Under Siege: A Contemporary Mpreg Romance Bundle (Omega's Under Siege)

by Aiden Bates

  6

  Teddy

  Don’t forget the party.

  “I wasn’t going to, but thanks,” I murmured to myself as I ran product through my hair and fiddled with the strands that insisted on curling up in the wrong direction.

  Don’t forget the party is supposed to be a surprise, either.

  Don’t say anything to anyone.

  Especially not to Silas.

  “Oh my god, yes, clearly. I wasn’t going to,” I said accusingly down at my phone as it buzzed with the series of texts Benny was sending. Benny was a natural-born organizer so it made a lot of sense that he seemed to be taking the lead with throwing this together for Silas. Garret didn’t strike me as much of a party planner, even for his husband’s sake, so I’m sure he appreciated Bennet’s help with all of this. The thing with Benny though, he sometimes became a little too enthusiastic when it came to being in other people’s business.

  I fired off a quick text to acknowledge I had received and read his messages before Benny started adding that to his list of last-minute party concerns, and I focused back in on getting ready.

  Don’t be late.

  “I… Benny, god…” I stuttered, halfway exasperated while halfway all the more endeared to Benny, if I was honest.

  On my way right now. Promise. I shot off the text before rushing to Coda.

  Just as I pulled into the parking lot, my phone buzzed again and I turned the lights on to find it.

  ETA?

  HERE. I texted back, evidently not having alleviated his concerns sufficiently the first time.

  Coda was a good choice for this birthday party. Five years ago or so, the owner, Tom, had opened the place up after his husband had passed away. He’d bought the old place and turned it into a piano bar to honor where they’d met. No, I hadn’t read it somewhere, Tom himself had told me. Tom was the gregarious sort of bar owner who liked to hang out and chat with patrons, and I liked his stories and I liked Coda. It’s just that between work and more work, I didn’t really get out as much I used to. It looked good though, with its elegant dark wood paneling and the tealights that gently illuminated it, and the bar had a very different atmosphere to the some of the other places in town. If I’d had to, I’d have bet that Benny picked the venue because—no offense at all to Garret—it didn’t seem like the sort of place he gravitated toward.

  In fact, Garret wasn’t at Coda at all when I arrived. Being the least suspicious and most logical person to convince Silas to get ready and to bundle the baby up and take him out for the evening, he’d evidently been assigned the duty of bringing Silas to his party. This left Benny to hold the fort, so to speak, here at the base of party operations.

  “Oh, and we should start playing as soon as everyone’s done yelling ‘Surprise!’” Tom said and clapped his hands together in delight at his own idea. “I’ll have Harry ready to go with ‘Happy Birthday’ as soon as we all pop out, and then I’ll lead from the microphone and everyone can just join in!”

  “Maybe yelling at them isn’t the best idea?” Benny tried to suggest gently over the top of Tom’s enthusiasm. “They are bringing a baby, after all.” Maybe as a way of ending the discussion with Tom, Benny raised his voice and announced to the group that Garret, Silas, and Baby Jason were fifteen minutes away, excused himself, and headed over to where Charlie was putting down the final centerpieces on the tables.

  In hopes I wouldn’t get caught by Tom, and wanting Benny to verify with his own two eyes I hadn’t gotten caught up in work and I was here and on time, I headed over in their direction as well.

  Conveniently, the direction in which Charlie and now Benny were working in was also opposite where a few of the alphas were milling about, and the corner where I’d spotted Roman.

  He looked out of place amidst the chatter and the commotion that built when Benny announced the couple were on their way. I’d have thought he’d be a little more hands-on with his brother’s birthday party. Instead, he looked like he’d picked the most removed spot possible so he could focus intensely on a book propped open on his lap.

  “It’ll be so romantic!” I heard Tom say to someone I didn’t recognize as I skirted ever so discreetly past them.

  “Romantic is a weird vibe for a surprise birthday party, isn’t it?” I asked, walking up to Benny as he continued helping Charlie set down arrangements, occasionally looking up from where he was fussing over one to instruct Charlie to fuss over another one.

  “I’m not going for romantic. Tom’s going for romantic. He still thinks of them as newlyweds. I’m just hoping everything goes according to plan,” Benny answered without looking up. Suddenly, as if he’d just remembered something, he stopped in his tracks. “Where’s Roman? Roman’s supposed to be— Roman! Hey, Roman!”

  Why, Bennet Long, why?

  Roman missed the first few times Benny tried to get his attention from across the room, but he must have caught his name because he jerked his head up from the book he was reading and fixed his eyes on Benny, and by proximity, on me.

  Benny tried to signal off to his right at whatever Roman was presumably meant to be doing. Roman, for his part, was giving no indication of moving or understanding what Benny wanted him to do.

  “Oh, it’s fine. Never mind. I’ll get it,” Benny said before giving up and moving on to the next table. Roman, however, simply stared at me as I guessed I stood staring back at him.

  This was uncomfortable. I raised my hand to wave at him awkwardly. Roman nodded in acknowledgement, but aside from the two motions, we just continued to stare, seemingly unsure of what to do next.

  Well, might as well do this before the party gets going, I thought. I slowly sidled over to Roman’s table, keeping my head down and trying to watch my feet as I got closer, if only to not continue staring at Roman as I approached him. Easy. Breezy. Casual. There wasn’t any reason this couldn’t be casual even though it had been a long time since I had any reason to talk to him.

  “Hi,” I said once I’d gotten close enough to be heard at a normal volume. I spoke a little uncertainly, but was determined to not seem as strained as I felt. I cleared my throat and searched for something neutral to say. “You got the job.”

  “Sure did. How did you know? Did your daddy talk to you?” He seemed suspicious.

  “Oh, no. You look like you’re studying. I figured—”

  That seemed to put Roman more at ease, and he smiled as though he was fondly remembering something.

  “Well, yeah, you’re right. I sure as shit wouldn’t be studying for too much else.”

  “What do you have to study?” I asked, craning my head around and twisting my body fractionally closer to read what was in Roman’s lap. Also, to avoid facing Roman, especially when he smiled that warm smile that used to make me feel buttery.

  “Uh…” Roman sounded embarrassed, and moved back a little from where I’d drawn maybe half-an-inch nearer. “Manuals. Mostly how to teach drills right now. I finished the conditioning one but there’s another one on hats and creeds I’ve been putting off. If I can pass the test, your…uh…O’Rourke, I mean…said I wouldn’t have to go to Jackson.”

  “Oh, I didn’t realize—” I didn’t realize what? That he was re-enlisting? That Dad felt strongly enough about Roman’s track record that he might be allowed to bypass training at Fort Jackson? I didn’t know. I didn’t know what I didn’t realize. “How long do you have to go, if you do have to go?”

  “Ten weeks,” Roman said quickly. “That’s why I’m trying for a good score on the exam so I don’t have to go away that long.”

  “Really? I would have thought you wouldn’t have minded going…” The rest of that sentence I said in my head, the words rattling around like marbles in a tin can. ‘…anywhere for any length of time since I’ve never known you to have much of a problem with shipping off.’

  “Not if I can help it,” Roman said, sparing me from having to fill the vacuum of what I didn’t say out loud. Despite his best efforts, a silen
ce fell between us anyway.

  “That’s why I’ve got to hit the books,” Roman explained pointlessly, just for the sake of saying something, it seemed.

  “Yep,” I agreed, biting back any suggestions I might have about programming flash cards or something.

  “Yep,” Roman said, echoing me. We both nodded and then cast our gazes around in opposite directions. A heavy silence descended again.

  Just when I was vacillating between saying my goodbyes, sitting down to pretend I was interested in the history of hats to make more conversation or, improbably, trying to have an actual conversation with him, Bennet made up for having called Roman’s attention to me in the first place.

  “Silas! Silas, folks. Incoming!” Bennet announced. Roman muttered a polite excuse to me and brushed past to take his place at the front of his brother’s gathering guests.

  “Surprise!” Tom yelled into the microphone once Garret led Silas in through the main entrance. Most of the crowd joined in a split second after he started the cry. The piano loudly started to clang out the first few notes to ‘Happy Birthday’ before it became clear that Bennet had been right and that Baby Jason and he shared the same opinion of en masse yelling.

  Silas’s clearly fake but polite attempt at being surprised was interrupted by the howl of the baby.

  “Oh my god, thank you! I had no idea!” Silas said, trying not to sound too strained as he shifted and wrestled the terribly upset baby in his arms. The little man was cute and named after my brother and all, but he was clearly fraying his papa’s nerves. Cute, but no thanks.

  Thankfully, someone reached out to take Jason from Silas so he and Garret could properly come in and put their things down. The first tray of appetizers and drinks began circulating, the piano found a reasonable volume, Tom started ‘L-O-V-E’ and the party kicked off in earnest. Pretty soon, even the baby’s crying had stopped ringing from wherever he was, and all I could hear was drunken singing and guffawing from the little pockets of people who had assembled. I felt like I could relax a little more so I wandered over to where Charlie and Bennet were drinking and had one—just the one—myself.

  A ‘few’ drinks later and the evening had completely melted away from under me. There were markedly fewer people in attendance, some having slipped away and some saying long goodbyes to Silas and Garret before heading out. The piano was still playing, but more softly now. Nobody was dancing to the slow, sweet, sometimes sad melodies Harry the piano man was rotating through. Nobody except for Roman, who had apparently given up on any attempt to study for the evening and was instead out on the dance floor, gently swaying as he pressed a very sound asleep Baby Jason to his broad chest.

  Benny had gone off and was helping pack the place up and Charlie hadn’t been in the mood for parties since my brother passed, and so he’d long since made his polite exit. Without anyone for company or distraction, and with Roman pacing back and forth in the central point of the room, it wasn’t difficult to just let my gaze drift to him. He seemed so big in comparison to the tiny infant he was cradling, and yet striking in how gentle he was. That was Roman all over though, a gentle giant. Was he the one who took the baby from Silas when they’d first walked in? Was he an involved uncle these days?

  Was it just my hormones talking? Yes, it definitely was. Babies are cute, but they’re especially cute if they’re other people’s babies and don’t have to come home with me.

  Someone clicked their tongue, and I whipped my head around to see Tom. He was leaning against a chair at a table beside me and was watching Roman, cooing under his breath.

  “Oh, I don’t think there’s anything sweeter than watching an alpha with his baby.”

  “Jason isn’t his. Jason is his nephew,” I commented without thinking.

  “Really? Pity.”

  My suspicions rose, and I pursed my lips to show it. With Garret and Silas’s grand entrance, Tom knew very well whose baby it was.

  “Sam and I always wanted children, and he would have been a great father, but, as it often does, life got in the way and it never seemed like just the right time. Of course, ask any parent and they’ll tell you it’s never exactly the right time, and I loved all the things we got to do in our free time. Still… I regret that we never seized our moment.”

  Tom arched an eyebrow and peered down his nose at me, a ghost of a sly smile playing on his lips. “I hardly ever see you around here anymore, Teddy. You should come by more often.”

  Apparently unsatisfied that he’d meddled enough, he caught Roman’s attention and eagerly held out his arms and waggled his fingers. Spotting his opportunity at safely depositing the baby with someone who wanted a turn and maybe didn’t have a life-changing exam to study for, Roman began slowly walking toward us. The careful exchange being made and the baby still sound asleep now in Tom’s arms, Tom smiled at me and began drifting away as he hummed a little lullaby.

  Oh, no. Whatever this was, wasn’t going to happen. Just as I’d done for the past year and a bit, I was going to dodge Roman.

  I smiled quickly at him. “Good luck with your test.” And then I got up and walked away.

  As I hurried to my car, the expression I caught on Roman’s face flashed in my mind. He’d looked like he was going to say something, but being emotional, a few drinks in, and surrounded by babies and virtually newlywedded relatives, was definitely not the best time for me to start a rational conversation. I might say something stupid or dangerous or both. Around Roman I was stupid, and he was dangerous.

  I ignored the mental image of Roman and I in a situation where we could actually do something stupid and dangerous, and jammed my key into the ignition and started my car. Tried to start my car, anyway.

  Oh no. No, no. The lights. The lights I’d turned on to find the phone because Benny was fixated on my being late, but I’m usually not late because Dad brought me up to arrive on the dot, except sometimes I got too absorbed in work and then I am late, and—

  “Hey!” a voice growled, muffled through the passenger side window.

  “Jesus!” I jumped in my seat and nearly out of my skin.

  “Nah, it’s just me.” Roman chuckled at his joke. “You need me to jump you?”

  “What?” I yelled again, still through the window, still recovering from the shock he’d given me and now from indignation at his offer.

  “Jump you. Do you want me to jump you?”

  “Jump me…” I clutched the steering wheel. The fuck? Oh. Jump start me. “No, it won’t work. Trust me. This happens all the time.”

  Roman continued to look at me through the window, leaning up against the car with one hand. He apparently thought this was very funny as he kept having to look down to hide a grin.

  “This happens to you all the time?” he asked.

  “Yes! Something’s wrong with the battery, it won’t charge. I just need a new one.” I yanked my keys free of the ignition and climbed out, slamming the car door behind me while motioning at it in exasperation. “It’s fine. I’ll walk home and come back in the morning.”

  “Walk home?” Roman straightened up to look at me over the car. “I can drive you. I don’t mind.”

  “No, no, it’s fine.” I shook my head and watched my tone. After all, I was mad at my car, not Roman. “It’s okay. I’m fine. I’m just at King’s Place now.”

  “You’re gonna walk to King’s Place?”

  “Why not?” I asked, starting to feel another spike of indignation at the implication I wasn’t capable of walking home at night. Was it because I was an omega? Roman must have sensed my annoyance because he shook his head.

  “That doesn’t make sense. I’m at King’s Place. Come on,” he said, indicating the direction of his truck.

  I narrowed my eyes at him for a moment.

  Fine.

  Between his being Jason’s uncle and Silas being a friend, and now his working directly under Dad…

  Fine. I couldn’t avoid him forever, and he was right. It didn’t make sense to be stu
bborn. Was I scared Dad was going to catch us as though I were fifteen?

  No. I wasn’t. It was fine.

  “Fine. Thank you,” I said, and then followed him to his truck.

  7

  Roman

  It was absolutely silent in the cab of my truck. I tried my hardest to focus on driving and not the fact that this was the longest amount of time I’d spent alone with Teddy in… Jesus, in years. Teddy, for his part, was just as quiet, looking out the window and not making a sound. Teddy had always been good at being quiet. I kept reminding myself it was just a drive. That was all it was. I would have done it for anyone in that situation, and Teddy had accepted because he was in a bind and needed the help. I tried to convince myself we were nothing more than acquaintances. That was all. No big deal.

  Conversely, the rolling of my stomach, the tension of my jaw, the tiny hairs on the back of my neck, told me just how fucking wrong I was. God. This was such a bad idea. What the hell was I thinking letting him into my car just hours after I’d promised Master Sarge I wouldn’t have anything to do with Teddy, that I’d stay completely out of his way?

  I’d always been sort of uncomfortable with silence. I wasn’t the most extraverted person I knew, but I was definitely on that end of things, so this lack of verbal interaction was killing me. Still, every time I tried to bring my mouth to move, it stayed stubbornly still. I wasn’t sure where the hell to start—some part of me screamed I shouldn't start anywhere at all and should just leave well enough alone. The quiet felt oppressive, like it was the hottest night of the year right before a thunderstorm. Finally, I just couldn’t take it anymore.

  “How have you been?”

  It was a shot into the dark, and I winced at how out of place it felt.

  At first, he didn’t say anything, and I thought he hadn’t heard me. I decided, again, to let it go, feeling twice as stupid and four times as uncomfortable as I had before. Eventually, he sighed and shifted slightly.