Page 33 of Hired for Research
Concern poured from Evelyn, fear turning her scent bitter, but as they watched, it slowly faded away.
Jett’s commander brushed his daughter’s hair back from her face, pressing a kiss to her forehead before he stood. Arms crossed over his chest, he waited as Austin took his son’s hand and they walked over to the other pair.
The little boy looked at Sophia before glancing up at his father. Austin maintained his solemn expression, but there was no judgment or anger there.
Sighing, the little boy said what Jett assumed was an apology to Sophia before looking up at his father again. Austin nodded, giving a little smile before leaning down to hug his son. Jett saw Austin’s lips move, but whatever he said was short, because the children quickly went back to their game, the other pair joining in again.
The father’s all moved out of the way, the two involved clasping hands and sharing a laugh as they shook their heads, and Jett felt Evelyn’s shoulders slump, a shudder passing through her.
“I—I’m sorry. I didn’t expect…”
She trailed off but he understood what she couldn’t put into words.
“It’s natural, and if they didn’t know each other and were a bit more hotheaded, it could have led to an altercation. Alphas aren’t just protective of their omegas, but we also understand they’re children and things like that are going to happen.”
“I didn’t want the kids in the way if there was a fight.”
The words were soft, almost as if she was talking to herself, but Jett nodded and moved his hand to rub her back.
“That’s natural too. Your instincts told you to make sure the children were safe. It’s good to be aware of what your nature tells you to do, but sometimes we have to stop and figure out if it’s necessary.”
They’d started walking again, but she turned her head to look at him, one brow raised.
“Is that something they teach in your special schools?”
Jett snorted, thinking of all the beatings he’d taken as a teen for butting his nose into things he should have stayed out of. Cramming a bunch of hormonal alphas together without the support they needed was certainly one way to teach the consequences of losing your temper, but it was hardly the best.
Still, he didn’t need to dump that on her.
“Sort of.”
There wasn’t much more he could say without inviting more questions he wasn’t sure Evelyn wanted the answers too. One of the things he’d learned since coming to Eden was how little the other dynamics knew about exactly what happened to alphas once they presented. He didn’t think it was willful ignorance, just something most didn’t think about. Especially omegas who were trying to deal with their own dynamic and the issues they faced.
They made it back onto the main street and were approaching the grocery store when Evelyn stopped and looked around.
“Isn’t my hotel on this road?”
She turned her head the other way, spotting the building two blocks down as he responded with an affirmative. Looking at the store then back to her hotel, she sucked in a deep breath before turning to him.
“I think I’d rather just go back to my room tonight.”
She’d seemed deep in thought after they left the park, and he could understand she had probably had enough for one day.
Offering her a smile, he nodded, turning to cross the street. It was only a few more minutes before the doors of the hotel were sliding back and they stepped into the lobby. Evelyn’s shoulders were still slumped, and she had a crease between her brows, but she smiled up at him when he paused inside the entrance.
“Thanks for walking with me. I’ll see you in the morning?”
“Of course.”
She hesitated a second before walking forward to the lift. The doors opened immediately and she stepped inside, turning to meet his gaze as she waited for them to close. His breath caught in his chest, an unnamable emotion clogging his throat as she disappeared from view.
The more time he spent with Evelyn, the harder it was to leave her each night. Even knowing he’d see her in the morning, he was anxious and agitated at having to walk away.
If it was hard now, what was it going to be like when he had to walk away for good?
15. Evelyn
The walk to her room seemed longer than the walk from the river, and without Jett by her side it seemed even more lonely.
