Chapter Fifteen
Pierce
“I’m sorry. I can’t do it.” I set the spatula down and backed away from the frying fish. “The smell… it’s gonna make me hurl.”
Emily laughed and pushed me away from the stove and toward the back door. “Go outside and get some fresh air. I’ll make Dad finish the dinner.”
“But he’ll ruin it.” I covered my nose with my hand.
“Barfing in the pan will ruin it more.” She giggled.
I gasped in the pure outside air and moved toward one of the patio chairs. I sat with a grunt, patting my minimal baby bulge. My bump wasn’t anything anyone would notice on me unless I was naked. But I could feel the extra weight around my waist, and it was uncomfortable. Just imagine how much more of a whale I’d feel like once I really started showing.
Through the window I could see Emily dragging her dad into the kitchen. He stared down at the pan as if he had no idea what to do. Had he really mostly existed on cereal before I came to stay? He didn’t seem to know how to cook anything but a scrambled egg. My lips twitched with affection as he scratched his head and poked at the fish with the spatula.
We were supposed to leave for the compound tomorrow morning. I was nervous returning there as a pregnant omega. I’d been so vehement about how horrible alphas were, it was kind of embarrassing to now return fat with child accompanied by my own alpha. Trina, the head nurse at the compound, had been cool about it on the phone though; she hadn’t made me feel bad when I’d told her I was pregnant and coming to the medical facility. But still, I knew there would be others who would find it funny that, after all my bitching about alphas, I was knocked up.
The back door opened and Seth poked his head out. “Are the potatoes supposed to be black around the edges?”
“No.” I frowned. “Did you burn them?”
“Not on purpose. I turned up the heat to hurry them along because the fish is done. I think.”
I stood, moving toward him. “What did you put the temperature on?”
“Five hundred.”
“What?” I screeched. “That’s what you put it on to clean the oven.”
“Really?” He arched one brow. “Huh. Maybe that’s why it was smoking.”
I pinched my nostrils and brushed past him. Staring down at the blackened potatoes, I scowled. At least he hadn’t burned the fish. “I think the center is still edible.” My voice was muffled by my hand.
Seth grinned at me. “How are you going to eat with your hand over your face?”
“I’m not eating that stuff. I’m having oatmeal. That’s all I can stand lately.” I shivered, feeling a little nauseous just looking at the fish.
“Oatmeal isn’t enough for a baby.” He whispered in my ear. “You need vegetables and fruits.” He pointed to the fish. “And protein.”
My stomach heaved and I bolted toward the bathroom. I knelt in front of the toilet, trying to slow my breathing and calm my stomach so I didn’t actually get sick. It took about ten minutes, but eventually I felt safe leaving the bathroom. I stayed in the living room, afraid to go into the kitchen.
After about a half hour, Seth popped his head out. “It’s all clear in here. We ate and put the food away and even did the dishes. There is no trace of the… you know what.”
I laughed. “Thank you.”
“I’m going to go brush my teeth. I’ll be right back.” He grinned and headed down the hallway toward his room.
Emily came in the room and plopped down beside me. “I think Dad is the worst cook I’ve ever met,” she muttered.
“I know.”
“I forced myself to eat just so I didn’t hurt his feelings. But now I have a stomachache.”
“I’m sorry.” I grimaced.
“It’s not your fault. You don’t feel good.” She sighed. “You sure have a weak stomach lately.”
My face warmed. “I know.”
“Are you sure you’re healthy enough to go on your trip tomorrow?”
“I’ll be fine. It’s just certain foods that get to me. I should have known better than to try and cook… you know.”
She leaned on me, looking up with sad eyes. “I don’t want you guys to go.”
“Four weeks and we’ll be back.”
“I wish I could go pick a baby with you guys.” She sighed. “It’s not fair.”
“You can’t just miss school for a month.” I hated lying to Emily, but telling her the truth was out of the question.
“I know.” She fiddled with a button on my shirt. “What if I don’t like this Brad guy?”
“You will. From what I hear, everyone likes him. He has great references.”
“Okay.” She smiled. “I’m glad you and Daddy found each other. You both seemed sad when I first got here, but now you seem better. Happier.”
“I am happy.”
She sat up, her face bright. “I can’t wait to meet my new baby sister!”
I laughed. “Or brother.”
Frowning, she said. “Yeah. Or brother.”
Seth came into the room. “Ahhhh. Minty-fresh breath.” He grinned and sat on the other side of me.
The hard press of his shoulder against mine comforted me. “Brad is getting here at seven thirty tomorrow so he can take Emily to school with me and I can show him the ropes.”
“Okay.” Seth nodded.
“How come you can get a whole month off from work, Dad? But I’m stuck at school?” Emily grumbled.
“Because I had a bunch of vacation time saved up.”
“I should be there to help with the decision.” She curled her lip in a pout.
I scowled. “Emily, you always say you want to be grown up. Well, accepting you can’t always get your way is part of being an adult.”
“But I don’t like it.”
Seth laughed, and I smiled. “Yeah, it’s not always fun. That’s why we tell you to stay a kid as long as possible.”
“Okay,” she said grudgingly. “I’ll just have to trust you two to pick my sibling for me.”
I ruffled her hair. “Promise you’ll love whomever we bring home?”
She looked up with a little sparkle in her eye. “I promise.”
****
Brad arrived promptly the next morning. When I opened the door, I was surprised by how young he looked. He had skinny jeans, a bright pink T-shirt, and a black knit hat with blond hair poking out the bottom.
He stuck out his hand. “I’m Brad.”
“Pierce.” We shook. “Come in.”
“Thanks.” He moved past me, glancing around the house curiously. “Nice place.”
“It’s my… boyfriend’s house.” I’d never really had to address my relationship out loud before. The word “boyfriend” felt a little awkward rolling off my tongue for the first time.
“Cool.” He pushed his hands into his pockets and studied me. “We finally meet.” He smiled.
My face warmed. “Yeah. Sorry about the permanent position falling through.”
He shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m never at a loss for work.”
“You do seem in demand.”
“I love kids.” He sighed. “I’d rather just stay with one family for a while though. I get kind of attached to the kids, and then moving on is hard. It’d be nice to just watch the child grow up and be a part of that, you know?”
I liked his attitude. “I do.”
He sighed. “But whatever. For now I’ll just let the universe put me where it thinks I need to be.”
Emily came into the room. Her face lit up when she saw Brad. I wasn’t sure if it was because he seemed young or that he was cute. But whatever the reason, her cheeks turned pink and she smiled shyly. “I’m Emily.”
“Hey, Emily. I’m Brad. It’s cool to finally meet you.”
She clasped her hands. “I’m ready to go to school.”
“Never met a kid who couldn’t wait to get to school before.” Brad grinned, and Emily almost swooned staring at his dimples.
I cleared my throat. “I don’t think I ever asked you how old you are, Brad.”
He laughed. “I’m twenty-one. I know, I seem younger, right? I have my ID if you’d like to see it.”
“I trust you.”
His expression became more serious. “Good. Because I’m trustworthy. I’ll take good care of Emily. Promise.”
Seth came down the hall, cinching his tie. He stared Brad up and down before he held out his hand. “I’m the dad. Seth.”
“Nice to meet you.” Brad didn’t seem intimidated.
“How old are you?” Seth asked, frowning.
Brad laughed. “Twenty-one.”
“I just asked him that.” I winced.
“It’s cool. Honestly, if you didn’t ask I’d find it odder. I’m fully aware I look twelve.” He straightened. “Should we go take Emily to school? I don’t want to be the reason she’s late.”
“Oh, yeah. Let’s go.” I moved to the door. I usually kissed Seth goodbye, but I felt awkward in front of Brad. “See you in a bit.”
Seth nodded. “I’ll be here.” Emily walked over to her dad, and they hugged. He kissed her hair and held her tight. “Promise me you’ll be good?”
“Yes.” She sniffed. “I’m gonna miss you.”
“I know.” He sighed, frowning. “But we’ll be back before you know it, and then you can help with the new baby.”
“You have a new baby on the way?” Brad asked cheerfully.
“Yeah… we’re… adopting.” I cleared my throat. “We’re going to go spend some time with some of the kids and see who we connect with.”
“Cool. What agency are you using?”
I flicked my gaze to Seth’s. I hadn’t expected Brad to ask any detailed questions, and Seth and I hadn’t completely ironed out our adoption story yet.
“It’s a private agency,” Seth said smoothly. “We don’t like to talk about it too much in case we jinx something.”
Brad’s gaze flickered. “Oh. Right. I understand.”
“Shall we go?” I opened the door.
“Of course.” Brad went out first.
Emily hugged her dad some more, and then she followed me outside, looking glum. She perked up a little when Brad got in the back with her.
“I feel like a chauffeur,” I said as I pulled out onto the street, heading toward the school.
Brad chuckled. “Driver, after we drop Emily off at school, take me to Rodeo Drive. I need to do some shopping.”
I smiled. “You must make awesome money for a manny. I usually shop at Target.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Brad and Emily talked quietly as I drove. I was relieved to see he connected with her well, and she seemed to really like him. I’d grown extremely fond of Emily over the last few months, and I hated leaving her while we went to the mountains. But there was no way around it. I couldn’t show anyone that I was pregnant, and hiding my soon-to-be-big belly would be impossible.
When we got to the school, I explained the intricacies of which driveways to pull in and out of for pickup and dropoff so you didn’t get yelled at, and which crazy drivers to avoid. I got out and hugged Emily. I didn’t care if that looked uncool or not; she’d just have to put up with it because I was going to miss her like crazy, and I needed my hugs.
On the way back to the house, Brad sat up front with me. “So did you know Emily’s dad before you went to work for him?” His voice was curious but respectful.
“No. In fact, when we first met, I couldn’t stand him.”
He laughed. “Really? He seems nice.”
“I didn’t like alphas. Any alpha.”
“Oh.” He stared out the window at the little houses that lined the street. “I can understand that.”
“Really? You seem to get along with everyone.”
“I do. I make a point of it.”
“But you don’t like alphas?”
He lifted one shoulder. “I certainly don’t dislike them. But male and female alphas can be a little too pushy.”
“Amen.”
“I’ve had a few alphas over the year who seem to think just because their omega is busy with the offspring, I’m supposed to keep them warm at night.”
“Are you straight?”
“Yes.”
“But the male alphas hit on you too?”
“Honestly? Omegas. Alphas. Humans. They all hit on me. Both genders. I’m not sure what it is about me.”
“You seem really open. Friendly.”
“Maybe that’s it.” He glanced over. “So what made you overcome your aversion to alphas?”
“I realized I was being a judgmental prick.”
He laughed. “Fair enough.”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
“Not yet.” He sighed. “I’m sure one of these days it will happen for me. It’s hard because I work with mostly couples. I don’t go in for breaking up marriages.”
“No. That’s not cool. Wouldn’t help your resume either.”
“Nope.”
“Well, there’s no rush. You’re young.”
“I agree. Plus, I’m not looking for anything.”
I snorted. “You do realize that is exactly when you’ll find someone, right?”
He grinned. “Like I said, I’ll just go where the universe points me.”