Chapter Five
Philip
I spent the next three days working. Being on shift meant hanging around the firehouse. To pass the time between calls I filled out reports, cleaned and checked our equipment, and hung out with the other guys. We had a couple of calls, but nothing serious.
It gave me plenty of time to text Ollie with questions about Christopher and himself. Ollie freely gave me information about Christopher, but rarely disclosed any information about himself. Guarding his heart most likely.
I’d contacted my brother to let him know he had a nephew. Tyler and my dad may not get along anymore, but Tyler and I stayed in contact. He was a year younger than me and had moved out of town the minute he turned eighteen. Forced out by my father.
Like Ollie.
I wondered if the damage done by our separation could ever be fixed. I knew that there would never be another Omega for me. I had more or less accepted that before Ollie came back into my life. But my protective Alpha instinct did not like the idea of Ollie and Christopher living alone in the country. Ollie had proven himself extremely capable, raising our son on his own like he did, but I still wanted to provide for him, be there for him as his Alpha and his partner. I didn't like the idea of him finding another Alpha to provide for him, but if that's what it came down to, then I would have to find a way to accept it. At least that's what I told myself.
Actually accepting it would be a completely different ballgame. I would have to cross that bridge when we got there. Until then, I wanted to know everything. I had some free time on my shift, so I did a cursory Google search of both Ollie and Christopher. I didn't dig very hard for information, I didn't want to invade their privacy, but I did discover quite a bit.
I found an article about Christopher's piano recital from when he was four. There was even a video on YouTube that the school had posted. I couldn't believe his talent at such a young age. Then I discovered that Ollie hadn't abandoned his art. My Omega was extremely talented, and I was proud to see that he and a friend of his had published children's books. I ordered copies of them and even paid for expedited shipping because I wanted to see what my Omega had done.
Not your Omega.
But he was. I’d always think of Ollie that way. I wished I could see what he had looked like when he'd been pregnant. What it had been like when Christopher was first born. Who had helped Ollie care for him? Who’d been there with him through the sleepless nights and the really tough stuff? Who had he shared those first moments with? Had anyone been there? Had this Kayden been a part of his life?
Ollie had filled me in on his and Kayden’s plan to open an in-home daycare out of his grandmother's house. It was the perfect location for anybody wanting a licensed daycare, but not necessarily wanting to take their kids to a center. There was a before and after school program for school-aged children in Millerstown, but there wasn't any care for younger children. It had been a discussion at more than one town meeting and I knew the town's people would welcome an in-home daycare to the community.
Once my shift was over, I ran home, changed my clothes and set off toward Ollie's house. He had said it was pizza night and I picked up a package of cookies from the grocery store for dessert. Being that it was a Friday night, as opposed to a school night, I supposed it couldn't hurt to let Christopher have a little sugar before bed. I had panicked earlier, worried that Christopher had an allergy I didn't know about. But Ollie assured me he did not.
I almost walked right into Ollie’s house, then I remembered that knocking was appropriate. We were just co-parents after all, I didn't have a right to just walk in. So, I knocked.
Christopher answered the door. He leapt into my arms. It was the best feeling in the world.
“You came!” he exclaimed.
“Of course, I did. I said I'd be here.”
“I know,” he said. “But I'm just so excited.”
“Me too, buddy.”
He scrambled out of my arms and ran back into the house, shouting, “Alpha dad is here.”
It warmed my heart to hear him say that. I’d wondered if I'd ever be called that in my life and now I was.
Ollie rushed down the stairs. He wore a pair of track pants and an extremely wet white T- shirt that clung to him like a second skin. His face was flushed. “Christopher, what have I said about answering the door without me? It could be dangerous. You don't know who's behind there.”
“I saw through the window that it was my Alpha dad, so I knew it was safe.”
Ollie set his jaw and rolled his shoulders back like he was clamping down some frustration. “I know that, buddy. But I would really prefer if you would always wait for me before you answer the door, okay?”
“But what if I know who it is?” Christopher said. He looked at me as if I might take his side.
“Your dad's right, Christopher. Better safe than sorry. You should always have an adult with you when you answer the door. It's just safer that way.”
Accepting defeat, Christopher said, “All right.”
I met Ollie's gaze. He smiled and mouthed, “Thank you.” Score! Points for me, I did something right.
“Is everything okay?” I asked. “You're all wet.”
Ollie lifted the bottom of his shirt and looked down at it like he was just realizing it was soaked. “Oh, yeah,” he said. “The upstairs bathroom sink is leaking like a sieve. I had to turn off the water in the house. I can't figure out how to fix it.”
“Want me to take a look at it?” I kept my focus on Ollie’s face, resisting the urge to let my gaze travel lower and enjoy the view. Ollie had kept himself in great shape in the past six years.
“Oh, no,” Ollie said, and he waved a hand in the air. “I'll call a plumber in the morning. We’ll make do until then.”
“Nonsense,” I said. “A plumber on a Saturday will cost a fortune. I can take a look at it.”
“He's a fireman, Dad. He can probably fix it,” Christopher said. I didn't quite see the correlation, but I appreciated his vote of confidence.
“Yeah, I'm a fireman. I can probably fix it.”
A smile tugged at the corner of Ollie's lips. “All right. I'll put the pizzas in the oven, you two go fix stuff.”
I gave him a mock salute and held out my hand for Christopher. “Let’s go take a look at this sink.”
Christopher pulled my arm, leading me to the stairs.
“Thanks,” I said to Ollie as I walked past him, and our shoulders brushed.
“No,” Ollie said. “Thank you.”
Christopher took off, running up the stairs. “Come on, Alpha Dad! Let’s fix this thing.”
“Did I mention that your son is a crazy little ball of energy in the evenings?”
My son. I loved hearing those words. Loved even more that I was hearing them from Ollie.
“I'm gathering that,” I said. “Put the pizzas in, then sit down and relax little. You look a little frustrated.”
“Thanks,” Ollie said. “It's been a day. I've been trying to organize the paperwork we’ll need to file for licensing. Seems like there's an impossible amount of hoops to jump through before we can make this happen.”
“You’ll get it figured out. I know you can.”
He gave me a half smile that brightened my entire world. “Thanks.”