“Yeah, it does. But don’t spend it all at once,” Kai said dryly. “It’s supposed to last the year.”
“You really are my sugar brother.” Spike grinned. For the first time in a while, he seemed truly happy with Kai. Then he leaned forward, and his smile fell. “But it’s not the same as you being here.”
Kai’s heart sank. “I’m doing the best I can.”
He imagined years of doing video calls, though, watching the video on his phone while Spike and Micah got to hug and touch each other. Watching as they grew closer, and Kai drifted away from them. Envy coiled in his gut.
“Are you happy, Kai?” Micah asked, studying him. It was that same shrewd look as when he’d asked Kai about the future Kai wanted.
Kai rolled his shoulders. Having Micah and Spike’s clothes with him... it eased the ache a little. But it wasn’t the same—
Micah gasped, looking down. He touched his belly; Spike leaned forward. “What happened?” Spike asked.
“That was a really hard kick,” Micah said, a laugh bubbling out of him. “She’s a feisty one.”
“‘She’?” Spike asked, pressing his hand over Micah’s belly, trying to feel the baby kicking, too. “But you didn’t want to know what the baby was at the ultrasound.”
Micah shook his head. “I just have a feeling it’s a she.”
Spike looked doubtful. Kai breathed out.
Last month, Micah and Spike had gone for an ultrasound. They’d wanted to call Kai that night, but Kai had pretended not to see the message. Because he’d wanted to avoid something like this. He’d wanted to avoid looking at Spike and Micah fawning over Micah’s baby bump, their excitement palpable.
Kai was going to fuck up being a dad. He couldn’t do this. And yet, watching them from this side of the call... it gave him that uneasy feeling that he was being left out again.
At six months, Micah’s belly was rounder now, maybe half the size of a basketball. There was a baby in there, and Micah practically glowed with anticipation.
“She moved! I felt it!” Spike sucked in a sharp breath, his palm pressed against Micah’s belly.
“Should I fly home?” Kai asked, feeling like he was witnessing an intimate moment he wasn’t supposed to.
“No,” Micah said, looking up. “Stay the full season, as long as you can.”
“Don’t tell him that!” Spike scowled. “I want Kai back.”
“Enough to deny him his future?” Micah shook his head. “Let him have this, Spike. You can have him after.”
“But there’ll be no after,” Spike said, his lips thinning. “The recruiting games for the major league happen after the season ends. Kai’s gonna get picked and traded to a big league team.”
Micah looked to Kai for an answer. Kai had heard about the recruiting games, yeah. He wasn’t sure if he’d be picked, but if he could join the major league... he’d earn so much more money. The starting salary for a new recruit was eight hundred grand a year.
That was enough to buy Mom a house, and Spike another house. And Spike would never have to worry about being homeless ever again.
“You’re coming back, right?” Spike asked uncertainly. “After this season?”
Kai swallowed hard. “I might get some time to between seasons. I don’t know.”
“You need to come back,” Spike said, his tone pleading.
“Your career’s important, too,” Micah said, frowning. “If you think it’s better for you to stay, then keep playing, Kai. Follow your dreams.”
“Micah!” Spike looked at Micah, aghast. “I need him.”
Micah sighed. “Dreams are important too, Spike.”
“We’ll see,” Kai said. He looked between Spike and Micah, knowing that no matter how hard he tried, Spike would always be the better alpha for Micah. Spike loved easily, he laughed easily. He was the brightest spark in Micah’s life. He had always loved that omega.
And Kai? Kai didn’t know how to be a proper dad. He’d punched his own father. He was afraid to even touch Micah’s belly.
By staying in Colorado, by continuing to play basketball through the years so Spike could focus on school and Micah and the baby... If that came at the cost of Kai’s heart, then Kai would gladly sacrifice it, so Spike and Micah could have their happiness.
And if that meant breaking up with them... Kai would do it, too.
31
Spike
Spike stared at the check, turning it over in his hands. He couldn’t take his eyes off the zeroes Kai had written. Ten grand. In two months.
He traced his fingers over the writing—Kai pressed down hard whenever he wrote anything. So the front of the check had grooves where Kai’s pen had dug down, and the back of the check was all raised ridges and curves. “Ten thousand dollars only”, but backward.
Touching those lines... Spike could imagine Kai bent over his very first checkbook, writing this out. Kai had probably been proud. He would’ve had a tiny smile on his face as he tucked the check into an envelope, and then into the box.
Because that was Kai, always needing to make sure he provided for Spike, always needing to make sure Spike was okay.
Except Spike was no longer okay. He hadn’t been for two months, and Kai didn’t intend to return to Meadowfall after this season. Why would he? He was making big money now. He was getting somewhere in life.
Part of Spike said, Kai gave most of his earnings to you. The other part of him said, Kai has everything again. Kai did—he had a well-paying job, he had a basketball team who wanted him, he wasn’t a liability anymore. Unlike Spike.
Spike laid the check on the nightstand, glancing at the omega sleeping by his side. It was still early in the day—just past six. They’d called Kai last night, and Kai had ended the video call abruptly, as though he didn’t want to hang around with Spike or Micah anymore.
Spike touched the soft skin of Micah’s side, then turned back to the check. He’d never even seen that much money in his life. To think Kai had made it in two months...
Gods, I’m pathetic.
