Page 14 of Omega's Midlife Love
I sighed and closed my eyes. I felt lighter somehow, like some of my burdens had been lifted.
“I can bring you more if you need anything,” David said, then his footsteps started to carry him away.
“Wait,” I asked before thinking about it.
His footsteps paused and I opened my eyes. Our gazes met, and a softer sort of desire flooded through me.
He’d seen my struggles, something that usually only Victor was able to spot, and something inside me craved the understanding of a man like David.
Victor was a good man; a friend for life. But David… Some part of me still wanted to see him as a mate. But I would accept him as a friend as well. I just knew that I couldn’t let somebody special like him not feel appreciated.
I motioned to one of the guest chairs. “Please, have a seat.”
His gaze flicked to it, then back to me. “Are you sure? I know you’re busy.”
I nodded. “I didn’t know you had kids, tell me about them.”
He smiled and took a seat. “It’s just my daughter, no other kids.”
“I take it your mate stays home with her?” My stomach twisted at the thought of him having a mate, despite the lack of a bond bite, but it made sense. No alpha in their right mind would let a man like him slip away.
He chuckled. “No, she’s grown now and with a mate of her own.”
I blinked. Some part of me knew that he’d had plenty of restaurant experience, but I’d always assumed he’d started as a teen. It was the only thing that made sense.
“She mated young?” I guessed.
He laughed. “Not at all. She married her mate last year, when she was twenty-five. She’s an ambitious young woman, and made it through college before she found her mate. He’s pregnant now, and I’ll be a grandpapa soon.”
“Wow… I had no idea.”
He chuckled. “Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe too. Part of me still wants to believe that I only sent her off to kindergarten last year, then I remember watching as her omega walked down the aisle.”
“You and your mate must be proud.”
His smile faded a bit. “No, no mate. It was just me. My parents helped for several years, but died in an accident about the time she was six. Her father… well… he visited her a few times when she was a baby, but flaked pretty early. Then he moved and the child support stopped. I’ll admit that it wasn’t easy. But I still wouldn’t change a thing, because it all meant that I had her.”
“Weren’t you lonely?”
His smile turned sad. “Sometimes. But there wasn’t much time to think about it, and the few alphas who did show interest bailed pretty quick when they realized that my girl came first. They couldn’t imagine that I would be a papa first, and a mate second.”
I frowned. “But… a papa is part of who you are. It’s obvious as soon as you speak about your daughter. You light up with pride.”
The joy returned to his eyes. “It’s such an amazing thing to watch a child grow up. I guess at some point I decided that I’d rather have the company of my Samantha than that of an alpha who would only see her as my plus one.”
“Their loss.”
A faint blush crossed his cheeks. “Part of me can’t really blame them. There’s more tolerance given to single parents now. But it was different then, and I was so young when I had her. I was nineteen, barely out of high school. I’d gotten pregnant the night of senior prom. When alphas were getting ready to settle down, they wanted babies, not kids entering elementary school. Then there’s the cost. It’s not cheap to raise a child. It was never just about wooing me. They had to figure out how to fit her into their lives as well, and I guess I never met the man who could do that.”
“I’m sorry.”
He gave me a soft smile. “Thank you.”
I wanted to tell him that I wished I’d have met him sooner, that I would have gladly been that alpha. But the words stuck in my throat.
David stood. “I should go clean up and inventory what’s on hand before I go to the farmers’ market tomorrow.”
“David?” I asked.
He paused and turned back to me. “Yes?”
“Thank you. I think I needed that.”
He nodded. “Anytime.”
I chuckled. “I might just take you up on that.”
“I look forward to more discussions with you then.”
