Page 84 of His Gentle Omega
“What happened?” I demanded, reaching for him. Seth and I ended up in a tug-of-war with Bennett’s arms, each of us determined to be the one to help him out of the car. Finally, Bennett smacked both our hands away.
“Stop it, both of you!” he snapped, untangling himself from us. “I’m fine. I can get out of the car myself.”
He didn’t look fine. Not one little bit. He was pale, yet slightly sweaty, which wasn’t a surprise. The temperatures had been hovering close to a hundred, and the humidity was thick. Lucas and I hadn’t been outside that long, but I was already sweating. At least I was wearing a pair of shorts, having changed out of my work jeans when we got home. Bennett was in black dress pants, and a long-sleeved button up that looked a tad rumpled.
“You don’t look fine,” I told him, as we trailed him up his walk to his door. Seth shook his head at me, his wide eyes relaying that he thought I was an idiot.
Bennett froze with his key halfway to the lock and gave me a withering look.
“I mean, you look pale, but good. Your normal self,” I backtracked, trying to save the situation. “Did I hear Seth say you passed out?”
“It’s rude to eavesdrop with your shifter hearing,” he snapped, going into the house and leaving us standing on the walk.
“Daddy, I need to give him his invitation,” Lucas urged, oblivious to the tension surrounding us.
“This might not be the best time,” I whispered to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Bennett’s not feeling so good.”
Bennett opened the screen door, poking his head out. “Lucas, what’s in your hand? Is that for me?”
Lucas rushed forward, and slipped nimbly into the house, the screen door banging shut behind him. Wincing, I turned to Seth. “Is he really alright?”
Seth ran his tongue over his teeth, giving me another of his you-hurt-my-bestie-so-I-despise-you withering looks. “He’s well enough. The heat got to him. He’ll be fine if he stays in the AC and gets some rest. Good as new tomorrow.”
Everything inside me wanted to rush into the house, gather Bennett into my arms, and make sure he was taken care of. He took care of everyone around him, but I doubted he put the same effort into taking care of himself. But how could I do that? I had asked him for space, and he had given it to me. And while I was slowly making progress in healing from my past traumas, I wasn’t ready for a romantic relationship yet.
Tessa had instructed me to date myself, and while I had snorted at her suggestion at first, once she had explained what she meant, it made a ton of sense. She told me I needed to invest my time and energy into self-care, a concept that was foreign to me, and that I had been living in survival mode for years. Instead of jumping into a new relationship, I needed to focus on treating myself with love and kindness, and find activities that brought me joy.
So while I waited for Edward to get out of rehab, and went through the painful process of breaking our bond, I tried to figure out exactly who I was and what I wanted. From myself and a partner. What I would accept from a partner and what were things I now considered deal breakers. Therapy was doing wonders for me, and I had joined a support group for abuse survivors, but I knew I might always have triggers that would never go away.
I knew I was hurting Bennett, but I had to put my needs first, even over a relationship the Goddess had deemed fated. It felt a lot selfish, but I knew it would make me a better partner in the end. Didn’t mean it didn’t suck though.
Because it was hard as hell seeing Bennett, even just the brief glimpses I got of him coming home or leaving for work, depending on his schedule. Seeing him out in his yard, or running into him at the store, just made me want him more. It took all of my willpower not to march across our yards and claim what was mine.
Honestly, despite all the therapy and advice, the one thing really keeping me from doing just that was the ongoing court cases with Edward. Regardless of everything, knowing I no longer loved him–and hadn’t for a very long time–the fact that we hadn’t been intimate in years, we were still mated. And that might not mean a rat’s ass to Edward–he proved that by the many times he was unfaithful–but it still meant something to me.
It meant I shouldn’t have touched Bennett. It went against all the things I thought I believed in. The values my parents had taught me. Mating wasn’t a marriage vow, but it was damn close. Just because Edward hadn’t honored the unspoken vows that came with that bite, didn’t mean it was acceptable for me to act just like him.
Telling myself that Bennet and I were fated didn’t make it any better.
Unconsciously, I reached up to run my finger over the tender raised skin of my mate bite. So far, I’d had two sessions to remove it, and would hopefully only need one more. The scar would be permanent, though with lasering, it would lessen and fade over time. They couldn’t begin the lasering process to lessen the scar until the bond was completely broken, and the doctor had warned the lasering procedure would hurt like a son of a bitch. It was hard to believe it would hurt more thanbreaking the bond did, but any pain would be worth it in the end.
It meant I would be completely free of Edward and could move on with my life.
Lucas bounded out of the house, the screen door once again banging in his wake, and I winced at the noise. He shouted, “He says he’s coming!”
Smiling down at him, I ruffled his dark, sweaty locks. “That’s great.”
“You can come too, Seth,” Lucas informed the man, grinning at him.
“What am I coming to, little kitty?” Seth wanted to know.
“My birthday party,” Lucas rocked back on his heels. “It’s two Saturdays from now, and I’m going to be seven.”
“A very important age,” Seth told him, pulling out his phone and opening an app. “What time is this soiree taking place?”
Lucas gave him the details, and Seth told him he would be there. The man might not like me much, but he seemed to like my son and I was thankful he hadn’t hurt his feelings.
“We’d better go,” I told Lucas, “you need to deliver the rest of your invitations.” Turning to Seth, I gave him a pleading look. “You’ll look out for him? Make sure he takes it easy?”
