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He gave me one final reassuring squeeze, stepping away as I gathered my strength and stepped toward the one woman who had always been mine. The one woman I’d lost and thought I’d never see again.
But here she was standing in front of me, and I wasn’t going to waste my second chance.
3
Summer
Ican’t do this.
The thought echoed in my mind on repeat as the edges of my vision began to grow blurry. I thought I’d have more time. I thought I’d be able to find him on my own terms once Theo and I had gotten settled.
The only thing stopping me from completely losing my shit right now was my son clinging to my arms and the incessant purr that was rattling out of Dean’s chest.
It was clear when Cole spoke my name that they’d all recognized it in some way or another, but I hadn’t been able to look away from the only man who’d ever held my heart.
It was only when the tears swam in my eyes and I couldn’t see him anymore that I realized Dean was trying to talk to me.
“It’s going to be okay, Summer. I swear I didn’t realize you werethatSummer. I would have never sprung this on you like this.”
“Mommy?”
I opened my mouth to reply but only a whimper escaped.
“Everyone take five steps back.” One of them spoke up. “Even you, sugar lips, take that sexy little purr over there and stop crowding her.”
Dean’s orange pekoe tea scent faded, this time replaced by more of the sweet lemon scent that clung to him.
His omega. His omega who, now that I could smell in his entirety, I realized I was scent-matched to as well.
“I’ve got a clean rag for your eyes, Sunshine,” he told me, his voice light like liquid silk. “I’m going to place it in your hand so you can clear those baby blues and let your little man know you’re okay.”
His words spurned me into action, grabbing the rag and hastily drying my eyes. Without the barrage of scents so close to me, it was easier to breathe.
Ignoring the glaring fact that I was scent-matched to another omega, which was extremely unheard of, I couldn’t deny his scent soothed me. The sharp bite of the lemon cleared my head while the sugary sweet notes sat on my tongue.
“There she is,” the omega in front of me said, giving me a wide grin. “You with us now?”
“Yeah,” I said, shaking my head and turning to Theo who looked confused. “Sorry buddy, mommy just got overwhelmed for a moment. Remember that one time we went to the fair, and all those kids were jumping around and screaming in the bounce house? You sat in the middle and called for me, and I came to get you and it was all better when you stepped away? Mommy just had one of those moments.”
“Okay now, mommy?” Theo insisted.
I hugged him tight. “Yes, buddy. Now let’s not be rude,” I told him, turning to the still smiling omega in front of me. “Thank you for that.”
“Not a problem,” he assured me. “I’m around these gorgeous hunks all day and it can still be overwhelming sometimes. That’s part of why I have my own booth in the other garage. I’m Bash, well Sebastian, but only in the eyes of the law.”
His hazel eyes sparkled, his entire demeanor friendly and open. Bash had a smaller frame which wasn’t uncommon for an omega, but even with his paint-covered overalls, I could tell he was toned, probably from his long days in the shop. The short style curls on top of his head were shiny in a way that made me want to run my fingers through them.
“Summer,” I said before taking a deep breath. “But I think Cole already said that.”
I might have not been ready for this moment but I had been preparing for it since the moment I had Theo. If I could survive Cole leaving, if I could survive having Theo by myself and the last few years, I could survive this too.
“Do you want me to tell the rest of them to take a hike, Sunshine?
“You’d tell your own pack to take a hike?” I questioned.
“For you? In this situation?” Bash clarified. “Absolutely. I can’t hold them off forever of course, but I know for a fact that no one here wants to ambush you or to make you uncomfortable.”
“That’s sweet of you,” I told him sincerely. “But I came to town for a reason. I may not have been expecting my car to break down or to be having this conversation this afternoon but running from it now isn’t going to help anything.”
