Page 11 of Rejected Beta

"Good. I'm always happy when we end up with regulars. Especially young ones." He smiles down at Lexie. "Are you here for story time?"

"Yeah. I just have to pick less books." She frowns at her two stacks, both still too large.

"Those are some pretty impressive piles. You know, I could hold those for you for up to two weeks so no one else checks them out."

"Really?" Lexie looks up at Oliver like he's a superhero, worship already in her eyes.

He's helpless against the power of her adorableness, melting immediately. "Really."

I swear hearts pulse from her eyes. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Here, let me help you and I'll go ahead and store the others behind the counter. Story time starts in just a couple minutes." He squats down next to her.

Aurora and I watch as Lexie and Oliver go through her pile.

I lean closer to her, keeping my voice low. “He's good with kids."

She nods. "He is. I'm not quite as good, but I think I'm getting better. He keeps getting me to help with story time, so I'm around kids more."

"You don't have any of your own?" I ask.

"No."

She doesn't say more than that and I don't dig. Omegas are taught that's their only purpose in life, to breed. I don't blame her if she's struggling against that idea. I'd do the same.

"She's adorable."

I grin. "I'm pretty fond of her."

Aurora laughs. "I'd hope so. Is it just the two of you?"

"It is." I keep my answer simple.

She's not the only one who doesn't want to share too much.

She smiles, her gaze understanding and curious. “Well, if you ever need help, it looks like Oliver would be more than willing to babysit."

I chuckle. “I’ll keep that in mind."

Oliver gets Lexie’s stack of books down to a much more manageable pile which she happily hands over to me.

Oliver lifts the other stack. "I'll go get this set aside for when you come back."

I shoot him a grateful smile. “Thank you so much."

"You're welcome." He turns back to Lexie "How about you head off with Rory for story time while your mom does a little browsing of her own?"

"Okay."

I drop a kiss on top of her head. "Be good, darling. I'll come get you when it's over."

She barely pays attention as she heads off with Aurora, chattering a mile an hour. It sends a slight pang through my chest, seeing her stretch her wings and learn independence, but I know it's good for her. Good for us.

"Do you want me to take that stack too so you don't have to haul them around with you?" Oliver asks.

I blink. "Oh, sure. Thanks."

He easily juggles all the books after he takes them from me. "Not a problem. Welcome to town."

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