Page 325 of The Omega Exchange: Omnibus
“What?” he growls.
“Thank you,” I say, nodding at Carver.
“I’m not going to take a swing at him again. Well, not unless he says something—” Nik cuts off when Carver grabs his shoulders and literally guides him to the door.
“She doesn’t need us adding our stress to the mix right now,” Carver says, waving over his shoulder as they head out.
“Can I turn around?” Ben asks.
“Yeah,” I agree.
“If I come closer, is the big guy going to try to murder me?” Ben chuckles.
“Not unless you do or say something very stupid,” Miller says, taking the seat he vacated.
“I had to ask.” Ben shrugs. “Not that I can really blame you.”
“Why are you here?” I ask as he comes closer.
“I deserve that,” Ben says, nodding. He’s got a serious look on his face that I haven’t seen in years. Maybe not since his grandfather died.
I’m on edge to the point I don’t know what to do with myself. Apparently my system thinks now would be a great time to burst into tears. My eyes ache and fat tears appear out of nowhere.
“No,” Ben says, tossing his hands up in front of him. “Please don’t cry. I’ll go if you want me to.”
Mallory picks this exact moment to let out the most monumental burp I’ve heard from her yet.
“Dang,” Oliver says, chuckling. He gives her a goofy look and my heart races.
“You’ve ignored every attempt I’ve made to get in touch with you. Why are you here now?” I choke out.
Miller climbs out of his chair and carefully puts himself on the hospital bed next to me. He wraps an arm around my shoulder and starts to purr.
“I should’ve reached out before now.” Ben sighs, shaking his head with his gaze on his boots. “My family is mighty fucking pissed at me. Your mom talked to my mom and let’s just say it was ugly.”
I sigh, shaking my head. My mom definitely knows how to stir the pot.
“I went to North Carolina for a couple weeks. Did you know Everly is pregnant?” he asks.
Everly is Ben’s brother’s omega. Luke is a beta, but he still ended up in a pack. It takes me several seconds to realize Everly’s baby and Mallory are cousins.
Ben chuckles. “She’s due in a week. Luke took another swing at me. Yeah, big surprise, I know. They both want you to know they hope you and the baby are doing well. That’s actually how I got here so fast.” He sighs. “God, this is awkward, isn’t it?”
“I’d like to name her Mallory if you’re okay with that,” I say, rolling my jaw from side to side.
“Can I hold her?” he asks, meandering closer.
Miller sighs, squeezing me tighter.
“Yeah, if you wash your hands,” I say even though I really don’t want to.
He heads over to scrub his hands, and my heart feels like it might pound out of my chest. I’ve still got tears dripping, but I’m going to blame it on the hormones.
Oliver carefully stands and nods to the chair. Ben takes a seat and Oliver carefully hands over the baby.
“Shit, she’s small,” Ben says. “Yeah, I think Mallory is a good name. Not that I really get much say.”
I don’t say anything because his entire demeanor is different from the last time I saw him.
