Page 72 of His Gentle Omega
Though that wasn’t really Edward’s style, I still wouldn’t put it past him to try to take Lucas. Not because he wanted Lucas, or enjoyed being a father, but he knew it was the best way to hurt me.
Once Gabe heard my reasons, I figured he’d be fine with having the entire backyard closed off.
Turning to make sure the front door was locked, even though we were only going across the street, Lucas started jumping up and down and waving madly. Tires crunched from next door, and I glanced over and saw Seth’s blue Honda pulling into Bennett’s drive.
The slim omega exited his vehicle, and I felt his icy glare all the way across the yard.
“Hi Seth!” Lucas called, still waving madly. “Are you going to Uncle Asher’s party?”
Thankfully, when Seth took his eyes off me to glance at Lucas, his face softened and he grinned, waving back.
“I am, with Bennett!” Seth called, just as Bennett emerged from his house.
My breath caught as he walked over to Seth’s car, shielding his eyes with a hand from the sun. He was wearing ombre blue board shorts that set low on his slim hips, no shirt, and had a towel slung over his shoulders. In one hand he held a beach bag similar to ours, and in the other he had a bag of chips.
He looked stunning, cool and relaxed, and I forgot how to breathe as I stared at his beauty. A slight breeze ruffled his dark hair, and I swore I smelled the faint scent of cinnamon and sugar.
Holding up a hand in greeting, I gave him a small smile. The one he returned was tight, not natural at all, and nearly broke my heart. He whispered something to Seth, then turned and went back into his house.
Lucas was already at the end of our driveway, nearly to the road, and I called for him to wait for me. Hurrying after him, I took his hand, and made a big show of looking both ways. Even though we lived at the end of a cul-de-sac that got little traffic, better safe than sorry.
Glancing over my shoulder as we crossed, I saw Bennett had returned but he wasn’t walking across the street. Instead, he and Seth had their heads bowed together closely. Seth glanced over his shoulder at me, glaring and gesturing to Bennett with his hands as he spoke.
Sighing softly, I told myself it didn’t matter what they were discussing, or that Bennett definitely seemed to be avoiding walking across the street with me. Hopefully, they would still come to the party, and me being there wouldn’t be a big deal. If so, there really wasn’t much I could do about it. Asher was my brother so he had to expect I would be here today. As much as I didn’t want to make Bennett uncomfortable, I was also trying to reestablish a relationship with Ash.
Plus, Lucas needed to get to know his uncles and cousins. He was thriving attending Little Cubs, the daycare in town, while I worked. He was making friends and turning into a real social butterfly, and he was so excited to start school in just a few months.
Lucas didn’t even bother knocking on Asher’s front door, just went inside and ran through the house, towards the back. Slipping out the backdoor from the spacious kitchen, he announced loudly, “I’m here!”
Laughing at his joy, and the fact that he felt free to just be a kid, I trailed behind him. The in-ground pool, a recent addition from what I had gathered from Asher and Gabe, glistened, the blue of the water inviting in the hot sun.
Asher enveloped Lucas in a tight hug, and my heart melted. It was a sight I had almost given up ever seeing–Asher with Lucas–and I couldn’t help the strong emotions that washed over me. Pushing them to the side before they had a chance to overwhelm me, I noticed a few people milling about.
Ryan Sinclair, who I knew from the daycare, popped his reddish blond head from around a large, graying alpha who was sitting on the edge of the pool, his long legs dangling. Ryan floated between the alpha’s legs, both hands resting on each of the man’s muscular thighs. Since I knew Ryan was married, I assumed the man was his husband. “Hey Shay! Nice to see you.”
Waving, I smiled, looking around for an empty chair to set my bag down. Finding one, I made my way to Asher, who was crouched down next to a kiddie wading pool that had been set up on the concrete and filled with water. Tristan, Rafe, and a little girl that I recognized as Ryan’s daughter, Charlie, were splashing around merrily. Toy boats and rubber ducks floated around them, along with a huge blow-up beach ball.
“Unc Say, Unc Say!” Tristan splashed his palms against the surface of the water, splashing Rafe, who let out a displeased scream at having water spray his face.
“Hey, T,” crouching down to his level, I greeted him. “Hey, Rafey. Hi Charlie,” I acknowledged the sweet little girl, whose blue eyes lit up, but she smiled shyly before ducking her head.
“Thought this was a good alternative for the littles who can’t swim yet.” Asher stood, wiping his wet hands on his swim trunks. “Lucas said he can swim?”
Lucas took that moment to jump off the side of the pool, into the deep end, with a loud yell and splash.
“Thankfully, yes, he can.” Shaking my head at my son’s antics, I just grinned at him. “He’s been swimming for a couple of years. I think he misses our pool, so you’ll probably be seeing a ton of him this summer.”
Asher grinned, “We look forward to it.”
“He mentioned he might be spending the night with you guys tonight?”
Asher nodded, “He’s been scheming to, yeah. I told him we’d need to discuss it with you first. But we are happy to keep him. The twins love spending time with him. He’s really great with them. Never acts like he’s too big to play with them.”
Keeping an eye on my madly swimming child, I was interrupted from answering when more people arrived, kids in tow. Asher introduced them as Lachlan and Quinn Sinclair, and their two kids, Rory and Patrick. The little girl was a beauty with thick chestnut hair and the same blue eyes as Charlie. The little boy was just as gorgeous with wild black hair that stuck up on top of his head, and large emerald eyes.
It soon became obvious to me that Rory and Charlie both got their eyes from their alpha dads. Lachlan explained that he andhis brothers were part of a set of identical quadruplets, and they would all be in attendance today.
“Wade and Finn are on their way,” Quinn Sinclair announced, rolling his green eyes. “Finn got called in for a delivery last night and was catching a nap. He didn’t have a chance to make anything, so they needed to stop at Walmart and grab something to bring. No one wants Wade cooking anything.”
