11
Parker
Purple Velvet was nearly empty, just as I had expected. I slid into a seat at the bar and ordered a Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon, neat. I’d been contemplating the amber liquid in my glass with a fierce focus, trying to block everything else—work, Miles, Zeke—from my mind, when I heard a commotion at the back. There wasn’t anyone in the place other than a chick further down the bar and whoever was sitting in the back. It took me a moment to see through the dim lighting, but it was one of the servers making a fuss over something. I craned my neck to see what was going on. Anything to distract myself.
But someone upstairs seriously was messing with me, because it was Miles sitting in the back booth. His eyes met mine and I knew I had only seconds before he disappeared again. I slammed back the rest of my drink and headed his way, guided by instinct and filled with liquid courage.
I tapped the babbling waiter on the back, distracting him from his word vomit as he apologized to Miles about something, and asked him for my refill. Miles looked ready to bolt again. I didn’t want him to feel trapped, but I couldn’t let him go either. Instead of sitting next to him or across from him, I stayed standing. “Miles, please don’t run away this time.”
“Look, I’m sorry about setting you up earlier, but it’s probably better if we just leave each other alone.”
I sighed. “You’re the second person to tell me that today.”
He seemed a bit taken aback. The fact that someone else hated the sight of me as much as he did? At least Miles had some kind of reason. Or was it that I wasn’t fighting back? We’d fought a lot right before the end. I hadn’t ever thought about what I would say to Miles if I ever saw him again because I hadn’t wanted to think about it. It was too painful. And seeing him earlier had shaken me to my core.
The waiter hurried back with my glass. That hadn’t taken long at all. Right behind him, a woman followed with a glass of beer. I slid into the booth across from Miles. He still seemed torn between fighting or running. I lifted my glass to him. “Can we at least have one drink together? The coffee might have gone to waste, but it’s a sin to waste good alcohol.”
He eyed me warily as he pulled his beer toward him and lifted it for a drink. We sat silently for several minutes and I wondered what was going through his head. I knew he hated me, and I knew I deserved it. I just wished…
I wished I could change the past.
“What do you want, Parker?” Miles said finally.
That was a good question. What did I want? “I don’t know,” I said.
“Then why are you chasing me down?”
“I wasn’t—I didn’t—” I sighed. “Sorry. I know I shouldn’t be here. I know you would be happy if you’d never seen my face again. I wasn’t trying to track you down. I was looking for my brother, and then there you were, and there he was, and neither of you wants to see me and I don’t even know what I want other than to crawl into a bottle until I get back on a plane tomorrow.”
I was staring into my glass, unable to meet Miles’s eyes.
“So Marcus is definitely your brother? I thought his name was Zeke.”
I looked up to see some of his animosity had faded. “I thought his name was Zeke too.”
“I’m extremely confused,” Miles said.
“Welcome to the club.” I took a long sip.
We sat silently for a while again. “You look good,” Miles said, finally.
I snorted. “I’ve been through the most harrowing hour in my life since… well, you know. I look like shit.” What little of Miles’s walls had fallen was back up in an instant. “I mean, thank you. I’m sorry I’m such an ass tonight. I’m sorry… for everything, really.”
The warmth of the bourbon was creeping into my fingers and toes and my brain and body finally started to relax. “It would have been better if you’d never met me,” I said.
“What? Why would you even say that?”
“I fucked everything up for you. For us. Back then, at least. How are you doing now?”
Miles blinked in surprise. “Do you really want to know?”
“Of course. Why would you think I wouldn’t?”
Miles glanced away, and I could only imagine what he thought of me. Instinctively, I wanted to defend myself, but I knew whatever it was, I deserved it.
“I’m okay,” he said. “I’m working at my dad’s firm.”
I started to ask him why he didn’t have a practice of his own like he’d planned, but I didn’t want him to feel like I was being condescending. If he was working for his dad, he had good reason for it.
“That’s great,” I said instead. “I’ll bet you’re already a partner.”
His smile was thin, stretched, forced.
“What about…” I forced the words from my mouth. “A husband? Kids?”
Miles shook his head. “None of that for me, I’m afraid.”
I wanted to ask him why. He was gorgeous, smart, funny… but I had a feeling I already knew the answer.
“You?” he asked.
“Oh, I’m married to my work.” It was my go-to phrase whenever someone asked me when I was going to settle down.
“What do you do now?”
“International manufacturing and shipping.”
“That sounds big.”
I shrugged. “It’s a job like any other, I guess. But I’m really good at it and I enjoy it.”
Miles graced me with a real smile for the first time, and my heart just about burst at the contrast. This was the smile I remembered, Miles’s light just bursting out through the seams.
“That’s what matters, isn’t it?”
The silence fell for a third time. It was a different silence than the last days with Miles in the hospital, full of guilt and sorrow and fear. This silence was just… empty.
“Parker, why—”
Whatever he’d been about to ask disappeared as the waitress came up and ask if we needed anything else.
Miles checked his watch, and I could tell I was about to lose him again. “No, I’m good, thank you. I’ll take my check when you’re ready,” he told the waitress.
I wanted to stay and talk longer, but Miles was clearly on his way out. “Mine too.”
We paid for our drinks, and then I reached for Miles’s hand as he walked past me. My skin tingled where our skin touched, and I was certain it wasn’t just the alcohol. “It was really good to see you again, Miles.”
He stared at our hands, then reached into his pocket with his free hand and handed me a card. “Likewise. Maybe we should…”
“Yeah, we should,” I said, reluctantly breaking my hold to pull out my wallet and hand him one of my cards. He took it with a silent nod and left, whisking away like the ghost of a memory that he was.
12
Miles
What had I done? I couldn’t even blame it on the alcohol, because as I left the bar, it sat almost untouched. No, I had foolishly flung my card at him as he went to leave, shocked that he gave me his in return. It was as if I was on a mission to crush my soul. Nothing good could come of that. Nothing.
After driving around aimlessly, stuck in my thoughts, I arrived home, or at least the place I called home for now, with only a few minutes to spare. No doubt my dad was pacing, grumpy, as my father tried to pretend everything was fine, which it was. At least I would give the impression it was.
Our house was nice enough, in some ways, too nice. I remembered, as a teen, always wanting to go across the street to my friend Jace’s house instead of hanging out here. My mother loved pretty and breakable things, and Jace and I were like bulls in a china shop. We loved to wrestle and goof off. I let my mind wander to where he might be now. Was he mated yet? Or was my friend still determined to not fall into the role he felt was expected of an omega? We were kind of the same in that, even if we took different routes. I tried to prove everyone wrong and become a lawyer, and he skipped school altogether.
I was so lost in my revelry, I failed to n
otice an unfamiliar car sitting outside the house. Had I, I could have surprised the shock on my face when I walked into the living room.
“Hello, honey. So glad you are here. You know your dad’s friend, Andrew.”
Kill me now. As if running out of the office with a lame excuse, one dad knew was a lie, wasn’t enough to let him know I held no interest in Andrew.
“Yes. We met at the office. Give me a minute to get ready for dinner?” I needed to pull it together before I lost my ability to sound civil. As much as I wanted to tell Andrew to get out of the house, he was my dad’s client, and I needed to be at least sort of polite. I dropped my suit coat in my room and washed up quickly. If I dawdled too much, I would reconsider not bolting out of the house and getting the heck out of dodge.
“Sweetie, dinner is ready.” My father’s hand came to my shoulder as I exited the bathroom. “Andrew seems nice.” I knew my father meant well, but that didn’t stop my eyes from rolling.
“I’m sure he is. Out of state client?” Please for the love of all that is good, let him be from the other side of the country.
“No, silly. He’s here for you.” She smiled far too widely before adding, “Blind date.” As if I wasn’t aware by the he being there for me after checking out my ass more than once.
Had we just fallen back into another era in history, where omegas were still traded off without their consent?
“That’s a shame,” I said. “You will need to politely decline his pursuit.” I sounded like a freaking historical romance. How had this become my life? I mean, I knew my fathers had been set up by their folks, but I had always assumed it was an aww, wouldn’t they be cute together kind of thing. But now? Now I wasn’t so sure.
“Absolutely not. We gave you plenty of time to do this on your own. You failed. You came back for help.” Mother turned me by my shoulders before giving me a little push toward the dining room. “Now get in there and be polite. I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.” Her long running joke wasn’t amusing this time. I had to make it through this dinner somehow, or I was out of a place to stay. It couldn’t be any harder than running back here for help, which Father was so kind to remind me of.
Dinner was what awkwardness aspires to be. My parents sang my praises as I nodded and smiled and Andrew leered at me. He was thankfully into listening tonight, so I didn’t have to hear much from him. Until dessert, at least.
“Excellent pie, Mother.” I hoped we were officially done with showing what a great catch I was, which was about double what it had been when I’d actually been practicing law, before a group of alphaholes got me fired. My parents were grateful I had gotten beyond that “stage.”
“Why don’t you and Andrew enjoy another piece of pie on the deck? Maybe get to know each other?” There was no request in my dad’s voice.
“That sounds like a magnificent idea,” Andrew said. “I was hoping to discuss the Omega Rights Gala with Miles. Maybe the four of us could all go together.”
“Oh, how wonderful!” Mother clapped her hands together, staring at Andrew as if he’d just promised her the moon. “We all have tickets already, of course. It would just make it even better if you could go together!”
Presumptuous much? And even if I would go out with him, a double date with my parents? Who would think that was anything less than creepy. The Omega Rights Gala was the event of the year, complete with press. Nope. That was so not going to happen.
“I don’t think that would be appropriate.” I sucked in a breath waiting for shit to hit the fan. “I already have a date for the gala.”
“Your what?” my parents spit out.
“A date.” The words simply feel from my lips. I was so going to pay for this lie. But I was desperate. “Thank you so much for your interest, Andrew. Perhaps next time?” I hoped that bold-faced lie would soothe Andrew’s hurt feelings. Not because I cared about him, but I didn’t want my dad to have something else to throw on my list of failings: lost major client.
“You… you just got a boyfriend, out of the blue?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Mother. I have a date for the gala. We shall see how it goes from there.” I scraped about for something that could possibly make her get off my back. “He runs an international manufacturing and shipping company.” I winced, realizing I was echoing Parker’s description of what he did, by Mother’s eyes lit up. Apparently, she didn’t care who I was attached to as long as I was attached to someone acceptable.
“Well, it looks like I am interrupting. Nice to see you all again.” Andrew’s fury at my dad was close to the surface. I felt bad, but not bad enough to be alone with him for even a second. Something was just off about him.
“I apologize for the confusion. If I had realized this wasn’t work related earlier—” The lies were rolling off my tongue.
“No need to apologize, son, it was my fault.” My mother shouldered the blame, as was her habit when it came to my dad. She was constantly doing all she could to make him look better even when it hurt her. For whatever reason, that worked for them. That was so not how I planned to handle my mating. Not that that was in the works.
Andrew left, and I finished my pie, waiting for the other foot to drop. Because no matter how interested my mother might be in this mysterious date of mine, she wouldn’t accept me embarrassing my father.
Just once, I wished my parents would choose what I wanted over what they wanted.
13
Parker
The trip to New York was quick, and I was back in my office the following morning, thankful I didn’t have a trip scheduled for another month, at least.
My vision swam as I went over the reports and numbers for the proposal for another potential client, Green Life Botanicals. It was hard to break into the competitive market of South East Asian skin care, but with the global push for organic products, it looked like GLB actually had a chance. I’d have to scan everything over again tomorrow after I’d had a full night’s sleep, but I was going to burn through the bulk of the work today.
My intercom buzzed and I pressed the button to answer. “Yes, Lisa?”
“Mr. Roberts is here to see you, sir.”
“Send him in.”
It was a relief to be able to submerge myself back into the flow of the office after the personal and physical tumult of my week. This was how I steadied myself, how I knew I was where I was supposed to be: when I was at work, no matter the stressful situations that arose, I felt at peace. Maybe not calm, but peaceful. I couldn’t say the same for anytime thoughts of Miles and Zeke arose. As I waited for Roberts to enter, I self-consciously patted my wallet, where I’d tucked Miles’s business card. I didn’t know what to do about that. Did he want me to call? Had he just been polite?
I stood to shake Roberts’s hand and pushed thoughts of my emotional life to the back of my mind. I didn’t know what to do about Miles yet, but in just a few days, Zeke agreed to sit down with me. At least I was making progress there.
I picked Zeke—Marcus—I had to get used to that. I picked Marcus up from work as he had requested, my hands sweating a little in anxiety.
“So, where should we go?” I asked. I hadn’t liked not planning everything out beforehand, but Marcus hadn’t given me his number, so it wasn’t like I could run anything by him.
“Anywhere. Probably somewhere quiet.”
I nodded. The only place I really knew in town was Purple Velvet, and it wasn’t far, so I headed there again. It was a little more busy than last time, but I was able to grab the back table where Miles and I had talked last time.
We wasted a few minutes looking over the menu, and then ordering. That done, my methods of procrastination were limited, so I finally just started talking. “I don’t know how to start.”
Marcus sighed and ran a hand through his hair, ruining its perfectly just-so look. “What is it you want, Parker? I’m never going back. I don’t even know why you want to talk to me so bad now.” He started drumming his fingers ag
ainst the table, each tap pushing my anxiety a smidge higher.
“What? Why wouldn’t I want to talk to you? You’re my brother. I mean, I was hurt when you disappeared, when you cut me out, but I love you. I’ve been wrestling with myself for a long time. Too hurt to look for you. And then when I did start looking, not sure exactly why. But a couple weeks ago, I realized no matter how much I was hurt, it didn’t matter. You are my brother, my twin, and nothing changes that.”
Marcus tapped his fingers faster and faster. “You think being brothers covers everything up? You’re so fucking self-centered, Parker. I abandoned you? What about my pain? Why didn’t you come when I needed your backup when Mom and Dad tried to force me to marry that asshole?”
The tingling in my skin froze, trying to make sense of his words. “What? What the fuck are you talking about?”
A similar stillness came over Marcus. “Do you really not know?”
I spread my hands wide in supplication. “I’ve never heard anything about any kind of marriage.”
Marcus looked away, and I thought I could see a tell-tale glistening in his eyes. “I thought… I…” He swallowed through his obvious pain. “Mom and Dad had been pushing me for months to meet with this alpha or that, and I kept putting them off.”
“I remember you telling me about that,” I said.
Marcus nodded. “Occasionally, they’d ‘forget’ to tell me about a guest they had invited to dinner, and I thought that would be the worst of it. I was so wrong…”
The waiter came back with our drinks and we stopped for a moment. Neither of us were in the mood to touch our drinks, and they sat untouched in front of us as Marcus began his story again.
“There was this one guy, Vincent Lowell—Mom and Dad just wouldn’t give up on pushing me at him. I—” He had to stop to take a breath and I reached out to grab his hand comfortingly.
Reclaiming His Omega: M/M Non-Shifter Alpha/Omega MPREG (Cafe Om Book 5) Page 4
