Chapter Sixteen
Max
Even though it was still early when I woke up, I gasped as I glanced at the clock. I barely had enough time to get the ham in the oven or my Christmas dinner was going to be seriously late. Extricating myself from Pierce’s arms was tricky. The alpha looked like he could use the sleep so I slipped under his arm and rolled out of the bed, landing in an undignified sprawl on the floor. Pierce remained asleep so mission accomplished.
After slipping on a pair of sleep pants, I rounded up an empty spray bottle and half a bottle of rubbing alcohol, leaving them on the bedside table where Pierce would see them when he woke up. I slipped from the room without making a sound and raced to the kitchen.
An hour later, the ham was in the oven. Hard-boiled eggs were cooling in a bowl of ice-cold water while I made the dressing for the potato salad. Soon the eggs were chopped and all the ingredients were mixed, chilling out in the fridge as I moved on to the next item on my list.
It was a long time later when a deliciously rumpled Pierce showed in the kitchen, kissing me until I lost track of anything except the alpha in my arms. The man was sexy as hell, his bedroom eyes eating me up as if he were hungry and I was the last cream puff on Earth.
“I missed you when I woke up. Thanks for leaving me the stuff I needed to get my prosthesis back on. It’s one of the hazards when using that type of socket. You have to think ahead. Of course, I’m not usually taking my leg off unexpectedly either.”
“My pleasure. Anything for my alpha.” I stopped talking, but refused to take back what I’d just said. Pierce felt like my alpha. He was the one my heart wanted. I only hoped he felt the same way. He was coming from such a different place, the grief he had to deal with something I couldn’t wrap my head around.
“Hey, none of that. I would love nothing more than to be your alpha, Max. Having you as my omega would make me very happy.”
“I don’t want you thinking I want to replace your husband. What I feel for you is amazing, but I know the two of you were together for a lot of years before I came along. I don’t want you to feel like you have to shove all those feelings to the side.”
“I appreciate that, Max. Really. I think Grant would have loved you just as much as I already do. If the two of you had met, I think he would have brought you into our family and it would have been something really special. But, no more special than what I’m feeling right now. Just in a different way.”
“I don’t know how I would have felt about being a third, but I’d like to share some of those memories you have of Grant and Craig. I don’t want you to forget them.”
I reached up to kiss Pierce, my lips caressing his with all the love I felt in that moment. It was Christmas, a magical time when anything could happen, even finding the love of my life right next door with my grumpy neighbor. Best Christmas ever.
Chapter Seventeen
Pierce
Max did as promised and fed me more food than I could eat on Christmas Day. We had leftovers the week following up until New Year. It was fun watching as Max got creative with each meal as he attempted to make each one unique with the same ingredients. I was amazed at how successful he was at it.
As each day went by after the holidays, Max settled in more as my omega, spending every evening in my arms. We were rarely apart, splitting our time together between our two homes. The sweet, young sexy omega was my omega. No matter how wrong that might be, I wanted to keep him. My connection was so visceral to this young man. It was different from what I had felt with Grant, but no less powerful. Was it possible for an alpha to have more than one fated omega? I wasn’t sure but I was beginning to think it was.
Knowing Grant, I was sure he’d be happy for me. Hell, if Grant had still been alive, I thought he might have opened his arms wide and accepted Max into our lives. I think Max would have loved Grant as well. I’d told Max as much though I’m not sure he believed me. Someday, I’d introduce Max to Grant, show him the videos Grant and I made together. Later.
My hand strayed to my pocket, where I felt the box I carried there. I hoped Max said yes. I needed the omega in my life. Now and forever. He was so damn young, but he’d told me over and over that age was just a number. If Max didn’t mind the difference, I had to believe him. I hoped that was true because I didn’t think I could go on without the younger omega. It was a scary thought, but I squared my shoulders, determined to forge on bravely.
As much as I missed Grant, Max was my future now. I’d never forget the man who had given me so much, but I knew he’d want me to live my life to its fullest. That fullest was with Max. Max and the baby he carried. He’d been too scared to tell me. I could almost see the fear each time he tried to work up the courage to say something. I was just as scared, had been since the day I stumbled on the pregnancy test Max had hidden away.
I’d had one son already, and he’d been taken away
