Chapter Twenty-Seven
Of all of them, Jay’s reunion with his father was the one that stuck out in Byron’s mind.
Noel had watched in silence as they came into the house, then had turned his back, walking towards the fireplace.
“Could you give us a minute, please?”
Byron wasn’t sure who he was talking to, but Annie ushered the other kids into the kitchen. Odin followed her. Byron stepped back, giving them space, but there was no way he was leaving Jay alone.
Jay was staring at the man’s back and Byron could just about the read the emotions that played across his face. Confusion. Disappointment. Anger. And behind them, the expression of a lost little boy, watching as his parents walked away.
The man’s shoulders shook slightly, and it was then Byron realized he was crying. Jay noticed too, and it was hard to watch him so torn, taking a half-step forward before pulling back, as if afraid of rejection.
“Dad?” Jay finally said and Byron applauded his bravery to reach out with words.
The man didn’t turn, but he did speak.
“I was convinced you couldn’t be Jay. That you were tricking Annie and the kids somehow.”
He spun around slowly. “But I knew from the moment I set eyes on you. I’m sorry, Jay. We tried to protect you, but we failed.”
And Byron knew he was looking at a man broken by the choice he’d made. A man bent double under the guilt of what he’d done.
“And it’s no excuse, I know. But we were young and scared and it was a struggle just keeping a roof over our heads. We thought we were keeping you safe from harm.”
And wasn’t that the rub. Given everything Byron now knew about Tobias, what they did had protected Jay from him. He’d suffered in other ways, both from the isolation, then in the hands of the traffickers but he hadn’t gone through a childhood of torment at Tobias’ behest.
“I was safe, in the forest. But it was lonely. Then the men came and took me and hurt me. But Byron rescued me and now I’m safe and I’m not lonely anymore.”
It was a lot of words for Jay, especially with someone he didn’t know. Though Byron had the sense he remembered his father. Something in the way he’d said Dad.
Noel opened his arms. Jay hesitated, almost turning to Byron as if to ask permission but then seemed to make up his mind, stepping into his father’s embrace.
The pulled apart after a minute, his father tipping Jay’s chin up to see his face.
“I always knew you’d be a handsome one. You took after my grandfather. He was Omega-born, so we knew it was in the family, we knew to watch out for it.”
He let Jay go and turned his attention to Byron.
“You’re Jay’s Alpha.”
“That’s right.”
“And you take good care of him?”
“I do my best.”
Noel held his gaze, as if trying to see the truth in Byron’s words. After a moment, he nodded, satisfied.
Jay turned towards him, giving him a shy smile, clearly pleased with his father’s approval.
“Annie’s made breakfast. Why don’t we go and eat?”
It was late afternoon before they got back to the cottage. They promised to call into Jay’s family one more time before they left for home but Byron was already making plans to bring them to Raventree to visit. He’d need to talk to Jay about that. Get a sense of how much contact his Omega wanted. A decision better left until they’d been home a while and he’d settled back down.
“They seem like nice folks,” Odin said.
“They do.”
The more they’d talked about the past, the better a picture Byron had painted. Of a couple who’d mated young, whose families had never been very caring but had rejected them out of hand because of an old feud between two relatives. Then three kids in four years, Noel struggling to find enough work to keep a roof over their heads and Annie with three babies and no support. Byron couldn’t imagine how tough that had been. Once they knew Tobias suspected what Jay was, after years of managing to keep it quiet, they’d had nowhere to turn. Noel’s family wouldn’t have taken him in and Annie’s would have handed him over to Tobias themselves.
“Do you think he remembers them at all?” Odin wondered aloud.
Nothing Jay had said had indicated so but that didn’t always mean much.
“I think, on a subconscious level, he does. He buried all those memories pretty far down. And what he did remember, he stripped of any emotional connection. Which is why he talked about his parents like they were strangers, just a man and a woman who left him in the woods. I guess it was too hard to accept that his own parents abandoned him.”
“I’ll call the woman who owns the cottage and extend our stay.”
Byron blinked at that. “I was hoping we’d leave tomorrow.”
“Are you sure you want to take that risk? I don’t think Jay’s ever had anything easy, why do you think his heat will be different? Unless you want to run the risk of having to have sex in the car or any random cockroach-ridden motel we find.”
Byron shook his head to rid himself of the image.
“Why don’t we see how he is overnight and make the decision in the morning? I’m not sure he’s that close.”
“Whatever you think is best,” Odin replied. “I’m going out to pick up some supplies.”
He found Jay pacing back and forth in the bedroom.
“What’s wrong?”
Jay shook his head.
Byron took a seat at the end of the bed and watched him.
“Are we going home?” the Omega asked, eventually.
“That depends on you.”
Jay slowed to a stop.
“Can you manage two days in a car?”
Jay resumed pacing.
“Jay?”
The Omega stopped again, turning back to him. “I’m trying to keep it in but I can’t anymore.”
“Keep what in?”
Jay was visible distressed, opening and closing his hands and rocking on the balls of his feet.
“Come here,” Byron insisted and as soon as Jay was within reach he pulled him to stand between his legs.
Cupping Jay’s face in his hands, he waited for the Omega to meet his eyes.
“Talk to me, Jay. What are you holding in?”
“I need to touch you.”
“Okay. Well, that’s normal. Especially this close to your heat—”
Jay shook his head once, the words tumbling from his lips. “No, it’s bigger. I need to touch you and taste you and feel you inside me. But if I let it out, if it starts, I don’t think it will ever stop.”
“Jay are… are you holding in your heat?” Byron didn’t know it was possible to do that. It must have been taking a phenomenal amount of effort and restraint.
The Omega shuddered against him.
“Jay, let go. Let it out. I’m right here, I can handle it.”
“I don’t want to scare you away.” The words were whispered and Byron knew they’d got to the root of his Omega’s fear.
“Never going to happen. I don’t scare easily. Besides,” he tugged Jay’s head down to whisper in his ear, “I want to touch every inch of you, feel what it’s like to be inside you, and give you so much pleasure that that is all you can think about.”
Jay went limp in his arms and Byron stood, lifting him and settling him onto the bed.
“Rest for a bit. I’ll be right back.”
He stuck his head out the door, knowing Odin hadn’t left yet.
“Change of plan. Can you call—”
“Already did. Told her we’d be staying until the end of the week.”
“Thanks, Odin. Um…”
“I’ll get some supplies and drop them back. There’s a place nearby that’s good for fishing. I have my cell, call if you need me.”
Byron nodded his thanks before stepping back into the bedroom and closing the door.