Page 54 of Omega in Hiding

I wince. “I’d rather not say.”

“No? You won’t tell me anything?” He sighs. “That must mean it wasn’t very pleasant. That’s probably why you expect the worse. We’re all shaped by our upbringing. I had a very happy childhood, so I tend to see the good in the world.”

I meet his gaze, feeling uneasy. “I see the opposite.”

“Yes.” He frowns. “I suspect that’s true.”

I clear my throat. “But, as I said, I’d rather not talk about my childhood.”

“Okay,” he says agreeably. There’s a brief awkward silence then he asks, “So, have you always worked in the food service industry?”

I appreciate he’s willing to change the subject. Just one more nice thing about Sully. “Uh, no. Actually, I usually work as manny.”

“Do you?” He laughs. “That makes sense. I can see you as a manny.”

I smile. “It’s a great job. I love the kids I take care of like they’re my own. I miss them when it’s time to move on, but of course it’s the nature of the job.” It feels good to be honest with Sully. Sometimes I feel like I could tell Sully anything, and he’d accept it with a good attitude. Although, I think even he would struggle with the news that I grew up in the Irish mob. That world is dirty and violent, and a good person like Sully would probably be repulsed by it.

“But, you’re not a manny right now?” He frowns. “Right?”

“Uh, no.” I grimace. “I just… needed a change, so I got a job at The Green Leaf temporarily.”

“Why did you need a change?” It’s so typical of Sully to just ask stuff. He’s an open book and he assumes everyone else istoo. When I don’t respond right away, he frowns. “Does it have something to do with that alpha you’re still hung up on?”

I grimace. “Yes and no.” If I was going to be honest about my past, now is my chance. But I don’t have the nerve. I don’t want Sully to see me in a bad light. Not yet. Perhaps if we keep getting closer I’ll tell him one day. But not yet.

“How long were you with that alpha?” Sully asks.

I’m not sure what to tell him. Paolo and I were never a couple. We’d barely scratched the surface of a relationship. I’m not sure how to explain why I’m so bonded to Paolo, even though we didn’t know each other long. I myself don’t understand it.

“You can tell me the truth, Connor,” Sully says quietly. “I’m still going to pursue you, just so you know. You could have been with that alpha twenty years and I’d still pursue you.”

“Why?” I ask, feeling mystified. “You don’t really know anything about me. Why are you so accepting of me? I’m barren and I’m still hung up on another alpha. You should run for the hills, Sully.”

“Who can really explain attraction? I certainly can’t.” His smile is melancholy. “All I know is, when I first saw you, I was drawn to you.”

“It’s true you can’t help who you’re attracted to,” I murmur, thinking of my unwilling obsession with Paolo. I feel bad that I can’t tell Sully I’m equally into him. I’d love to fall for Sully. I’m holding out hope that if we continue to get to know each other, I might someday see him as more than just a friend.

He leans closer. “Don’t look so anxious. You overthink everything, Connor. I’ll give you as much time as you need towork that other alpha out of your system. I just want to spend some time with you and see where things go.”

I laugh sheepishly. “I do tend to overthink everything.”

“I’ve noticed.” His smile takes the bite out of his words. We sit in companionable silence for a moment, sipping our wine. Then he straightens suddenly, and tugs a folded manila envelope from his jacket. “I just remembered. I have the results of your blood test.”

“Do you?” Sully insisted on a blood test after I fainted. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. He took me straight to the clinic he works at last night for a blood draw. “I’m surprised you’d have the results already.”

“That’s one of the perks of being friends with a doctor. We can get lab results pushed through quicker.” He laughs. “Shall we go over them together?”

“That’d be great. I tend to get confused reading those reports. CBC levels and HDL versus LDL, it all makes my head hurt.”

He smiles distractedly. “Yeah, it can be confusing. But that’s why you have me, right?”

“Exactly. You can decode the report for me.” Anxiety shifts through me as I stare at the envelope he holds.

Sully laughs when he notices my expression. “Why do you look so worried?”

“Because I fainted. If I’m honest, I haven’t felt great lately,” I admit. “I’m concerned I have a deadly disease or something.”

“Nah,” he says. “You look too healthy to be on death’s door. You’re a bit pale and a little on the thin side, but over all you look pretty healthy. You’re probably just anemic or something.That’s possibly why you passed out. Don’t start thinking bad things.”

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