I didn’t want to leave Brent. I actually fantasized about spending the day with him. But when I heard his dad talking about the unsightly boat that was moored in the area, I knew it was mine, and I knew I had to get out of there. I was going back, though. I had to. I had to make sure Brent was ok. I had to see him again, and smell his incredible scent, and I had to kiss those perfectly soft lips of his.
But not today. Right now all I wanted to do was get as far as I could from all the fancy yachts, and the cops … and Brent’s dad.
Chapter 7
Brent
After Holden left I sat there for a few minutes thinking about him and wishing he was still sitting there next to me. I suddenly missed everything about him—his sexy voice and smile, and the way his scent made my whole body tingle—and I wished I’d run after him when he left. But I didn’t want to make a fool of myself. He clearly wanted to get away from me as quickly as possible.
“What are you up to today?” my dad asked, interrupting my daydream about the previous night. I looked at him and was startled by the way his eyes were narrowed on me, almost like he knew something. I knew I was probably being paranoid, but I wanted to get away from him. The last thing I needed was to have to explain to my dad why I’d totally messed up my life by getting pregnant, and while I was hung over, no less.
“I don’t know, I think I’m going back to bed. I’m pretty tired.” I stood up and started to leave.
“Is there something I should know about?”
“What do you mean?” I said, stopping and turning my head toward my dad, but only halfway. I had no interest in looking at his smug face. “I’m just tired. That’s all.”
“Tired? It’s after noon, Brent. Are you sure you’re just tired?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You smell like a bum who’s been sleeping in the gutter. How much did you have to drink last night?”
“I don’t know.”
“Brent …”
“Maybe a few drinks. I wasn’t counting!”
“This is getting to be a pretty regular habit of yours, Brent. I don’t think I like it.”
“Give me a break, Dad!” I said, turning and looking him in the eyes. I could see that he was about to launch into a lecture about how I was wasting my life, and I didn’t think I could stand to hear another word come out of his mouth, so before he could say anything, I took off.
I knew I was a fuckup. My dad didn’t need to keep telling me. I wanted to be able to make money, but I didn’t know how. I’d been taking random art classes at Portville State off and on for a few years, but I felt like I had no direction. I couldn’t even narrow down my interests enough to pick a major.
And the thought of getting a regular job, slaving away for forty to sixty hours a week in an office, or behind a counter, so that someone else could get rich, sounded like pure hell. I was so impressed that Holden had his own business. He was sticking it to the man and going his own way, and I really admired that.
I ran off my dad’s yacht and up to the pier. At first I wasn’t sure where I was going, but when I got back to the place in the marina where Holden and I had fallen into the water I knew exactly what I wanted—to find him.
I figured his boat couldn’t have been parked very far from that spot, so I scanned the marina for as far as I could see. Not too far away I spotted a couple of uniformed policeman walking up one of the docks. That’s when I saw a small boat starting to pull away, with Holden at the wheel.
“Hey!” I yelled, waving my arms as I ran down the wooden dock toward the sea spray that the boat was kicking up. “Holden! Hey! Wait up!”
But he couldn’t hear me … or he didn’t want to. If that was the case, I couldn’t really blame him. Last night definitely had a one-night-stand vibe about it. At least, it did at the beginning. But for me, as soon as my lips touched his, I knew I had fallen hard. I could feel my desire for him pumping throughout every cell in my body. And it wasn’t just the alcohol. I’d had drunk sex enough to know the difference.
But maybe Holden hadn’t felt anything. Maybe it was all just fun for him. Maybe this morning was just a painful reminder, and he had no interest in ever seeing me again. He sure couldn’t get off my dad’s yacht, and away from me, fast enough, that was for sure.
As I watched the small, wooden boat disappear down the river, my heart sank. I’d been with a lot of guys, but this is the first time I felt this way the next morning. I was always the one to leave, though. I never brought a single guy back home. I was sure if I had I’d never hear the end of it from my dad. But either way, it made me incredibly sad to watch Holden leave.
But I wasn’t just sad, I was crushed. With every inch that separated me from Holden, I felt like I was being torn more and more apart. I felt sick, and not just from the hangover. All that mattered to me was seeing him again, somehow.
The first thing I knew I had to do was find a way to get my hands on two phones. I knew my dad was always being sent samples and advanced copies of the latest gadgets. I’d watched him open up boxes many times, grumble about how he’d never use the thing, then toss it into a closet in his office. He barely knew how to restart his computer, so I was sure he wouldn’t miss anything in there. So I went home and snuck into his office. I figured he wouldn’t be leaving the yacht for at least an hour, so I had some time to look around.
I opened up the closet and was shocked to see how many boxes were piled in there. Everything from office equipment to computers. There were even small appliances—like a Kitchenaid and a Vitamix. I didn’t understand why people were always sending him all this stuff, and why he didn’t do something with them. It was all just sitting here going unused.
Luckily, right on top, I found two phones in sealed boxes. They were different brands, but that didn’t matter at all. I grabbed both boxes and stuck them in my jacket pockets. That’s when I heard my dad open his office door. It sounded like he was talking to one of his assistants in the hallway right outside the door, so I had a chance to hide. I crawled up on top of a huge box that held a thirty-inch computer monitor, and quietly shut the closet door.
After he finished talking, I heard my dad close the office door, but almost immediately he opened it back up again.
“Frank!” he yelled. “Who’s been in here?”
There was silence for a moment, and some far away mumbling, then my father’s voice again.
“It smells like a pregnant omega has been in here. It must be someone on the cleaning staff.”
There was more mumbling, but I couldn’t make out anything that was being said by his assistant, Frank.
“Well, never mind about that for today. The damage has been done. Just make sure you check on each and every person who cleans in here, or anywhere else in the mansion, for that matter. I can’t have that stench in the air. Not with an election coming up. Who knows what rumors that sort of thing could percolate.”
I heard my dad close the door again, then walk across the room to his desk. I had hoped I’d have a chance to sneak out of his office, but it sounded like he was going to be there for a while. I heard him rummaging through the drawers, then he picked up the phone to make a call, but almost immediately, he slammed the phone down and went back to his office door and called out to his assistant again.
“Frank! I’m going to need to have this whole room aired out! Maybe even have the carpets and drapes steam cleaned. It’s just too much. I’m simply not going to get any work done in here today. That scent is far too distracting.”
I heard my father’s unmistakable stalk, his heels pounding into the floor as he made his way down the hall, then I heard Frank calling someone on his walkie-talkie, giving them the orders to come up to the office and fumigate the room.
As soon as I heard Frank’s footsteps disappear in the distance I knew I had my chance to escape. I snuck out of the room, then tiptoed down the hall to the service stairway. I couldn’t risk anyone seeing me leave. Not because I’d stolen two phon
es from my dad’s office. There wasn’t a single person in the entire governor’s mansion who would miss them. It was because I was terrified my dad would find out that I was the pregnant omega who had been in his office.
Chapter 8
Holden
I honestly had no plans of going to find Brent for at least a couple of days. I thought it would be a good idea to let things settle a bit, then talk to him again about what he wanted to do. But less than twenty-four hours had passed and I was already headed back to his dad’s yacht. I just couldn’t make myself stay away. I didn’t even know if Brent was going to be there, but I had to at least go and see.
I parked my boat a little further down the marina, hoping it wouldn’t get reported again—for being uncool, or ugly, or whatever reason Brent’s dad had given. I tied it up, put up a new, laminated sign that said Delivery in Progress: Be Right Back!, then made my way up to the main pier.
I got to the section with all the fancy boats and cautiously approached the slip where the governor’s yacht was moored. I had no idea if Brent’s dad was still on board, and I definitely didn’t want him to see me. So I walked along the pier past the yacht, like I was just some dude nonchalantly strolling by. If I could whistle I would have been doing that. Unfortunately, I’d never learned how.
I passed right by the massive yacht, then once I was about thirty yards away, turned around and walked by from the other direction, the whole time trying to look out the corner of my eye without acting too obvious. Nothing to see here, just some guy eyeballing the most expensive yacht in the entire marina.
But it was impossible to see a thing. All of the windows were tinted, so I had no idea if anyone was even on board. I figured I just needed to suck it up and go see for myself. I had come all this way to see Brent, and I wasn’t going to leave just because I was afraid of his dad. But just as I stepped onto the narrow wooden dock I heard a voice.
“Hey! Holden!”
I wasn’t sure where it was coming from, because the voice wasn’t very loud, but I saw a stack of wooden crates down at the far end, so I headed in that direction. Just when I reached the ramp that went up to the yacht I heard my name again. I turned around a couple times, but I couldn’t see anyone. Finally, I saw a hand waving, and Brent’s head emerged from behind one of the crates.
“Hey! Brent!” I yelled.
“Shhhhh!” he whispered, frantically moving his arms in the air to indicate that I needed to lower my voice. Then he waved me over to the pile of crates and ducked back down behind them again.
“Hey,” I said as I crouched down next to him. “What’s going on?”
Brent’s scent hit me like a ton of bricks and I immediately knew that it was true. He was pregnant, and he was carrying my child. That didn’t surprise me at all, really. I’d taken sex ed in junior high. I knew what happened when alphas knotted inside omegas.
What did surprise me was my reaction. I was immediately filled with an intense desire to take Brent in my arms, and keep both him and the baby safe, like this was some kind of action movie, and I was the hero. With every fiber of my being, I wanted to grab my omega and carry him away with me. But I didn’t really have anywhere to take him, except the house where I was renting a room. I wasn’t sure my room mates would be too thrilled with a fifth person living there.
“I don’t know what to do, Holden.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. “With the baby? Are you thinking about … about …”
“Getting rid of it? No way. I couldn’t do that. I mean, this is happening so fast, and everything seems really crazy right now, but I know two things.”
“What?” I asked.
“I really want this baby …”
“And?” I asked after Brent didn’t say anything for a moment.
“I really want you.”
I sighed a huge breath of relief and took Brent’s hand. I could feel a grin spread across my whole face. I was seriously thrilled to hear those words come out of his mouth. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and take him right there and then on the dock behind the wooden crates, but then I remembered what he’d said a second ago.
“So, wait. You don’t know what to do about what?”
“About my dad. I went home …”
“You mean to that mansion?”
Brent looked at me and smiled. “Yeah, that mansion. I went back there to my dad’s office. I wanted to find you a phone.”
“I told you not to worry about that. I can deal with it.” Although, even as the words came out of my mouth I knew there was no way I could make payments on two phones. Those things are crazy expensive, and I had barely just started making payments on the one that had gotten ruined.
“That’s not the problem. When I was in my dad’s office … he could smell me.”
“You mean, he knew you were pregnant?”
“Well, he didn’t know it was me. I hid in a closet. But he could smell a pregnant omega, and he was livid. I know if I go anywhere near him he’s gonna know. I’m pretty sure he knew something was different this morning. He kept looking at me funny after you left.”
“What are you gonna do?”
“I dunno. That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I’m waiting until the cleaning people get done with the yacht, and I figured I’d just hide out on board for a while. For a month or two, anyway.”
“When do you think they’re gonna be done cleaning?”
“I have no idea. They could be at it all day.”
“And you don’t think you can sneak on without anyone seeing you?”
“I just don’t want to chance any of them smelling me and telling my dad. He would freak out so hard. I’m sure he’d disown me and never want to speak to me again.”
“I doubt that. He didn’t seem like such a bad guy when I met him this morning. I mean, he was intimidating, and to be honest I was hoping I wouldn’t run into him today, but he loves you. I’m sure he wouldn’t disown you.”
“You have no idea. He’s been on my case my whole freaking life. I’ve never been good enough for him, and now …” Brent gestured at his belly.
I didn’t know what to say. I felt terrible and I wanted to help him in any way I could. “I have an idea,” I said, finally. “You can hang out on my boat with me today. I was going to make my rounds down the river and out to Collins Park, then back up this way for the screening of Jaws that they have at Waterfront Park tonight. I’ve got some blankets on the boat, and all kinds of food. Ice cream, pretzels, hotdogs, chips, soda, popsicles. Whatever you want.”
“That sounds awesome,” Brent said, his eyes lighting up. “I’m starving.”
“Let’s go then.” I stood up and took Brent’s hand, then the two of us ran up the dock to the main boardwalk. We held hands the whole way back to the Treat Boat, and when we got on board, it started right up.
“I knew you were a good little boat,” I said with a smile as I pulled away from the docks. “You’re the best boat in all of Portville.”
I started making my way down the river, stopping at all my usual places where people swam and fished and floated out in their canoes and kayaks and boats. A lot of people said I was crazy to start this business in the first place. They said I’d never make a living selling snacks, and I had to admit, I did worry that they were right.
But things had really taken off this year, especially after I built up a clientele and a reputation. My Treat Boat started to become really well known. There was an article about me in the local paper, and even a little spot on the evening news. Over the last month sales really took off and I added a whole bunch of new stops to my route. Now that people knew I was going to show up every day at the same time, I had groups waiting.
It was awesome, but unfortunately I still didn’t have a consistent source of income throughout the entire year. The Treat Boat was obviously just a summer thing. There was no one to sell snacks to on the river in the middle of December or January. So I had to work my ass off during the summer months. I t
hought about opening up a food cart or some other small food-related business in the winter, but I hadn’t gotten that far yet.
The season didn’t really pick up until June, and the best sales were really only in the hottest months of the year, July, August, and September. I had spent so much time and effort in the last year researching and building up my Treat Boat business that I neglected everything else. Everything else being how I was actually going to pay rent throughout the winter months.
But it wasn’t just rent I had to worry about now. Brent was definitely pregnant and we were going to have to figure out what to do. Correction, I was going to have to figure it out. I was the alpha and I needed to take care of my mate. End of story.
As I made my way toward one of the docks, where a bunch of swimmers were frantically waving at me, I thought about the situation I’d suddenly found myself in.
A baby. Brent was carrying my baby.
If I’d been asked this time last week if I felt like I was ready to be a father, I would’ve laughed. But today, now, in this very moment, I knew that I was not only ready, I was totally committed to my mate and the baby he had growing in his belly.
I pulled up alongside the dock and started to take everyone’s orders. I quickly grabbed bags of chips and handfuls of candy bars, popped caps off soda bottles, and set out condiments. The hotdogs that people ordered took the longest as they needed to be cooked on the solar grill, which could hold about eight at a time.
While I was taking money from the crowd a whole new group of people swam up and placed their orders. That one spot attracted at least three more waves of people, and by the time I was done I was almost out of everything. I pulled the snack boat away from the dock and turned back toward the small cupboard where I stored all of the food and plates.
Portville Summer Series: The Complete Collection Books 1-4: (MM Nonshifter Omegaverse) Page 33
