Page 9 of Tending Our Omega (Saved by the Alpha Pack #1)

Romi

They had been so spot-on with the bubbles.

It had been a long time since I heard Maddox laugh as much as he did—chasing them, jumping up to grab them, blowing them, trying to catch them on sticks and failing every time.

And I had to admit, I loved it too. There was something magical about those little sudsy spheres floating in the air.

But, soon enough—too soon—they were all gone, which was probably for the best, because Maddox sat down on the blanket, asking if there were any cookies, and then before I could find the answer for him, fell sound asleep.

People had a tendency to ignore Maddox when we were out in public.

Part of me thought it was just because kids, but a greater part of me realized it had more to do with strangers being uncomfortable seeing that he was different and not knowing how to deal with it.

And who knows—maybe I would have been like them too, had I not had Maddox in my life.

I’d like to think that wasn’t the case, but you never knew until you were in that situation.

But with these three alphas, I saw him—really saw him—as the kid he was.

It would have been easy for them to say that we could go out at a different time when we could get a sitter, or to pick something pretty grown-up-y to do and just hope he behaved.

But they didn’t. They went out of their way not only to learn a sign and share it with me but to organize our time together in a way that was for the entire family.

He was just as much a part of today as I was, in their eyes, and I appreciated that more than they could ever understand.

“Do you want some more iced tea?” Seth offered.

“Yes, but I probably should take him home. If he fell asleep out here, it means he’s really exhausted. I had a good time, though, and…all of this…thank you.”

There was so much more to say, but the words kept getting stuck in my throat.

It was so easy to let these men in. I needed to guard my heart—and my son’s—but it was so hard.

They made it difficult, being kind and strong.

Each of them was very different, and yet like they were meant to be together.

Not once did I get a sense that they were having a pissing match to see who could win my favor.

They were here for me, and that was a lot to take in.

I helped them pack up what was left, and then surprised myself by hugging each of them as a thank-you. They weren’t long hugs and hardly sensual, but they were warm and cozy and sweet. I picked Maddox up, somehow managing to get him in the car seat without waking him.

Maeve once said it was better to leave when you didn’t want to than to stay when you’d already wanted to leave, and that was how I felt today. I wasn’t ready to be done with our time together—terrifying.

Gram-Gram was home when we got there, and she helped me get Maddox into bed without waking him.

“Wow, he must have had a good time if he’s this exhausted.” She wasn’t subtle about her prying, but I needed someone to talk to about it.

“He did.”

“How about we make some tea?”

I did love tea. We sat in the living room with our tea, and I told her all about my time with the guys—about how they researched activities kids would like and picked bubbles, learned to sign for him on their own.

How my wolf longed for their touch, for me to grab their hands, or rub against them. I left out no details.

“They sound like keepers.”

“See, that’s the thing, Gram-Gram. I don’t know if I can keep them.”

“Why not?”

“Well, for one, they’re just visiting. And two, I’m worried that my wolf is just longing for her pack, and I’m latching onto them because they have one, and it’s stable—”

She held up her hand. “Are you buying trouble that doesn’t exist?”

“What do you mean it doesn’t exist? They don’t live here.”

“Location is not the issue. You and I both know that. And yes, your wolf probably wants a pack, but you meet people from packs all the time at work, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And you meet people from packs who welcome others, right?”

“Yes…” Why did she have to be so right?

“So, what makes this different?”

“I don’t know. It’s small, and they all get along. They’re not gonna kill each other for me—crap.”

And just like that, I realized my biggest fear: having my mate die because someone else challenged for me, and having that person, too, was a lot. Of course it was still on my mind.

Gram-Gram came over and sat beside me, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. “What you went through was a sign of a sick pack. Nothing about these guys sounds sick. They work together and appear to care about each other.”

“You’re right.” I rested my head on her shoulder. “It’s so hard. I have all these emotions, and it’s not just me I need to think about—it’s Maddox too.”

“I know, Romi. I know. But I think you should give these guys a chance. These alphas—nothing about them sounds like you should run in the other direction. And I don’t know what’s in your heart, but maybe open it up and let them see.”

“Why are you so smart?” I grumbled, only half teasing.

“Because I’m old. You’ll be smart one day too.”

“I’d like to be smart now.”

“Ah, fine, I’ll trade you—you can be old instead.”

“Yeah, because that’s how that works, Gram-Gram.”

Before our conversation could continue, Maddox padded out, looking for a drink of water.