Page 43 of Omega in Hiding

Of course, Paolo has probably already moved on. I might miss him, but that’s not to say he misses me. As a Syracuse, he has his pick of high quality omegas. There are many omegas who’d kill to bag a rich and powerful Syracuse as their alpha. Power and wealth weren’t what drew me to Paolo though. It was Paolo himself that I liked. His smile. His eyes. His warmth and protectiveness toward me.

From the moment we met, I knew it could never be more than a casual affair. I hoped it would go on longer than it did, but I knew we weren’t destined for anything lasting. Even if I had been worthy of being claimed by an alpha like Paolo, being barren would have destroyed any chance at a union between us. The Syracuse sons have a duty to procreate and leave behind many healthy heirs.

“I did the right thing by leaving,” I mutter, unlocking my car. I slide in behind the wheel, and once more overwhelming fatigue washes over me. I lean my head back and close my eyes, wishing I was already home so I could sleep. My eyelids are like lead, but I don’t feel safe sleeping in my vehicle, not even with the doors locked.

I jump when someone knocks on the window next to me. Opening my eyes, I find a worried looking red-haired alpha staring in the window at me. I blink at him, uncertain of what he wants.

“Are you okay?” he calls through the glass.

“I… I’m fine.” I hesitate to roll down the window because he’s a stranger, however he appears harmless. He has kind brown eyes and he truly does look concerned for me. Going purely on instinct, I put the key in the ignition and lower the glass a bit. “Hi, I’m perfectly fine. I… I just have a headache, so I was resting my eyes.”

“Oh, good.” He smiles hesitantly. “I just wanted to be sure.”

I find myself returning his smile simply because his energy is warm and non-threatening. “Sorry if I worried you.”

He laughs self-consciously. “Oh, I worry all the time anyway. I’m a doctor.”

I suddenly realize he is in fact wearing blue scrubs. I hadn’t noticed that right away. “Are you on your way to or from work?”

“On my way from, thank goodness. My evening ritual is to grab a cup of coffee from The Green Leaf on my way home.” His eyes sharpen. “You work at The Green Leaf, right?”

“Yeah. I just got off.”

He nods. “Yes, I’ve noticed you leaving most nights when I drive up.” He grimaces. “Not that I’m stalking you or anything. I just noticed you seem to leave every night at exactly the same time I arrive, so I assumed you worked here.”

I smile at how his cheeks turn pink as he tries to explain himself. “I didn’t think you were stalking me. I appreciate you were concerned for me.”

“Okay, good.” He laughs but then a frown appears. “Today, it was obvious you weren’t feeling great. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to check on you. Just to be sure.”

“That’s kind of you.” I give a weak smile. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with me that an aspirin and soaking my feet won’t cure.”

“That’s a relief.” He once more shares a warm smile. “Did you have a hard day at work?”

“No more than usual.” He’s making no move to leave, so I feel compelled to ask him how his day was too. “Uh… how about you? What’s your medical specialty?”

“I’m an obstetrician.”

“Oh, wow.”

“Today was nuts.” He grins. “If you can believe it, I deliveredsixbabies. That’s about four more than usual.”

I widen my eyes. “That’s a lot of babies.”

“It is. Must be something in the water around here.” He smirks.

I laugh. “Maybe.”

He sighs. “I sound like I’m complaining. I’m really not. I love my job. I love babies.”

“Yeah, kids are the best.” Our conversation reminds me of when I first met Paolo. My heart aches at the memory, and I suddenly feel tired again. “Well, it was nice meeting you.”

He looks disappointed that I’m signaling I’m about to leave. “Oh, right. It was nice meeting you too. Sorry, I didn’t mean to hold you up.”

“No, you didn’t hold me up.” I force a smile, not wanting him to feel bad. “It was kind of you to check on me.”

“My pleasure.” He holds out his hand. “I’m Sully, by the way.”

I hesitate and then roll the window down more so I can shake his hand. “Connor.”

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