I could tell from the odd way he was acting that Josiah had a lot of thinking to do, and that he didn’t intend to do it in our home. I bit back a sigh as I escorted the stubborn omega back to my car. I’d known going in that he and Sam weren’t mine to keep, but damn if they didn’t slot right into our home as if they belonged there.

That whole Mister shit was really pissing me off, too. Plus, it stung a little... okay, a lot. I didn’t understand why Josiah was so afraid to let us love her and vice versa. He seemed determined to put up walls and boundaries. I got it, though. It had been the two of them against the world for so long, it was hard for him to accept that people wanted to be there for them with no expectation.

And was it really charity for us to have them as our guests? I didn’t know. I could see his point. Maybe I was just so hungry for family that I was pushing to adopt them into our lives. That wasn’t it though. Although it made no sense, I couldn’t help but feel like they belonged with us. To me, they were already family. Whether they called me fucking Mister or whatever. I suppose it was better than being called alpha-douche or bitch-face.

I chuckled to myself as I slid behind the steering wheel, ignoring the quizzical look on Josiah’s face. I turned to look at him before I backed out, my breath almost catching at how attractive he was right now. I blinked and looked down at the steering wheel, reminding myself that I was a married alpha who had no business admiring other men. Especially a man that was about to be a surrogate for us. Fuck. Maybe this was why Josiah was trying to keep it professional. Was I getting too personal?

I glanced back at him when I felt those piercing green eyes on me still. Nope. Not too personal. He was a friend. An attractive friend. But a friend.

“Are you okay, Dusty? First, you’re laughing to yourself, now you look like you’re having an argument with yourself. Do you need a referee?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

“Funny. No, I just have a lot going on in my head.” I tapped out a beat on the steering wheel. “So. Should we stop by the Om for a coffee before we go get Sam, or was there anything else you’d like to do while we’re out? We have about an hour or so before we get her from Mrs. St. John, right?”

Josiah grinned. “Honestly. You need a watch, man. Or you could utilize that fancy phone you don’t seem to know how to use? We have one hour and thirty-two minutes before Mrs. St. John is expecting us, and it will take us approximately twenty-three minutes to get there from here, barring traffic. And I really need to stop by my place on the way there to get my uniform shirt for work. Does that answer your question?”

I groaned. “I feel like you and Richard are a pair of cyborgs. How the hell do you guys always have your schedules down to the nanosecond like that?” I looked over at him with a wink. “So does that mean no coffee and cookie today?”

“Not unless you’re having them at home, I’m afraid.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I’ll just pop a caramel macchiato pod in the Keurig when I get home. Sammy girl can have a cocoa one. I ordered a variety pack of cocoa pods for her on my last delivery.”

Josiah groaned as if he were in pain. “Stop at Om. Seriously, you’re killing me with those pods. That’s just a crime against coffee. But I’m running in, and we’re taking it to go.”

I grinned. “Do I get a cookie? I promise not to drop crumbs in the car.”

“Shit, like I care? Not my car, not my problem.” He grinned over at me with a laugh. “I’ll just let you explain it to Richard the next time he gets in here if you get food everywhere.”

I was still chuckling a few minutes later when I pulled up in front of Cafe Om. True to his word, Josiah hopped out and leaned in to shake a warning finger at me. “Stay put! I’ll be right back.” I tried to pass him a twenty, but he waved it off and rushed into the shop like a man on a mission.

It was amusing to watch him through the glass. He bypassed the line completely. After stopping to hug an older Indian man, Josiah pushed his way behind the counter and efficiently put our drinks together himself. The older man stood there chatting with him as he pulled a large cookie out of the glass pastry display case with what looked like a long pair of tongs and slipped it into a paper bag.

The older man tried to wave him off, but he stood by the register with that defiant look on his until the man walked over and began hitting buttons. Josiah passed him some money, gave him another hug, and scooped up our two drinks and the cookie bag. He threw his head back with a laugh at something the man said as he made his way to the door.

He was enchanting to watch, especially seeing this lighthearted part of him that didn’t always come out to play. Usually he was too busy being responsible to let his hair down like that. It was good to see him in this light.

I leaned over and opened his door when he came up to the car, pushing it from the inside as he caught it with his leg and kept it from closing. He slid in neatly, passing me my yummies before setting his own cup in the holder and closing his door. I looked at my drink while he got settled and buckled up.

“Who was that older Indian fellow? It looked from here like you are friends?” I asked conversationally as I opened the wrapper to my straw.

“That’s Abrar. He’s more a friend than a boss. He and his wife do a lot for the omegas in their employ. I think that’s why his chain has grown so exponentially, because it’s a coffee cafe with heart.”

I nodded and held up my cup. “What is this?” I asked curiously, looking at the layered striations of my iced coffee drink. I cautiously took a sip, and was pleasantly surprised by the sweet coconut and chocolate flavor that combined with some sort of nutty wonderfulness.

“I call it the Almond Joy. You know, because sometimes you feel like a nut?” He grinned at the owlish look on my face and motioned for me to drive while he explained how he’d layered a dark-chocolate-infused espresso with coconut milk, almond syrup, and a dash of vanilla.

“Why is it all in layers?” I asked as I pulled out of the lot and took another long drink of the deliciousness that he’d concocted for me. “I mean, it’s good! Don’t get me wrong, I’m just curious.”

“If I’d stirred it, the flavors wouldn’t have had time to settle in. This way, they blend slowly as you suck on the straw.”

I choked at that last part. Luckily we were at a red light while I fought to find air. Seriously. Was I in seventh grade to get all weird because an omega said an unintentionally sexual-sounding phrase? Hmm. I’d like to suck on his straw. I began choking worse, my face flushed and my dick a little thicker than it should be when that popped into my head.

This is why I needed my husband here. Richard would have everything under control, and I wouldn’t be having weird reactions to our surrogate omega. Josiah pounded on my back, his touch not helping matters. I heard horns blaring in back of me, but I couldn’t drive just yet.

I finally caught my breath, and wiped the inadvertent tears from my eyes that had been caused from the choking and coughing. I took another drink to clear my throat, making sure to not think about straws. Or sucking.

The cars behind me were still laying on their horns, but whatever. They could deal with it. It’s not like I’d done it on purpose. I grinned as I drove through the intersection on the yellow light, leaving those honking bastards in my dust.

By the time we got to Josiah’s building, my cookie and drink were both gone. Before I could even get unbuckled, he’d scooped up my trash and his, and was getting out of the car. I got out and followed him at a sedate pace, totally not checking out his ass as we walked.

I knew one thing. Richard was coming home tonight, and it might be my rare turn to top after this afternoon with Josiah. Hell, at the rate I was going? I might even pop a knot for my husband. I grinned as I thought about it and reached around to open the door for Josiah.

He glared up at me playfully, but I just shrugged. Good manners came naturally. My omega father had made a point of teaching me to be a kind, respectful alpha. Everything I did in life, I always had him in the back of my mind. All of my decisions were prefaced with: what would Dad think? I’m pretty sure that Dad would have approved of Josiah. He definitely would’ve wanted to adopt both him and Sammy. My dad was like me in that sense. We had open hearts and willing minds, as Dad used to say.

The elevator was working today. I gave it the side-eye but followed Josiah into the worn cubicle. When we reached the third floor, he led the way to his apartment first.

“I want to grab a shirt for work and a comfortable pair of shoes. I’m going to see if Larry can put me on tonight, it’s time to get back to my life.”

Before I could argue, he’d opened the door and the rank smell of musty mold blasted us in the face. Josiah stepped in and flipped on the light by the door then froze in dismay as a weird keening sound came from his throat. I peeked around the edge of the door over his shoulder, and bit back my own shocked gasp.

The plaster ceiling over his kitchen was bubbling down in huge blisters around a big opening where a large blister must have popped. As I looked around, I saw similar blisters and broken patches of plaster in other parts of the small open area. Everything was covered in mold spores, and the white wall of the kitchen had a large patch of black mold growing.

As Josiah took a step inside, the carpet made a loud squishing noise. He whimpered as he looked to the left, his hand coming up to cover his mouth. I followed his line of sight to see his worn-out couch-bed covered in bits of plaster and moldy fuzz One large chunk lay at the end of the couch where a pillow lay against the arm. The implications of that were staggering.

What if this had happened while Josiah was sleeping? He could have been injured... or worse. And judging by the amount of mold and the fact the plaster was a coating, not dry dust, this had likely happened about the time that he’d come to stay with us.

Damn. It’s a good thing we made him come home with us. As the ramifications of his predicament hit him, Josiah’s shoulders started shaking. I turned him around to see silent tears streaming down his cheeks. Without a second’s thought, I pulled him against my chest and hugged him tightly.

“Dusty,” he gasped against my shoulder. “It’s all gone, isn’t it? Everything I struggled to provide. All gone.”

“I’m afraid so, sweetie. But you and Sam are okay, and that’s all that matters. Everything else is just peripheral.”

“Easy for you to say. I’m homeless now, with a child to raise, an expensive tuition to pay, and the few outfits you guys packed for a few days’ stay. I’m pretty sure that nothing in here or Sam’s room is salvageable.”

I rubbed his back, not wanting to agree with him, yet knowing he spoke the truth. “First of all, you’re not homeless. You and Sam have a home with us for as long as you’re willing to accept it. And no, you can’t risk taking anything from here. In fact, we should probably leave. Mold like this is toxic.”

“Fuck. I need to call the super, and report this. I cancelled my renters’ policy a few months ago when I was scraping the money together for Mapleville. At the time, it felt like it was an unnecessary nine-dollar expense every month. Suddenly, it’s not looking all that unnecessary. Why did this happen, Dusty? Why?”

I rubbed his back and kissed the top of his head automatically. “Because sometimes in life, feces occurs. Nobody knows why, it just does.”

Dusty giggled suddenly, pulling back to look at me with a grin as he wiped his face with the back of his hand. “Is that the college educated way of saying shit happens?”

I grinned. “Yep. Shit happens, and feces occurs. Now let’s get out of this mold factory and get Sam so we can go home. I was thinking maybe we could stop by the art store on the way home and pick up some clay that doesn’t need to be kiln baked to set.”

“Let’s just… let’s not tell Sam about the apartment yet, okay?”

“Of course.” As happy as I was that I had an excuse to keep the two with us longer, I knew how devastating it was for both of them to lose all their belongings.

When we finally arrived to pick her up, Sam greeted us at Mrs. St. John’s door with a giant grin, bouncing excitedly. “Siah! Siah! Can I go? Can I go?”

Josiah took Sam’s hands and held them to her sides with a confused look on his face. “Go where, Sam?”

“I’m sorry, I should have asked you before mentioning it to Samantha, I just got too caught up in the excitement myself. A friend of mine just called to say she can’t make it to another mutual friend’s gallery opening in the city, and wanted to know if I could use her tickets. Rebecca is a sculptor and specializes in found materials, which is right up Sam’s alley. I’ve already reserved a hotel room for myself, and it would be my pleasure to take Sam with me. My granddaughter will also be along, and she’s just about the same age as Sam. It should be fun for all three of us.”

“Please, Siah? I don’t have school tomorrow…”

Josiah gave me a helpless look. Was he worried about being apart from Sam? Or was he thinking about money? Of course, he’d want to send money with Sam for food and stuff.

“Why don’t you go grab your backpack, Sammy, and give your brother a minute to think.”

“I’ll go help her,” Mrs. St. John said. “I didn’t mean to spring this on you. Take all the time you need. Just give us a shout.”

As the screen door closed behind her, I asked Josiah, “What’s worrying you?”

He sighed with a shudder. “Everything.”

“Are you worried about her going overnight with Mrs. St. John?”

Josiah shook his head.

“Then is it money?” I almost said just money, but it wasn’t just money to Josiah.

He nodded. “And she doesn’t have anything fancy to wear. Anything she did have was in the apartment.”

I stepped close. I wanted to put my hands on him, to comfort him, but I wanted it too much, so I kept them to myself. “Can I make a suggestion? Let her go tonight. Let me give you money to give to Mrs. St. John for meals. We can run to the store and pick out something pretty so Sam doesn’t feel out of place. And you can spend tonight dealing with the emotions of the loss of your belongings and call who you need to call without worrying about Sam overhearing you.”

Josiah leaned his forehead against my shoulder, and my hands came up automatically to comfort him. “Okay.”

The speed at which he gave in told me how truly broken he was. I held him for a moment then stepped back to grab my wallet. I gave him a couple twenties. “That’s for food. Now, let’s get Sammy a pretty dress, and then we can go wallow in takeout and ice cream at home.”

I checked my watch. Richard should be landing at any moment. While Josiah went to get Sam, I started texting frantically.