Page 29 of Let It Snow (Eden’s Omegaverse #7)

If I thought I had any idea what this was about, I was dead wrong. The words hit me like a slap across the face, hard enough that I flinch.

Never, never, never… in my wildest nightmares did I prepare myself for something like this.

But if anyone expected Snow to look shocked, they’d be wrong too. Theo showing up here doesn’t exactly thrill him, but the pregnancy? I’m almost sure he already knew. His face stays calm, silent, unchanging.

Mine doesn’t. My lips press into a line as my pulse kicks up. Fury surges in me, aimed squarely at Snow.

He got another omega pregnant? My eyes squeeze shut as I fight the rush of rage and disappointment crashing through me.

"You’re not going to say anything?" Theo presses, his voice rising. "Do you even realize what kind of position I’m in? My relationship with Tim has finally started to heal these last three weeks. For the first time in years, it feels good again, like we’ve rebooted.

I want to keep that. He’s the sire of my children, and I care about him so much. "

Snow stays silent. Of course he does. Theo knows him well enough not to expect otherwise, so he just keeps going.

"I don’t know if you watched the news yesterday.

Mark Ferguson was escorted out of his own committee by the police, accused of rape and harassment.

His career is over. And now Tim is the leading candidate for state senator.

" He pauses deliberately. "He’s stepping into the spotlight. The last thing he needs is a scandal about his husband carrying someone else’s child. "

Theo lowers his head, pressing his hands over his face.

"I thought we were finished, Snow. I thought it was over. And now this? You, of all people—you who supposedly know the future—you let this happen? I know you could have stopped it, I know you can feel these things. Why, Snow? Why would you do this to me?"

When he lifts his face again, tears streak down his cheeks.

"You know I could never end this pregnancy. Not after the years Tim and I spent trying, praying for one line on a test, mourning loss after loss. It’s only been three weeks, but I can’t, simply can’t, end it. The question is, what happens now, Snow?"

The air grows unbearable. This really is a private conversation, too personal. It’s crushing me. For reasons I can’t explain, tears prick at the corners of my eyes.

I stand abruptly, turning toward the door, desperate to hide my face. Something inside me cracks, breaks, collapses.

I shouldn’t be here. This was a mistake. My stubbornness dragged me into a place I never belonged, and it kills me now.

Whatever happened between Snow and this omega has nothing to do with me, not directly, yet it cuts me all the same.

I bolt from the basement, slamming the door behind me.

Part of me hopes he’ll come after me. That a miracle will happen, that he’ll say something to fix this, to make it all make sense. But the door stays shut, and my despair only deepens.

I don’t know what to do with myself. I run toward the lake, then along the edge of the property, until I find myself heading to the only place I’ve never been.

Bay’s house.

It’s a so-called ‘tiny house’, modern, simple, but clearly a comfortable mobile model. Though this one is built permanently into the ground. I circle it once. The front door is locked, but the lights are on, so someone must be inside.

I try the handle again and… use my power to pry the lock, and the door gives way. I step in, but the place looks empty.

Somewhere, just at the edge of hearing, a faint chirp goes off, like opening the door tripped a hidden alarm.

A moment later, a hatch in the floor creaks open.

Bay emerges from beneath the floor.

His forehead drips with sweat, his black athletic shirt clinging to his body. The fabric is moisture-wicking, long-sleeved, paired with black track pants. His hair, damp with sweat, is tied back in a ponytail. He steps up from below and shuts the hatch, every movement calm and assured.

Strange. How could a tiny house even have a basement? And what the hell does he do down there, training or something?

I stare at him in stunned silence, and for a moment he stares back at me. He must be surprised too, since we’ve never exchanged a single word before.

Bay Nolan intimidates me, no question about it. After all, he’s a public figure. Since moving into the Nolans’ house, I’ve watched a few of his YouTube videos just to get a sense of who he is. He really is a talented musician.

"Evening, Summer. What are you doing here on such a lovely night?" he asks, flashing a wide grin. The smile doesn’t strike me as genuine, though. Not that I know him well enough to interpret or read too much into his behavior.

He gestures toward a slim, elegant couch upholstered in white leather, positioned neatly against the wall.

I sink onto it with a sigh.

Bay lifts his brows, shrugs, and disappears into what must be a tiny bathroom. When he comes back, he’s wiping his face with a towel. He crosses to the fridge, opens it, and pulls out a bottle of something, probably an energy or electrolyte drink.

After a moment he turns back to me and says, "Well, since I’ve got such an unexpected guest, I might as well play the host. You want something to drink?"

I shake my head.

He walks toward the couch with the bottle still in his hand and drops onto the opposite side. I try to catch a scent of his Allure, but there’s nothing. Another Nolan on suppressants?

Bay takes a few small sips before speaking again.

"So… what brings you here, Summer? I’ll admit, I’m surprised. You never seemed interested in checking out my little place." He waves a hand in the air, indicating the room around us.

And…

"Snow kissed me! And then asked me to be his boyfriend."

The words spill out, though a needle of pain slices through my chest. The block that makes speaking so hard is still firmly in place. No Snow’s touch to help.

Bay raises his brows slightly, but he doesn’t look intrigued or even surprised. I might as well have told him the sun rose this morning.

"Is that good or bad?"

I shrug. Again I have to force the words past the ache, but I want to get them out. I need to.

"He’s with Theo right now. The guy says he’s pregnant with Snow’s child."

"Aaahhh. Now it makes sense." Bay’s eyes glint with a trace of amusement, and it feels almost arrogant. I’m dragging painful truths into the open, and he dismisses them with that expression?

"Mind if I smoke? You’re not the one who’s pregnant." He gestures sideways, as if pointing to something.

I shrug again.

Bay reaches for the small vape resting on the side table, the matte black tube slipping between his fingers.

A quick tap of the button lights a thin blue ring.

He brings it to his lips and inhales slowly.

The device crackles faintly as the vapor warms, and when he exhales, soft curls of mist spill from the corners of his mouth.

He takes a longer pull this time, then leans back and rests his head against the couch.

He seems lost in thought.

Then suddenly he says, "If you came here for some kind of revenge fuck, you’re out of luck. That’s not what I do, and I don’t mess with what isn’t mine."

"No!" The word bursts out of me, almost a shout. What the hell, how dare he even think that!

"Good. I’m not Storm. I don’t screw the people my brothers are interested in," he says, his voice strangely flat.

My mouth tightens. Perfect. From the outside it probably does look like I came here out of frustration, trying to find some kind of outlet for my emotions, maybe sexual. But that’s not it. What I wanted was to talk to someone besides Lake, because his answers might not be what I need right now.

Bay exhales a stream of vapor and says, "What can I tell you? Snow and Theo go way back. Theo’s married to Tim Kellan, an up-and-coming politician.

Their chemistry was long gone after endless struggles with infertility, that’s why they had an open arrangement.

The three of them even spent time together during Tim’s and Theo’s heats. "

Bay sends me an impassive look. I lower my head and fix my eyes on my clenched fists.

"All of Theo’s kids were conceived through IVF, but Tim sired them. He gave tissue from his gonads to Malden’s labs, and they managed to extract viable sperm from it for a fortune."

He blows another long stream of vapor in my direction.

"So if Theo’s pregnant now, naturally, that’s actually… a bit of a bombshell. A real mess." His smile tilts crooked.

He taps his phone lying on the side table, then picks it up and raises it slightly toward me, like a hint.

"Considering what happened yesterday—the scandal with Mark Ferguson—Tim suddenly became the frontrunner. He’s a former prosecutor, liked by the press. His chances are big. So, yes. Complicated situation, to say the least."

I keep staring at my knees in silence. My head feels like it’s buzzing, hopelessness pressing down on me.

Bay takes another drag before speaking again. "So you agreed to be Snow’s boyfriend?"

I shrug, a slight lift of my shoulders. I don’t have the strength to say it out loud anymore.

Pushing the words would cost too much, but Bay seems to realize that.

He passes me his phone, the screen open to a new message.

The vape dangles from the corner of his mouth, his eyes half-lidded behind the haze of vapor.

I type:

"Yes, but now I don’t know what to do. I doubt I should get close to him. It’ll only wreck me, and he’ll never be free… that baby will always be between us. I’m not ready to get tangled up in this."

Bay reads it, strokes his chin thoughtfully, then asks, "And do you want kids?"

"Yes. But… like this? It’s too much. And besides, what I carry inside me… it’s hard to talk about. It’s angry, dark, unruly. Once I even told Snow I could kill him. I may not be stepdad material."

"Well, you can talk to me about it. I’m something of an expert when it comes to handling inner darkness." His laugh is bitter.

I type on the screen: