Page 19 of Knot Their Girl
“I know this is unusual,” I tell her, hoping to sway her to my side, to see an inkling of what she’s thinking, “but my nephew is a kind soul. You would be safe with us. You would not have to worry about any other alphas sniffing around you. You’d still be able to come and go as you please. You wouldn’t becomeproperty. You would be a companion for him. A housemate. A friend.”
“A friend? So you’re not trying to get your sweet little nephew laid?”
There’s that mouth again. I was sort of expecting something like that to come popping out of her mouth, but hearing her say it so matter-of-factly makes me choke on air a bit. My poise in the face of this particular omega isn’t something I’m proud of.
No, standing there, talking with her… I feel new at life. Like I’ve never done anything worthwhile at all.
“Uh, if that happens, that would be between you and my nephew,” I finally say once I regain my composure. “In this arrangement, there is absolutely no pressure on you at all. Not to be a certain way, not to act—”
“Like the perfect omega?” she offers up. “Because I’m not. I hate being an omega. If you hope I’ll be a homemaker, doing the laundry and cooking, you’ll be pretty disappointed.”
“No. That isn’t what I’m looking for. I’m more than capable of continuing to do all those things myself.”
“Ah, an alpha homemaker? Color me intrigued.”
“I had to become a lot of things to take care of Colter.” When she doesn’t say anything else, when I continue to be unable to read her expression, I say, “You don’t have to decide right now. Take some time, think it over. My offer to you will remain indefinitely. I should get out of your hair.” I give her a slight bow of the head. “Thank you… for your time.”
I sound like I’m in a business meeting. What is wrong with me?
I turn away from her, my intent to leave her be, but as I start to walk away, she asks, “That’s it?”
Looking back at her, I give her a single nod. “That’s it.”
“You’re really not going to try to convince me to say yes?”
My reply comes easily: “Of course not. You alone know what you want and need. I told you what I’m looking for, what my needs are, so if you decide they happen to align, I’ll be glad to hear from you again, Ms. Whittenhall.”
“Don’t call me that. You’re not my school principal. Raeka’s fine.” She strides closer to me and pulls something out of her pocket—which she unlocks with her face then hands to me. It takes me a moment to realize she gave me her phone. “I suppose you can give me your number. If I decide our wants align, I’ll call.”
My lips tug into a smile of their own accord, and I put my number in her phone before handing it back to her. “Well, I hope to hear from you soon.”
“No pressure on me though, right?”
“No pressure at all.” Before I can make a fool of myself even more, I say, “Goodbye again.”
“Bye.” I’m pretty sure she stands there and watches me walk away; I can feel her eyes on my back as I retreat to her house, where her mother is waiting to swoop in on me.
Mrs. Whittenhall pounces on me like a mountain lion lying in wait. She walks with me as I make a beeline toward the front of the house through the main hall. “How did it go? Do you need me to try to smooth things over? My daughter can be a little rash sometimes—as much as I hate to say it, she takes after her father like that. Some days I wonder if she’s more alpha than omega.”
Suddenly I understand why Raeka doesn’t like being an omega. Her mother must put intense pressure upon her to act a certain way, and that probably only makes Raeka act out more. If she was to move into my house, she would receive no such lectures from me.
“Unnecessary,” I tell her with a smile, hoping to set her mother’s mind at ease. “Your daughter has my number, so if she decides to accept my offer, she’ll contact me directly.”
That must not be what she expected, because her expression changes, and she says, “Oh. Well, then. I hope my daughter comes to her senses and says yes before you change your mind and decide you’d like a less fiery omega.”
We reach the front door, and I turn toward her and say, “It’s all part of your daughter’s charm.” Then I nod my head at her and leave the house. Pulling my keys from my pocket, I head to my vehicle.
I get inside, knowing her mother watched me the entire time. Heck, even I’d go insane in a house like that. If Raeka only says yes to get away from her mother, I’ll take it.
Through my peripherals, I see her mother turn away and head inside the house. I start my car, knowing I should leave, but a part of me wants to linger, so that’s what I do. I linger, and then, once I’ve lingered enough, I slowly roll my car down the driveway.
I can only hope and pray I’ll hear from Raeka soon. The strange feeling my life will be missing something huge if I don’t hangs like a storm cloud over my head.
Chapter Ten – Raeka
By the time I come inside, my mom is headed straight for me. If I have to guess, I’d say she escorted Gideon out, and he told her I didn’t outright accept his proposal. Such an odd one it was, too. I don’t know whether to be insulted or flattered.
“What is your problem, Raeka?” my mom demands, folding her arms over her chest. “Why didn’t you accept his offer? You’re an omega after her first heat. Even before your heat, an offer from him would’ve beenfantastic.”
