Chapter 12 – Riley Thomas
Riley Thomas
"Y ou're a pretty little thing, aren't you?" the man closest to me asks, staring up at me with a leer. He smells like sweat and sour fish. Not a very appealing combination.
The other men at the table chuckle and smirk.
"What can I get you guys?" I ask, giving him an uneasy smile.
The men are all in their late twenties or early thirties. They're all dirty like they've had a hard day of work. One of the men takes pity on me as my eyes dart around.
They place their drink orders and I head back to the bar. I shove the ticket at Jasper.
Jasper shoots me a killer smile in return. My stomach does a crazy little flip at that grin on his incredibly handsome face.
Jasper Cleary is handsome and well put together. He never wears the polo shirt the rest of us are required to wear. He's an enigma. He's been friendly enough, teaching me a few things here or there, but I'm here to work not to get to know my co-workers.
Nash's isn't packed, but it is busier than normal. The room is filled with conversation and the smell of food cooking. The evenings are the busiest part of the day, drawing a large crowd most nights, but Fridays are the worst.
The economy of the island is pretty clear. There's a large processing plant and the workers come in pretty steadily from five p.m. until closing. The fishermen who work the docks and on the boats come in quite frequently as well.
Jasper glances down at the ticket and nods. He heads off to pour the drinks and I gather the water and sodas.
Jasper swaggers back, his long floppy black hair falls in his face. He sets the last of the glasses on my tray and I head back to the rowdy table. I've worked a few shifts over the last week or two, but tonight is my first night completely alone without shadowing anyone.
I deliver the drinks and take the guys' food orders. Checking in with my other tables, I circle back around to the kitchen. Jasper grins at me across the room, shooting me a wink. I roll my eyes and get back to work.
* * *
The night passes quickly, but my table of rowdy men do not leave after their meal. Instead, they stick around, drinking and talking.
"We're about to close," I let them know several hours later. "Would you guys like separate tickets or one all together?"
They go back and forth among themselves. A warm hand grips my ass and squeezes.
"I'd like to take you home," the ogre from earlier comments as he squeezes my ass. "Fuck, you're an omega. Never fucked one of you before.”
"Let me go," I hiss, slapping his hand. "You're not starting with me."
A strong warm body presses against my back.
"Do you want me to break your goddamn hand?" Killian growls. His woodsy scent wraps around me as he yanks the man's hand off my ass. Stepping between me and the drunk fisherman, Killian growls low and feral.
"What the fuck happened?" Jasper asks, arriving at my side a moment later. He studies my face.
"N-Nothing," I say, shaking my head. "A misunderstanding. No problem."
Damn, I hate that. Stuttering is not a common trait among omegas, but it's common for me when I'm anxious or stressed.
"Don't lie to me," Jasper says, pulling me a few feet away. "I'm meant to look out for you when you're on the floor."
Killian rumbles something too quietly for me to hear. All the men at the table pull out their wallets. They quickly drop cash and haul ass out of the restaurant.
"He grabbed me," I whisper. "I was going to handle it."
Jasper's strong jaw clenches. "Anything else?"
I shake my head. Omegas hear sexual comments all the time. It's nothing new. It's far from the worst I've heard.
"What are you doing here?" I ask, frowning over at Killian.
"Cannon has inventory tonight. He asked me to pick you up." Killian prowls closer like a predator. He bares his teeth at Jasper.
Jasper frowns, but tosses his palms up and backs away.
Killian runs his hands over my arms. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I grumble, batting away his hands.
Killian huffs. "Don't like anyone touching you without permission."
Grinning, I shake my head. Killian is a good man. I refuse to point out that he's very much still touching me without permission. To be fair, if he asked I'd give consent. Killian might be a damn giant, but he's been nothing short of tender and kind to me.
"I have to clean up my tables and cash out," I tell him, blinking up at him under my lashes.
"No rush," Killian says, nodding. "Need to talk to Cannon anyway."
* * *
"Riley, listen to me," Mr. McAnders says.
He's already gone over a few things, but it sounds like he's getting to the heart of the matter.
"Nothing in that paperwork guarantees Northbrook won't change his mind down the line.
He hasn't signed away his rights. Essentially those papers and that check at least legally speaking are intended to buy your silence. "
"Okay, I'm with you so far."
"His name isn't on either birth certificate?" McAnders asks.
"No."
"Okay, that's a start. Do you have a will? Something in place that says who will care for the children if something were to happen to you?"
"No," I whisper, swallowing thickly. What a way to wake up. I was getting some much-needed sleep when my phone woke me.
"Alright," McAnders says. "Let's set that up. Are you in a relationship?"
"I don't have anyone who I'd want to take my kids," I say.
"Okay, we'll focus on that later. Do you have a pack? One that intends to court? Anything like that?" McAnders asks.
"No, I don't." I climb out of bed and stumble over to the desk.
"That's unfortunate. Considering he's not on the birth certificate it's the best course of action. When the family pack laws went into place a few years ago it changed a few of the laws. Families with pack status are protected and recognized as parents." He pauses. "Let me clarify that…"
He goes on to explain how the family pack laws protect all pack members, essentially giving each member equal parental rights to all existing children or children born into the pack. It's extremely rare for a pack to dissolve, but on rare occasions it has happened.
The new laws ensure no child will ever be kept away from a parental figure who has raised them, but doesn't happen to share DNA.
Some packs are very careful about knowing which members fathered each child and others don't want to know.
It also gives the pack as a whole the right to immediately continue caring for the child if something happens to the mother.
My non-existent pack would be granted custody of my girls if something happened to me.
Jeremy could theoretically sue for custody, but due to his abandoning the kids it's unlikely a judge would remove them completely from a family pack to award custody based solely on biology.
Possibly visitation, but he'd be unlikely to push the issue especially since it would be a production in the court system drawing even more attention to the whole situation.
"That's lovely information to have," I say with a sigh. "But I don't have a pack."
"Have you considered applying to be matched to one?" McAnders asks.
"No, honestly it's the last thing on my mind," I tell him truthfully.
"I know I'm going to sound like a pushy old man here, but Riley, I do think it's your best option," he says, clearing his throat. If he wasn't like seventy years old I'd be a little concerned about what he's going to say next. His tone is strained.
"Your daughter is what, three months old?
My wife gave our pack four children. Her heats returned after as soon as three months and no longer than a year after giving birth.
I won't say more. I'm sure you understand my meaning.
I don't want to upset you, but it's something you'll have to decide upon soon. " McAnders clears his throat again.
My face is flaming hot. The old man sounds as desperate to end this uncomfortable conversation as I am.
I thank him and we agree to touch base soon. I rest my head on the desk and struggle not to break down into tears.
"Mommy is you okay?" Cove asks, popping up at my side. She's adorable and sleepy looking.
"I'm good cutie. I think I need a hug," I say, lifting her into my arms.
"I can do that!" Cove grins. She gives the best whole body hugs.
It's impossible to say with any certainty at this age, but I think Cove is going to be an omega.
She's always been intuitive to emotions which is something I remember being able to sense from a young age.
I could always tell when someone was angry or anxious.
Almost like their emotions bled into me.
Most of the time, I don't hate being an omega. It's just a part of who I am. Other times it's hard not to wish I could be a beta. I'd have confidence in my ability to always take care of my girls.
Omegas who try to ride out a heat without alphas are in for a world of pain and agony. Heats cause a hazy film to fall over everything. Omegas lose time. Being completely lost to the fog is the scariest thought of all.
Not just because terrible things can happen if you don't keep your guard up… but because I'm alone in the world with two kids counting on me to be coherent and present.
I've avoided drugs and alcohol my whole life. I'm terribly afraid to end up like my mother and brother. Yet, I'm still a risk. If I'm out of my mind in the middle of a heat, then who will care for my girls?
* * *
"Where are we headed?" Killian asks, twisting to look at me across the bench of the truck. Digging the paper out of my purse, I hand it over. He doesn't say anything. He gives me a nod and puts the truck in gear.
Cannon and Finn brought a huge truck and within two hours, the three guys had my storage unit empty and the truck full.
The backseat of Killian's truck is loaded with bins of mine and the girl's clothes.
The drive is a quick trip across town. Killian pulls into the office parking lot and gives me a serious frown. He parks and unbuckles.
"I'll come around and help you. It's icy out there," he says, before climbing out of the truck.
He stomps around the vehicle and yanks open the door. His hands meet my waist, and he pulls me down into his chest.
My breath catches as I take in his deep woodsy scent. My knees clench together, and I take a deep breath to get ahold of myself.
"Want me to come in or wait outside?" Killian asks, studying my face.
"Either one," I whisper. "Whatever is easiest for you."
"I'll walk you in," Killian rumbles. "If I get bored I might come back out. I won't leave you."
My hand finds his and I give it a quick squeeze. "I know you won't."
Killian's warmth frames my back as we head inside.
That admission took a lot out of me. It's hard to admit that in the short time I've known him, I've started to trust him.
He's not sneaky or conniving. If he says he'll do something, then he does it.
The big guy might not be as devastatingly handsome as Jeremy, but Jeremy's good looks were a trap anyway.
Killian is handsome on the inside. His actions, the way he treats me and the girls, the comfortable safe feeling I get whenever I'm around him? That's everything. If only I'd been smart enough to know to look for those traits earlier in life, then everything could be different.