Then, it happened again—the strange pull from earlier tonight. It ran through my blood, prickling my skin.
I remembered when Scar asked me earlier tonight if I’dfeltsomething. At the time, I lied shamefully. But now that it was happening again, I couldn’t deny that I knew exactly what he meant. Except this time, I wasn’t as keen to push him away. The fear of his rejection had put me on my guard—but after he’d snapped and sent me away, he apologized and sought me out again. I’d seen the desperation in his eyes when he asked for my help. He needed me.
And to do this, I needed him too.
“Stay here with me,” I said.
Scar asked, “What?”
“Stay here,” I repeated. “It will be easier to take care of Angel if both of us are in the same place. I have a spare air mattress you can sleep on, and it’s not too far from your bar.”
Scar looked like I’d just asked him to find me a pink elephant. “Um… I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“Why?”
“I’m not a good roommate,” he stammered. “I’ll get in your way. I’ll probably piss you off with my hobbling around, just like I bother old man Pete.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous he was being. “What are you talking about? Pete’s just cranky. You can’t control the sound of your prosthetic. And even if you could, it still wouldn’t bother me.”
I wanted to addyou’re my friendto the end of my statement, but the words wouldn’t come out. For some reason, they didn’t seem quite right anymore.
Scar rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know…”
“Please.” I grasped Angel’s carrier and turned it to face him. “Look, Angel wants you here, too. She needs an omega to help take care of her. Isn’t that right, Angel?”
Angel, who was still sleeping, obviously did not reply. But looking at her sleeping face seemed to give Scar the final push he needed.
With a sigh, he said slowly, “If you’re sure.”
“Yes!” I cried. “This is going to be great. Like an extended sleepover.”
He stared at me deadpan and lifted a brow. “You know we’re raising ababyand that this isn’t some fun game, right?”
“Oh, lighten up,” I said. “It’s not good for Angel if her parents are too serious all the time.”
Scar nearly choked. “Parents!?”
Realizing what I’d accidentally said, I blushed. “Well, not parents—just—unrelated alpha and omega caretakers sounds kind of dry, doesn’t it?”
“Guess so,” Scar mumbled, sounding flustered as well. “Anyway, it’s getting kind of late. Where’s this air mattress you promised me?”
I smiled. “Right this way.”
As I set up the necessary items for Scar, he watched over Angel. He sat on the tatami mat by the low table with his eyes glued to her like a hawk. I’d never seen him so focused on something—or someone. I wondered if his omega instincts kicked in, the same way my protective alpha ones did when I’d learned Angel was abandoned. It was true we weren’t related to Angel by blood, but we knew without words that we’d both fight tooth and nail to keep her safe.
“Here’s the bed,” I told Scar. He tore his gaze away from Angel.
“Thanks,” he said. “Um… Where should Angel sleep tonight? Unless you’re hiding one somewhere, we exactly have a crib on such short notice.”
I frowned. I hadn’t thought about that. “She can sleep in bed with me, and we can get one tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Scar frowned. “Where should I put the air mattress?”
I noticed his gaze was laser-focused on Angel. Separating them, even for a night, felt strangely cruel. I got the feeling heneededto be by her side.
“You can put it in my bedroom,” I offered. “That way if she needs anything, we’re both there.”
Scar nodded and got to work dragging the air mattress into my bedroom. I gave him a quick tour of my apartment in case he needed anything.
