Page 87 of The Omega's Fake Mate

“I will! Thank you! Conner was right, you really are cool!” Jake declared, and then he left the store before I could even react to that, leaving me behind to think about all the other things he'd said. The omega I loved wanted to be a comic book artist in LA.

Wasn't there anything I could do about that?

33

Nick

Approximately one weekafter Rhys and I had made it to LA, we received a surprise visitor. The two of us traded looks when the doorbell rang, since we weren't expecting anyone. “Did you order pizza again?” Rhys asked.

I shook my head. The only reason I'd ordered pizza the day before was because my brother insisted on cooking for me, and I didn't want him to. I was pregnant, not bed-bound. “Maybe someone got the wrong door. Or it's one of Kade's insane fans.” Cautiously, I spoke into the door intercom. “Hello?”

“It's me.” The intercom distorted Zander's voice a bit, but there was no way I wouldn't have recognized him. The moment I did, my heart squeezed painfully in my chest. He'd come all the way to LA. To see me? That had to be it. What else would he be doing so far away from Oceanport?

Without thinking any more about it, I hit the buzzer to let him through.

“Who is it?” Rhys asked from behind me.

“Zander.”

My brother's eyes widened, and then he grabbed his bag off the couch. “I just remembered I need to run into town.”

“Real subtle, bro,” I said, but he didn't let the knowledge that I was on to him stop him from rushing out the door. I heard the tapping of his shoes on the linoleum floor in the hallway, and then the cheerful greeting he offered Zander in passing before he was gone. And then all I could think about was the alpha approaching my apartment. My heart seemed to beat in time with his steps, and they both grew faster at the same rate too.

Until he stood in front of me.

After the days apart, after our fight, seeing him like this felt both awkward and liberating at the same time. Zander was carrying a bag that looked kind of heavy. For a moment, I wondered what was inside it, but then my attention was drawn to the man himself. His clothes were wrinkled and he had deep circles under his eyes, like he hadn't been getting enough sleep. The curious part was how his eyes sparkled when he looked at me, in spite of his obvious exhaustion. He was excited. Nervous too, though. I could tell by the way he licked his lips.

I kind of wanted to lick his lips too.

“I can't believe you've come all this way.”

“Anything for you.” The corners of his mouth tugged up in that small smile that was so characteristic of him. He glanced past me into the apartment. “Can I come in? I think we need to talk. And I have something I want to show you.”

“Sure.” I stepped aside to let him in and closed the door behind him.

“First of all, I'm so sorry about what happened with—”

He stopped talking when I kissed him, throwing my arms around him. “God, I missed you,” I said on an exhale when I could get myself to break from him for a second. Part of me was still a little mad at him, but damn, I loved him, and I'd missed him. His alpha scent curled in my nose, telling me he was, at least physically, ready to take this reunion to the bedroom. I stifled a laugh, feeling so relieved suddenly. He must have missed me too.

“I missed you enough to step on a plane,” he said, confirming my thoughts while closing his arms around my back. “Did you know I've never been this far away from Maine?”

I couldn't help it; I laughed. “Is it scary, being so far from home?”

“Nothing scares me as long as I have you.” He looked me in the eyes as he said it, his expression so serious that a pleasant shiver ran down my spine. I had to think about what Rhys had said. That I was scared. If Zander could be brave, couldn't I be, as well? “How's the baby?” Zander asked, eyes straying down between us.

“Fine, I guess,” I laid his hand on my belly. “Can you feel him?” The little one was becoming more active lately, and with any luck...

Absolute wonder took over Zander's features. It was a moment that would stay in my memory forever, that first time Zander felt our baby move. He looked like he'd just been told Santa Claus was real—and bringing him tons of books this year. “That'samazing.”

“Isn't it?” I beamed at him. Normally, I was torn between being amazed and terrified at the life growing inside me, but right now, the scale tipped more toward the former.

“We have to paint the nursery,” Zander muttered. He sounded like he'd only just remembered, but now that he had, he needed to turn around and do it right away.

“Hold on there,” I said, resting my hand on his upper arm. “You're not just gonna run back to Oceanport now that you've come here, are you?”

“Run back? No.” He looked at me confused until his mind remembered where he was and why. He'd come here with a cause. I could tell by the determination that settled in his eyes. “I heard about your job offer,” Zander said next. “Is that what you meant? The thing you were ready to give up for me?”

“How did you hear about that?” Had he talked to Kade? No, that wasn't likely. They hardly knew each other. Which left Conner. The little brat must have overheard something.