I sipped my stout. Poor guy. The sad thing was that I genuinelycouldsee myself being the same. One encounter and she was stuck in my head all day. How the hell would I cope if I saw her all the time?
“What the hell is so great about Tyler?”
Jude chewed his lip, looking uncertain. “Not really my story to tell, but I guess scant details are probably okay. He saved her. Her home life was an absolute shit show and he got her out. I’m not sure how much of their relationship is based on her gratitude for that, compared to them actually loving each other.”
“He likes her enough to keep her on a leash.”
“Unfortunately, yeah.”
“You’ve never tried to shoot your shot?”
“I thought about it, but someone else at my job asked her out and she told him her boyfriend is completely against packing up. I kept quiet after that.”
We lapsed into silence when the server came back around to take our food orders.
“There’s not that many omegas that thrive with only one alpha,” I said slowly when we were alone again.
“And I wouldn’t call what she’s doing thriving.”
One alpha who barely gave a shit wasn’t enough to support an omega. They needed the security of a pack, of always having someone around to lift them up when they struggled to see how amazing they were. Alphas were supposed to cherish and care for their omegas, to make sure the world saw how beautiful their light could be.
Jude sighed and continued, “I mean, she comes across happy enough to people who don’t know her, but she’s been talking about starting her own business properly forever. Breaks my fucking heart every time she wilts and reminds herself he doesn’t want her to.”
“What’s his deal? Does he hate her being financially independent?”
“Probably.”
“What does he look like, so I know where to aim my car if I’m driving through that neighborhood?”
Jude burst out laughing. “I like you.”
“Well, that’s a relief. People either love me or hate me. Not a lot of middle ground.”
We pushed off the Madison topic and got to know each other a bit. Family, careers, and hobbies were infinitely safer than dwelling on a situation neither of us could fix.
“You’ve gotsixomega sisters? Holy shit. I thought I had my hands full with one. You and your brother must be drowning.”
“It’s pure chaos. I’ve saved them a lot of money working where I do. The family discounts are legit. Pretty sure all of my sisters would be bankrupt without it.”
“You’re a good brother, Jude. I can respect that. You never wanted to do anything else?”
“I’m content where I am. I prefer customer facing stuff. The store makes omegas happy and they’re so damn cute when they come up to the counter with their bounty. The store kept offering me a management position, and I finally caved a few years ago. They’ve boosted me up to district manager since then.”
“Hell yeah. Congrats on that. I donothave the stomach for retail. Tried once in high school and got fired after two days for mouthing off to a customer. In my defense, they were being an asshole.”
“They do love to do that,” Jude conceded.
We spent a good couple of hours together. Ava had encouraged me to make friends, and this seemed like a good start.
As we got ready to leave, Jude extended his hand again. “See you at the gym?”
“I’ll be there at the ass crack of dawn.”
Jude laughed and waved as he departed.
Madison had hooked us both. Maybe it was time to show her what she was missing. I had a firm policy, but Ava could be right. If Madison had been with Tyler for so long, and he had gotten her out of a worse situation, she probably wouldn’t know better existed, unless she saw it and experienced it herself. I might not be willing to pursue her, but she obviously needed a support network. What was a little more misery in my life if it helped her step out of the box Tyler had shoved her in? She deserved to shine at her full potential.
“Did he forget I’m pregnant with triplets and can’t actually get on a horse right now to teach you?” Charlotte asked, pulling me into her new ranch house after I told her Tyler hadfinallyagreed to me taking riding lessons if Charlotte was the one who taught me.
