Omega’s Pretend Mate by Lacey Daize

Chapter 10 - Christian

Itried, and failed, to read the paragraph for the third time.

How could anybody expect me to focus on words, when Gabe was sunbathing next to the pool?

Before moving in with him I’d wondered why anybody would need a pool when the ocean was only about a football field away, then I saw him in swim trunks and was glad that I had that sight all to myself.

I shifted as my cock threatened to harden. The last thing I needed was for him to look over, see a tent in my trousers, and think I was looking at porn on my tablet.

Porn had nothing on the perfection that was Gabe. Experience had taught me that. I’d tried to look at a few videos when I was restless a few nights after his heat, and for a time had worried that taking care of an omega in some of his prime fertile years had done my cock in, as it refused to do more than twitch for the videos. Then a stray thought about Gabe had me at full-mast in an instant.

My cock was done in all right. It had had a taste of perfection, and it wanted only that. To be honest, so did I. There would never be another man who could come close to Gabe, and I just had to enjoy the time that we had together.

My cell phone interrupted my thoughts.

“Hello?” I asked.

“Mr. Jeffries?”

“Yes?”

“This is Brenda from the parks department.”

I sat up straighter. “I take it this is about our permit?”

“Yes sir,” she said, smile in her voice. “I’m calling to let you know that your permit to use the beach outside Mr. Everest’s home as a venue for your wedding next month has been approved. Congratulations.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Just stop by the office in the next few days to sign a few things.”

“Absolutely.”

“Again, congratulations on your upcoming wedding.”

“Thank you.”

I hung up and noticed Gabe walking over.

“Good news?” he asked, perching on the side of the chaise.

I nodded. “Our permit to use the beach next month has been approved.”

He licked his lips. “I guess it’s time to confirm with vendors.”

I pulled him into my arms, breathing in his scent. I still couldn’t read him as much as I would have liked, but I could see that something was on his mind.

“Talk to me,” I said softly, running my hand along his arm. “What’s up?”

He cast me a weak smile. “This is just all happening so fast.”

“That was the plan, wasn’t it?”

He swallowed and nodded. “Yeah…”

“Do you want to slow things down?”

He shook his head. “No…” He took a deep breath. “We can’t risk it. The new treatments seem to be working, but if grandfather takes a turn for the worse…”

“Shh,” I said, kissing his head. “Positive thoughts.”

“Yeah…”

I pulled him closer, and he relaxed in my embrace. “I have an idea.”

“Hmm?”

“Why don’t you ask both your father and grandfather to walk you down the aisle? Since part of our excuse for rushing is to make sure he’ll be here, it’ll help to cement that idea. Besides, I have a feeling you’re close, even if you don’t like the traditional omega bullshit they’re trying to force on you.”

He hummed softly. “I do love him, and I think it would make him happy.”

“Your father wouldn’t be too upset, would he?”

Gabe shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“How about you go call your family then, and I’ll start contacting vendors.”

He nodded, then froze in my arms.

“What is it?” I asked.

He sighed. “I guess… you shouldn’t let money hold you back. I’ve got a decent chunk in savings, and… my family will probably honor the tradition of the omega’s family pays, so that they can invite everybody.”

I chuckled. “That’s great, but what do you want, Gabe?”

“Huh?”

“This is our wedding, not your family’s. Do you want lavish, or low-key?”

“Honestly? I want something small and intimate. Our families and maybe a few friends. But my family will insist…”

I pressed my finger to his lips. “No.” I sat him up and met his gaze. “Have you ever blindly done what your family wants before?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“Then don’t start now. My preference is for a small wedding, but I’m willing to go as large as you want. Not your family. You. If you don’t want this to be a statement wedding, then don’t make it one.”

He leaned in and rested his head against my chest. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being on my side.”

I laughed. “Would I be here if I wasn’t on your side?”

“I guess not.”

He shifted to get closer, and I made room so that he could snuggle as much as he wanted. It was a relatively new habit of his, only having started after his heat, but I wasn’t about to deny myself the opportunity to hold him.

Gabe was silent for several minutes, and as I’d come to know him better, I understood that he was preparing himself to deal with his relatives. In every other situation he was opinionated and expressive. But he’d become so used to his secondary being held over him by his own family that, even though he loved them, there was always a fight about what omegas should let their alphas handle.

“You can blame me if you want,” I offered.

“Huh?”

I smiled and kissed the top of his head. “You’re trying to decide what to say that will make them listen, right?”

“How did you know?”

I tightened my arms around him, earning a soft sigh in the process. “Just something I’ve noticed. I’m assuming everything you’ve thought of so far they can counter with money, right?”

He groaned and nodded. “Yeah. Not enough time? Hire more people. Too much stress? Hire more people. Everybody booked up? Fly in their people. I just want things small and intimate? Nonsense! It’s a wedding, and we’ve got the money, so it should be lavish.”

“Just tell them that I’m uncomfortable with having a bunch of people there that won’t be important in our lives.”

“Then they might say that you walked all over me and what I want.”

“Leave everything to an alpha, until the alpha doesn’t agree with them. Is that it?”

He gave a single sarcastic laugh. “Sounds about right.”

“What about your grandfather?” I asked.

“What about him?”

“Even with a private jet, flying across the country is going to take a toll. You already said that he had to spread out visits from the family over the holidays so that it didn’t tire him out. I can’t think of anything more exhausting than having to schmooze over several hours. Limiting the guest list will make it easier for him to take necessary breaks.”

Gabe thought for a moment, then nodded. “That… might work. If I tell them that we both wanted something smaller, and that we also wanted to keep things easy for grandfather… Grandmama would be more likely to agree then. Once she’s on board then it’ll be easier to convince everybody else.”

I smiled. “Good.”

He nuzzled against my chest. “I just hope it’s good enough.”

“Don’t be afraid to put your foot down. I’ve got your back.”

“Thank you.”

“Anything for you.”

∞∞∞

~June~

I chuckled at the slightly shell-shocked expressions of my family as they stepped off the private jet.

Granted, I couldn’t really blame them. Flying was expensive enough with that many kids, so they usually traveled by van when going on vacation. But none of them, including me, had ever been on a private jet before.

All the adults had the dazed expressions of people wondering if they were dreaming, while the kids were squealing in excitement.

“Christian!”

I grinned as mom made her way over, papa right behind her. She wrapped me in her arms and planted a kiss on my cheek.

“Hi mom,” I said, then pulled papa over and hugged him too. “Hi papa.”

Papa beamed at me, tears in his eyes. “I always knew you’d eventually find a nice omega to settle down with.”

I smiled and turned him to face Gabe. “Papa, mom, this is Gabe. Gabe, this is my papa, Sam, and my mom, Ruth.”

Gabe gave them both a stunning smile and offered his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet both of you properly.”

Papa walked over and embraced Gabe. “Welcome to the family. Call us papa and mom.”

Gabe’s smile softened into something I hadn’t seen before, almost wistful. “Thank you.”

“Where’s our new brother-in-law?” Alex called out. “Who’s hogging him?”

I laughed. “You’re going to have to share with papa,” I replied. “He’s already laid claim.”

“A bit of help here?”

I turned to see Gabe wrapped in both my parent’s arms and couldn’t help my laughter.

“Ok mom, papa. Let him go before you scare him off.”

Mom laughed. “Like you’d choose a man who couldn’t handle us.”

“But that doesn’t mean toss him right in the deep end. Give him some breathing room.”

Mom and papa released Gabe, who retreated to my side, where I wrapped an arm around his waist.

“You ok?” I asked, quiet so that only he could hear over the commotion of my family.

He nodded. “It’s just… a lot. My family is pretty reserved.”

“You’ll get used to them, plus they’re all excited. New family members are always welcome, not to mention that you just gave them probably the most exciting plane ride of their lives.”

Gabe smiled. “Technically, the plane was father’s idea.”

I looked around at my family. “I don’t think they’re going to make that distinction.”

Gabe chuckled. “Probably not.”

I leaned in and kissed his temple. “Shall we get them on the bus?”

“Yeah.”

After several more minutes we managed to corral my family onto the bus we’d rented. There were vans reserved in Harris Cove, but it had been decided that a single ride there would let everybody get to meet Gabe without arguments over seating arrangements.

∞∞∞

Mom considered my suit for a moment, then walked over to adjust my tie. Finally she nodded in satisfaction.

“That coral tie Gabe picked looks good on you.”

I smiled. He did have good taste. Whie we’d shared planning duties, I’d let him decide the colors and theme and he had nailed it. It was going to be an incredible ceremony. In fact everything about the wedding was nearly perfect, except for the part where it was all a big lie.

I wanted it to all be real; a life with him and our family.

“He says his mama is going to wear this color,” I stated as I turned to look at myself in the mirror.

“What’s the other color in his theme?”

“Seafoam?” I guessed. “I think that’s it. Some shade of light green.”

Mom chuckled. “Sounds about right. I’ll make sure to get a dress that doesn’t clash or look too similar to hers.”

I frowned at my reflection. Mom prided herself on being ready before any major event, but we’d thrown the wedding together in under a month once the permit was approved. It meant that shopping for outfits and fittings were all happening days before the ceremony.

At least suit rentals were more common than dress rentals. Not that we really had to worry about that either. Gabe’s family had given us a wedding account for any incidentals. Mom could buy any dress she wanted regardless of cost.

I turned, walked over and hugged her. “I’m sorry this is all so fast mom.”

She smiled and patted my arm. “It’s understandable. Gabe obviously loves his grandfather very much, and wants to make sure that he can be here for this. I would rather you give little notice, than ask him to postpone and possibly lose somebody important.”

“I just hope I’m not rushing things,” I said, subtly planting the idea so that it was there when we eventually divorced.

Mom pushed me back and looked into my eyes. “I’ve seen the way you look at him, and how he looks at you. You’ve moved fast, but the love is there.”

It was true, for me at least. I’d fallen hard and fast. But as much as I wanted to believe that Gabe felt the same, I didn’t dare to hope.

Mom’s cell phone rang, and she jumped to answer it.

“Seems our men are done with their pampering,” she said after she hung up. “And according to Philip, the younger kids are all passed out on your patio.”

I nodded. “It’s good they rest. Gabe’s family arrives tonight, and cranky kids aren't the best first impression.”

Mom frowned. “You’re really concerned about meeting them, aren’t you?”

I sighed. “It’s just… they come from a different world. I need them to know that I’m the right alpha for Gabe.”

She laughed. “I’ll throw down with his father if they make a stink. I bet those rich people are soft.”

“I don’t know if that will help.”

“Who cares? It’s not their choice anyway. Does Gabe want you? His is the only opinion that matters. He’s a grown man and is fully capable of making decisions for himself, including who he chooses as his alpha.”

I smiled. I loved that mom already respected my fiance.

“Come on,” she said, patting my shoulder. “Let’s go get our men and get ready for tonight.”

“Ok.”

∞∞∞

Gabe’s house seemed packed to the brim, despite how big it was. Or maybe it just felt that way with nearly twenty people in the living room, and with the cold, stilted conversation of people who were still trying to figure each other out.

It wasn’t even everybody. His brother and his family, plus aunts, uncles, cousins and so forth would be arriving over the next couple days, and had managed to secure every luxury hotel suite in town, having declared that with his parents in one guest room, and his grandparents in another, that his house was far too crowded, even if there were still empty rooms.

Meanwhile my family were all content in my old apartment.

I was fine with fewer people in Gabe’s house, but part of me wished that they were all staying in hotels.

I hadn’t spent a night in Gabe’s bed since his heat, not from a lack of desire, but because it was too strong. A part of me worried I wouldn’t be able to hold back if I was half-asleep. But I couldn’t avoid it any longer. I was going to be sharing the same bed as him until after the wedding.

Liam’s youngest toddled over to Gabe’s grandfather, Martin, then lifted his arms. “Up!”

My entire family froze as we turned to watch the interaction, but Martin just laughed and lifted him onto his knee.

“Well aren’t you an adventurous little man,” Martin said, booping my nephew’s nose. “And what’s your name?”

“Tent!” he declared.

Martin laughed, then quickly met my eye.

Trent, I mouthed.

“Nice to meet you Trent,” he said. “Are you having fun?”

Trent nodded, then started babbling about the ocean and the pool, and whatever else a two-year-old found exciting.

My family seemed to relax, and so did Gabe’s. Soon the kids had mostly clustered around Martin and his wife Irene, listening to stories of famous people he’d met, and places he’d visited. Mom and Gabe’s dad Walter were talking business, even though a billion-dollar publishing company and a small-town gift store were about as opposite ends of the spectrum as they could get. Even papa and Gabe’s mom Helen seemed to have found common ground, leaving Gabe and I to mingle with my brothers and their husbands.

I draped my arm across Gabe’s shoulders as we settled onto the couch.

Liam had just passed out a round of beers when I noticed that Benjamin wasn’t drinking. Then I noticed a slight swell in his middle.

“Benjamin… Are you pregnant?” I asked.

He blushed and smiled. “We were waiting to make a big announcement until after the wedding.”

“Congratulations!” Gabe said. “How far along are you?”

“Three months,” Benjamin said. “We found out only a few days after you announced the wedding, and didn’t want to steal your thunder.”

“Do you need any accommodations?” Gabe asked. “Should I get you an umbrella and a reserved seat? Do you need to be on an end if you have bad morning sickness?”

Benjamin laughed, and Philip kissed his shoulder.

“I’m good,” Benjamin said. “So far this pregnancy has been a breeze. Thank you though.”

“Just let me know if you need anything.”

“Will do.”

I smiled. Gabe was so considerate, and I hoped that people would be just as kind around him when he eventually decided to start a family. I glanced down, briefly imagining him round.

Liam chuckled. “Got something to say Christian?”

I blinked. “Huh?”

“Don’t think I don’t know that look. I’ve got five kids because of that look. Alex starts looking at me like that, and next thing I know we’re calling mom and papa to watch the kids so he can spend the night knotting another into me.”

I blushed and Gabe glanced at me. “I… I wasn’t…”

Everybody else broke into laughter.

“Busted!” Philip said. “I bet it’s only a month or two before there’s a pregnancy announcement.”

“Well at least they’ll have a cousin their own age,” Liam said, sitting back. “Except for Trent, mine are all getting old enough they wouldn’t want to play with the younger kids.”

Philip laughed. “As if Trent will be your last.”

Liam blushed, and Alex nosed his neck. “I think your brother is suggesting we have another.”

Liam swatted at Alex. “Don’t even think about it, unless you want to find the financing for either a new house or an addition.”

“So you’re saying yes if I can find us the room?”

Liam sighed, and everybody laughed.

“You boys had better start staggering your pregnancies better,” papa called from across the room. “Do you think knitted blankets just come out of nowhere?”

Everybody who hadn’t been laughing before joined in.

As awkward as it had initially been, I found myself liking Gabe’s family.

I just wished they were more progressive in their attitudes about omegas and could see him for the brilliant and capable man he was.