Page 55 of His Gentle Omega
“Well,” ruffling his baby soft hair, I steered him back to my yard, latching the gate. “Not without asking your daddy permission first. But yeah, anytime you want to come over is okay with me.”
“Cool!” Swinging our hands between us, we made our way back inside. Once I had done the teeth brushing check–minty fresh–we headed out the door. Buckling him in the backseat, I nibbled my lip wondering if he was supposed to have a car seat or something. Was there an age limit for those things?
“Do you usually have a booster seat or something in the car?” I asked.
Lucas shrugged, not worried in the least. “I have a booster seat in the car Marcus drove us in, but we couldn’t get it the night we left.” His blue eyes looked troubled, before clearing. “Daddy said as long as I was buckled I’d be fine for the trip. We didn’t have enough money to buy a new one, but he’ll get me one soon.”
“I know he will.” Climbing into the driver seat I quickly did a google search. Despite being on the tall side, I didn’t think Lucas met either the height or weight requirement to go without a seat. So, we’d be making a quick stop to the box store before we hit the mall. Better safe than sorry. Shay could use it before he was able to buy one, and after, I’d have one for my car, if I needed it.
Bennett, you’re getting way ahead of yourself, my wolf warned, and this time I chose to ignore him. Just like I was choosing to ignore all the warning bells going off around me.
You’re getting too attached. This isn’t going to end well.
Nope, I was not listening. For once–just once in my life–I was not going to think with my head. I was not going to be the calm, level-headed, always-great-in-a-crisis Bennett. I was going to bethe go-with-what-your-heart-wants Bennett, and deal with the consequences later.
Catching Lucas’s blue eyes in the rearview mirror, I smiled. He was beaming, taking in everything he could see from the car window as we drove down the street.
“What are we doing today?” he asked, kicking his legs against the car seat.
“We need to go to the store and get you a booster seat, and I want to pick up some flowers to plant out front.” Even though they would probably end up dying on me, I still gave it a good try every year. Colorful flowers made me happy, even if my forgetting to water them inevitably made them wither more times than not. “And then we need to go to the mall for a couple of things.”
His eyes were round saucers. “What’s a mall?”
“You’ve never been?” I asked casually, driving down Main Street towards my favorite coffee shop. Shopping called for a double mocha cappuccino, complete with chocolate shavings and whipped cream from The Sweet Spot. “It’s a big building with lots of different stores and places to eat in it. I have a friend that has a store there. She sells kids clothes, and you need some stuff you can get dirty in. You are going to help me plant the flowers, aren’t you?”
It hadn’t escaped my notice when I had done his and Shay’s laundry that though they didn’t have many clothes with them, what they had was all top quality and designer labels. Grabbing Lucas some play clothes at Walmart would be cheaper, but my friend, Ava, had opened the store with the help of a grant from The Sinclair Foundation. I had met Ava when, after fleeing her abusive ex, she had come to the battered omega shelter for help.She was building a new life for herself, and I wanted to help her by supporting her store.
Lucas giggled at my question, his voice eager. “I’ll help. Playing in the dirt sounds like fun.”
“It’s great fun,” I assured him, pulling into an empty parking spot at The Sweet Spot.
Lucas clambered out before I could even help him get his buckle undone. “What’s this place?”
Taking his small hand in mine, we headed into the bakery/coffee shop. “This is one of my favorite places, and I need caffeine.”
Lucas sniffed, his eyes lighting up at the wonderful smells inside the bakery. He rubbed his tummy, like he hadn’t eaten his weight in French toast not long ago. “Smells sooo good!”
The owner, Quinn Rafferty-Sinclair, was filling one of the cases with his famous chocolate and toffee chip cookies. Seeing us, his emerald eyes lit up. “Hey Bennett, who’s your friend?”
“This is Lucas.” I introduced him.
Lucas grinned broadly, and pressed his nose against the glass case, his wide eyes taking in all the fresh baked goodies on display. Quinn nodded his head, and I had a feeling he might already know exactly who Lucas was. He and Gabe were good friends, so he likely knew all about Shay and Lucas. That and the gossip mill in Sweet Alps was pretty strong.
“What can I get you today?” Quinn smiled, as Lucas slowly made his way down the glass case. Lucas straightened, turning to me with a hopeful look.
Nodding because I could not say no to that face, I held up one finger. “One thing. You had enough sugar at breakfast.”
His top teeth caught his bottom lip, as he took his time deciding what treat he was going to pick. Ah, to be that age again and the biggest life choice I had was if I should get a cookieor a brownie. Was I ever that young? It seemed like I had been making adult life choices my entire life.
Josh, Quinn’s assistant manager and all-around coffee making God, ambled over. “Your usual today, Bennett?”
I nodded. “Please. The largest you have and extra whipped cream.”
Lucas gave me side-eye. “You had enough sugar at breakfast, too.”
Quinn barked out a laugh. “I like this kid.”
Pulling Lucas to me, I tickled his sides. “I’m a grown up. Besides I don’t think your daddy would appreciate me bringing you home hopped up on sugar.”
