Saving Rhys

by Fel Fern

  “Next time you plan to go, talk to me first. I’d understand,” I told him. “I know you like to travel. I’m not going to stop you from what you love doing most.”

  “Maybe you can come with me,” he answered after taking a sip of his coffee.

  I blinked because that prospect never occurred to me. I was born and bred in Clyde Hill. I've never been anywhere else. The travel bug never bit me.

  The thought of exploring new destinations with Rhys however, intrigued me a good deal. I was retired. I also possessed a decent chunk of savings in my bank because I was always a cheap bastard.

  “That sounds like a good idea,” I told him.

  “Let me get my first paycheck first,” Rhys said.

  I blinked at him.

  Rhys continued, “I sat at this cafe for a long time, mulling over my decision to go or stay. This sweet old lady, Martha, invited me to sit inside when it started to rain. I noticed she was hiring. I applied. She told me I could start tomorrow.”

  Pride surged through me at those words. I knew it got Rhys down when he couldn’t seem to get a job in town.

  “Rhys, that’s amazing news,” I told him.

  “Like my other potential employers, she asked me why I didn’t stay in one job for long.”

  “What did you tell her?”

  “The truth. She told me working so I could travel was a great idea.”

  I think I knew who Rhys was talking about. “Martha Hobson, right? She’s the owner of Eggs and Cheese if I remember correctly. Her husband and mate passed away a couple of years ago. She’s a good woman.”

  “She is,” Rhys agreed.

  “Which reminds me, once the rain lets down, you want to drop by the shelter?”

  Rhys widened his eyes. “Sparky?”

  “Yeah, he pulled through his surgery.”

  “Let’s go see him,” Rhys said in an excited voice.

  10

  Rhys

  I got off the bus stop and hurried towards the shelter. I broke into a run. I passed a group of laughing kids on my way. I checked my watch.

  Nolan and I were supposed to meet half an hour ago but I hit a snag. Martha’s other server, Francine, rushed out to pick up her kid at daycare half an hour early. That only left Martha and me to close up the cafe.

  Nolan understood. I texted him earlier.

  I no longer hid anything from my boyfriend. We kept no secrets from each other. Boyfriend. That was right. Nolan and I were officially dating. Sometimes, locals who see us together give us speculative looks.

  For a time, Nolan was worried about what others might think of us but I wasn’t. He was the best mate and boyfriend I could ever hope for.

  Two months had passed since the day I nearly made the biggest mistake of my life. Staying was the best decision after all. Nolan and I decided his apartment was too small for both of us. With me bringing in a paycheck, we were beginning to look for a bigger apartment in town.

  I reached the animal shelter just in time. Sparky was being led by his new owner on a leash. King and Nolan stood to one side, watching. The German Shepard was jumping around, excited.

  He looked so different from the dog we rescued months ago. His brown and black coat looked newly brushed and shiny. He gained plenty of weight.

  As I neared the group. Sparky gave me bark of greeting. I knelt in front of him. I gave his new owner, a smiling elderly woman in his fifties, a glance. She nodded and I gave his ears a rub. This was the reason why I was in a hurry to get here.

  I wanted to say goodbye to Sparky before he left for his forever home.

  “You be a good boy now, you hear?” I told Sparky, laughing when he licked at my face.

  I stepped back and joined King and Nolan. Sparky’s new mom opened the car door. Sparky hopped in. I noticed there were plenty of toys in there. Sparky was in good hands.

  The three of us watched them drive away.

  “There’s that,” King said.

  He nodded at me. I still volunteered and helped out at the shelter during the weekends. I doubted I would stop. Besides, I always wanted to see Tiny. King returned inside the shelter.

  Nolan closed the distance between us. He placed one muscled arm over my shoulder and tugged me close. I stole a kiss from his mouth first. He cupped my cheek and thrust his tongue down my throat.

  I forget where we were for those sweet seconds. It was hard to believe I once thought about leaving my Alpha. Back then, I was scared and uncertain about having a future with him. Of putting down roots.

  Not anymore.

  “How was your day?” Nolan asked after we parted from the kiss.

  “It was okay. A big group entered right when we were about to close the cafe for the day. I was glad I was able to see Sparky one last time.”

  We walked down the street, holding hands. Once we arrived at our dinner destination, a Mexican restaurant that recently opened, a waiter seated us.

  I didn’t need to look at the menus. Their fish tacos were the best. The waiter, Luis, had served us a couple of times. He grinned after taking our usual orders. We ordered the same thing every single time without a hitch.

  “What about you?” I asked.

  “King and I drove to the old shoe factory on the outskirt of town to pick up a couple of stray kittens,” he said.

  “Kittens?” I asked with some surprise. “That’s new. I’d love to see them.”

  “King’s only holding onto them for tonight. Another shelter offered to take them. They have a pregnant female tabby who might be able to nurse them. We can go see them tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good to me. After the busy week I had, it would be nice to look at kittens. Plus, I haven’t seen Tiny this week either,” I said. “No one decided to adopt him yet, right?”

  “Someone did.”

  “Oh.”

  My heart fell. I loved that dog to pieces. A while back, King warned me it wasn’t wise to get close to one particular animal. When the time came to say goodbye to them, it wouldn’t be easy.

  “We’re adopting him,” Nolan said, reaching out across the table. He squeezed my hand.

  “Wait. Are you for real?” I asked, dumbstruck.

  Nolan nodded. “I’m already fixing the adoption papers.”

  “What about space?” I asked. Tiny had started out being distrustful of Nolan but the Pitbull had softened towards him over time.

  “We’ll have plenty once we get a bigger place,” Nolan said. “I know it’s a little presumptuous. We’ve only start looking at apartments this week, but what do you think?”

  “Of course I’m happy,” I blurted. “It breaks my heart seeing Tiny wagging his tail at every visitor only for them to pick another smaller dog or a more popular breed. Tiny deserves a loving home.”

  “Then we’ll have to make sure we get a good place for him and for us,” Nolan said.

  “What if we finally decide to take that road trip?” I asked.

  Luis returned with our food. I ate with enthusiasm. I wasn’t sure why I was so hungry. Martha always made sure I ate a proper lunch. I started on my tacos. When Nolan noticed me eying his enchiladas, he cut me a piece.

  “We’ll take Tiny with us,” Nolan said with a shrug.

  “You’re the best,” I said.

  I pictured the three of us, Nolan, me, and Tiny, going on a trip to the woods. Nolan always mentioned he loved the outdoors. We could go camping and hiking. I could picture Tiny happily exploring undiscovered trails.

  “Earth to Rhys,” Nolan said.

  “Oh sorry. Were you saying something?” I asked.

  Nolan shook his head, looking amused. “What’s going on in that little head of yours?”

  I told him and Nolan listened intently.

  “A camping trip sounds fine. Would Martha be able to manage without you?” He asked.

  “I’ve broached the subject with her. She says she and Francine could manage without me for a few days. Besides, I’ve been itching to get out of town for a while.”<
br />
  “I know. You’re doing so good,” Nolan said, beaming at me.

  I swelled up with pride at those words. It wasn’t long ago that I approached his doorstep, nervous, broke, and homeless. Back then, I thought the entire world was against me.

  I didn’t even know if I could survive the next day. Nolan took me in like a stray and he stuck with me. He endured my complaints and whining. He saw past my flaws and accepted all of me.

  “You still hungry?” Nolan asked, noticing my empty plate.

  “Want to share a dessert?” I asked.

  This dinner was my treat. Nolan wouldn’t hear of it at first. He claimed he should be paying for everything since he was my boyfriend and the Alpha in our relationship. I didn’t get mad at him for being so old school.

  Much.

  In the end, we compromised. Now we took turns paying for our meals.

  “Sure,” he said. “More tequila?”

  “I’ve had enough. Besides, it’s no fun that you’re not drinking.”

  “I’m driving.” Nolan paused. “We’ll just have drinks back at the apartment.”

  We finished our dessert. I paid for our meal and we returned home. Nolan grabbed two beers from the fridge. We ended up in the living room. We snuggled on the couch. My favorite position.

  I took a sip of my beer and rested my head against the curve of his shoulder.

  “This is a good day,” I murmured. After a long week, all I wanted to do was cuddle with my mate.

  “There’ll be more days like this,” he said, kissing my cheek.

  I started feeling a little sleepy. My eyelids began to droop. Nolan disappeared for a couple of moments only to return with a blanket. He draped the fabric over our bodies. Yawning, I hugged him again and inhaled his familiar scent.

  Nolan smelled like mine.

  I was home.

  11

  Nolan/ Rhys

  “Slow down, Tiny!” Rhys groaned as the energetic Pitbull pulled him forward.

  I chuckled to myself as I continued setting up our tent. This was a good spot. We came here during off-peak season and there were no other campers in sight.

  Rhys had offered to help me earlier. After a few minutes had passed, Rhys declared he’ll leave the task to the expert. In minutes, I had the tent set up.

  It had been ages since I went on a camping trip. The last time I went, I felt a little lonely. Coming out here was supposed to be a solitary experience but I didn’t enjoy myself back then.

  With Rhys and Tiny here, I knew I’d never get bored. We bought a new tent because my old one could only fit one person. This one was large enough to fit both of us, including Tiny.

  I was hoping I could blackmail the dog into sleeping on a blanket outside for a few hours. That way, Rhys and I could have some one-to-one time together.

  “Is it time to eat?” Rhys asked me, tugging Tiny’s leash with me.

  “We just had breakfast two hours ago. You’re already hungry?” I teased.

  I liked that Rhys had developed a healthy appetite. Back when he first appeared outside my doorstep, he looked like a skeleton. Now, there was more meat and muscle on his bones. We exercised regularly as well to keep in shape.

  I turned around and scowled at Rhys and Tiny. Rhys had the cooler opened and was munching on a ham sandwich. He tore it in half. I thought he was going to hand it to me. Instead, he gave it to Tiny. I swore.

  Sometimes, Rhys loved that dog more than me.

  “Well, don’t eat too much. We’re going to catch some fish soon,” I said.

  “You mean you’re going to catch us lunch soon?” Rhys asked. He wrinkled his nose. “I hate fishing and I’m terrible at it.”

  I expected that, so I nodded. “Don’t wander too far.”

  Rhys rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry. Tiny will keep me safe from the bad wolves and bears.”

  I grabbed my fishing gear. The three of us headed to the lake together. Rhys and Tiny disappeared into the nearest line of trees for a hike. I reeled in four large basses throughout the morning. By noon, we were back at the campsite.

  I stored the two extra fish in the other cooler.

  “Help me get some firewood?” I asked Rhys. We both went to work.

  “Grilled fish. Yummy,” he said.

  He looked excited. After we gathered enough wood to burn, I started a fire. Rhys took a seat on the nearby log. Occasionally, he asked me questions about my previous camping trips but I could tell something else was on his mind.

  By now, I knew him well enough. I wasn’t going to pry. Rhys would tell me what was bothering him sooner or later.

  I took out my cooking supplies. After filleting and marinating the fish, I started grilling. I noticed Rhys opened the cooler again. Tiny sat next to his feet, wagging his tail. The Pitbull looked at my fish, then eyed Rhys’ sandwich. He barked happily when Rhys gave him half again.

  “Is that your second ham sandwich?” I asked Rhys, exasperated. “You’ll be too full to eat fish.”

  “I won’t,” Rhys said, munching on the bread. After decimating the sandwich, he opened a packet of chips.

  Impatient Omega.

  “Well, the first fish would be done soon.” I eyed him and Tiny as I handed Rhys the first grilled fish on a paper plate.

  “This looks delicious, Nolan. Thank you.”

  It turned out Rhys still had an appetite after all.

  “Can we do s’ mores now?” Rhys asked after we finished our main meal. “Oh, wait. Those were supposed to be for tonight.”

  “We can do them now if you want. The fire’s still going strong,” I said. I knew Rhys was looking forward to those.

  “Nah, I’m good,” He said.

  “Let’s walk this off,” I said. I held out a hand to him and helped him up.

  Rhys looked distracted all day. I wondered what was bugging him. Next up on our itinerary was a hike. Maybe I could get Rhys to talk to me then.

  Rhys

  Nolan was trying to get me to talk all day.

  I dodged his questions during our afternoon hike as skilfully as I could. Who was I kidding? Nolan knew something was up. My Alpha could be persistent if he wanted but he was giving me the space I needed.

  I just needed to sort the mess in my head. After the hike, we had dinner by the fire. Nolan took out the two fish he caught earlier and started grilling. We indulged in light conversation topics. I kept waiting for Nolan to ask me what was going on but he didn’t.

  “S’ mores time?” I asked after we finished the fish.

  “Yup.”

  I grabbed the bag of marshmallows and tin of graham crackers. I tore the packaging open. Nolan handed me a stick and I pushed one marshmallow in. I placed it over the fire, aware of Nolan’s intense gaze on me.

  I swallowed, suddenly hungry for something else.

  All-day long, I wanted to jump my Alpha. Which is odd. We had sex every single day. The chemistry between us wasn’t going to die out any time soon.

  I wasn’t an idiot.

  I recognized the symptoms. Intense cravings for both food and sex meant there was a possibility I was pregnant. It was only natural. We didn’t use condoms,. Rather, neither of us wanted to. I preferred Nolan riding me bareback, but I never really thought of the consequences.

  The topic of kids never came up between us before. I began to wonder what Nolan felt about them.

  “Rhys,” he began, scooting closer next to me.

  He slid his big and warm hand up my thigh. My cock jerked wide awake in my pants. I wanted to feel his fingers working my prick, his cock inside my ass. I distracted myself and grabbed two graham crackers to make my s’more.

  I bit into the sweet treat.

  “Ow, hot,” I muttered. I blew at it, then took quick bites, avoiding Nolan’s gaze all that time.

  “You need to tell me what’s wrong,” Nolan finally said. “Is it me? Are you unhappy?”

  I bit my lip and finally turned to face him. “Of course not. I feel the exact oppos
ite. Nolan, I’m madly in love with you.”

  He gazed at me, stunned. It took me a second to realize what I just blurted out.

  “You love me?” He asked.

  Damn it. My Alpha now looked incredibly smug.

  “Of course I do,” I muttered, kicking at the rock near my sneakers. Nolan placed two fingers under my chin, forcing me to look at him.

  “Then tell me what’s bothering you,” He said in that familiar firm voice that sent a shudder of anticipation down my spine.

  “I’ve been having strange cravings,” I whispered. “And this morning, I think I threw up.”

  I looked into his eyes, terrified that Nolan would suddenly shove me away and tell me this was all a mistake. My heart was in my throat. My breathing hitched. It took a couple of seconds for my words to sink in.

  Nolan widened his eyes. He dropped his hands to my lap and gripped my fingers. “Rhys, you’re pregnant?”

  “I think—I don’t know for sure,” I admitted.

  I was nervous as hell. Alphas normally didn’t like it when Omegas sprung that news on them suddenly. Right? I gasped as Nolan pulled me into a tight bear hug.

  “Fuck, Rhys. That’s great news,” he murmured, burying his face against the side of my neck.

  I let go of the tension building up inside me. “Really? You’re not angry?”

  Nolan released me so he could look me in the eye. The Alpha seemed puzzled. “Why would I be? Wait. It is because of my age? You don’t have to worry about a thing, Rhys. I’ll take good care of you and our kid.”

  Nolan brought up his age again. No matter times I tried to assure him I didn’t care about the age-gap between us, he never stopped worrying.

  “No, silly. I just thought you wouldn’t want kids with me.”

  Saying those words out loud, made me realize what a fool I was. My worries were irrelevant. Nolan was a loving mate and a protector to the core. He’d never abandon me just because he managed to knock me up.

  What the hell was I thinking?

  “We never talked about kids before, but of course I want to have them with you,” Nolan said. “You were worried about this the entire time, weren’t you?”