hugger.She put up with me because…well, I never gave her any choice.She wasn’t cold, just reserved.

Ryder sat to my other side.“How are you doing, baby?”

“I’m good,” I said.There was no moment of intimacy between us.On the tray was a selection of sandwiches and some muffins cut in half.I picked up a sandwich without looking at what it was and stuffed it into my mouth.I was so hungry, I could have eaten anything.

Polite conversation followed.I was in a state of shock that Sloane was expecting a baby, but the more I watched her with Jace, the more wonder and revelation unfurled inside me.I’d never been jealous of Sloane a single day of my life.I would never have wished being an omega on anybody.Yet, as I witnessed the two of them together, I found that their relationship had bloomed both wholly and swiftly.I didn’t know this man.I’d only seen him from a distance before Sloane was whisked away.They looked…like they belonged.I wished I had that.

Ryder was talking to Ma, teasing her about her muffins being substandard today.Ma smacked his hand when he went to take another ‘to be sure.’

“Don’t sass me, young man.”

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