Lolo hummed. “The grief will lessen. Fade into something different. Your life hasn’t ended. You’re only thirty. There are still good things in store for you with your sons, Felton’s, and maybe more…someday.”
Calder appreciated that Lolo didn’t state outright what he was implying, that Calder could find another omega to love. He was surprised at the number of people who had said something similar, even before Denni passed.
Calder did not bother to correct Lolo’s insinuation, but he knew the truth. No other omega would find a place in his heart.
Because he had just buried his heart in the ground.
Chapter Thirteen
Valentin
Valentin stalked to the staff parking area with his hands in his pockets. It had been nearly a month since Zeller’s heat and over three weeks since their last furtive conversation.
Two days after Zeller spoke with his parents, he’d snuck outside and told Valentin that Keyes and Deveron were taking a wait-and-see approach, that they didn’t want to get ahead of themselves until they knew if the pregnancy had taken. For now, he was going to abide by his fathers’ directive and keep his distance, to prevent antagonizing them.
Antoni had successfully convinced the staff that there had been a maintenance issue at the house, so no one else was aware that Valentin had spent those three days with Zeller. The Parkensons took away Zeller’s phone under the guise of helping him avoid temptation, to ensure no suspicions were raised.
Valentin had accepted this reasoning, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew Keyes and Deveron were trying to drive a wedge between him and their son.
With the excuse of maintaining Zeller’s status as a desirable omega partner, they had declared that he shouldn’t be alone with any alphas other than his father and his brother Jem, lest there be any accusations of impropriety. The extent to which the Parkensons adhered to old societal structures disturbed Valentin and reinforced his fear that they would never view him as an appropriate husband for their son.
Although Antoni had been their ally, the rest of the staff were afraid of Keyes’s authority and would not risk upsetting him. There was no chance Valentin and Zeller could be alone together with everyone on the estate reporting it.
It had been a frustrating month of viewing Zeller from afar. Valentin wanted to take his omega in his arms and kiss him, caress his belly and whisper how much he loved him and their baby—he just knew Zeller was pregnant!—but he settled for waves and longing glances.
In the nine months since Valentin had come to the estate, he’d had few interactions with the Parkensons. Antoni gave him his directions. But now, he felt their eyes on him. Working in the garage last week, he looked up to see Deveron staring at him from the doorway. Their gazes had locked briefly and then the omega shuffled away, although not before Valentin caught the sadness in his features.
Kicking the dirt, he reached for his car door handle, anticipating another lonely night watching TV with Decoy.
“Valentin!”
He recognized that brusque, haughty tone. He turned to find Keyes trailing him, Antoni in his wake.
“Mr. Parkenson,” he said with as much deference as he could muster.
They faced each other.
The older man towered above Valentin, who was muscular but on the small side for an alpha. Keyes wore an immaculate darksuit with a crisp button-down underneath. Valentin was aware of his own dirty jeans and stained white T-shirt, muddied after a day spent repairing gutters.
Keyes cleared his throat. Based on his expression, he wanted to discuss something more serious than the estate’s maintenance. “Yes, ahem…well…”
This was awkward. But long overdue. Valentin had complied with Zeller’s wishes by not seeking out the Parkensons, but it had been a month with no resolution. This powerful alpha knew Valentin had serviced his son’s heat, possibly impregnated him. It was past time they discussed it.
Valentin addressed the matter directly. “Mr. Parkenson,” he said steadily, “Zeller told me you and your husband wanted time to think about…everything that happened. I hope you don’t take my not coming to you immediately as a sign that I’m not committed to your son.”
Keyes raised a hand. “No need to explain, Valentin. Deveron and I are aware of how thorny this situation is, and we appreciate your patience in not insisting on seeing Zeller. You are correct that we had a lot to process.”
His words were neutral enough, but there was something in his manner that put Valentin on edge. He tried to make eye contact with Antoni, but the butler cast his eyes downward.
Unnerved, Valentin cut to the point again. “Did you want to talk about Zeller? About us getting married?”
Keyes pinched the bridge of his nose. “Married? My son is eighteen and you’re nineteen. You really think you’re ready for that?”
“Yes,” Valentin stated confidently. “I love him. I understand we’re young, but he’s it for me. We’re meant to be together.”
“Mm…he said much the same. But everyone feels that way at your age.”
Valentin bit his lip. “You know it’s not only that, right? I don’t want to marry him just because I love him, but also because we might be…expecting?”
