Page 8 of A Real Alpha
Hopefully I was doing the right thing by being here.
“Why don't you sit down, get comfy with your little one...” he trailed off and then chuckled, giving me an amused look. “You know,” he said. “I was going to ask his name, but then I realized I still didn't get yours.”
I could see the humor. He'd invited me into his house and didn't know a single thing about me.
“You must not have very good survival skills,” I said. “How do you know I'm not a murderer?”
He grinned. “Are you?”
I shook my head, snorting. I was the furthest thing from it, but I didn't need him to know just how much of a pushover I really could be.
“My name’s Connor,” I finally replied. “This is Roscoe.”
“Connor and Roscoe,” he repeated, smiling softly. “Well, make yourselves at home.”
Home? That word wasn’t one I thought of fondly, yet here, in Oscar’s space, it didn’t give me the same feeling of hopelessness that it usually did.
I watched Oscar taking things out of the cupboards for dinner for a few seconds before deciding to take him up on the offer and settling down on the comfortable couch.
Just being able to lay Roscoe down for a bit was a relief. He looked up at me with those wide blue eyes he'd gotten from Harry, seeming completely content.
“Did a full day cuddling Daddy suit you just fine?” I asked quietly, and he gargled, kicking his legs and arms as I rubbed his little tummy.
I smiled. It was a relief to know that the trauma was all on me. Little Ros had no idea what all the yelling and snarling had been about earlier. All he knew was that he'd been safe in Daddy's arms. He’d continue to be safe in Daddy’s arms, if I had anything to say about it.
I bent and kissed his forehead, laughing softly when he instinctively grasped and pulled my hair.
By the time I disentangled myself from his surprisingly strong baby grip, he was singing, gargling, and looking around.
Glancing toward the kitchen, I wondered if Oscar was annoyed by all the noise, but he didn't appear to mind. For a minute, I watched him move around the space, adding spices to whatever was going into the oven and tossing fresh vegetables in olive oil. Whatever it was smelled wonderful and made my mouth water—but I was also starving.
I wasn't much of a cook so I couldn't even guess what he was making. For the whole year living with Harry, I'd mostly made pasta and instant noodles for us. After he'd locked me in after having Roscoe three months ago, food had been reduced to canned goods only.
My stomach rumbled as the smell of meat filled the air and somehow, Oscar seemed to hear it, turning to gaze at me.
His hazel eyes met mine and I was stunned by the sureness in them.
“It won't be long,” he promised.
I nodded, embarrassed, and tried to focus on Roscoe instead of my shame. It was impossible to avoid glancing at the man across the room, though. Oscar seemed so confident in his own skin. How did someone become like that? I wondered.
Well, being an alpha surely helped.
If not for the one little fact that I had been able to have my own baby—who was my whole world—I would despise every part of being an omega.
My omega disposition was responsible for nearly every bad memory I had.
Still, I would rather be me, then be someone like Harry who felt entitled to have and take anythingor anyonethat he wanted.
I must have zoned out thinking about it, because by the time I looked up again, Oscar was setting plates and food on a small dining table.
“Ready for food?” he asked when he noticed me watching.
I got to my feet, hesitating to leave Roscoe alone on the couch. He could barely lift his head on his own, so I didn't need to worry about him rolling yet, and the couch was comfortable and clean, a safe spot in eye view from the table. So, I stepped away from him for the first time today and walked to the table before taking the seat across from Oscar.
Oscar didn't say much as he served us our food. I was surprised to see that it was some sort of buddha bowl, with rice, grilled chicken and a delicious looking salad. It looked as good as it smelled.
“Here, have as much of the sauce as you want,” he said, offering it after applying a generous portion on top of his own food.
