Page 71 of His Gentle Omega
“Come on, Daddy!” Lucas called impatiently from where he was keeping watch by our front door. I didn’t even need to look up from the kitchen counter, where I was sorting out stuff to put in the beach bag to hear him practically bouncing from one foot to the other. “People are there already! I see kids I know! And I’m hungry! I can smell the hot dogs!”
Taking a deep breath, I held it for the count of five, then slowly let it out. Pulling the macaroni salad I had made out of the fridge, I told my child to calm down. “Pretty sure you’re smelling the hamburgers. And you don’t even have your towel yet. Go get it please.”
I felt the eye roll all the way across the room and hid my smile as I double checked I had packed the sunscreen. It was the fourth of July, and Asher and Gabe were throwing a poolparty BBQ. Asher had told me it was just going to be their closest friends, then had looked at me with concern.“We did invite Bennett. He’s likely bringing Seth with him, but I just wanted you to be prepared. We invited him before you got here, and well, he’s a friend and a good neighbor. I really don’t want to uninvite him. Is it going to be weird for you?”
Assuring my brother that spending an afternoon in close proximity to my fated mate, who I had essentially rejected for absolutely selfish reasons, wouldn’t be weird, might have been the biggest lie I had ever told in my life. It was going to be so weird. And uncomfortable.
My stomach was already tightening with the desire to see Bennett in a bathing suit. In my mind, I was picturing his compact, lithe body, and all his luscious skin. His dark hair, wet and slicked back from the pool, as water trailed down his neck, around his nipples, sliding down his flat stomach.
Nope, not weird at all, I thought, as I reached down to adjust my thickening dick inside my board short style swim trunks.
It had been two weeks since I’d said goodbye to Bennett, and I missed him terribly. Which was stupid, since we barely knew each other. Yet, I felt like there was a part of me that was missing. Lucas missed him too, continually asking when we were going to see Bennett again, and if he could go next door to visit him.
When I did catch glimpses of Bennett, my heart soared. My stomach always did a massive dive bomb of swirliness, and my heart pounded in my chest. Every time I glimpsed Bennett, my soul was filled with…happiness.
It had taken me a few days to figure out exactly what it was I felt when I saw him, but it was undeniably happiness. Bennet made me happy. There was something about him that justseeing him made me feel calm. Made me think that no matter what, I was going to be okay.
When he would raise his hand to wave, and his lips would curve into a small smile that didn’t quite meet his gorgeous green eyes, I still held out a sliver of hope that he was going to wait for me. Not that I would blame him if he didn’t.
I knew I was riding the hot mess express. Hell, I was a walking red flag to most people. I had trauma. I had triggers, as I was finding out. I had emotional scars. I had more baggage than you would pack for a month-long European vacation.
Why the fuck someone as good and kind and pure as Bennett would want anything to do with my mess, was beyond me. And I wasn’t going to hold it against him if he decided I wasn’t worth the time and effort. Hell, it still astounded me that Bennett was even single. He was a catch and a half, and much more than I deserved.
Lucas wrinkled his nose up at the mention of hamburgers, and I shook my head at his disgusted face. For some reason, logic known only to a six-year-old, he was on an anti-hamburger kick. Well versed in the completely illogical palate of small children, and what they would and wouldn’t eat on any given week, I let him be. If he didn’t want to eat hamburgers that just meant more for me.
He was right; I could smell the scent of grilling meat wafting over from across the street. Lucas, not caring if we were letting the central air out into the world, had been standing with the front door open for a good half hour. Eyes peeled for the first arrivals at his uncle’s house.
“You sure they are having hot dogs?” Teasing him, I walked down the hallway to grab him clothes for later, to change into.He followed close on my heels, already dressed in his red swim trunks covered in Dalmatian dogs, sandals, and nothing else.
“Uncle Gabe said so,” he declared, matter-of-factly. Asher had let me know there were going to be plenty of kids there, and they would have tons of kid-friendly and approved food choices.
“More burgers for me then.” Booping his nose with a finger, I grabbed his brand newBatmanbeach towel off his bed. Folding it, I shoved it under one arm, while digging in his drawers for a shorts outfit. “You want pajamas? Uncle Asher said they are going to have fireworks when it gets dark, and marshmallows and S’mores. But it won’t be dark until way past your bedtime.”
Deciding I should just pack them regardless of Lucas’s opinion, I added a pair to my pile. More than likely, I’d end up carrying him home sound asleep, and could just put him easily to bed.
“Uncle Asher said I could spend the night.”
Giving my son side-eye from where I was crouched on the floor in front of his dresser drawer, I sighed. “When did this conversation happen?”
Lucas shrugged, scuffing his toe on the carpet of his room, and not meeting my eyes. Sure signs he wasn’t telling the complete truth.
“I’m waiting. What exactly did Uncle Asher say?”
Lucas followed me back down the hallway silently, no doubt trying to conjure up an answer that would sound truthful. Repacking the bag so his clothes for later were on the bottom, I raised a brow at him when he climbed up on one of the tall bar stools in front of the kitchen counter.
His little chest heaved mightily with the sigh he emitted, and I had to force myself not to laugh at his dramatics. “He said maybeI could stay the night. Which, really, is like a yes, when you think about it.”
“Is it? Hmmm. And did you think that maybe you should have asked me for permission before making plans on your own? Pretty sure I’m the keeper of your social calendar, sir.”
Lucas giggled at my teasing tone, knowing damn well neither Asher nor I was likely to say no to him. Regardless of our answers, I didn’t want him making plans without telling me first–even with my brother–and I wasn’t thrilled about the way he had stretched the truth. We’d be having a much longer conversation about that later.
“All right,” I stated, sliding the strap of the beach bag over my shoulder and grabbing the plastic bowl of macaroni salad. Cooking was definitely not something I was taking to naturally, but I could decently boil macaroni. The recipe I had found on Pinterest had been pretty basic and easy, while still tasting good. Lucas had been on board until he’d seen me stir in the diced celery, and declared it was on his no eating list. “Let’s hit the road.”
Sliding down from the tall stool, I waited with bated breath until his feet hit the ground. The stools were high, and Lucas seemed to love seeing how long it would take him to slide off them to hit the floor.
Glancing around the cozy and large living area, I was once more thankful for my brother and his mate. Gabe’s house was a sprawling three-bedroom ranch, with an open concept kitchen, living and dining room. There was more than enough space for Lucas and me, and it was furnished. Gabe and Asher had swapped out a few pieces when they had moved into Asher’s place, so some of the furniture had been Asher’s at one point in time. Either way, I was thankful to have a more than nice roof over our heads, that I didn’t have to buy furniture for.
There was a large two-stall attached garage that Trixie was safely housed in, and a good sized fenced-in backyard. Well, mostly fenced in. The backside had been left open, with direct access to the woods that ran behind it. It was convenient, but also made me a bit nervous to let Lucas outside by himself to play. I planned on asking Gabe if he would be okay with me fencing all of the yard. It would just make me sleep better at night. I kept having nightmares about Lucas playing back there, and a snarling wolf slinking into the yard from the woods and snatching him up.
