I stumbled into the passenger seat of Tom's car, grateful that he'd been the one to drive tonight. After fastening the seat belt, I wrapped my arms around my ribs and held on tight. Tears were streaming down my face, but I barely noticed them except for the way my glasses fogged. My heart was torn in two, my business was definitely going to fail, and I'd given myself to an alpha that wouldn't even listen when I tried to speak.

The driver's door opened and Tom slid into his seat. He took one look at me, then started the car. Thankfully, he didn't speak, but just drove the damn car. Right now I knew that speech would be impossible. Tom reached over with one hand, and squeezed my knee. The silent show of support broke the dam. My body was wracked with sobs and I couldn't catch a breath.

A few minutes later, Tom was pulling into his own driveway. I sat there, lost in my grief while he got out. Seconds later, my door opened. Tom reached over and released the seat belt before pulling me forcibly from the car. I came out of my fugue long enough to wonder at the secret strength that he hid in that twinkie little body.

He steered me toward the front door, stopping long enough to unlock it before shoving me inside. I found myself being shuttled onto his couch. My shoes went flying and then a fuzzy blanket was being pulled up around my shoulders. Tom brushed my hair back, and removed my glasses. He folded them and carefully set them on the coffee table.

In an uncharacteristically husky voice, Tom said: “Stay here. Tom is going for tea and snacks. All of the snacks.” He leaned over and dropped a kiss on my cheek before quickly leaving the room.

I closed my eyes and curled up into a little ball on the couch. I huddled there, with my feet pulled up and my side against the back. I clenched the blanket in my fists and hid my face in the upholstery. There was a high-pitched wailing sound in the room, and it took a long time for me to realize that it was coming from me.

Sometime later, I heard the clatter of teacups being set on the coffee table and the rustling of paper and plastic. I didn't have the energy to turn my head. Tom shoved at my shoulders. “Scoot down, Milo. Make room for Papa Tom.” I obediently scooted forward as Tom climbed over the arm of the couch and wedged himself in behind me.

After a bit of finagling, Tom managed to get his legs stretched out on either side of me. He pulled me back against his chest, and wrapped his arms around me. I leaned into his embrace, resting my head against his shoulder but still staring into the fabric of the couch. The main crying jag had stopped, at this point it was just snot bubbles and hiccups.

“Tom brought tea, cookies, the secret stash of Milo's PBF Bombz, and a pint of Karmel Sutra. Name the poison, and Tom will deliver it.” Tom spoke quietly, his hands stroking my arms.

“I j-j-just don't understand, Tom. I tried to explain! B-b-but Rafe wouldn't listen! You were right. I should have told him about my troubles. But why would he act like that, Tom? I know it was wrong to sneak in tonight, but he wasn't supposed to be there either? R-r-right?” I sniffed into the upholstery, trying to make sense of what had just happened back there.

“Rafe was wrong, Milo. Tom knows.” His hand came up to brush my hair back. “Tell Tom everything. Tom is sorry that Tom hasn't been there for Milo lately. Tom is here now, though. For as long as Milo needs Tom, Tom will be there.”

I cried a little more before I spoke again. “Tom, you've always been there for me. You're more than my sexy bestie, you're my brother.”

Tom's arms tightened around me. “Tom loves Milo. Milo is Tom's brother. Never doubt that. Now, Tom says it's time for the two best men ever born. Mr. Ben and Mr. Jerry. Yes?”

I shrugged as Tom stretched over to the coffee table. I heard the crackle of plastic and then Tom's voice commanding me to open. Obediently, I opened my mouth and a creamy spoonful of Karmel Sutra exploded on my tongue.

We sat there sharing the entire pint while Tom held me. He fed us both, taking turns filling our mouths with the shared spoon and our favorite ice cream. Once the last bite was done, he set the trash and empty spoon down on the coffee table and reached over to collect our now tepid cups of tea.

He held mine in front of me and waited while I wrapped my hands around the mug before retrieving his own. We sat there silently, drinking our tea while we cuddled on the couch. Moments like these are why I put up with Tom's craziness on the daily. He may be a handful, but when I need him, he's always right there.

After the tea was done, I dozed off at some point. Tom must have extricated himself, because when I woke up, I was stretched out alone on the couch covered by the fuzzy blanket. I sat up and blinked my eyes in confusion at the sunlight streaming in through the window.

“Good morning, gorgeous. Tom must warn you, we are not alone. Ian is in the dining room.” Tom came bustling in with a warm smile.

I jerked my head toward him as alarm flooded my body. “I need to leave then. I don't want to see him, Tom! He's Ian's friend!”

“Milo needs to breathe. Tom has already spoken to Ian, and gotten more details that were previously unknown. Go wash up and join Tom and Ian for breakfast.” Tom started to leave the room but turned back and looked me with a hand on his hip. “No. Do not even think of slinking out of here. Milo is a grown ass omega, and Milo will join Tom for breakfast.”

I smirked at his imperious tone. The sweet omega from last night was gone, and Tom's other side was back in charge. “Fine. I'll do it. But I don't have to like it, and I'm not promising to be nice. I'm too raw from last night to be friendly. Especially to another alpha that's friends with Rafe.” I grumbled but stood and retrieved my glasses before heading for Tom's bathroom.

After I'd relieved my tortured bladder, I stepped over to the sink to wash up. When I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, it almost sent me screaming from the room. My eyes were swollen and puffy. My cheeks were splotchy and complexion pale. I shouldn't have put on my glasses, then maybe I wouldn't be able to see how shitty that I actually looked. With a sigh, I turned and left the room.

Ian and Tom were laughing at something when I walked in, but both sobered right up when they looked up to see me there. I kept my head down and pulled out a chair. Tom pushed a cup of coffee in front of me, which I gratefully accepted.

They talked in hushed tones about nothing in particular while I sipped at my java and wished the floor would open up enough to swallow me whole. While they talked, Tom had managed to plate some food that he set in front of me. I didn't have much of an appetite, but gamely took a bite of cubed cantaloupe.

I politely ate while they continued to talk as though I weren't sitting there looking like something that a cat had barfed up and pretty much raining on their parade with my gloomy mood.

Ian turned to me after I'd wiped my mouth with the linen napkin that had appeared next to my plate at some point. “I'm sorry about what happened, Milo. If it helps, Rafe is miserable as hell today too.”

My eyes slid toward him, but I didn't speak. Instead, I took a drink of coffee and tried to find my mental safe space. Tom spoke up then. “Milo. Is Nana's house haunted? Ian just told Tom an intriguing story about why Rafe thought Milo was pulling a gaslight on Rafe.”

“What? That house isn't haunted! I don't care what the neighbor's used to say about lights coming on when we weren't there. Let me guess, someone told him about the supposed jazz music that people claim blasts from the parlor when nobody's home?”

Ian looked at me in shock. “Seriously? Other people have witnessed that shit too? Holy shit. Rafe is gonna shit bricks!”

I tilted my head and looked at him through narrowed eyes. “What do you mean by witnessed it too? I think it's just urban legend, made up by people who were jealous of my family. I never experienced anything weird there. That place is peaceful. It's, well, it's home. Okay?”

Tom was shaking his head. “No, Milo. Think! Remember when Tom and Milo snuck out to spy on the college boys next door that summer?”

I grinned. “Tom. I'm pretty sure that was my dad busting us. Why would a ghost want to out us for being a couple of horny stalkers?”

Ian looked at us questioningly, so I explained. “It was right after junior year. My dad was in bed, and we were having a sleepover. Tom was looking through my telescope and saw the neighbor's son skinny dipping with his friends. They were college aged, and totally out of our league.”

Tom giggled at the memory as I paused to take a sip of coffee. “Anyway, we had it all planned. Tom was going to video them with his phone through the fence so that we could watch it back later. All we needed was to get close enough to get decent video footage. We slipped downstairs through the old servant's passage and went out back. We'd only gotten, like, twenty feet from the door when the exterior lights all came on. We were highlighted there like a spotlight was trained on us, while every dog in the neighborhood started barking and howling for no damn reason.”

Tom was laughing so hard at this point. I shook my head with a grin and finished. “My dad opened his bedroom window and looked down to see what was going on. When he saw us there, and the lights over the fence where the alpha boys were partying, he just glared at us. He ordered me to get back inside and that was that.”

“Yes,” Tom added, “but like Tom has always maintained. Milo's dad didn't move fast enough to have turned on the lights that are located in the potting room, and then been upstairs just seconds later to hang out the window. It isn't physically possible. Milo was just too afraid of Milo's dad to listen to Tom when Tom questioned it.”

I shrugged. “Well, if there's a ghost or two in the house, I never saw them. And that isn't enough to convince me. Sorry.”

Ian grinned and said: “Would you like the counter solution any better?”

At my curious look, Ian said: “Maybe your dad had a guest over that he didn't want you to know about.”

“Ewww!” Tom's nose wrinkled as a look of distaste covered his elfin face. “Ian needs to see a picture of Milo's dad before making that comment.”

Laughing, I nodded in agreement. “Seriously, Ian. Tom's got a point. I'd sooner believe in ghosts than my dad getting lucky. He was a rich alpha, but he was not only unattractive, he was also a dick.”

Ian shrugged. “Why do you think they call those kind of men sugar-daddies? They don't need looks or personality if they've got enough cash.”

That hit too close to home, as I remembered the many charges on my father's overextended credit cards for flowers, hotels, and expensive dinners in the city. Tom noticed my face darken and reached over to squeeze my hand.

“Ian is right, but Tom still says ghost for that night. If there had been another man in the house, Tom would have smelled him. Milo knows that Tom never misses a random man on the premises.”

I sighed sadly, and looked over at Ian. “What happened in the attic? Rafe said something about the attic. Did that have something to do with his attitude?”

Ian explained what Rafe had told him, and I understood better why Rafe had just accused me of gaslighting him. An alpha like Rafe wouldn't want to have anyone, but especially the omega that he was dating, see him running scared. But still. That didn't give him the right to treat me like he had.

“I get it, Ian. I would've been freaked out too. I mean, I'm sure there's some sort of rational explanation. There has to be. But it wasn't me. And I don't appreciate Rafe just accusing me of being a thief. All I wanted was a handwritten book of family recipes! I told him that! Especially after we...well...let's just say that we'd grown close.”

Ian's knowing expression made me blush. Tom looked back and forth between us with glee. “No! Milo finally lost his cherry? Really? And Milo didn't tell Tom!”

I groaned and held a hand up to Tom. “Not right now, Tom. I can't. Okay? Maybe someday, but right now, I have too many other things to deal with first. Mainly, Auntie G's and how I'm gonna prove that the bitch stole my recipe.”

Ian looked at me with regret and said: “Umm, Milo? In the interest of full disclosure, I should also tell you that Rafe recognized the letterhead on that notice you received. It's from my dad's firm. So, yeah. I mean, I'm not gonna do anything to screw up your case, but you should definitely know that before you say anything else.”

I stood up from the table and tucked in my chair. I looked at them both and spoke calmly. “Ian, I'm sorry, but I'm out. Tom, thank you for last night, but I need to be alone right now. I'll call you later.”

I didn't give them a chance to respond. I rushed through the living room, pausing long enough to retrieve my shoes, and let myself out for the short walk home.