I felt a brief spike of disappointment before my brain turned Miles’s words over a second time and I realized what he’d really said—I was the alpha who had called him my date. He was sticking with me. I tried to gauge his steadiness without staring too much. When he’d asked if we could step out for a breath of air, he’d been close to shaking. Now, his breathing had calmed, the flush of anxiety had mostly receded, and his posture had straightened, the confident, carefree omega I once knew unearthing just a bit.

I didn’t like the hunched shoulder look Miles seemed to be supporting these days, as if at any moment, he expected the ceiling to drop on him. But it wasn’t my place to say.

I stood and held out my arm. “Shall we go in?”

Miles took a few deep breaths, a calming technique I keep me well, then he pushed himself to his feet with a giant sigh and placed his hand lightly in the crook of my arm. “As ready as I’ll ever me.”

We were among the last to enter, but most people seemed to pay no attention to us, their focus on the waiters attending the tables or their other table ages. I suspected Miles would have been more uncomfortable than usual if we had caused a seen and drawn everyone’s attention to us. Part of me wanted that, though. I wanted the world to see Miles on my arm, to know that, even if for just an hour or two, I had won the right to escort this beautiful man and care for him.

Just because no one was paying attention to us didn’t mean I wasn’t paying attention to them. Andrew sat at a table in the middle of the grouping. Not a bad location—actually, fairly prime—but nowhere near as well situated as my seat. As we approached the table, I pulled a server aside and let him know that my date had a last minute change in plans and had been able to make it. With no fuss at all, they quickly switched out the name of whoever Lisa had chosen to take the empty seat, and I guided Miles to his spot. As most people wouldn’t know their seating arrangements ahead of time unless they bought tickets as a group, it wouldn’t make any difference to the other person, except that they might spend a few extra minutes looking for their seat.

All but one couple was already seated at our table, and I knew them all. As well I should. Each person had paid for their entrance, but I had purchased the table for the privilege of choosing my table mates. The high price is also what earned me the prime real estate.

I could feel Andrew glaring lasers at me, and was glad Miles’s back was to the older man. I refused to give him the satisfaction of my direct attention, but I kept my eye on him. He said something and an older couple at his table turned around, scanning the crowd. I took a moment to look at them. I had never met them before in my life, but it took barely a glance to tell that the woman was Miles’s mother. He’d inherited his fine features from her side of the family, for certain.

I let them fade to the back of my mind, however, as I introduced Miles to the others at the table. Aiden and his business partner, Ethan, were one pair. One of the main organizers, Naheed Shah and his partner—

“Jace!” Miles cried happily. At my confused look, he blushed and said, “Jace and I are old, old friends.”

I felt an irrational barb of jealousy pull me out of my flow.

Jace waved away the server’s offer of wine, his hand unconsciously dropping to his belly and caressing his quite obvious baby bump.

I raised my still full but probably warm and tasteless champagne glass to them. “I didn’t realize congratulations were in order.” The rest of the table chimed in and I sipped my champagne, it was just as flat as I had suspected. Jace looked over to Naheed with such and adoring look in his eyes, I almost couldn’t bear it. That had been Miles once. That had been me. I’d never gotten to see Miles that far along with our child… but I had wanted it.

“We hadn’t planned on more…” Jace said, a teasing smile directed at Naheed.

Naheed’s own smile seemed to hold a secret as he said, “Yes, a surprise. But a good surprise.”

“You have other children?” Miles asked excitedly. “You didn’t mention that the other day! How many?”

As the talk drifted into the domestic, I found myself withdrawing. Partly because I didn’t have any personal experience to add, and partly because I knew I’d I opened my mouth, something foolish would fall out. I should be attempting to turn the topic back to business; that was one of the main objectives in attending the gala. Instead, I found myself studying Miles. In the few times I’d seen him in the last few weeks, I’d never seen him so unguarded as now. Did he think of our lost future at all? Or had he buried it?

I’d thought I had. I’d thought all my domestic hopes and dreams had finally been buried. But all it took was a moment of Miles’s attention, and I was ready to turn my entire world upside down.

But that wouldn’t happen. I attempted to resign myself to accept whatever bones Miles threw me tonight, but I had to be ready to let him go. I let the server refill my champagne and the fresh, cold bubbles burned on my tongue, bright, fresh stars of beauty and pain. Watching Miles was like drinking champagne. Surprising, intoxicating, and the more I had the more I wanted… but in the end, all you were left with was a headache and an upset stomach.

I couldn’t afford to get drunk on Miles; hangovers from love lasted years.