“It is probably too soon,” I replied, hands clenched into fists at my sides, jaw locked.
He reached through the open window and pulled out his phone. “Doc’s office. Wish me luck.”
I nodded, my throat too dry for words to emerge.
He glanced my way and hit speaker. “Hello.”
“Mr. Hendrix? This is Dr. Avery’s office calling.” So fast...had they found something terrible?
“Did you get my results?”
“Yes, sir. Please hold for Dr. Avery.”
Oh shit! I strode to his side and wrapped my arms around him from behind, skin-to-skin contact all I could offer at this moment. If the doctor wanted to talk to him…
“Jack? Avery here.”
“Yes?” Jack bit out. “What’s the bad news, doc?”
After a second of dead air that felt like a week, the line disconnected.
My knees buckled, only my grip on Jack keeping me upright. “Call back!” I urged.
“I am!” he replied, punching contacts. “Why do calls always cut off at the worst possible moment?”
“I should never have dragged you out here. Connectivity isn’t that great, but I didn’t think you’d hear this fast and —”
“Shh.” He held up a hand. “Doctor Avery, please. Jack Hendrix. We got disconnected.”
“Jack? Damn, I’m sorry. Before we get cut off again, you’re fine. The lab made a mistake and your new test came back clear.”
“Can I ask what they thought they found?”
The doctor cleared his throat. “Turns out another patient has a big worry. I can’t tell you what, but I’m damn glad it’s not someone I take care of. Looks like you’ll be around for another thirty or forty years.”
Now Jack sagged, but I’d already recovered and held him up. “You took ten off that span with this little scare, doc.”
“I just got off the phone after chewing out the lab. They say this almost never happens.”
“I appreciate the call, doc.”
“Go do something fun with the rest of your day, Jack.”
“I plan to.” Jack clicked the phone off and spun to face me. “You heard the doctor.” He tossed the phone in the car and bent, taking my lips in a deep, sensual kiss. By the time we were submerged in the bubbling warm water, we were tangled around one another, celebrating the good news in a way both of us could enjoy.
Chapter Eleven
Jack
There weren’t many customers I’d allow to interrupt me, but Lazlo was one of them. He consistently ordered extravagant pieces for his omega and when he said jump, I asked how high.
This time, he wanted a new set of wedding rings for their ten-year anniversary, in platinum, of course, with some inlaid rubies.
Those I would have to find first.
I’d just finished meeting with him when I saw Vivian across the street. I tried to duck into my car without her making a fuss, but as I settled into the seat, just before shutting my car door, I knew I’d been seen as well. Her hand on the top of the door stopped me.
“Oh, Jack. You’ve been trying to keep secrets from me. But we both know you can’t do that because, one, it’s a small town, and two, it’s a very small town.”
I sighed. There should be more flower shops in town, preferably owned by less nosey women.
“I sent a customer some flowers, Vivian. Don’t read too much into this.”
I’d surprised myself by lying to her. And also, I knew that I wouldn’t get away with it.
Fuck, I was so tired of being alone and yet, here I was, throwing up walls like a professional mason.
“Customer my ass, Jack. So, you have two choices here. You can come get coffee with me and spill your guts, or I can ride the gossip train until it stops.”
Vivian had unlimited rides on the gossip train. I secretly thought she owned the gossip train. Fueled by her as well.
“You’re going to make me people?” The words came out in a growl.
“Either you people with me, or I’m going to insinuate something about your lips.”
I moved my hand to my mouth. Nothing seemed off. “What about my lips?”
The spry woman bent down with a smile. “They look recently used and red. And now you’re blushing. One can only come to their own conclusions about such things. Oh, would you look at that. There’s Raquel from the library. I wonder what conclusion she’d come up to if given those facts along with my knowledge about you sending a ginormous number of flowers to a certain phlebotomist we know. Hmmm…”
“Stop, Vivian. One condition. We have coffee in your shop where it’s quiet.”
“Perfect. I already ordered us coffee. I’ll just go pick it up and you can meet me at my shop.”
The conniving wench. She’d already ordered coffee knowing that I would fold under the pressure that was Vivian.
I walked over to her store and waited at the door. She ran a business much like I did. Sometimes it was open. Mostly she took orders and appointments. Basically, neither of us gave two shits if our business did well or not.
Yet, we both came out okay.
“Come on in. Get comfortable.”
She unlocked the door and then led me to a couch in the back. She sat first, handing me a tiny cup and claiming it was espresso and would put hair on my chest.
I wondered if Will liked that sort of thing.
“Oh my gods, you’re thinking of him right this second. Jack, you perv. Okay. I’m ready. Give me the details.”
There would be no details.
None.
“Oh, Jack. I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize. There’s no shame in it. Sometimes when you get to be our age, things just don’t work like they used to.”
“What?” I said, looking around the place for some hidden cameras.
“It’s fine. I’m sure things will work out. They make all those pills now.”
Heat filled my face. Vivian was baiting me, and damn it all if I wasn’t going to take a chunk out of that worm.
“Vivian. Damn it. I’m not having trouble. Trust me. There was no trouble this morning.”
Oh shit.
“This morning? My, my, my. Trees certainly are strong in the morning. But don’t tell me you’re a stingy alpha. I hate stingy men.”
I slapped my hand over my face. Second by second, I was falling into her trap. And maybe that coffee she gave me was spurring me on.
“I’m a very giving alpha, if you must know. Nosey ass.”
I jutted my chin upward, proud of my little dig.
“I’m not nosey. You’re the one who came over here to gossip about your hot little piece of ass.”
I didn’t know why, but something about her calling Will a piece of ass lit a fire under me.
“He’s not a piece of ass. He’s…”
Vivian leaned forward and put her cup down. “He’s what?”
Gods, she knew I would say it. “He’s my omega.”
Chapter Twelve
Will
After our trip to the hot springs, Jack retreated again. Although we still saw one another nearly every day, and the physical aspect of our relationship was certainly more than satisfying, I felt that he held me a bit at arm’s length. We went out to dinner often or I joined him at his home for a classic movie and sleepover… He prepared sit-down meals served in his dining room with nice dishes and silver. We even texted a few times a day, but something was missing. Were we a couple? Or just casually dating?
That day a few weeks ago, we’d splashed one another like happy kids, celebrating the fact that he wasn’t going to die anytime soon. I’d never been in this position before, never drawn blood from someone I had a serious interest, crush...passion for, and it had been sobering. I knew every one of my patients had family and friends who loved them, but I couldn’t help being glad that the person who had truly been ill was not someone I knew.
And although I’d never know their outcome, I mentally wished them well.
I’d been waitin
g since that day for my alpha to acknowledge that he was...my alpha. I knew he was. But somewhere along the line he had to think so, too. Jack didn’t strike me as the type who would spend so much time with someone he didn’t care a lot about. In fact, he’d mentioned more than once that he wasn’t crazy about “people.” I’d learned he did spend some time with Vivian—whether he wanted to or not. Our local flower show owner who knew all things about everyone in town did not let even the grumpy jeweler avoid her friendship. If you were going to live in Mapleville, Vivian was a fact of life and a force of nature.
I strolled past her shop, on my way to Jack’s for one of our movie nights and paused at a new display in the window. The cheerful brightly colored lilies lit up the front of the shop and made me smile. Jack had sent me flowers, once, and while some thought it was an alpha’s prerogative, I couldn’t see any reason why I couldn’t bring a few of these beautiful blooms into my alpha’s home. They would brighten his subdued color scheme.
As I pushed the door open and stepped into the store, the owner herself bore down on me like a schooner under full sail. The determined glint in her eyes almost had me backpedaling for the door but too late. Vivian gathered me into a hug as if she hadn’t seen me in months—although we’d passed on the street just the day before and said hello. “Just the omega I want to see! I suppose you are here to pick up a little something for a certain handsome alpha?”
I dug my heels in, but the slippery floor offered no purchase as she towed me over to where two chairs sat next to the big refrigerated case. “Uhh, yeah. How did you guess?”
“There’s no hiding things from me, young man. I’ve never seen a pair better suited than the two of you. Jack’s turned a one-eighty since you’ve been going out, you know. Before that, he was grouchy and almost impossible to deal with.” She flashed me a mischievous grin. “Now, he’s just regular grouchy. So...what kind of a gift were you thinking of? A nice terrarium? Roses? No...they wouldn’t be right for him, would they?”
“I thought maybe a few of those lilies in the window? The yellow, orange, and red ones?”
She clapped her hands and leapt to her feet. “Oh, that would be exactly right. Especially for a special night like tonight.”
“Tonight?” I watched her father the blooms and prepare the bouquet. “What about tonight?”
“Let’s put some nice greenery in here, okay? Yes, that would be perfect. I’m even going to give you a discount for the pleasure of being part of things. It’s one of the best elements of my job you know, being part of the most important days of people’s lives.”
“What do you mean tonight?”
Pulling a long length of red ribbon from a spool, she tied a bow around the arrangement. “Not always happy, of course, but in this case, it is. I am so happy for you both.” I approached her gingerly, confused, and she shoved the bouquet in my arms. “In fact, this time the blossoms are on me. You have to promise to come tomorrow for tea and tell me how things go, okay?” Two seconds later the door clicked closed behind me and I found myself out on the street, laden with flowers paid for by a promise I didn’t make to tell her the most intimate details of my life.
Bemused, I continued along the main street and turned down the smaller one to arrive at Jack’s door. I tapped twice and he opened it, his expression so solemn, I almost turned and ran. “Will.” He nodded and stepped aside for me to pass.
“Jack,” I replied moving through the dim store area to his apartment behind. “How was your day?”
“Are those for me?”
“Uh...yes.” I thrust them out. “I thought they might brighten your evening.” Trite...
“They already have. I should get them in water.” After giving me a peck on the lips, he headed into the kitchen area. “It was fine. I attended an online auction, the estate of a man nobody knew had anything at all, but when he died and his heirs went through the house—and I gather it was a real shack of a place—they found silver pieces squirreled away everywhere. Can you imagine?”
I leaned on the doorframe between the dining room and kitchen. “Did you win anything good?”
“Several fine antiques that my customers will love. So a great day.” He set the vase on the dining room table and stepped back to admire the arrangement. “Thank you for this. It’s just the thing, isn’t it? Makes the whole room light up. I should keep flowers here more. Hungry?”
“Huh?” Something was wrong. This bright chatty fellow was not my Jack. He’d been body snatched by an alien from the planet Cheerful.
“Food? I made fajitas. For while we watch the movie.”
“You made fajitas?” Jack cooked for me from time to time, but it was always more serious meals. Roast and potatoes, chops and fresh green beans, cottage pie. Never anything like fajitas. Never, now that I thought of it, any kind of finger food. Popcorn excluded of course.
“Yes...aren’t they your favorite? It’s what you ordered at Casa Grande in the city that time, right?”
“Did you say to eat while we watch the movie? But you always serve at the table.”
“Oh, Will,” he sighed. “Take off your shoes, sit on the couch, and don’t be such a stuffed shirt.”
I’d had enough. “Who are you and what have you done with Jack?”
After a long moment, Jack set down the tray he’d brought from the kitchen on the coffee table and approached me. “I know you are more comfortable with casual settings. And you’ve been nice enough not to say so. I just think when you’re a couple, you don’t always do things the way one person wants. I thought tonight we’d eat fajitas on the sofa, watch a superhero movie or two, and just kick back.”
“Did you say couple?”
“What did you think we were, my omega?”
My mouth dropped open. It was what I wanted, but it came out of nowhere. “I love you, too, my alpha.”
Chapter Thirteen
Jack
To hear Will say that he loved me ignited a flow of passion that pooled in all the right places. I had an omega who loved me. And I knew, even though a twinge of doubt lingered in my chest, that his love was true. He wasn’t after me for my money or for something I could give him.
No, Will loved me because he loved me.
Nothing in between the layers. No lines to read between. No secrets to discover.
No chance to be left alone at the altar with my heart on the floor.
Vivian was right. And somehow she drilled through my blockhead until I opened my eyes.
Life is short, and I had love right at my doorstep knocking so hard I could barely hear myself breathe.
Even if he broke my heart one day, I was going to grasp this chance.
A smile broke through my regular glum exterior. Fuck yeah, you love me.
“Come here, omega. Before you get comfortable.”
I opened my arms and as I expected, Will hurried into the embrace that was made to cradle and comfort his body. He tilted his head up and when he did, I took full advantage of his lips, full and warm, like they had been expecting a meeting with mine at any minute.
Will’s hands roamed up the back of my shirt as the kiss deepened and our tongues explored one another’s. The feel of his skin against mine heightened the tide and before I knew it, the world around me was lost—including the food.
He broke away quickly and turned me around. “Jack, I think you might be burning something or about to burn something.”
“Shit!” I rushed to the stove to save the mixture of steak and chicken just in time. I added the shrimp and sautéed it for just a moment to cook it through while forcing myself to pay attention to the task at hand instead of the omega on the other side of the room whose desire for me had been utterly apparent through his jeans.
“Two minutes, Will. Get comfy.”
“Is there anything I can grab?” He fumbled for the words. Good omega, nice and flustered after our kiss.
“You can grab a couple of beers from the fridge and go sit down. I’m serving my omega
tonight.”
And I didn’t just mean fajitas.
I gathered everything and set up the living room table. Tortillas were hot, guacamole was perfect thanks to a recipe from Vivian, and the other salsas and toppings were ready to go.
Now I got to watch my omega eat—one of my growing favorite things to do.
“The owner of the Mexican place taught me how to make these. I hope I captured the flavor well.”
I watched as Will made himself a plate and steeled myself against taking over the process. My omega should be served completely.
I pretended to make my own while the opening sequence of the movie started. But really I was waiting on the verdict from my mate. His approval meant everything to me.
“Oh my gods, Jack. These are...well, you did the chef proud. I’m going to need a really long run in the morning.”
“Or we could work it off other ways.” I shrugged, all of a sudden bashful about wanting the night to extend to my omega wanting to sleep next to me and me, the alpha, not letting him sleep at all.
“I like the way you think, Jack.”
Will finished three plates of fajitas while the movie went on. It was a romantic comedy that Vivian suggested, but halfway through the movie, I couldn’t tell what the movie’s plot was.
I was too busy. Listening to the breaths from the omega next to me—my omega. Loving the way he got comfortable in my home, draping his leg over mine and slouching down into the cushions—as though this home was also his.
Even the way we held hands, and his thumb rubbed along my hand turned me on.
I was a goner in the best way possible.
“Jack?” I heard and popped out of my thoughts.
“Yes?”
“Are you one of those people who like to watch the credits, or do you have another movie?”
I looked at the screen and realized I’d missed the entire thing and yes, I had more movies, but that wasn’t on my mind.
“No. I was in another world,” I confessed.
“Me, too. One where we weren’t in your living room.”
I looked over at Will. His eyes were hooded, and his right hand was already down the front of his pants. He licked his lips and then he bit down on his bottom lip.
The Omega's Silver Alpha_MM Non-shifter Alpha Omega Mpreg_A Mapleville Romance Page 5
