“I want you to meet Max before I make my final decision, but I can honestly say you’re the most qualified person we have seen so far.”
“I’m free right now,” Riley said, excitement pouring off him.
“Excellent,” Grayson said, and looked over to Elliot, “Would you please tell Kingsley to bring the car around.” The omega stood and slung his messenger bag across his chest.
“Of course,” Elliot said, picking up his phone and started dialing.
“We’ll wait outside,” Grayson told Elliot, “Thanks El, for coming in today. Tell Noah I’ll make it up to him,” Grayson said referring to his friend's husband.
Elliot laughed, “I’ll pass on the message. Let me know how things go.”
“I will,” Grayson replied.
2
Riley
On the elevator ride down, Mr. Carmichael had broken the silence between them to add, “I hope you don’t mind living outside of the city? It’s really not that far out, about thirty minutes without traffic, that is.”
The alpha didn’t know it, but Riley could live in an igloo in the coldest part of the earth, and would have been happy living there if it meant being a part of Max’s life as he got older, not just watching from the sidelines.
Riley was so close. He was so close to meeting his son. Close to getting the job. What if he hates you? Riley ignored that voice. Because he didn’t have an answer. He didn’t know what he would do if his child hated him. If he got so close and then lost it all. He had no other way of being in Max’s life.
“I’m sure you have a lovely home,” Riley replied, even though he already knew exactly where Mr. Carmichael lived, and exactly how far it was from the city. He lapsed back into silence, giving himself time to panic, and be excited and anxious at the thought of finally meeting Max, again.
It has to go well, it just does, Riley kept repeating in his head, because if this failed he would have to wait till Max was eighteen, and even then there was no guarantee the boy would want to know Riley.
A thought crept into his mind, what if he never knows he’s adopted? It was a possibility. Some people chose not to tell their kids they were adopted. So Max could go his whole life never knowing about Riley. And Riley would have to watch on the sidelines as his son’s life passed him by.
No! There was no way he would let that happen. Even if all he was to Max was the nanny who raised him, it would be enough. Some kids loved their nannies more than their parents.
Don’t get ahead of yourself.
But Riley couldn’t help it. The moment Mr. Carmichael or was it Mr. Montgomery-Carmichael had asked him to meet his son, their son, he wasn’t even sure how to put it… his heart skipped a beat in excitement at being so close to the finish line.
Don’t slip up. If you get this job, he is not your son. You are just the nanny. Riley reminded his heart over and over again, but the stubborn thing wasn’t listening. His arms were crying out to hold his child again the closer they got to Mr. Carmichael’s house. Not that he was supposed to know where it was.
He and Mr. Carmichael were in the car that had been waiting outside for them. The ride so far had been mostly silent. Riley had glanced at the powerful alpha a couple of times, but the man seemed completely preoccupied with something on the tablet he had pulled out of his briefcase once they settled into the car for the ride.
It did give Riley time to study the alpha. He was tall and lean, dressed in jeans and sunglasses and a loose-knit cotton sweater with the sleeves pushed up to reveal strong forearms. His hair was a soft brown, but in the sunlight, it looked like it had some chestnut and auburn shades in it too.
As much as Riley hated to admit it, there was something about the man which exuded power and virility, and sheer raw animal attraction. He was almost too much alpha – if there was such a thing. But for some reason, he didn’t give off an intimidating vibe. It was almost like he knew how to hold it in, although it still dripped off him.
However, Riley wasn’t here to check out any alphas. Alphas were no good for him, his encounter with Max’s sperm donor was proof of that, so he didn’t care how much alpha Mr. Carmichael was, he was only there for Max. But he definitely hadn’t expected the personal impact the man would have on him.
Giving his child up was the hardest thing Riley had ever done in his life. Even if he’d thought he had another option, he wouldn’t have taken it. What would a seventeen-year-old, who had to drop out of high school and get his GED while pregnant have to offer a child? Especially if his parents had gone through with their threat to disown him.
Even now he was still riddled with student loans and had no source of income. He wouldn’t have been, and was still not equipped, at least financially, to care for a child. So, if this was his only way of being something of a presence, even though it wasn’t as a parent, he would take it.
At least from everything he knew thus far, Mr. Carmichael was a good person. All the reports from the P.I. he’d hired, which, by the way, left him close to broke, said that Mr. Carmichael was an attentive parent. But for some reason the P.I. hadn’t been able to tell him much about Max’s adoptive omega father.
Riley’s thoughts were interrupted when Mr. Carmichael said, “We’re here.” Riley’s heart stopped for a second and started beating faster. He couldn’t believe that after all this time he was finally about to meet his son. Officially meet his child.
Riley was positively giddy. He was both excited and terrified of this very moment. Even though he’d hoped to meet his child again, there was a part of him that never thought it would happen. But he had hoped. He’d had faith. And somehow, it paid off. He could tell the voice in his head that told him he was on a fool’s errand to suck it.
“Coming in?” Mr. Carmichael prompted, jarring him out of his mental happy dance. He was only a minute away from the big moment, so who could blame him for his excitement.
“Sorry about that, just got sidetracked,” Riley said apologetically, and walked up the steps leading into the palatial home, before him.
“No worries. I know the house can be a little daunting at first,” Mr. Carmichael said.
“Oh, it’s not that. Never mind… I mean, you have a lovely home,” Riley stuttered, then shutting his mouth before Mr. Carmichael thought he was some sort of buffoon and sent him out of his home, just when he was so close to getting everything he wanted.
“You ready to meet the little guy?” Mr. Carmichael asked him, and Riley couldn’t help but look around like Max was about to pop out from behind some of the furniture, or something equally as crazy.
“Yes please,” Riley replied, trying not to sound as excited as he was feeling.
Before they could even move further in the house, the child Riley had spent the better part of six weeks admiring from afar came running out of a room at the back of the house, yelling, “Daddy, daddy,” as he came towards Mr. Carmichael.
Riley felt the vise as it closed around his heart. It took all of his will to breathe. He had to focus to make sure he got every gasp of oxygen he could to his lungs.
Riley watched as Mr. Carmichael went on one knee and opened his arms to receive his excited son. Riley had to shove his hands in his pockets to restrain himself from grabbing Max out of Mr. Carmichael’s arms. That wouldn’t go over very well, and he would probably be kicked out of the house.
Max had curly blondish-brown hair, and he was dressed in crumpled white shorts and a soft green shirt. Riley knew he was probably biased, but Max was the most beautiful child.
Riley couldn’t take his eyes off Max, not even when Mr. Carmichael said, “Max, I’d like you to meet Riley. Riley this is Max.”
“Hello, Max,” Riley whispered, his chest tight. Riley mirrored Mr. Carmichael’s position, bending down so he was on the same level as Max and Mr. Carmichael. For some reason he was finding it hard to refer to the alpha as Max’s father.
Riley knew that the man was more of a father to Max than Riley would ever be, but even his mi
nd rejected using the term for anyone but himself. Especially, because Riley couldn’t refer to himself as the parent of Max to anyone but himself.
Riley drew in a deep breath and had to wipe his hand on his pants before he stuck it out for Max.
Riley held his breath and stared into those wide inquisitive blue eyes, that had him entranced. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but it wasn’t for Max to leave his dad’s embrace and walk into Riley’s body.
On autopilot, his arms went around Max, and he couldn’t help the tears that spilled, so he hid his face in Max’s hair and breathed in his son’s scent. Trying to memorize it, hold on to it, so he would never forget. He memorized the way Max felt in his arms, because Riley had never thought he would have this moment.
Not that he could, he still remembered when he’d hugged Max in the hospital and breathed him in as he was doing now. Max had smelled like a hint of violets, kind of like Riley did, but there was another scent mixed in there that Riley knew Max got from his alpha father.
But now he could also smell Mr. Carmichael’s scent on Max, which of course he would since he was Max’s main parent.
Riley ignored the things that the crisp linen and sandalwood scent were doing to him and focused on Max in his arms. Finally.
“Well that never happens,” Mr. Carmichael said, and Riley didn’t miss the surprise in the man’s tone.
Riley discreetly used his sleeve to wipe his face, as he reluctantly let Max go. He looked over at Mr. Carmichael and saw that while he was hugging Max, the man had gotten back up, so Riley did the same. At the sound of his dad’s voice, Max went back to Mr. Carmichael’s side.
Riley took a moment to get himself together before asking, “Sorry, what did you say?”
“Max is never that friendly, especially with strangers,” Mr. Carmichael said.
Riley had to stop himself from doing a fist pump. Maybe he was being petty, or fanciful, but he couldn’t help but be happy at the fact that his son might recognize him.
“I’m sure it’s just the whole omega thing,” Riley said, changing the subject. He didn’t want Mr. Carmichael looking at him too closely.
The alpha seemed to gaze at him like he was trying to get a read on him, “I’m sure that’s it,” he said, nodding, “Come along.”
Riley followed Mr. Carmichael and Max as they walked past a couple of doors, some closed and some open. Riley spotted a library that he hoped he was allowed to spend time in. There were also two living rooms, or front rooms or parlors – he wasn’t sure what rich people called them, or why on earth they needed so many.
Riley walked into a room that was literally the definition of indoor little boy play heaven. There was a mini indoor climbing wall, a tree house that featured a ladder to get up to and a slide to come out of. There was a crafts area, Lego area, a mini library at kids height, a tv screen that was bigger than the one in his parents front room. There was toys storage, that Riley could tell was filled with toys, there were floor cushions, and the walls were a bright color which tied the whole vibe of a child’s kingdom together.
Riley was in awe. He wasn’t sure if he was happy that his child had all this. Or worried that his son would grow up thinking that everyone lived this way.
“Have a seat please,” Mr. Carmichael said, pointing to the colorful mismatched chairs in front of the television that Riley assumed was for the adults that watched over Max when he was playing in the room.
“This room is…” Riley searched for a word, but all that he could think of was, “wow.”
The alpha looked around the room like he was seeing it through an outsider’s eye, “It probably is a lot for just one child, but I gave the designer free rein here and this is what we got. Max seems to like it though,” Mr. Carmichael said, his eyes landing on Max who had plopped himself on one of the floor cushions with one superhero doll and one Barbie in his hands.
Riley was impressed that the alpha didn’t seem to have a problem with his son playing with a Barbie doll. It kind of made Riley’s heart soften towards his hopefully new boss.
“It’s wonderful. I’m sure every kid would love it,” Riley replied kindly, so the man would know he wasn’t being critical.
“Mmmh,” the alpha replied, “Anyway, it looks like Max is a fan. But I have a few more questions that don’t involve your resumé.”
“Of course, please ask whatever you like,” Riley said, hoping this second interview meant he was being seriously considered for the job.
3
Grayson
This was going better than he’d expected if Grayson was being honest. He had a good feeling about Riley Sinclair. Grayson wasn’t sure where it came from, but there was something about Riley, from the moment the young man walked into his office, that told him Riley was the one he had been searching for, but he couldn’t just hire the man on gut instinct, even though his gut instincts served him well in the past.
He shouldn’t have worried. Max’s reaction to the young omega had sealed the deal. His son wasn’t the friendliest child on first meeting. Max took his time before he let anyone into his space, so the fact that he had practically jumped on Riley, said that Grayson was right. This was the person they’d been searching for.
Grayson could have hired him on the spot, after the welcome Mr. Sinclair––or Riley as he had begun to think of the omega––had gotten from Max, but he found he wanted to take this opportunity to find out a little more about the young man. For some reason Grayson felt like he’d seen him somewhere before. There was something… familiar about him, but Grayson couldn’t put his finger on it, and that in itself was intriguing. He prided himself in never forgetting a face.
“Tell me a little about yourself. Things that aren’t on your resumé,” Grayson asked Riley.
The omega took his attention off Max, which Grayson took as a good sign. He liked that Riley was already attentive to Max. He wasn’t being conceited, but he usually found that most omegas would be fawning over him. But there was no fawning. As much as it made Grayson sound like a douche, the fact that the omega seemed to be immune to him, had him intrigued.
“What would you like to know, Mr. Carmichael?” Riley asked in that soft soothing voice that Grayson could imagine singing to his son. He could understand Max’s immediate response to Riley, there was something warm about the omega. Something welcoming.
Mr. Carmichael, hmm, that won’t do. If Grayson hired Riley, the omega would have to call him by his name. What do you mean if, you know you’ve already hired him. Okay that was true, but still.
“Where are you from?” Grayson asked.
“Oh, umm, I’m not sure you know it. I’m from a town called Whitehill,” Riley replied, although Grayson heard reluctance in his tone. Like he didn’t want to share the information.
“Not sure I’ve heard of it,” Grayson admitted.
“Yea, it’s not exactly a metropolis,” Riley said, and if Grayson wasn’t mistaken, there was relief in Riley’s tone. Or maybe he was reading into things. “Do you have any childcare experience? I know you’re a nurse which is great, but do you have any actual childcare experience?”
Riley bit his lips like he was debating how to reply, “Does five years of babysitting count?” Riley asked, his tone hopeful.
“Five years,” Grayson raised an eyebrow, “You couldn’t be more than twenty or so?”
“I’m twenty-one actually, but I was the go-to babysitter in town, since I was fifteen, fourteen actually,” Riley corrected.
“But no actual nannying?” Grayson prompted.
“No, but I’ve watched kids of all ages,” Riley said, “And I’m really good with them, I swear. You can call up all my references.”
“We did. They all had good things to say. Even your professors,” Grayson confirmed.
“Oh… Okay,” Riley replied.
“But babysitting and nannying are different,” Grayson pushed. “You’re going to be raising Max, alongside myself, of course, not just watching him for a
couple of hours while I’m out for dinner.”
“I know,” Riley said, nodding.
“Good, so talk to me about your philosophies, about how you deal with children”
“I think the most important thing for kids is knowing someone is there for them. Loving them. Rules and discipline are important, of course, especially for structure, but being consistent and present are also just as important. Kids need to know that the person there for them is always going to be there. They need to feel supported and loved,” Riley said, and Grayson could hear the emotion in his voice.
Grayson was impressed, but he didn’t show it. That was exactly what he wanted for Max. Exactly what he hadn’t had before. Grayson’s parents had believed more in the nannies as staff theory. He had grown up with cold and distant people raising him. At least, until they’d hired Elliot’s parents to work for them, that was. Even though they hadn’t been hired as his caregivers, that was what they became. Once they had shown up in his life, Grayson had spent more time in their cottage on the family estate, than he had at home.
Grayson wanted Max to have an omega influence like Elliot’s papa in his life.
“I thought it was against the nanny rules, loving the child in your care,” Grayson pushed.
“I can’t speak for anyone else, but if you’re not going to love your charge and take care of him like he was your own, then you shouldn’t be trusted with the most precious gift of helping to raise him. Even if it is for a salary,” Riley said, and it was easy for Grayson to hear the conviction in his tone.
If he hadn’t been sold before, which he had, Grayson would be sold now. Riley was exactly what he had been looking for. But there were a few more things to straighten out, “I feel that consistency is very important—both for me and for Max. I am trying very hard to plan for it. Max’s routine and his world were shaken when Milo had to leave. Milo was his nanny almost since we brought him home. Max has experienced a lot of loss, already,” thoughts about Dakota tried to intrude, but Grayson pushed them away, “I would rather he not go through losing another caregiver. So, if you can’t commit to long-term, please let me know now.”
Undercover Omega: Billionaire Alphas Book 2 Page 2
