Chapter 5
Oliver
Icould hardly believe it. Brinden said yes, and he’d seemed delighted that I’d asked. I had a date with the gorgeous Omega. Now I just had to worry about not screwing it up somehow.
My phone chimed at ten till four, making my heart leap and my stomach drop all at once. I closed my eyes, counted to ten, then grabbed my cell off the coffee table. Sure enough, Brinden’s name popped up with a big blue B.
Hi?
I grinned. Hey, what’s up? All the kiddos get home okay?
Yep. My BFF grilled me on you, tho lol. She told me to tell you that she’ll castrate you if anything happens to me on Fri. He sent a laughing emoji, then a sweating one. Not that I’m worried or anything!
Good, I replied back. You shouldn’t be. I’ll keep that in mind. Kind of need my nuts to have a family, right? Ha!
Right? Um if it’s cool, maybe we could text for a couple of days? Get to know each other a little better? I mean, it would be easier for me, I guess? Sorry.
Don’t be sorry. I’d like that. We can talk about anything you want. If you have any questions, consider me an open book. Oliver Dault, at your service.
From that point on, our text thread was a never-ending stream of conversation.
I learned things about Brinden that I never would’ve guessed.
He was allergic to shellfish, of all things, which made me happy that I’d asked him out to a steakhouse and not seafood.
He also was afraid of the dark, and his favorite past-time was swimming laps around the lake with his friend Jillian.
By Thursday night, I was itching to see him again, or at the very least, hear his voice.
This was crazy. I had never been this obsessed with a guy before, not even when I was a teenager.
Everything about Brinden made my blood hum and my soul sing, and before I could stop myself, I was pushing the call button.
The phone rang twice before a nervous Brinden answered, “Hello?”
“Hey. Is this alright? I just… Thought maybe we could chat until bedtime?”
His soft laugh made my guts twist themselves into knots. “Um. Sure, that’s cool. Anything in particular you wanted to talk about?”
I smiled and flopped back into my chair. “Doesn’t matter. This is kind of corny, but I just wanted to hear your voice. Is that cool?”
“Yeah. Yeah, that’s cool. You wanna hear about what happened at work today? We had a glitter-splosion…” He continued to chatter and for once in a long time, my heart fell full.
This could turn into something nice, I just had a feeling.
Friday evening couldn’t get here fast enough. I dragged myself through the mindless monotony of work, sending off text messages to Brinden when no one was paying attention, and honestly, it was the only thing keeping me going.
By the time I picked him up, my excitement had fizzled into nerves. Brinden looked adorable in a pair of maroon corduroy jeans and a ivory sweater that looked like it’d be soft as hell. Of course, I had to reach out and brush my fingers over the material. Our eyes met and we both smiled.
“Ready?” I asked, and he blushed.
“Ready.”
As we sat down at the table for two, I could tell Brinden was nervous, but then again, so was I. We made small-talk while waiting for someone to take our orders.
“Do you know what you want?” I asked, idly flipping through the menu.
“Mmm, steak. I love steak.” He wiggled in his seat. “I guess I was kind of spoiled as a kid. My father loved to grill. Didn’t matter what it was, he could turn any cut of meat into something amazing.” His smile faltered, though.
“You and your dad…”
He shrugged. “Both he and my stepmom disowned me when I came out. They didn’t really want an Omega son to begin with, let alone a gay one, so I moved out the day I turned eighteen and I haven’t seen them since.”
“Wow. I’m sorry. That’s rough.”
“It is what it is,” he said. “Coming here was kind of cathartic, in a way, knowing I’ll never run into them on the streets or anything. It really does feel like a brand new beginning.”
“I get it. My dad wasn’t too happy when I came out, either.
We had a rough couple of years, but when I stopped coming home for the holidays, I guess he realized he needed to pull his head out from up his ass, or else he’d lose the only family he had left.
We reconciled things, and now he’s constantly nagging me about grandbabies. ” I rolled my eyes.
Brin’s gaze darted to mine. “Do you want kids?”
“Up until recently, that answer would’ve been a resounding no, but…
After Kennedy was born, things changed. I’ll admit, I fell head over heels for that little girl and I’d give her the entire world, if she simply just asked.
I love her.” I swallowed. “And I’ll love her little brother just as much. Maybe even more so.”
He looked at me quizzically. “Why’s that?”
“Mac is sterile. He can’t have children of his own, so… I offered to be their donor.” I hesitated, waiting for the shock to register on Brinden’s handsome face. He only smiled, his eyes going soft.
“That is such a wholesome thing to do.”
“Yeah, and I don’t think Nathaniel plans on stopping at two.” I chuckled. “That boy is baby-crazy, but I’m happy to help. They’re amazing parents, if you couldn’t already tell from miss Kennedy.”
“She’s wonderful,” he agreed. “So maybe someday, on the kids.”
I grinned. “Depends on what my Omega wants. If he wants kids, then we’ll have kids.” And just as I expected, Brinden flushed pink and busied himself with the menu.
As it turned out, talking to this Omega was so easy, by the end of the night, it felt almost like I’d known him forever—and I wanted more.
“Would you like some dessert?” asked the waiter, handing me a small, glossy-paged menu that showcased their finest delectables. Molten brownies oozing with fudge. Apple pie a la mode. Some sort of key lime custard topped with whipped cream. It all looked delicious.
I glanced up to see Brinden gazing longingly at the picture of the raspberry-swirled cheesecake. Bingo. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from grinning.
“Cheesecake?”
“Oh, I… I don’t know,” he mumbled, blushing. “I’m pretty full.”
I wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily. Besides, I wanted dessert. “We could share a piece? Looks pretty rich, but between you and me? Cheesecake is weakness of mine. We’ve gotta try it. Raspberries are healthy, right?” I nodded to the waiter. “One slice, please.”
“Sure thing, sir.”
Brinden picked at the corner of his napkin, his cheeks still pink. “I really shouldn’t indulge. I’ve eaten far too much already.”
I leaned forwards and placed my hand over his. His head snapped up, those dark eyes going wide with surprise. “Please, indulge,” I murmured. “I like it when you smile. Besides, a couple of bites won’t hurt.”
“I don’t know, I—”
“Brin, I know what you’re going to say, but please. Remember that Bruno Mars song from a few years ago?” I drummed up the melody and softly sang, “Because you’re amazing, just the way you are.” It was probably off-key and out of tune, but Brinden’s eyes teared up nonetheless. “I mean it.”
“Th-Thank you. I’m sorry, I’m a mess.” His giggle was soft as he dabbed at his eyes with the napkin, then took in a shaky breath. “You’re so sweet.”
“I’m being honest,” I said. “Besides, you only live once. What’s a little cheesecake?”
To my delight, when the waiter came back with our dessert, creamy and marbled with red raspberry, Brinden took the first bite. He closed his lips around the fork and his soft moan of pleasure sent shivers coursing down my spine. Shit.
“Good?” I asked, my voice thick all of a sudden.
He blushed and nodded, but his smile remained true. “Try it. It’s amazing, oh my gosh.”
It was amazing, but nothing was as amazing as seeing this wonderful young Omega completely lose himself to the simple pleasures food could bring. We shared the slice of cheesecake with soft mmm’s of appreciation, and by the time the waiter came back with the tab, I was on cloud nine.
“This was wonderful, Oliver,” Brinden said as we walked down the front steps and out into the chilly night. “Tonight was wonderful. Thank you. So much.”
“Thank you for saying yes.” Taking a chance, I caught Brinden’s hand in mine, and when he gazed at me, I gave his fingers a gentle squeeze. “I mean it. This was kind of the best date I’ve been on in well…ever, if we’re being honest. I had fun. I’d like to see you again, if you’re interested.”
“Really?”
“Really,” I said solemnly, and we held hands all the way out to his car, where I bid him a goodnight. I reluctantly let his hand go, then tucked mine into my pockets as I backed towards my own vehicle. “Text me?”
“Definitely.”
I drove home, smiling all the way.