Page 83 of His Gentle Omega
“I’ll tell him, but he can’t handle this now, Seth.” My eyes pleaded with him to understand and accept my decision. “This is the last thing he needs. He…isn’t in a great place, mentally.”
That was more than I should have shared with him, since Shay’s secrets weren’t mine to share. Shay looked better every day, healthy and happy, but I knew it was the invisible scars that took the longest to heal from. Shay had told me himself he was barely hanging on and keeping it together.
No, this news would need to wait.
“Please, do not say a word about this to Asher. Or anyone. Shay should be the first person–besides you, obviously–to know. You have to trust me on this. This could hurt his case for Lucas. They could try to use this against him. Please,” I urged, hoping that my gossipy bestie would keep his mouth shut for once.
Seth sighed loudly. “Fine, fine.” He made a motion like he was sealing his lips closed tightly. “My lips are sealed. For the record, I’m not on board with this plan. But I trust you know what you are doing. I don’t like the guy on sheer principle because he made you cry, but he has a right to know.”
“Your concerns are noted,” I told him. “And you’ll be my birthing coach?”
He rolled his eyes at me, “Duh, is that even a real question? Plus, I’m going to be the most kick ass uncle that ever uncled.”
Meg slipped around the curtain; her eyes focused on the chart she was holding. Which very well might hold the fate of the rest of my life in it. Looking up, she smiled kindly at me, but by the look in her eyes, I justknew.
“I have your blood work back and we know why you fainted.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Shay
Something was wrong. I could feel it. It was there, invisible, but the feeling of dread hung in the humid air, swirling around me.
Skimming across my skin, making me feel unsettled, I didn’t know what it was.
Glancing around, my eyes scanned the street, looking for…anything amiss. Looking for Edward. The street was quiet, nothing out of place. No strange cars parked where they shouldn’t be. The neighbor two houses down waved as he got his mail. I didn’t know his name, but I waved back.
Was I being paranoid?
Things were going so well for Lucas and me, I was just waiting for the shoe to drop.
“When’s he coming home?” Lucas asked for the four hundredth and twenty-second time, dancingin front of me like he had ants in his pants, breaking me out of my thoughts of impending doom. Sitting on the low step that led up to our small porch, I repeated the same thing I had told him just two seconds ago.
“When he gets home.”
We were outside, waiting for Bennett to get home from work. Lucas wanted to hand deliver his birthday party invitations, and he was insistent that Bennett be invited. I hadn’t tried to talk him out of it, even if it would be awkward, and I’d probably spend most of the party doing my best not to inhale Bennett’s intoxicating scent. Hopefully, I would be too busy with party things, I wouldn’t be able to think about sneaking off with Bennett to enjoy the taste of his lips. Or other things.
“But when?” Lucas whined, hopping along the front walk.
He had been wound up from the moment I had picked him up from the daycare. We’d been able to deliver a few of the invitations before we had departed Little Cubs for the day. Quinn’s twins had been at the daycare because Lachlan had in-person meetings that day. Usually, the alpha worked from home and the twins were with him.
Since Lachlan had in-office meetings, Wade and Finn’s children had been at the daycare today. Wade worked as Lachlan’s PA, so he had been needed in the office also. After we dropped off Bennett’s invitation, we would drive out to deliver the last ones to the remaining Sinclair quad offspring.
Lucas had made fast friends with all the children at Asher’s pool party and wanted them all to attend his party. Because my son had turned into a literal social butterfly, he had also invited several other children he knew from daycare. The small party I had envisioned throwing for him in my head flew out the window as his guest list kept growing.
But I had been hard pressed to rein him in, loving the enjoyment that lit up his face as he went into complete party planning mode. I might have a future party planner on my hands, as he was very specific about things he wanted, including a theme. Tomorrow we would stop into The Sweet Spot to speak to Quinn about making the cake. Lucas was adamant he wanted Quinn’s carrot cake for his party. I’d had a piece of that cake the other morning and it was damn good, so I wasn’t going to try to talk him out of it.
“Daddy! Are you listening?”
“Hmm? Yes, of course,” I assured him, knowing I hadn’t heard a word he had said. But considering he’d been repeating some version of the same question the last twenty minutes, I guessed I was safe with telling him I had.
Planting his hands on his hips, the invitation still clutched tightly in his hand and getting a tiny bit wrinkled, Lucasdemanded, “So when, then?”
Umm? What exactly was I about to agree to?
Bennett’s car slowly turned down the street and pulled into his driveway, saving me from committing to something I might regret later. Standing, I brushed the ass of my shorts off, frowning when I saw Bennett wasn’t the one driving.
Seth quickly exited the driver’s side, pointing at Bennett to stay where he was. When I heard him say, “Just keep your fainting ass planted until I come around to help you out”, my slow walk across the yard might have picked up speed. I wouldn’t say I ran over to the passenger side where Seth was just helping Bennett out, but I most certainly jogged.
