Chapter 4
Brinden
I’d always been the “awkward” kid. Awkward at school, awkward at making friends and especially awkward when it came to love. It took me awhile to warm up to someone, let alone jump into bed with them after a couple drinks. Sure, I could do it, but it wasn’t really enjoyable for me.
I always got so nervous being naked around Alphas, self-conscious of my body, which was too soft all the way around.
I’d struggled with my weight since middle school and I’d been relentlessly bullied for it.
Try as I might to put the past behind me, every time I attempted to date someone, it always ended with me being uncomfortable and blowing it.
Yet, I couldn’t stop thinking about the handsome Alpha who’d come into my daycare to pick up his goddaughter. He’d been shaken up, but we had definitely shared a moment…right before I screwed everything up and shut down on him. I was still kicking myself for that one.
Why couldn’t an Alpha like that exist in my life?
I wanted a mate, a doting and loyal Alpha of my own.
A man who would happily get down on one knee and marry me.
I didn’t expect diamonds. My man could propose with a Ring Pop and I’d be the happiest Omega in the world.
I wanted a family. I wanted kids of my own.
I wanted them so damn badly. How many more failed attempts would it take before I found The One?
And why couldn’t I get Oliver Dault out of my freaking head?
“There’s a Valentine’s Day dance coming up, you know?” my bestie Jillian announced one crisp early-February afternoon. We sat cross-legged on the floor with the kids, doing some crafts with the new paints I’d purchased.
They were so pretty, a pastel rainbow of watercolors—perfect for Valentine’s.
I’d walked past them at the store and just couldn’t help myself.
I’d even bought some new brushes to go along with it, and Jillian and I had chewed through nearly an entire printer’s worth of ink printing out cute pictures for the kids to paint.
I groaned. “No thanks.”
She pouted out her bottom lip. “You haven’t even heard what I was gonna say!”
“Yeah, but I know you, Jilly. You’re gonna wanna set me up on some dumb blind date, then cross your fingers and wish for the best, but let’s face it.
I’m hopelessly single. Every Valentine’s Day has come and gone without so much as a kiss or a card, or even a single heart-shaped lollipop.
” I heaved a sigh. “This one’s not gonna be any different, I promise you. ”
I heard the familiar jingling of bells at the front door.
Since I had a lapful of toddlers, Jillian jumped up.
“I’ll get it,” she chirped, scurrying off towards the front of the building.
A few moments later, I heard her chattering away at the unlucky visitor.
I couldn’t help but grin. I loved her to death, but Jillian was a talker.
It didn’t matter if you were a friend or a complete stranger at the grocery store, she’d chat your ear off if you let her.
To my surprise, she came prancing back with a big, dopey grin on her face. “Um, Brin? It’s for you.” She widened her eyes and bit her lip, like she’d just been let in on the biggest secret of the century and she was dying to tell me.
I groaned again, softer now. Whoever it was, it had Jillian’s g-string in a twist. I handed her Chuckie, who squalled because he dropped his favorite red paintbrush, then hauled myself to my feet.
My knees popped in protest when I stood.
Man, I was only thirty but it seemed like I had the joints of an old man. Maybe I really should join the gym…
“Welcome to Over The Rainbow. How can I…” My sentence trailed into nothingness as I realized who was standing there, waiting for me with a small smile on his face.
And, like the awkward idiot I was, I stared.
“Um. Hi, Oliver. Are you here for Kennedy?” I glanced up at the clock. It was only half-past two.
“Actually, I—”
“Uncie Ollie! Looky what I made!” Kennedy ran up to us, grinning from ear to ear.
There was purple paint smudged on her cheek and dried in her hair, and her lips were chalky, like she’d been eating the candy hearts instead of using them for arts and crafts.
Her sneakers lit up with every step she took, and she did a little twirl. “I made Daddy a card!”
Oliver glanced at me, as if asking permission to follow his goddaughter and I figured, why not? With a shrug, the two of us walked back over to where a couple of the kids were painting. Kennedy crawled back into her seat and pointed at the piece of construction paper she’d been working on.
It was a heart made out of candy hearts, you know, the ones with the little sayings on them like “Kiss Me” or “Txt Me.” They were glued onto the page in a jagged line, with a smudged purple handprint right in the center.
“Wow, peanut-butt. It looks so good! You did a great job.” Oliver’s grin was so damn genuine, I might’ve swooned. He met my eye, a twinkle in his. “This is a really cute idea, Brinden. Where’d you come up with this?”
I shrugged. “Pinterest, mostly.”
“Well, it’s awesome. Keep it up. I know Mac’s gonna flip his lid when he sees how creative his little girl is.” He chuckled and gave Kennedy’s dark pigtails a little ruffle. She squeaked at him, then grabbed another piece of paper and began meticulously creating her next work of art.
Oliver stepped away to give her some space.
“Listen, I won’t keep you. You seem to be having a party in here, and I’m not one to disturb budding artists.
You never know, one of these munchkins might end up a famous painter or something.
” He grinned. “I’ve got bets on Kennedy, but then again, I am kind of biased. ”
I giggled. “Hard not to be biased when it comes to family, huh?”
His lips curved into a smile. “Definitely.”
“So…” I linked my fingers together in front of my belly, then thought better of it and stuffed my hands in my pockets. “Why are you here?”
“For you,” he said softly, and I gasped.
What? He looked down for a moment, then took a deep breath.
“This is gonna sound…okay, probably a little crazy, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.
Mac and Nathaniel gave me a gift card to Riley’s Steakhouse and I…
was hoping maybe you’d want to go to dinner with me sometime? ” He hesitated. “Maybe Friday?”
I blinked at him, stunned to silence. My mouth hung agape like the giant idiot I was, but my heart was doing an Irish jig in my chest and the butterflies in my stomach had taken flight.
“I… Wow, um. I don’t even know what to say,” I mumbled. Biting my lip, I studied his face for any sort of clue, but all I saw was hope. He wanted to take me out? Me?
“How about yes?” he offered, and it dawned on me that this Alpha was nervous.
Clapping my hand over my mouth to stifle a slightly hysterical giggle, I nodded. “Yeah, I… That sounds really nice. Are you sure? I mean…” I glanced down at myself, all of myself, that old judgment creeping back in.
Oliver stepped into my space and with two fingers curled beneath my chin, he gently tipped my face back up to his.
“I’m sure, Brinden. I promise. I want to get to know you, if that’s okay, and I thought maybe a nice dinner would break the ice?
It doesn’t have to be a date if you’re not comfortable—”
“No!” I gasped. “I… I’d really like it to be a date.”
His face broke out into a wide smile. “Great. Perfect. Let me give you my number, and you can text me later, if you want?” He nodded towards the clock. “After all the munchkins go home for the day.”
My heart racing a billion miles a minute, I quickly swapped numbers with him. As if he could sense my nerves, he winked at me and it utterly disarmed me.
“Text me,” he murmured, taking a step back towards the door, and all I could do was nod. With a little wave, the bells jingled his farewell and for several long minutes, I stood there in awe of what just happened.
“Brin?” called Jillian. “Everything okay?”
I grinned. I had a date with Oliver Dault.
Everything was perfect.