He sliced through the tape on the box, pulling its flaps open to reveal the crimson Closing Down Sale banners he’d ordered. Levi sucked in a sharp breath. “It’s really happening, huh?”
Olivier shrugged. “It’s been on the cards since the new year. Eric just—just delayed the inevitable.”
His heart squeezed.
Eric still haunted all his thoughts. From Ollie’s dreams to his conscious moments, to when he pulled his clothes on, expecting Eric to step up for a hug.
He’d turned over in bed last night, shaken awake by a bad dream, only to realize that Eric wasn’t there to hold him until dawn. And Jenn—was she walking yet? Was she still looking around for him? Would his baby take to him as easily as Jenn had?
Olivier made himself unfold the banners. “I’ll hang these up.”
Levi narrowed his eyes. “You’re pregnant. I’ll do it.”
“I can still work, Levi!”
“You look like you swallowed a cantaloupe,” Levi said. “I’m not taking chances.”
He sat Olivier down at the counter, stalking out with an armful of banners and ties. Olivier sighed.
Minutes later, the bells on the door jingled. Olivier looked up, blinking when he found an old customer, Brad, and his omega.
Brad was Ollie’s age, but his omega was older, with gray streaked through his hair. The first time Olivier saw Ian, he’d wondered at how amazing it was, that Brad had found love in someone much older than he was. And now Brad was carrying their toddler in his arms.
“Hey,” Brad said, glancing around the shop. “I didn’t know you were closing down. We happened to pass by and saw the signs.”
Brad paused on the other side of the counter, slipping his arm around his omega. Ian leaned into him, at ease with their relationship. And Ollie’s heart ached.
He wished he had an alpha like that. Wished he could return to the old days, and just press against Eric’s side, sharing Eric’s warmth. Ollie touched his belly. The baby kicked.
“It’s been coming for a while,” Olivier said tiredly. “Total Sounds has really been pushing its ads lately.”
Brad grimaced. “Not that I’m a fan of their recent ads. They’re kind of tasteless—did you see the one with the creepy alpha? And the one that tried to be smart but just offends everyone? Who even thinks those up?”
Olivier shrugged uneasily. The ads were still working, though. “They changed their regional manager recently.”
“Yeah, well, they should get the old one back. At least those were good ads.” Brad paused and winced. “But yours are the best, Ollie.”
“I loved the one you had with the baby’s picture,” Ian added with a warm smile. “That was really nice.”
Olivier bit his lip. “That was his work, too. The previous Total Sounds manager. He—he helped me.”
Brad glanced around the store. “You should get him to help you more, you know. Olivier’s Strings will get famous.”
That gave Ollie a small chuckle. He hadn’t the heart to tell Brad that he and Eric had broken up.
Brad sniffed. Then his forehead wrinkled. “I thought you had an alpha the last time I was here. Where’d he go?”
Ollie froze. Thought of a million things he could say. “He was Total Sounds’ previous manager,” he finally mumbled. “We broke up.”
Brad looked horrified. “Oh, shucks. I didn’t know. So sorry to hear that.”
“If you need any help at all,” Ian added, “just tell us.”
But they didn’t owe Olivier anything. They had their own lives and children to care for, too.
“I’m fine,” Olivier said with a strained smile. “Don’t worry about me.”
“We’ll have a look around,” Brad said. “See if we can help.”
He walked hand-in-hand with his omega down the aisles, murmuring quietly to his toddler. Ollie watched them, wishing there was a chance he could have that future. Where he could be happy, where Eric could hold his hand and smile at Ollie like he mattered.
Then Brad leaned in, pressing a kiss to Ian’s temple. Ollie’s heart ached.
He missed Eric so very much. If he hadn’t turned Eric away, if he’d just been a little more selfish and accepted Eric when Eric had asked... He would have an alpha now, wouldn’t he?
What would he tell their child? I let your other dad go because there were better omegas out there for him. Then his baby would ask, What’s wrong with you, Papa? and Ollie wouldn’t know what to say.
Should you tell your child everything you’d ever done wrong? If you didn’t, would you be lying?
His chest too tight, Olivier slipped out through the backdoor.
This was for the best. He would close his shop, move somewhere else, start anew. Where his presence wouldn’t bother the rest of the family, and Eric could create a new home in peace.
He tried not to think about Eric’s mom, the way she had whispered, I always knew you were a worthless thing. Always depending on someone else like a parasite.
Ollie would have a baby soon. He would depend on himself. Be someone his child could look up to.
Past the backdoor, the parking lot was deserted. Few people ever circled around to the mall’s back entrances—only the shop workers parked their cars here. Ollie picked his way down the row of backdoors, turning the corner.
He bumped into a hard chest. Wobbled, and sucked in a lungful of that fishy, dreadful Callery-pear scent.
Olivier’s heart lodged in his throat. Zan.
“What do we have here?” Zan smirked, grabbing Olivier’s arm so he couldn’t run.
Ollie yanked himself out of Zan’s grasp, alarm whispering through his body. “What’re you doing here?”
Zan glanced at the cars in the deserted lot, a slow smile spreading through his face. “I thought I’d drop by for a visit. Who knew? You came looking for me.”
“I wasn’t looking for you,” Olivier spat.
Zan had largely been absent ever since that fight at Pigeon’s parking lot. Eric’s presence seemed to have kept him away. But now...
“Where’s your alpha?” Zan sniffed, smirking. “Looks like those pictures got him fired, didn’t they?”
Ollie’s stomach shrank into a tight, hard
