A little flattered. A little embarrassed… A lot hoping it won’t end up on the news…
And then there’s doing it all in front of my kid. Between Julius blowing me a kiss and Vonn buying us all the things, it would be almost impossible for Asher not to notice our VIP treatment.Also, I’ve always promised to talk things over with Asher before I got serious with any guy.
The thought makes me grip the wheel even tighter, my knuckles white from worry. Ash finally pauses in his play-by-play reenactment of the game to address me. “Can you believe how many goals Julius scored? He was on fire!” His cheeks are red from the outside chill, and he glows with enthusiasm. “And I can’t believe I got himandVonn as my mentors. If they think I’m good, I really must be…”
“You’re an amazing player, Asher,” I affirm, and his eyes sparkle. “I think by the time you’re grown you’ll easily be as good as Julius, even better.” The comparison brings a gigantic smile to my son’s face, and I’m so proud of him. No part of me wants to ruin this moment with him, but guilt gnaws at me.
Maybe it will be okay.
“There’s something we need to talk about, though, Ash.” My mouth is suddenly bone dry. He has a right to know that the guys are interested in forming a pack, a family with us, and his opinion is the most important. Though I hope it didn’t spread far and wide, Julius’s public display of affection has forced my hand. This time tomorrow, kids could be making assumptions and talking about my relationship with Pack Keene at his school, and I can’t let him be blindsided. The worst part is, I don’t know what he thinks of them as potential stepfathers rather than just his mentors. I’ve allowed him to think that Julius and Vonn are solely here to help him grow as a player all this time, not that they want to court me, too. Part of me thinks he’ll be excited to have more of the guys in his life. However, for as long as he’s been alive, I’ve stayed away from relationships. It’s always been him, me, and Cass. Period.
My overly observant son quiets, his eyes curious, but before I can gather my words, he saves me. “You want to talk about the big, ginormous crushes Vonn and Julius have on you, Mom?” Hewiggles his brows at me in the rearview mirror. My sweet, silly boy.
“You already know?”
He laughs, then crosses his arms over his chest, looking more like a little man than my heart can take. “Uh, yeah, I’m not a little kid anymore. It’s easy to tell when boys like girls. Julius blew you a kiss in the middle of the game. Also, I asked around, and no one else got their tickets delivered to their house.”
I’m not even sure what to say because, while he is partially right about the crush thing, a scent-match is so much more. My brain scrambles with what I need to do next, but he continues, “And I think it’s awesome. I don’t love that Julius yelled at you when we first met, but he hasn’t done it again. And to make up for it, he’s been extra nice. Plus, I kind of think that he is the reason we got new pads and stuff, since I didn’t have the right ones. You’re an omega, mom, and omegas aren’t supposed to be alone.”
“I’m not alone, I have you and Cass.” This conversation has emotions welling inside me, threatening to spill tears from my eyes.
He shakes his head. “At school, when we learned about the different designations, my teacher said that omegas need Alphas. It’s too hard for them to be on their own forever.”
What kind of bullshit?
“Well, that’s not exactly true. Omegas usually have Alphas, but that doesn’t mean we need them. You are and always will be the most important person in my life. I’m happiest when I’m with you, bud. No one could ever matter more.” Now I wish I hadn’t started this conversation in the car.Stupid, Nixie. So dumb.The need to hug my boy close and promise him that nothing between us will ever change is so overpowering that I nearly pull over.
“You always put me first. And I know I’m your best guy, but I also want you to be happy. You’re always taking care of me.Maybe they can take care of you.” His voice is so strong, so certain that it makes my walls crumble.
“I am happy,” I whisper, tears flooding my vision. What did I do to deserve such a sweet boy?
“Will I have to switch schools?” he asks, and I nearly get whiplash from the abrupt change in topic.
“Why would you change schools?” Confusion has me furrowing my brow, unable to follow the path of his thoughts.
“Well, I bet they have a mansion. If you guys are going to pack up and all, there’s not enough room in our apartment, so their place makes more sense… but… Oh, no… What’s gonna happen to Auntie Cassia if we move in with the Alphas?” He’s already considering issues that aren’t even on my radar yet, and my belly sinks like a stone.
“Asher, you’re already way ahead of me. I’m just trying to decide whether you would be okay with me going on a date with them. Moving anywhere hasn’t even crossed my mind. We’re taking this slow. Nothing in your life is going to change. And I need you to know that although they may be the Alphas, you are the one in charge. Scent-matches or not, they won’t ever be more important than you.” His head snaps forward, focusing on me fully.
“They’re your scent-matches!” He bounces with excitement. “Mom, at school they said that’s super rare.”
This freaking place.
“It’s not common, but I’m sure I can avoid them if needed.” The last thing I need is my baby worrying about me. If he’s going to accept my dating, it can’t be coerced. “Are you really sure you’re all right with this?” My eyes flick between the road and my rearview mirror as we get closer to home, scrutinizing his every micro-expression, but all I see is joy, no nerves or anxiety.
Why is he taking this so much better than I did?
One issue down.
But will Vonn and Julius be able to accept my past? And what about my job?
Our parking space looms ahead, and I turn the wheel just in time to slide right in, smiling when I see Cassia’s car already parked. It’s been a few days since our schedules have synced, and it’s nice that she’s home. After shutting off the engine, I take a deep breath, then climb out of the car. Asher also clambers out, and we walk toward the nearby elevator. A big sign reads Out of Order. Seeing it, we both let out a groan of disappointment.
“I bet if we moved in with Vonn and Julius, we wouldn’t need to deal with any more broken elevators and long stair climbs,” he mutters under his breath, and I can’t help but laugh. He’s probably right. Though the guys mentioned living in an apartment as well, I bet it doesn’t have quite the same issues ours does.
“It’s good cardio for you and leg strengthening, too. Adversity makes you such a good hockey player,” I joke.
“I’d rather be a little less awesome and not have to climb thousands of stairs,” he complains. Although I put on a brave front, I secretly agree. All these stairs are freaking exhausting. Fortunately, our apartment isn’t on a high floor, and we make it to our doorway barely out of breath.
