Page 16 of His Pretty Omega (Sweet Alps Mates #7)

Chapter Eleven

Seth

Knocking on the open door of Bennett’s office, I saw him look up from his computer screen, surprise filling his green eyes.

“Hey, you busy?” Holding up the bag I held in my hands, I offered, “I brought lunch.”

“Is that tacos I smell?” He grinned, and I shut the door and took a seat in front of his desk. He cleared away a spot and I handed him a Styrofoam container.

“From the truck we like,” I opened my own container, doctoring my tacos with the green sauce provided. It was some kind of tangy lime sauce and I was addicted to it. “I got you spicy. I can’t do spice right now. ”

“Carne asada?” He let out a moan of happiness, sniffing his food, before dumping the spicy red sauce all over his tacos.

“For you,” I took a bite, my eyes closing in bliss as the seasoned chicken, onions, and cilantro hit my taste buds. Swallowing, I said, “Chicken for me.”

“So, what’s up?” Bennett asked, after a minute of us shoveling food in our mouths like neither of us had eaten in days.

To be honest, I couldn’t eat much yet in the mornings, but then I would be absolutely starving come lunchtime.

Bennett was still chest feeding, so he was always hungry, trying to produce enough milk to keep Brodie satisfied.

“I didn’t get to see you after your interview with Asher yesterday,” I took a sip of my bottled water. “How did it go? Asher is being ridiculously tight lipped, the bastard.”

Bennett laughed. “He is good at keeping a secret. Sorry, I was going to say bye but you were with a patient and I was already late coming in.”

I shrugged. “No worries. But, seriously, I’m dying here, so spill the tea!”

“Well, they offered me the job,” Bennett gave me a shit eating grin, and I squealed, dropping my taco back in my container.

“Fuck yes!” I fist pumped the air. “I can’t wait to work together! It’s going to be so much fun!” Technically we had worked together years ago at this very hospital, but this was going to be so much better. We’d be on the same shifts, and it was a much smaller facility.

Bennett nodded, “I know! But seriously, I feel like I could have gone in with a list of demands a mile long, and they still would have offered me the job. They want to make an announcement to you guys though,” he meant me and our receptionist, because we were pretty much it for staff.

“I turned in my two weeks yesterday. I did tell them they could call me with questions, but I recommended one of my team to fill my position. He’s qualified and it would be much easier on them than trying to fill my position from outside. ”

“You’re going to be a great office manager, B, and the hours will be so much better for you now that you have a family.”

Bennett agreed with me. “Yeah, these hours were not great for having a newborn, a mate, and a small child in school. It just wasn’t working.

And Goddess love Shay, he never said a word about it, but I could see the strain it was causing all of us.

My family is way more important than this hospital. Though I will miss some things.”

“Are you still going to do work with the battered omega shelter?”

“Yeah, I’m not giving that up, but I may shift focus.

I recommended Marshall for my position here, and he’s been working with the shelter for over a year now.

His omega dad and him lived in a shelter when they left his alpha dad, so it’s a cause close to his heart.

I feel good that I’m leaving them in capable hands.

Fingers crossed they offer him the job, but even if they don’t, I know he’ll continue working with the shelter.

Now,” he stared at me from across his desk, “tell me how your appointment went last week. I thought for sure I’d hear from you, but when I didn’t I took that as a good sign?

” He left it as a question, his eyes hopeful.

“Alex showed for your appointment and you talked?”

Shoving another too big bite in my mouth, I chewed slowly while Bennett stared at me, lips pursed because he knew I was buying time. Finally, I said, “Yeah, he showed. And he brought me flowers and candy.”

“Ohhhh, I just knew Alex would be a cinnamon roll of an alpha. Maybe a golden retriever.” He shrugged, “Either way, I knew he would treat you right.”

“What the fuck is a golden retriever?” I grumbled. “Who makes these names up? And why are they always food, or animals?”

Bennett snorted. “It means he’s loyal, friendly, intelligent, and eager to please. Ya know, like a golden retriever.”

Scrunching up my nose at the image, I said, “It’s just fucking weird.”

Bennett rolled his eyes at me, then waved his hand for me to continue. “So he brought you flowers and candy? That’s super sweet. ”

Blushing at the memory, I ducked my head. “He said it was because I told him I wanted them for Valentine’s Day and not a positive pregnancy test.”

“See! Super sweet! He’s going to be good for you, Sethy. I’m so happy for you.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing, B!” I cried, jumping up and pacing his office.

He let me pace for a minute, pulling at my hair, and wringing my hands, before finally saying, “Okay, walk me through what’s going on in that brain of yours.”

“We’re moving in together!” I wailed, “How does that even happen? How did we get here? How did a one night stand turn into a baby, and a mate, and moving in together in the span of…a week?” I nibbled on my thumb nail, staring at my stupidly calm best friend, waiting for him to give me the answers to life.

“How did we go from flowers to moving in?” Bennett asked, frowning.

“See! That’s what I mean! How did we? I have no fucking idea.” Sprawling in the chair, I stretched my legs out and crossed my arms over my chest, sighing dramatically.

“Fill in the gaps for me.”

Glaring at him, I gasped, “What gaps? There’s no gaps.”

Bennett raised a brow at me, sitting back and resting his chin on his folded hands, and waited patiently .

“Okay, there might have been tacos, and a foot massage. Maybe some sex. And then I was just agreeing to everything he said. Like my mouth was just saying words and I had no control over what was spewing out. Move in with you? Of course I will. Why wouldn’t I?

I move in with every alpha I fuck.” I rubbed at my temples where a headache was brewing.

Bennett giggled, repeating, “There was ‘ maybe some sex ’?”

“Really good sex, okay?” Sighing, I picked at my scrub pants. “Like, really, really good sex. And tacos. Amazing tacos. He made me tacos. Like homemade and everything. No one’s ever cooked for me before.” I pointed my finger at him. “You cooking for me doesn’t count.”

“Don’t forget the foot massage,” Bennett supplied, not at all being helpful while I had my mini-freak out. Not helpful at all.

“My feet really hurt,” I whined.

“I’m sure they did,” he agreed, finally asking, “Sethy, what is it you want me to tell you?”

“I want you to tell me what the fuck I’m doing,” I whispered, “because I honestly don’t know. But I feel like everything is out of control and I don’t know how to stop it.”

Smiling gently, he stared at me and I stared back, before he finally asked, “Do you want to stop it? ”

And that was the question that had been haunting me for days.

“I…feel like I should,” I finally answered, “but I don’t think I do.”

Bennett shrugged, “So what’s wrong with that?”

“It’s too fast. Last week I didn’t even know his name, for fucks sake. Now we’re moving in together. Together! We will be living together. I’m a fucking slob, B, and let me tell you,” I stood, pacing and started chewing on my nail again, “he is not. It’s going to be a disaster.”

“Seth, did you forget that you two are fated? This isn’t like you picked up an alpha at the club, blew him in the bathroom, then decided to move in with him.”

“But–”

“Nope, no buts,” Bennett shook his finger at me, then pointed to my vacant chair, ordering, “sit.”

I sat. Because when Bennet used that tone of voice, most people just did what he wanted. It was why he was so great at his job; the man got shit done.

“Listen to me,” his voice was firm, “you are in your head right now and spinning.”

“No shit!” That’s why I had come here for lunch and brought bribery tacos. Because I knew Bennett would be able to unravel me and he would tell me the truth. Whether I liked what he had to say or not.

“So, take a breath, and let’s look at the facts. One, you and Alex are fated mates. Whether you want to admit it or not, that does change the playing field. It just does. Everything is going to be…bigger, better, quicker. More intense.”

My teeth moved from my thumb to the skin around my pointer finger. My nails were going to be a wreck by the time I got done gnawing on them.

“Alex is a nice man. He really is, end of story. Not gonna lie, before I met Shay, I had such a crush on Alex.”

Jealousy flared through my body like a live wire, and my eyes flashed angrily at him.

“Alex is mine,” I growled, and Bennett laughed at me.

“But my crush died the day I met Shay. My fated . No one else even existed but him. Yeah, it’s fast for you two, but it’s not unheard of. It’s like the insta-love I read about in my romance books.”

I rolled my eyes. I hated those insta-love bullshit books. Give me some good old fashioned pining, with the alpha begging a few times.

“We barely know each other,” I whispered, “what if he…what if he gets annoyed with me? What if he decides in a month or two I’m too much to bother with? Or he doesn’t like my bratty side? Or my messy side? Or…or…,” my voice trailed off.

Bennett tilted his head and stared at me. “I wish you could see yourself the way others do.”

“I do, believe me.” And sometimes, the reflection wasn’t great.

“No, you don’t. You’ve let a handful of assholes get in your head, and you’ve allowed them to move in and take up permanent residency.

You’re so scared of someone rejecting you, you don’t give them the chance to do it.

You do it first. Now you’re terrified that Alex wants to stay, wants you, in all your beautiful mess.

Newsflash, life is messy. Love is messy. ”

“No one said anything about love. No love going on here. We’re barely at like status.” But I couldn’t deny anything he had said.

“You didn’t need to,” Bennett told me tenderly.

“We don’t love each other,” I rubbed a hand over my tummy, already knowing I loved the little person growing there. Was it such a stretch to think I might be falling in love with their alpha dad too?

“I’m so scared, B,” I finally admitted, my voice a garbled, rough whisper.

Bennett came around his desk, his arms wrapping around me tightly in a hug.

“I know you are. You’re not alone, Seth.

And you need to talk to Alex. Really talk to him, like you talk to me.

Tell him your fears. If you’re serious about moving in together, he deserves to know what you’re feeling and why.

Don’t hide from him like you hide from the rest of the world.

Sometimes you’re all smoke and mirrors. Let him see you, all of you.

The insecurities you hide behind all that sass.

Though, I would bet money he sees you just fine. ”

My phone went off then, and I swiped at my eyes, trying to catch the tears that I felt pooled there before they could fall and ruin my makeup. Reading the text, I groaned loudly.

“What?” Bennett asked.

“My mom wants to have a family dinner on Friday night,” I rolled my eyes, sighing dramatically, “and I’m getting guilt tripped for missing the last one.

Guess this is a good time to tell them about this little peanut.

And to introduce them to Alex. Tell them we are moving in together.

Just rip the band-aid off all at once. A one-two punch.

” Running a hand through my hair, I moaned, “They are going to lose their fucking minds.”

“Let them,” Bennett told me. “I know your parents. They are probably going to be way more excited about another grandbaby, and the fact that you have met your fated mate, to worry about much else.”

“I hope you’re right.”