Not His Omega To Love by GS Holmes
14Ethan
“Hey,Ethan, where are you off to in such a hurry?”
Cursing beneath my breath, I turned to Sal, who walked toward me. All I wanted to do was drive home and… not to see Cody. That wasn’t why I was getting out of here as if my ass was on fire. Yeah, right. The boy had moved in three weeks ago, and I’d be away on a long-haul delivery across state lines. It was his first weekend left alone with Reggie.
I won’t go there.
Too late, you already did.
Fuck.
“So, what do you think?” Sal’s loud voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“About what?”
“Man, you’ve been crazy distracted lately. I asked if you want to grab a few drinks?”
“Sorry, I can’t. Need to get home.”
“And do what? Stare at the color of your walls? Come on, man, you’ve opted out every single time we got together recently. What’s up with you?”
“Fine.” Dammit, I hadn’t told him about Cody yet. Hmm, you know why.
Nope, you’re wrong. I just don’t know how to explain taking in my son’s pregnant ex.
“All right. We’ll see you at The Twirl and Hurl?”
“I can’t stay long.”
He waved at me, and I hurried over to my car. Of course, he didn’t believe me. Our nights drinking were usually long. Since I was off for the next two days, nothing was stopping me from drinking him under the table tonight.
When I entered The Twirl I groaned. The bar was already jam-packed. A game showed on the flat-screen television over the bar, but no one was watching. The two teams weren’t interesting enough for anyone to care much.
“Booth or bar?” Sal asked me.
“Booth. I’ll grab us drinks.”
After snagging us two bottles of beer, I weaved through the throng of people to where Sal sat in our regular booth. He scowled at the drinks in my hand.
“That’s all?”
I slid a bottle over to him. “I’m driving home.”
“Seriously, what’s going on with you, man?”
I took a swig of my beer and surveyed the bar. I used to love coming here with Sal to unwind after a tough week. We not only relaxed, but we’d also made all our business plans, sitting in the same booth. But now all I could think about was going home and finding out how Cody was doing.
Had time away given him and Reggie the chance to rekindle the spark? They’d mostly avoided each other—not an easy feat considering they lived under the same roof. I insisted on having dinner together on my days off, though. At first, it had made for interesting, yet tense evenings. I got the impression Cody didn’t care much for Reggie, but maybe I was wrong. It wasn’t like he could be knocked up twice, so why not scratch an itch with an ex-lover?
And why the hell did that bother me so much? Cody was a great guy, and if Reggie got his head out of his ass, he would see that too. He would make a good son-in-law.
“Are you going to tell me, or am I going to have to pry it out of you?” Sal asked.
What the hell? But maybe he was right, and I needed to vent. Not having anyone to talk to was eating me up inside. My ex-husband didn’t wholly agree with me having both Cody and Reggie in the same house, but he’d seen the need for it. For now, while Cody finished school and we’d figured out his situation, he was staying put.
“Reggie got Cody pregnant,” I said.
Sal choked on his beer and ended up in a coughing fit. Shit. I whacked his back until he held up a hand.
“You okay, man?”
He nodded but apparently, hadn’t learned his lesson as he guzzled down what was left of his beer. When he was done, he wiped a hand across his mouth. “What the hell do you mean?”
“You heard right.”
“You’re going to be a grandpa?” He burst out laughing, and I scowled at him.
“It’s not funny, man. Cody had—has so much potential. This is going to set him back.”
“Wait a minute. You’re serious.”
“Why would I joke about this?”
“Shit, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
I shrugged. “Man, I don’t know.”
“What are you going to do?”
“It’s not my decision to make. The boys already made theirs.”
“Which is?”
“Cody wants to keep the baby, and Reggie wants to sign away all parental rights.”
“Cody wants it?”
He’d been so happy when I’d taken him to do the ultrasound.
“But that’s not all. His parents kicked him out, and he’s been living with us for the past three weeks.”
“So, your son doesn’t want anything to do with the baby, but Cody’s living with you?”
I placed both hands on the table. “What do you want me to do? Turn my back on him too?”
“Of course not.”
“Then what?”
“Damn, that’s tough.” He leaned back into the seat. “That’s why you’ve been so distant. You have to deal with all this.”
“Yeah.” I rubbed my temple. “He’s a sweet boy, doesn’t have to be told to do his homework or anything. And he cooks too, but soon we’re going to have to decide what’s going to happen. For now, I’m waiting until after his graduation. One step at a time, you know.”
“Makes sense.”
“I tried to get him on my health insurance, but they won’t accept him.” I wrapped my hands around the cold bottle. “Something about only kids and spouses can be added. Thank fuck, I’m not hurting for money, or this would’ve been bad.”
“How far along is he?”
“Four months next week, but he’s carrying small, so it doesn’t show much.”
“Still three to go.”
“Yup. It seems long, but the time is going by so fast.”
“And where’s Reggie now?”
“At the house. Why?”
“I guess it doesn’t matter. They can’t make a baby twice, right?”
Heat rushed through me at what he was implying. Cody and Reggie. That kiss between them in the hall flashed through my mind. Cody had made the most interesting little moans.
“I need to go.” I climbed to my feet.
“All right. Call me if you need anything.”
On the drive home, I couldn’t get the image out of my head of Reggie devouring Cody’s mouth, Reggie’s hands grabbing Cody’s ass. They’d seemed perfect together, as perfect as two young boys being into each other would look. If they got back together, the whole situation would be less messy, but why didn’t I feel happy about that?
I was a fucking tool. Cody had been through enough with Reggie. The last thing he needed was a man old enough to be his father to find him attractive.
But it’s more than just attraction, isn’t it? You admire him.
What wasn’t there to admire? He was so keen on his schoolwork; he always had his assignments done already every time I asked. He did his laundry instead of waiting for me to pick up after him as Reggie did. And he knew his way around the kitchen.
When I got home, Reggie’s car wasn’t in the garage. Maybe they went out together?
A male voice and then applause drifted through the hall. Somebody was home. The living room was empty, though. I walked over to the television and turned off the game show.
I turned around and startled. What the hell? Cody was fast asleep on the couch, a cushion clutched to his chest, his legs folded on top of each other. His shirt had ridden up, and I sucked in a deep breath. The little baby bump caught my attention, and I couldn’t look away. I wanted to place my hand over his stomach to reassure the baby growing there that he would be looked after. I wanted to kiss the skin.
I stepped back and bumped into the coffee table. It scraped across the floor loudly. Shit.
Cody startled awake and jerked up, his eyes wide and full of panic.
“Hey, it’s me.” I spread my arms. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Just didn’t know anyone was in here.”
His shoulders slumped. “I thought…”
“You thought what?”
He shook his head.
“Come on, you can tell me.”
He let out a sigh. “I thought I was back in the motel, and someone was pounding on the door again.”
“You dream about that?”
“Sometimes.”
I’d had no idea how much those two days in that seedy motel had traumatized him. I should have known. His parents had kept him as sheltered as possible and had only allowed him to go to school and interact with other kids there.
“I’m sorry. You want to talk about it?”
“No, I’m better now.”
My eyes drifted to his bare belly, and when he caught my gaze, he dropped his arms, his cheeks pink.
“Good, but if you ever want to talk—”
He smiled at me. “I know.”
Butterflies danced in my stomach. He had a beautiful smile. When was the last time someone made me feel this lightheaded and overprotective?
“I know you said you were coming home today, so I made dinner. I think I overcooked the lamb, though.”
“I’m sure it’s fine. Done your homework for school tomorrow?”
“Yes. I had an essay to write. I had to go to the library to print it, but it turned out okay.”
Note to self. Get Cody a printer for his homework.
“How’s the valedictory speech coming along?”
He swallowed. “Honestly? I don’t know what I’m doing, and graduation is in a month.”
“And prom’s coming up. You picked out what you’re going to wear yet?”
“I’m not going.”
“What?”
“I’m pregnant. I don’t have time to do prom.”
“Hey.” It was so hard, but I resisted the urge to touch him. “Being pregnant and having a child doesn’t mean you can’t have fun.”
He clasped his hands and tapped his thumbs together. “You don’t think it’s stupid to go?”
“Not at all. Just think about it, all right?”
“Okay.”
“Good, I’m going to take a shower.”
“I’ll heat your food for you.” He climbed to his feet.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know, but I want to.”
My mouth went dry. He peeked up at me from beneath his lashes, and all I could manage was a nod before escaping up the stairs. But there weren’t enough rooms in the house to get Cody out of my head. Not enough guilt for my thoughts to stop me from standing beneath the shower, beating my cock to that sweet little smile. When I came, the orgasm ripped through me as if my spine was about to skitter away from my body. I slumped against the wall and watched my cum swirl down the drain.
It hadn’t been enough. Not in the slightest. Angry, I grabbed my washcloth and scrubbed at my skin, but it didn’t help how filthy I felt on the inside. Maybe I was the worst of us all who’d done that boy wrong. Worse than the parents who had kicked him out. Worse than an ex-lover who didn’t want anything to do with his baby. I knew how vulnerable he was. I knew how wrong it was. I knew better, but I couldn’t stop my thoughts from straying to how much I wanted to hold him. To kiss him. To knot him.