Twenty-Six – Morgan
Twenty-Six
Morgan
T he udon restaurant wasn’t much to write home about, a few wobbly tables and a dozen booths, all leftovers from its prior life as a taqueria, with some low-res photos on the wall. But the flavors were beautiful—and it was warm inside—which I greatly appreciated after a chilly afternoon spent on the sidelines.
Christine leaned back in the booth, running her fingers through her platinum blonde pixie cut. Her brown roots were showing, and she’d lost some weight since I’d last seen her, but she still radiated her usual cheer and determination.
“Okay, you’ve talked me off the ledge. Knew you were the right person to ask.”
“Fellowships are competitive,” I said, poking at the remnants of my spicy beef udon, wishing I still had one more bite. Neither of us had eaten much today. We’d devoured our food in record time. “But that’s not a good reason to play it safe. Rank the program you want first. It’ll work out.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“Northport wasn’t my first choice.”
Christine’s eyes widened. “What? It’s the best sports medicine fellowship in the state!”
“But Garroway Forest has the better program for omega athletes.”
“Oh,” Christine said, tilting her head in that slightly uncomfortable way she always did when reminded that I wasn’t a beta.
Most people at the children’s hospital found my designation confusing. What kind of omega only takes one heat leave in three years?
“I guess that makes sense. Rank the program that fits your goals best first.” Christine fussed with her chopsticks. “Is Garroway Forest hiring?”
“Not that I know of. But I’m keeping them, and a few other schools, on my radar.”
“I still think you’ll get the Northport job.”
“We’ll see.”
“You could always come back to the hospital. It’d make Lambert and Romero’s year.”
I sifted through my patchy mental roster from the children’s hospital. Lambert was in emergency medicine, or was that Romero? One of them was an oncologist. Maybe. Clearly, neither one had left a memorable impression.
“Why?”
“Because,” Christine said, looking at me like the answer was obvious, “they were halfway in love with you.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
She didn’t need to know how quickly men lost interest when they realized my so-called distant allure was me focusing on one thing at a time to cope with my short-term memory issues. They were rarely, if ever, my singular focus.
“And it looks like they aren’t the only ones.” Christine nodded toward the takeout counter at the front of the restaurant.
Against my better judgment, I turned, expecting to see some random man who was minding his own business. Instead, I locked eyes with Joaquin Toledano, clad in a black leather jacket and slim jeans that showed his long legs to their best advantage.
And then the asshole winked at me.
“That,” I said, setting my napkin on the table and avoiding Christine’s gaze as I shattered her overly complimentary assumptions about my romantic prospects, “is my neighbor.”
Her brows shot up. “Damn. Karma’s really trying to make things up to you, huh?”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Redirecting the conversation back to fellowship applications seemed like the smart move, but a small part of me wanted to point out that Joaquin was bonded—and his mate was an absolute gem, someone I’d never dream of hurting.
And I tended to hurt my prospective partners.
See Exhibit A: Wyatt.
Oh, and the recently unveiled Exhibit B: Cal.
Thankfully, a text from Piper arrived just as the silence between us verged on awkward.
“My ride’s almost here,” I said, sliding toward the edge of the bench.
Christine grabbed her coat and got to her feet, pulling me into a brief but genuine hug. “We should do this again soon.”
“Yeah, that’d be nice.”
We exchanged a few more pleasantries as we headed out the side exit, putting as much space as possible between me and Joaquin.
The rain had stopped, but fog obscured the bridge and southern riverbank—as if to erase its recent resurgence. On our way to the parking lot, I avoided shallow puddles, glimmering with the amber glow of streetlights, glancing over my shoulder every few steps.
Despite the damp chill in the air, the back of my neck prickled with heat. The telltale sign of being watched.
No sooner had I waved goodbye to Christine than Joaquin sidled up, wearing a languid smirk.
“Hiya, doc. We’ve got to stop meeting like this… Unless you’re ready to take me up on that meal offer?”
“Have you talked to Alijah?” I countered, stepping under the streetlight so Kelsey would spot me as soon as she arrived.
A shadow of concern flickered in Joaquin’s eyes, making them look almost as dark as his mate’s. “Something did happen at the game.”
I nodded. “Owen and Cal were there as well.”
And just like that, we understood one another perfectly. Joaquin wouldn’t push for details, and I wouldn’t reveal any of Alijah’s business. We didn’t need to. We both cared about him. That was enough.
Kelsey’s electric blue hatchback pulled in. As the headlights illuminated Joaquin’s tall figure beside me, it slowed to a crawl. I suddenly remembered that Kelsey had never seen Joaquin before.
Shit. I should’ve texted a warning.
A pair of heads popped up between the front seats—Piper and Rory. As Piper waved enthusiastically at Joaquin, she said something to reassure Kelsey that I wasn’t in danger.
“You expecting them?” Joaquin asked, subtly stepping between me and the car as if ready to get physical on my behalf.
Oh, now I got it.
Joaquin’s oddly compelling looks might have tempted Alijah, but his street smarts and scrappy dominance sealed the deal. Knowing someone had your back—no matter what—went a long way toward trusting them with your heart.
“They’re my siblings,” I said, summoning my soothing bedside manner for a second member of Pack Redmond today. “My ride home. ”
Kelsey pulled to a stop next to us, her expression polite but wary. A sharp contrast to Piper, practically hanging out of the rear window, beaming at Joaquin.
“What are you doing here?” Piper’s smile didn’t falter, even as Rory tried to worm his way into the window, too, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.
“Picking up dinner for the pack,” Joaquin said, raising two overladen takeout bags. His rakish gaze slid to me, his voice laced with playful curiosity. “You’ve been holding out on me, doc. Where’d all these siblings come from?”
“Oh, there’s plenty more of us,” Piper chimed in, “but only the best moved to Northport. Kelsey’s driving.” Her grin grew downright maniacal as she squeezed our brother’s cheeks. “And this is Rory, our precious baby.”
Joaquin gave me a puzzled look. “How many?”
“Seven.”
“Huh. I thought it’d just be you and Piper, even though you could pass for an only—”
“Goodnight,” I interrupted, cutting him off before he could finish telling me I was too independent for my own good.
After sliding into the passenger seat and buckling in, I caught Kelsey’s arched brow, a simple gesture packed with a litany of unspoken questions. A single nod was enough to reassure her.
An unexpected encounter with an alpha could go wrong in so many ways. I knew Kelsey had been frantically calculating how to keep two unmated omegas and an overly friendly beta safe if things went south. Just one more responsibility my younger sister shouldered without complaint, a burden she didn’t deserve but carried anyway.
“Nice to meet you,” Kelsey said, pressing the control button to raise the rear window and nudging Piper back into the car.
“See you Monday, Joaquin!” Piper called, undeterred, pulling her waggling fingers inside before the glass could catch them.
Kelsey drove off at a moderate pace—though just fast enough to hint at lingering adrenaline.
My poor car remained behind, parked forlornly in the far corner. A temporary sacrifice to appease my encroaching migraine. Hopefully, we’d be reunited in the morning.
“Thanks for picking me up. I started getting an aura when we sat down.” I slid lower in my seat, digging a finger into the pressure point between my brows. “And sorry about that. I wasn’t thinking.”
“It’s okay. Just not used to seeing you with an alpha.” Kelsey turned toward the expressway.
“You don’t need to worry about Joaquin, Kels,” Piper said, twisting her long legs into impossible shapes in the back seat. Despite all our physical similarities, our definitions of comfort couldn’t be further apart. “He’s the best. I think he’s got two or three little sisters. At least one’s an omega, so he gets it.”
A pair of solid arms wrapped around my shoulders from behind. Rory leaned forward, rubbing our cheeks together. “Every time I see you lately, a handsome guy’s hanging around. Teach me your ways.”
“It’s simple,” I said flatly. “Sign a legally binding agreement forbidding you from having undocumented romantic relationships with co-workers. Total man magnet.”
“No,” he gasped, pulling back to stare at me in abject horror.
Kelsey flashed a cynical smile in the rearview mirror. “Sad but true.”
She merged into traffic, heading for the bridge.
“Ick.” Piper gathered her long brunette hair into a ponytail and grimaced. “Where’s the fun in that?”
“Hell if I know,” I muttered.
Rory gave my cheek a steady stream of comforting nuzzles, and my eyes drifted shut.
Fifteen minutes, I promised myself. Just hang on for fifteen more minutes.
Then, I could collapse into a pile of frayed nerves until tomorrow afternoon—or at least until the cats demanded affection. Or Jacobi called.
Whichever came first.