Page 26 of His Gentle Omega
“Just that. Look, Shay has a ton of stuff going on in his life that he needs to work out, and we haven’t exactly had a chance to even talk about it. He may not even want–” I didn’t finish the sentence.
“If you were about to say he may not even want you, you stop that nonsense right now,” Seth ordered. “You’re a fucking catch, Bennett, and you know it. He’d be a dumbass to not want you.”
“There’s just a lot he has to work through first,” I said quietly. “Before you ask, it’s not my story to tell. I need you to respect that. When and if I can tell you, I will. Just trust me, us being fated mates is about the last thing Shay needs to deal with at the moment.”
Seth pulled me into a hug. “Okay, but just so you know, if he hurts you, he has to deal with me.”
Hugging him back, I nodded, not saying anything.
Already I knew Shay had the ability to hurt me, without him intending to. Already I could feel myself starting to fall for him, and Lucas, because they were a package deal. Nothing good could come of us being fated. Not in the here and now, present, anyway.
And it was going to hurt like hell when they moved on with their lives. Because they would have to move on, to be able to move forward.
My brain knew this, but my heart? My heart wasn’t listening to the rational side of myself at all.
My heart was already falling for the blond alpha asleep in my bed, and his sweet, dark-haired son.
Lucas stared around the big box store with wide eyes. As much as I hated Wal-Mart it was the cheapest option for all the items I needed. Testing the cart, I made sure the wheels were decent. Nothing set my teeth on edge more than listening to the wheels of the cart squeak loudly my entire shopping trip.
Lucas had held my hand walking in from the parking lot, and now his little hand wrapped tightly around the top of the side of the metal cart.
“Ready?” I asked him, showing him my list. “We have a lot of stuff we need.”
He nodded solemnly, still gawking as we moved straight to the fruit and produce section. “Like what?”
“Well, we need stuff to make chicken noodle soup.” I told him, looking over the celery and then adding carrots to the cart. “Ihave a crock pot recipe, and nothing is better when you are sick than chicken noodle soup.”
“Will it make daddy feel better?”
“I hope so. The medicine is helping.” Shay had been sleeping again when I had gone to grab some clothes from my room. He’d had his dose of medicines about an hour before Lucas had woken up. His coughing seemed better, not as violent and less frequent, and his breathing was less wheezy. “And your Uncle Asher should be home later this afternoon.”
Lucas walked beside me as I slowly moved down the fresh veggie section, grabbing things here and there. Cucumbers, fresh cilantro. Then some lemons, limes, and oranges.
“Is he nice?” Lucas questioned, his voice hesitant.
“Your uncle?”
He nodded his dark head, his eyes straying over to the banana display. “Do you like bananas? I love them.”
He nodded again but didn’t ask for them. I picked a bunch that were still green, knowing they would be ripe by morning. “And yes, your Uncle Asher is very nice. So is his mate, Gabe. They live right across the street from me, in that big house. And you have two baby cousins. Oh, and you know what else?”
He shook his head, still looking around the store with eyes full of wonder, taking it all in. The store was starting to get busy, with all the shoppers just getting out of church services. “They have a swimming pool! This will be the first summer they can use it since it got finished. Your Uncle Gabe is a bear shifter, and he likes to play in the water.”
That got a small smile from Lucas, and I asked, “Do you like to swim?”
He nodded, “Daddy taught me. We have a pool.”
“Pools seem fun.” Fun, but a whole ton of maintenance and upkeep I just didn’t have time to deal with. Though Asher and Gabe said I was welcome to come over and swim anytime I wanted this summer. They really had been wonderful neighbors since I had moved into my little rental.
We pushed the cart to the meat section, and I grabbed some fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts. My freezer was pretty stocked, but I hadn’t thought to thaw anything last night. “I never had a pool growing up. I’m not a great swimmer, but I like to float in the water. Maybe you can teach me.”
He giggled but nodded his head. “Daddy could teach you. He’s a good teacher.”
“Maybe I’ll ask him.” The thought of Shay teaching me to swim, with his hands on my wet, naked skin, had my cheeks heating right in the meat section of the store. Better to think of something–anything–else. “Is there anything special you want to eat, Lucas? Some kind of snack?”
“What do they have?” he asked. “I’ve never been to a store before.”
Keeping my eyes fixated on the choices of frozen hamburger in front of me, I did my best to keep my voice steady. “You’ve never been to a grocery store? How did you get your food?”
