Not Many Options

Chapter 1 – Cannon Nash

Cannon Nash

"W hoever she's waiting on is a real dick," Savannah says, leaning a hip against the old wooden bar.

"Agreed," I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

The woman came in close to an hour ago. An adorable toddler sized mini-version on one hip and what my mom would call a "freshly newborn baby" in a carrier on the other. Initially, I thought she was a nanny. The poor woman was overloaded with kids and a diaper bag.

My sister in law, Savannah, said she's the mom. She overheard the toddler calling the woman mommy.

I stare shamelessly across the bar. Watching the too young to have two kids, mom trying to calm her fussy toddler. That child is overtired and in need of a nap. They're tucked away from most eyes in a circular booth in the back corner.

"I'm going in," I say, frowning at Savannah. "If she can't afford to eat, we'll comp it. That child is hungry and fussy."

"I've already offered," Savannah says, swiping a rag over the bar top. "She said they were fine. You're being too pushy again."

"Probably," I agree. I pull up the separator and head in the mom's direction.

Pushing through the door to the kitchen I circle through the busy prep-area and take the double doors to the dining room. The mom is no longer seated facing the entrance. While I was en route she scooted around the table and is now facing directly toward me.

My eyes lock on the pink-clad baby. The ferocious look on her face is adorable. Her chin wobbles like she might crank up the volume in the quiet restaurant. It's the dead part of the afternoon, a crying baby won't hurt anyone.

The tiny face shakes back and forth as she hungrily attacks the bottle.

I can't help it. I let out a low chuckle, my eyes still locked on the baby. Mom startles and her eyes pop up to meet mine. She glances down at the now content baby and back up to me. Her entire face flames with an unnecessary blush.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh…" I put my hands up placatingly. "It's just, I caught that face she made." I shrug. "Seriously, it reminded me of a wild animal attacking their prey. That vicious little head wobble..."

"That's not a animal. That's muh sister," the toddler declares, crossing her arms over her chest. "That's a bay-bee."

I laugh. Shit, she's one cute kid. Her that sounds more like dat and it's adorable.

"You're right," I tell the toddler. "My mistake."

"Alright," the little lady says, full of attitude. Her entire body gives a shrug. Blonde curls tumble around her shoulders, as she frowns at me. I've never seen so much personality in such a tiny body. Mom flashes a tired smile my way. The toddler adds, "I'm hungry."

"Now, there's something I can help with," I say, catching the mom's eyes. "Can I place an order for you? Refill your drinks?"

"Chicken tenders and fries?" the mom asks her daughter.

"And catch-sups." The toddler nods resting her head on her mom's free shoulder. "Lots of catch-sups."

I smile, asking what drinks need refilled. Circling back to fill their cups, mom has her head back against the booth and her eyes closed.

She looks exhausted. At first I think she's actually napping. When the baby fusses and grunts a bit, mom's left hand tenderly pats the baby's bottom cradling her to her chest. I sneak a glance at her finger. No engagement ring. No wedding ring.

The adorable toddler smiles at me as I replace her milk and mom's tea. That's when my nose catches her scent.

Good God. She's an unclaimed omega? A very young omega with two small children and no bond? That's fucking insane. Rarer than rare.

"Food will be up soon," I tell the mom as my eyes rake over her face.

She's got dark circles under her eyes and even though she's naturally a knockout, it's obvious she's run down.

"Thank you," she says. Her cheeks are pink as she glances away.

"I grabbed this. If she's allowed to snack while you wait?" I put down the small plate. It's a simple snack I make for my nieces and nephews when they come in. A few blocks of cheddar cheese, some soup crackers, carrots, and chunks of tomato with ranch dressing on the side.

"Yay! I love cheese!" the little lady says with more enthusiasm than I've felt about anything in years.

My nostrils flare as I breathe in the omegas scent. It's like whipped cream or vanilla cake. My mouth actually waters at the scent of this extremely potent omega.

"Yeah, thanks," Mom says, smiling as I head off.

She has a newborn baby. Shouldn't that gently change her scent for a while?

Apparently fucking not. I have to clench my fists at my sides and focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Everything in me wants to go back and bury my nose in her neck to get another whiff of that delicate sweet scent.

Making the rounds, I refill the old timers at the bar and deliver a few checks.

When their order comes up, I wrestle the chicken tenders away from Savannah.

She raises an eyebrow as I grab an extra plate.

I fill up a small salad bowl with ketchup and Sav chuckles.

She snorts a laugh from behind her hand and I get a little concerned.

It's a disturbing sound. Nothing good comes when my sister in law laughs like that.

The little lady lights up when she spots me. She bounces on her knees in the booth. Mom is burping the baby. I put the plate of food in front of mom, but situate the extra plate in front of the little one. She squeals with delight as she eyes the ketchup bowl.

In hindsight, I may have overdone the ketchup.

"You must have kids," Mom says, nodding at the ketchup monstrosity. "That way it's only one trip. No going back five times for refills."

I laugh. "No, no kids. Just a couple of nieces and nephews. My sister-in-law swore at this age," I nod towards the little miss, "they ate more ketchup than they did real food."

The pretty but tired mom laughs. It's a beautiful melodic sound that makes my chest tighten. That smile changes her entire face and I like it a little too much.

"That sounds about right," she says, then catches a small hand before she can shove a giant chicken tender in her mouth. "Let me put Lily down then I'll cut it up for you."

"I can put her in the carrier for you," I offer and wince. Savvy's right. I am a pushy fuck. I clear my throat. "If you'd like?"

She shakes her head no. "That's okay. Don't let us keep you," Mom says, handing her daughter a fry instead. "I'm used to handling them on my own."

I frown at that. "I don't mind. When my brother and sister-in-law's kids were young, they didn't get to eat with everyone else. Especially Savvy, she was so busy feeding the kids she didn't eat until they were done and half the time, she'd get so busy she didn't eat at all."

She doesn't respond, so I glance around. "It's not exactly packed. I own this place. I'm not going to grab your baby and run off. My mom's the notorious baby hog. Now if she was around-"

Shaking my head, I stare at the floor.

What the hell is wrong with me? Joking about kidnapping her baby?

I cringe, tossing my hands up in front of me. And yet, I can't stop talking. "That was awful. I'm sorry, bad joke. Listen, I'm Cannon Nash, I own this place but my sister-in-law Savannah is your server. She's going to take care of you from here and I'm going back over to the bar."

I turn to head toward the bar, but mom laughs softly.

"Cannon?" she asks.

"Yeah?" I ask, turning back to her.

"I didn't take it that way," she says, cradling the baby in her arms while leaning forward to chop the chicken tender into small pieces. "I'm not eating right now, but I really appreciate you offering."

"Mommy you ner-bus?" the little lady asks, frowning.

"Shush, no I'm fine. Just eat," Mom says, blanching.

Turning to me, she says, "Thanks again Cannon. I'm Riley, this is Lily." She nods down to the baby.

"This is Cove," she says, pushing the plate to the toddler.

"Nice to meet you," Cove says. She's chewing a mouth full of food.

"You too kiddo." I'm rewarded with a food filled smile. Which normally would make me cringe.

"If you need anything just let one of us know," I tell Riley, knocking my knuckles gently against the table and heading back to my post at the bar.

* * *

I officially qualify as a weirdo. My eyes haven't stopped migrating over to Riley and her girls. Cove ate and they waited.

The baby got fussy and the toddler got restless. They waited some more. Eventually, I sent Savannah on break. She asked them to take a walk outside with her. They did and then they came back and waited some more.

They're waiting on someone who doesn't give a fuck about their time. Leaving a young mom waiting for hours . The slow burning anger gets stronger the longer I work.

Afternoon rush has started. It's busier now, more people talking and someone turned on the old jukebox. Food comes out filling the air with the various smells of food and oil. Order after order and Riley and her girls still wait.

I fill drinks on autopilot and shamelessly watch the small family.

Alpha and omega relationships are complicated.

There's a distinct give and take on both sides.

My mom is an omega. I'm well aware of the overpowering urge to fix the problem whenever she's upset.

And my mom has my three dads ready and willing to help when she needs it.

Riley is alone. This isn't a bad area, but omegas, especially unclaimed omegas, are always at risk. It's a sad truth of our society. There are far more alphas than there are omegas. A few hundred years ago the birth rates for alphas and omegas were nearly equal. Or much closer to equal.

Nowadays? There are nearly eight alphas born to every omega. Alpha packs have become the norm over the last fifty years, but it's scary to think about what happens if the birth rate of omegas continues to decline so drastically.

The government hasn't crossed any lines yet, but alphas tend to go a little feral without an omega.

The animalistic side becomes a bit too prevalent in those alphas who don't have regular contact with an omega.

If alphas start going feral left and right, it's highly likely the Omega Protection Authority or OPA and the government will make that voluntary matching program a required thing after a certain age.

I'm jolted from my thoughts as a haggard-looking guy in a suit sits down at the bar. He shoves a file folder down on the bartop as he waves me over.

My eyes catch on the name Riley T. in black block letters across the top of the folder.

Who the hell is this guy? And what does he have to do with Riley?

"What can I get ya?" I ask, studying the older man.

He sighs, shaking his head. "Whiskey."

I grab him a glass, but my eyes stray to Riley. She's no longer alone with the kids.

A guy sits across from her. He's big. Not just tall, but wide with shoulders like a linebacker. He's a beast compared to the mom of two. He has shaggy blond hair peeking out from under a ball cap and his face is covered with a thick beard.

There is no way that guy is the same age as Riley. Not even within a couple of years. Nowhere near close enough in age to make it right. Blowing out a heavy breath, I clench my hands at my sides.

Cove, the toddler, stands on the bench seat leaning into the man. He's got a large forearm wrapped around her, but he doesn't look happy about it.

I pour the suit's drink and turn back, keeping an eye on the situation at the corner table.

"I told you…" the suit says into his phone. "I'll get it done, but this is it. I'm on retainer for corporate business only, Sam. This is not the kind of work I'm okay with doing."

He talks a while longer and I mostly tune him out. He hangs up as my eyes again search for Riley. She violently pushes a paper across the table. The man aggressively pushes it back.

DickFace, maybe Cove and Lily's dad, has an aggressive vibe that puts me on high alert. He's also paranoid. His eyes dart around the room. Riley frowns, swiping at her eyes like the tears falling are personally offending her. Yanking out his phone, DickFace types away.

The suit pops up from the bar, aiming for the table. I can't watch. It's too intimate, like I'm intruding on what is a horrible moment. My heart pounds and I have to fight the urge to go over there.

Fuck . I shake my head.

DickFace has no clue what a piece of shit he is leaving them waiting for hours… like his time is more valuable than hers.

I catch DickFace's back as he hauls ass out the door. Christ. He really is trash. Or maybe I'm completely wrong and he isn't their dad. Who fucking knows? But I think I'm right. He's definitely a useless piece of shit at the very least.

Even if he's not their father, he left them waiting way too long for me to have any respect for him.

I wave Savannah over and nod toward Riley.

"Yeah, I'm on it," Sav says, with a sad smile. "As soon as old and gray leaves."

I chat with Cathy, the bartender for the next shift. A few minutes later I catch Savannah with Cove on her hip and Riley's diaper bag over her shoulder.

"I'm walking them out," she tells me. Her eyes are trying to convey something, but whatever it is, I don't catch it. Riley bolts out the door shoving a stack of papers in her purse.

Savannah turns back to me. "Clear that table now and do it yourself," Sav hisses. Her eyes are huge.

What the hell is going on? I sigh.

"Alright, but Sav, give her your number in case she needs anything."

I wave goodbye to a much-subdued Cove, but when she sees me she gives a small wave and a tiny smile.

Shit .

My heart pounds violently. All from a half hearted smile from a tender-hearted little girl.

A few minutes later, I clear the almost empty table. I shove the two hundred-dollar bills into my back pocket intending to get it back to Riley if she comes back in. I comped her ticket hours ago.

It's when I see the folded piece of paper left near the napkins that my eyes bug out of my damn head. A check for four hundred thousand dollars made out to Riley Thomas.

The memo line says NO FURTHER CONTACT.

Jesus Christ.