Page 52 of The Omega Lesson

I close my mouth, because I might be an English teacher, but there really aren’t the words in any language to counter a comment like that.

Jack

After school on Friday, Noah helps Mattie officially move out of the boarding house while I take Lexi to Bree’s check-up at the hospital. The guys wanted to come too, but I could tell Lexi was trying to keep it low-key, probably because of her tosser ex-husband. She reassured them we’d come straight home, since it’s her weekend with Bree, and she’s already bought a family pass to the zoo. I spent the morning filling the fridge with age-appropriate snacks and even snuck a little karaoke machine into Bree’s room. Lexi said that according to her daughter, there’s no finer musical talent in the world than John Denver, so I downloaded his greatest hits to play in the car on the way home.

I’ve been even more in tune with Lexi since we shared Christian’s story, and I can feel her vibrating with nervous energy as we park out the front of the hospital. I hired a van for the occasion – something Noah called a fuck truck because of the way the seats go all the way down in the back – but Lexi’s eyes shone with gratitude when she saw the giant monkey buckled up next to Bree’s booster seat.

“She’s going to be out of her mind with excitement,” Lexi murmurs as we head in, her hand gripped tightly in mine. “It’s been way too long since I had her home with me. I really have to talk to Richard again about giving me an extra weekend.”

I hold my tongue, even though I have plenty to say about a bastard who abandons his wife and then restricts her access to their daughter. The first sign that he’s struck again is the frown on the administrator’s face when we enter the ward. “I’m sorry, Miss Novak,” the administrator says as we reach the nursing station, “but your ex-husband has been and gone.”

“But it’s not even four o’clock.”

“He moved the appointment to midday because he was taking your daughter out of town for the weekend,” the charge nurse says from her seat behind the desk. “We assumed he’d been in touch.”

The look on Lexi’s face is a mixture of embarrassment and dismay. “No, he didn’t,” she says stiffly. “Was she okay, though? Did the doctor remove the brace?”

“Yes, everything was fine,” the charge nurse says breezily. “She was in good spirits.”

“I’m glad.” Lexi is clearly anything but, and the administrator looks uncomfortable. “Is the doctor around?”

“No, I’m afraid he’s also headed off for the weekend.”

I raise my brows at the administrator, but Lexi murmurs something about the bathroom and the charge nurse leads her away. I wait until she’s gone, then give the other woman a hard look. “In future, make sure that anything that concerns Bree is checked with Miss Novak as a priority.” I hand over a business card. “If you can’t get Lexi, try Travis, Noah, or myself. Our private cell numbers are all on there. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

“Yes, Mr. Lyall,” the administrator grips the card like it’s a lifeline. I don’t like to bully people, but Lexi called this morning to confirm the appointment. The least they could have done was keep her in the loop when her arsehole ex decided to change it. “I’ll put a note against her file and ask the doctor to call her directly.”

“Update their insurances while you’re at it. Everything goes through the Lyall account from now on.”

“Of course.” She’s too savvy to point out things like custody arrangements when I’m clenching my jaw hard enough to crack a molar. “I apologise on behalf of the hospital, Mr. Lyall. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

I give her a curt nod and she tucks the card into her pocket as Lexi returns. She’s splashed water on her face, but the strain around her eyes makes my gut clench.

We’re silent as we leave the hospital, and I decide that the worst thing I could do is take her straight back to the cottage with the helium balloons tied to the mailbox and the Welcome Home cake in the fridge. Just as well I have a backup plan in mind.

“Is it okay if we stop off somewhere?” I ask as we buckle up, Lexi carefully avoiding a glance at the stuffed monkey in the backseat. “It won’t take long.”

“I’d like that,” she says with a sigh, “but I have to call Richard.”

“Do you want to go home to do that?”

She makes a rude sound. “I can yell at him while you drive. Please. Take me anywhere, Jack.”

I’m pretty sure my omega just melted at the invitation. But I keep my eyes on the road as she dials her ex’s number and gets his voicemail. She leaves a curt message, reminding him it’s her weekend and asking him to call right away.

“We have to do something about this, Lexi. The custody arrangement is bullshit.”

Instead of telling me to butt out, she strokes my cheek. “You know, I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you really angry.”

I mull over that for a moment. Mum always called me the peacekeeper in the family, but as I got older, it became easier to just lower my expectations and let things happen around me. Or maybe I just didn’t have something I really wanted to fight for. “If I got your ex alone right now, I can’t say I wouldn’t kick the shit out of him.”

She gives me a tired smirk. “The way I’m feeling, I’d probably help you.”

“Well, I can’t promise you bloody retribution, but when I’m feeling ragey, I always opt for a nice, tranquil environment.”

She gives me a curious look, but seems happy to leave the navigation in my hands as I drive towards the river. She perks up as we pull into the university carpark. “I’m thinking about building my office on some of that bushland next door,” I tell her. “The council has great sustainability initiatives, and I know a couple of local architects who specialise in building close to nature reserves. In the interim, the university is loaning me a lab. It’s fine. Functional. But the real drawcard is the library.”

“I haven’t been back here since I graduated,” she says, climbing out of the car. We walk to the huge ivy-covered building, and I pull out the temporary staff pass the Vice Chancellor gave me. Since it’s a Friday afternoon, the place is quiet and I lead her upstairs to the specialised research collections. I’ve already checked out the agriculture section, and along with the silent study zones, there are meeting rooms for both research teams and faculty use on this floor. I swipe us into what could be a corporate office. There’s a round table with a screen mounted on the wall, and floor-to-ceiling views of the lush, green campus. But it’s the elderly woman seated at the table who’s the real drawcard.

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