Page 69 of His Gentle Omega
Pursing my lips together, I counted to ten and told myself losing my temper would do no good. Sighing, I asked, “He took your car, didn’t he?”
“He just needed to run to a friend’s house that owed him money.” Dad sounded so earnest and fucking naïve, andhe honest to Goddess believed the lies that came out of all these alphahole’s mouths.
Bringing the sheet up to my nose, I sniffed, feeling instantly calmer as the musky, rain-soaked earth smell filled my senses.
“How long ago?” I couldn’t even muster the energy to be angry, because I was tired of being the only one angry in this situation. Dad was never angry about anything these guys did. He always believed they were coming back, and I always, somehow, ended up the bad guy.
“Three days. But it’s fine, Benny, I’ve got my bus pass. I’ve been getting around. I just…groceries on the bus–”
Unblinking, I stared up at the ceiling. “I’ll have them delivered. Do you have bingo money for tonight?” Dad loved his Friday night bingo. It got him out of the house, and he had friends there. He really was a social creature, which was half his problem most of the time. It would do him well to be less social and more of a homebody.
The silence on the other end of the phone was all the answer I needed.
Seth appeared in my doorway, triumphantly holding up a bottle of my favorite sweet red wine and the biggest fucking Twix bar I had ever seen. He waved the foot long box at me, and I sat up so fast I nearly dropped my phone, making grabby hands for it.
He climbed on the bed with me, his nose wrinkling when he got a whiff of the sheets and blankets I was cocooned in.
Mouthing, “My dad,” and pointing at the phone, I stared at the ginormous candy bar with wide eyes.Come to daddy, big boy.I was going to tear into that chocolate, caramel, and cookie bar like it was my last meal on earth.
Seth rolled his eyes, well versed on the telenovela drama that was my dad.
“I’ll send you some bingo money on the app, Dad,” I told him softly, “do you remember how to use it?”
“Frankie knows how to make it work.” His voice was full of excitement knowing he was going to have money for his Friday night activity. “He uses his phone to pay for his games all the time.”
“Okay, Dad.” Frankie was a good friend to my dad, and I knew he would make sure Dad was able to play, and he wouldn’t take advantage of him. I had met the kind, older omega once when I had gone home for Christmas, a couple of years ago. He was protective of Dad and was always trying to get him to stop letting men take advantage of him. “Let me know when your grocery order is complete, and I’ll take care of it for you. Have fun tonight.”
“You’re a peach, Benny,” Dad’s airy voice was all happiness and sunshine now, and I could hear him moving around his apartment, no doubt getting ready to go out. “Love you!”
The phone went dead in my ear, and I snorted, tossing it next to me.
“Usual bullshit drama?” Seth asked sympathetically.
“Yeah.” Turning on my side, I rested my head on my folded arm. Not wanting to get into Dad’s same old drama, I snatched the candy bar, pulling it to my chest and cuddling up to the hard box. “Where did you find this beautiful, beautiful thing?”
“Duh, that awesome candy store in the mall.” Wrinkling his nose, Seth stood up. “These sheets gotta go. They smell like that asshole, and you aren’t sleeping on them.”
He attempted to strip the top sheet off and I yanked it out of his hand. Holding it close with one hand, and my big asschocolate bar in the other, I growled, “No! I’m not changing these sheets for at least a week. Or until they don’t smell like him anymore.”
Hands on his hips, Seth narrowed his eyes at me. “Gross.”
Flopping back dramatically while still clutching a foot long candy box in my arms wasn’t as easy as it should have been, but I managed it. “Just let me wallow. For a little bit.”
“Now I’m worried. You don’t wallow, Bennett. Like ever.”
“This is different. He’s different.”
Seth let his head fall back on his neck, rolling his eyes. “Is this that fated mates bullshit again? Because if so, then why isn’t he here? Why’s he over there?” He waved his arm in the entirely wrong direction of where Shay’s new house was.
“It’s complicated.” Shay’s secrets weren’t mine to tell, not even to my bestie.
Seth gave me a put-out look. “‘It’s complicated’ is a bullshit answer that isn’t really an answer.”
My phone beeped with a text. Saved by the bell. Holding up a finger to Seth to hold that thought, I quickly scanned my dad’s meager shopping list. He really had tried to not take advantage and had just put some staple things on it. Bread, milk, eggs. A few other things to make a couple of meals. Quickly I added some items–several actually–then checked out after paying to have them delivered.
Dad drove me nuts, but he was still my dad. The only family I had. I wouldn’t let him go without food when I had the money to help. And I had been taking care of him for pretty much my entire life; now was no different.
That completed, I sent him some money on the cash app, making sure he had enough for bingo, and hopefully he used the rest for anything else he might need until the alpha-hole showedback up with his car. Which would, without a doubt, be with an empty gas tank.
