Page 68 of The Omega's Secret Baby

Could I keep that a secret too?

Nah, motor sleds were tough to hide.

“You really need a break?” Jake asked, tilting his head.

“Yeah. But just a short one. Hey, I know, why don’t we have some hot chocolate? My friend Frederica makes the best hot chocolate.”

“I like hot chocolate!”

“Okay, then we’ll go get some.” I took Jake by the hand and went inside the house with him, turning in the direction of the maids’ quarters. Little chance to run into family here. I wanted to introduce Jake to my mother and sister eventually, but maybe not right now. I was way more exciting about Frederica meeting him, anyway. She was going tolovehim.

I knocked on her door and she opened almost immediately. “Well, if it isn’t my favorite Lowell!” And then she spotted the kid. “Oh, you’re bringing me a little visitor!”

“I am! Frederica, this is my son Jake. Jake, this is Frederica, the best housekeeper in the whole wide worldandmaker of the best hot chocolate.”

“Hello, Jake.” Frederica greeted my son with a smile. “I guess you want some hot chocolate? Oh, you’re covered in snow!” She brushed some flakes off his coat. “Come inside, inside. I’ll have you fixed up in no time.” She ushered both of us through the door and closed it behind us.

“So, did you introduce him to anyone else yet?” she asked me then.

“I thought you should be the first.”

“Oh.” She tapped my nose. “Aren’t you a good boy? I’ll spike your hot chocolate.”

“Frederica—”

“Just a little bit.” And then she went through her kitchen like a whirlwind while Jake and I sat on her couch.

“Matt?” Jake looked at me with a question on his face.

“Yeah?”

“What do I call you?”

“How do you mean?”

He tilted his head to the side. “I mean, because you’re my dad now. Do I have to call you dad?”

“Oh, you don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. This is still so new, why don’t you just keep calling me Matt for a while?”

“But can I call you dad?”

I can’t wait for you to do that, kid.“Sure. Whenever you’re ready.”

“Okay.” He glanced over to the kitchen, where Frederica was still boiling milk, then back to me. “Can I ask you another question?”

“Certainly. You can ask as many questions as you like.”

Jake drew his lower lip between his teeth for a moment. “You’re not going to leave Daddy again, are you?”

“Oh, Jake, of course I’m not going to do that!” I was tempted to draw the boy into a hug, but wasn’t sure whether or not it was too early for us. Sometimes I still found it difficult to tell how to act around the kid, and part of me wondered whether that was what my father had been referring to. TheinstinctsI didn’t have.

And before I could come to a decision, the door to Frederica’s chambers flew open.

In came my mother.

Oh my God.

I only had to see the look on her face to know that this was not going to go well. The woman wasangry.It was a surprising change from the lethargy she’d been displaying since my father’s death, but not a particularly welcome one.