Page 31 of Unforgettable Omega

There was always the fifty-fifty chance of Andy not remembering when he woke up, not that Shay hoped that was the case. Well not for more than a brief moment anyway. But then he’d looked over at Drew and Andy hugging each other. His son holding on to Drew like he never wanted to let go, and Drew looking at Andy who’d called him daddy, with a mixture of pride, joy, and excitement.

There was just no way Shay could take that from either of them. Not that he wanted to, he wasn’t a monster, he didn’t have it in him.

Shay was also very grateful that Andy was young enough to not ask too many questions about where his dad was all this time. In another year or so that may not have been the case.

But he had to admit all of it, everything that had happened so far, left Shay confused as he tried reconciling the man who clearly cheated on his serious girlfriend, or almost fiancée, with the man who’d patiently played every game Andy had set before him, answered every question and smiled his way through it. Shay was trying to reconcile those two people. But he couldn’t. And that raised even more questions than he had before.

Shay froze, where he stood, wiping down the cabinets in the kitchen, he’d taken everything out and cleaned the inside and put it all back.

Shay realized today was kind of how he’d pictured him and Drew when they'd first met. When he'd glimpsed a whole life together looking in the alpha's eyes. Not the part where Drew just met Andy for the first time, no, it was the part where they had their own family, a whole life together. In Drew's eyes, in the alpha's arms that night, Shay had glimpsed a future, and now back in the alpha's presence, he realized the look hadn't left Drew's eyes. With that realization, Shay dropped the cloth he'd been using, his brain in turmoil. Was he reading into things again, or...

Shay couldn’t even think of what the,orcould be. There was the phone call, Anneliese, he hadn’t imagined all that.

But all he could see was the confusion in Drew's eyes from the night before, when Drew had asked him what the hell he was talking about when he accused Drew of being the one at fault, the one that lied. The man had looked genuinely confused. Okay, sure, Shay hadn't come out and said it, but Drew wasn't acting like a man that had anything to be sorry for, or like he was guilty of anything.

Shay was so lost… was he just seeing what he wanted to now? Right there and then he heard his dad’s voice, clear as day,"Talk to him."

Shay's parents had been saying that for years. They'd told Shay from the moment he'd found himself pregnant to talk to Drew, but stubborn pride had kept him from doing so. Maybe it was time he rectified all that.

Shay walked into his bedroom and looked at the flowers he'd put on the opposite bedside table to where he slept, instead of any other place in his home.

Shay needed to figure some stuff out. He just didn't know where to start, and there was a part of him that was scared for the answers he would get. What if he’d been wrong?

13

Drew

Andy was just incredible. And even though a part of Drew was furious at Shay, although he would admit it was getting harder and harder, especially after spending time with his son. Mostly he just felt grateful for Shay in a way he hadn’t thought would be possible, especially after finding out about Andy’s existence, but he was. Drew was grateful that Shay decided to have their child. He couldn’t imagine just how difficult a decision it must have been, especially knowing just how young Shay was.

But it still smarted that Shay hadn’t sought him out, even to make things easier for himself.

Now that Drew was less pissed, and had time to pause and think about it, there were things that just didn’t add up, things that never made sense, and still didn’t if he was honest.

Drew realized he was wrong the first time. Maybe he did need closure. Maybe he did need to ask the questions he’d been too proud to ask, or too afraid to ask.

When Drew kissed Shay the night before, the intent of the kiss was to take some of his anger out on Shay, but the minute he met Shay’s lips again, the moment the omega’s body melted into his, it became about much more than that.

Drew thought back to the night before when Shay had gone cold on him after they made love, and that was what it was, because no matter how angry he’d been, Shay could never be just some omega or beta Drew was fucking casually.

Granted, he would admit that for a second he was pissed. It had felt like a rejection again and had immediately taken Drew back to that morning, waking up to find Shay gone, no explanation.

He’d been about to tell Shay that they could pretend nothing had happened and start with a clean slate, as just co-parents, and he almost did. But apart from the fact that wasn’t what he wanted, not even close, something in Shay’s eyes stopped him.

Now looking back over that night, Drew realized there were things that Shay said that he just didn’t understand, but Shay seemed unwilling to explain. One thing became apparent as he thought back over Shay’s behavior. The omega was acting like someone who’d been hurt and was protecting himself.

But hurt by who? It couldn’t be Drew, but that was how Shay was acting. Even tonight at dinner, with their son, Shay’s behavior was off. Drew didn’t feel like the man didn’t want him in his home, but he felt like Shay was keeping himself away from Drew.

The wary look in Shay’s eyes every time they met Drew’s confused him.

For the life of him Drew couldn’t figure out what was happening. It was like seeing only half the picture, but the other person thought you could see the whole thing, and you were being deliberately difficult.

For the past five years, all he’d wondered was why, and now he had a chance to get an answer, and maybe not just answers. Maybe more…

Drew looked around his room, his empty room, that was in an empty house. Even though Shay’s house was much smaller than his, it was a home.

A real home, not just a place to crash, it was warm and welcoming, and when you stepped in, you knew a happy family lived there.

A family unit that didn’t include him… but that Drew wanted in his life.