Page 121 of Omega's Refuge

I smiled. “I’m glad too. It makes me feel secure knowing you feel the same way as me.”

“Good. You should feel secure.”

My mind drifted to life back in Billings with Steve. “I haven’t felt protected or cared for in so long,” I murmured. “I’d almost forgotten how it felt.”

“Thank God Steve blew it with you.”

I laughed and looked up at him.

“I mean it,” he said firmly. “If he hadn’t, we wouldn’t be here right now. I wouldn’t have you in my life. If he hadn’t run off with Tony, you’d have dutifully gone home with him at the end of your trip, and I’d have probably never seen you again. You’d have forgotten all about me.”

I frowned. “No. I’d have thought about you. I wouldn’t have forgotten you, Rex.”

“I like to think you wouldn’t have, but life gets busy and then people do forget. Plus, you’d have had the baby to contend with.”

I shuddered. “God, that would have been a nightmare. I can’t even imagine going through this pregnancy with Steve. He’d have been horrified to learn I was pregnant. Knowing him, he’d have wanted me to get rid of the baby.”

He made a sound of disgust. “Why did he even claim you if that’s the way he felt about things? Knowing you as long as he did, he must have known you’d want a family.”

“He knew. He claimed me because he didn’t want anyone else to have me,” I said bitterly. “I mean, I think he does love me—as much as he can love anyone. But until he grows up, Steve will always come first.”

“It’s hard to even picture you two as friends, let alone lovers,” Rex said. “What was it about him that made you get involved romantically?”

I shrugged. “I’d had a rash of shitty boyfriends. I was lonely and I’d known Steve along time. He can be very charming when he bothers. The problem is, he doesn’t bother often. But when he does… having his full attention can be intoxicating.”

“Okay.” Rex sounded annoyed. “We’ve talked about Steve enough.”

I smiled. “Are you jealous?”

“Fuck yeah.” He laughed gruffly. “I don’t want to think about him with you.”

“Aww.” I lifted my head. “You don’t have to be jealous. I’ve never been happier, Rex. I mean that. The feelings I had for Steve didn’t even come close to how I feel about you.”

Some tension left his body. “They’d better not.”

I nuzzled his chest, smiling. “You don’t have to worry. We’re fated mates, right?”

He stroked his fingers through my hair. “That’s right. You finally believe my theory?”

“I do. I can’t imagine being with anyone but you. It would feel wrong.”

“Good.” His voice was possessive. “Because you’re not going anywhere.”

I sighed contentedly. “No, I’m not.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

(Six months into the pregnancy)

Things had been going amazingly well with Rex and me. Our life together was insanely good. The companionship, the sex, the laughter, it was everything I’d ever hoped for. Rex was my best friend. I could tell him anything and he never judged me. I’d never had such unconditional love from anyone.

Thanks to Jack, my income was steady and very healthy. I was trying to get as many pieces painted before I got much further along in my pregnancy. The bigger my stomach got, the longer each painting took. My stamina was fading fast, and standing long hours painting was becoming a bit too much for me. I knew things would only get worse once I was even closer to the due date.

Despite Rex being an alpha, he was more accomplished at many things the omega would usually handle. For example, he always did the cooking. But I wanted to spoil him too, so one evening, I decided I was going to attempt to cook dinner for him. I found what looked like a simple chicken recipe online, and dove in.

While my intentions were good, I hadn’t taken into consideration my “pregnancy brain.” I was extremely forgetful lately. If it wasn’t for Rex remembering my doctor appointments, I’dprobably have missed them all. Trying to cook him dinner was a disaster waiting to happen, but I didn’t figure that out until I was halfway through the process.

Cooking the dinner started off really well. I’d defrosted some chicken breasts ahead of time and assembled all the ingredients I’d need. I’d heated the pan and precut the veggies. I had high hopes the meal would be the most amazing meal I’d ever made. Mind you, it was a very low bar. But still, I had hope it would all magically come together.

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