Page 94 of Omega's Formula

“Can you blame him?”

No. I can’t, but it still hurts, knowing how far we’ve fallen from those five days during his heat, when he’d curled into me like I was the only safe place in the world. Of course, it’s completely my fault and I know that.

I barely sleep that night. I lie in my bed and think about all the ways tomorrow could go wrong. He could change his mind.

I force myself to stop. Catastrophizing won’t help anyone.

The morning crawls by. I shower, shave, change clothes three times. Anna texts me a photo of herself giving a thumbs up withthe captionYOU’VE GOT THIS. Sara sends a more restrainedGood luckfollowed byCall me if you need anything.

I arrive at the ice rink twenty minutes early because I couldn’t stand waiting in my apartment any longer. The first real cold snap of winter has hit the city, and the park is transformed. The trees are bare and skeletal against a pale grey sky, breath visible in the air, everyone bundled in scarves and coats.

The ice rink is already busy with afternoon skaters.

I find a bench with a clear view of the entrance and sit down to wait. My heart is pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat.

At 2:07, I see them.

Ellie is walking, bundled up in a puffy coat and a bright red scarf that makes her look younger than her nineteen years. She’s laughing at something, her cheeks pink from the cold.

And beside her…

Nolan.

The air leaves my lungs.

He’s wrapped in a dark green coat that brings out his eyes, a grey scarf wound around his neck. His cheeks are flushed from the cold. His hair is longer than I remember, curling slightly at his temples.

And his stomach—

God. His stomach is visibly rounded now, the curve of it evident even under his coat. He’s carrying my child. Our child. The reality of it hits me fresh, stealing what’s left of my breath.

He’s beautiful. He’s always been beautiful, but there’s something about seeing him like this—healthy, glowing, growing our baby—that makes my heart stutter and stop.

Then he looks up and sees me.

Our eyes meet across the crowded park, and everything else disappears. The noise, the people, the cold—all of it fades until there’s nothing but him. Nothing but those green eyes and theelectric current that’s hummed between us from the very first moment.

He doesn’t smile. Neither do I. We just stare at each other, frozen in place.

Then Ellie spots me and waves enthusiastically, breaking the spell.

“Erik! You came!”

I stand and cross to meet them. “I said I would.”

“I know, but—” She catches herself, glancing at her brother. Whatever she was going to say, she decides against it. “It’s good to see you.”

“You look wonderful.” I crouch down to her level, genuinely pleased by how much she’s improved. “How does it feel to be out?”

“Amazing. The hospital is great and all, but I was starting to forget what fresh air smelled like.” She grins up at Nolan. “Tell him about the time I tried to bribe the night nurse to wheel me outside.”

“She offered him her entire stash of contraband chocolate,” Nolan says. His voice is carefully neutral, but I catch the nerves underneath or maybe it’s just the same overwhelming awareness that’s making my skin feel too tight. “He turned her down.”

“He was very professional about it.” Ellie sighs dramatically. “No sense of adventure.”

I straighten and finally let myself look at Nolan properly. God, he’s beautiful.

“Nolan.”