The Omega Nanny Read online

  Thomas had done his best with Jessie’s hair. Connie had taken one look that morning, sighed, and said something about how there’d surely be time to redo it later. Thomas hadn’t minded the slight.

  Someone had clearly found the time, because not a single curl was out of place, nor could Thomas spy a single bobby pin anywhere on Jessie’s head. She beamed as she walked down the grassy aisle between the chairs, her pale pink dress shot with silver threads swaying as she walked confidently, carefully, reaching into a wicker basket to strew rose petals and rice as she went.

  Thomas thought he could hear Felicity sniffing beside him. It wasn’t until he felt the tissues Nora slipped into his hand that he realized he was the one who needed them.

  “Hi, Fa!” said Jessie cheerfully when she reached their aisle, and the rest of the guests tittered fondly. Jessie set the basket down on the ground and shoved in past Nora and Thomas to sit on his other side, just where Felicity had been in Thomas’s imagination.

  “Very nice,” said Kieran quietly, suddenly appearing on Jessie’s other side, and he handed her a small bag full of fruit gums. “And here’s your reward, just as promised.”

  “Yay,” said Jessie, and settled down to eat.

  Kieran didn’t look up at Thomas; Thomas couldn’t look away. His curly hair had been tamed somewhat, thick with some kind of product that smelled faintly like coconuts and kept the curls in a strangely neat tangle. He wasn’t dressed quite as fancy as the rest of the guests – dark brown trousers, and a blue button-down shirt that was already showing wrinkles around the sleeves.

  Thomas opened his mouth, ready to speak – but couldn’t say a word. Kieran leaned in toward Jessie, the two of them curled into each other, voices soft and cheerful. A picture-perfect set of companions, entirely comfortable and happy with each other.

  And then Kieran looked up, over Jessie’s head, and saw Thomas, and he went still.

  Thomas waited for Kieran to smile – wanted to see it blossom across Kieran’s face, more than anything. He waited for it, watching Kieran breathe, listening to Jessie as she sorted her fruit gums by color – everyone else and why they were there completely forgotten.

  It was just he, and Kieran, and Jessie, and waiting for Kieran’s smile.

  “Oh, here she comes,” breathed Nora, still facing the house, and then Jessie’s head popped up from her bag of fruit gums, breaking the spell.

  “Oh!” she cried, and quickly scrambled to stand on the chair in order to see. “Ooo, Aunt Connie’s dress is lovely.”

  There was an odd murmur through the crowd – who then began to copy Jessie by standing up, if not on their chairs, and turning to look at Connie as she came out of the house, flanked by her parents.

  “I can’t see,” complained Jessie.

  “Jess, you saw her already,” said Kieran, amused, but Thomas reached to pick her up.

  “Here,” he said, and caught Kieran’s eye as Jessie climbed up into his arms.

  Kieran didn’t smile, though his lips turned up a bit at the edges, as if he wanted very much to smile, but held it back for some unfathomable reason. He didn’t look away from Thomas, either. There was something deeper in his eyes, though, as if he was assessing Thomas, and uncertain what he found.

  “Hi,” said Thomas, but there wasn’t time for more before Jessie thumped his chest.

  “Isn’t she pretty?” Jessie demanded, and Thomas turned to look at his sister. Even as tall as he was, it was an impossible task.

  “Yes,” he said, because Jessie wouldn’t have accepted any other answer. Connie’s dress was similar to Jessie’s, though a bit more adult in design, and she did look lovely in it.

  It wasn’t Connie who Thomas wanted to look at, though.

  The guests sat down, and then the justice of the peace began to talk… and Thomas didn’t hear a word.

  Kieran sat on the other side of Jessie, looking ahead, watching… and Thomas didn’t dare look at him. Didn’t need to look at him. He could feel him sitting there, waiting, all the same, and all Thomas could think of was Kieran.

  Kieran’s eyes when he saw Thomas – the way they’d lit up.

  The way his lips had turned up at the edges, a smile waiting for the right moment to appear.

  The curls on his head, how they’d feel crisp under Thomas’s fingers.

  The smoothness of his skin, down from his neck to his chest, down from his chest to his stomach – and lower. The scent of him, the way it had felt when Thomas had slipped his fingers inside Kieran, and the heat….

  “I now pronounce Connie and Brent married,” said the Justice of the Peace, and the guests broke into applause.

  Jessie sighed happily. “I want to be married someday,” she said, a bit wistfully.

  “Nope,” said Kieran. “You’re an alpha, remember? You’re going to meet a pretty omega and bond when you grow up.”

  Jessie frowned. “But I want a party.”

  “You can have that too,” Kieran assured her, and took her hand. “Come on, then, there’s pictures to take.” He looked up at Thomas, his expression carefully neutral. “I think for you, too, sir.”

  The sir took Thomas by surprise – until Nora spoke. “Oh, is this the new nanny?”

  “Yes, this is Kieran,” said Thomas shortly. “Thank you, Kieran, tell my parents I’ll be right there.”

  Kieran nodded, and pulled Jessie away, exactly as if everything was perfectly normal. Thomas watched him go for a moment before turning back to Nora, who was watching him with an amused expression.

  “It was a lovely ceremony,” she said. “I particularly liked the bit where they drank the wine.”

  “Mmm, yes,” said Thomas, not remembering a thing but hoping Nora wouldn’t notice, because surely she would have wanted to know why he hadn’t been paying attention. “I’m sorry, I guess there’s a family thing. Will you be all right?”

  Nora rolled her eyes. “Careful, Thomas, or someone will start to think this is a date.”

  “Not funny,” said Thomas, and thought he saw an odd expression cross Nora’s face before he went to the front of the house for the family pictures.

  Thomas had just spotted Kieran on the far side of the lawn and was about to go and join him when he was waylaid.

  “Thomas Brian Whittaker,” scolded Aunt Mae, stepping in front of him. If the Whittaker clan could be said to have an omegarch, it would be Aunt Mae, despite the fact that she was twenty years shy of being the eldest omega in the family. But no one crossed Aunt Mae and lived to tell the tale. She was at least two heads shorter than Thomas, sturdy and nearly rectangular in a large, floral-patterned dress and a floppy straw hat that might have been older than Thomas himself. “Now when exactly are you planning to bring your young lady over to meet me?”

  “She’s not my young lady, Aunt Mae,” said Thomas, and tried not to feel cowed when Aunt Mae’s eyes narrowed in disbelief. “She’s a co-worker of mine, a friend, and probably a lot smarter than me.”

  “No such thing as a beta friend, Thomas,” said Aunt Mae. “Not when you’re a single alpha looking for a mate. You bring her over before dinner, Thomas, you know Darla’s cake gives me angina.”

  Thomas sighed. “I will, Aunt Mae, but—”

  But Aunt Mae was already on a different mission. “Harry David Whittaker!” she shouted, and stormed off across the lawn. “I have told you repeatedly that you need a haircut—”

  Thomas sighed, and started walking toward Kieran again.

  “Oh, there you are,” said Darla Whittaker, coming up to Thomas in a flurry. “Thomas, darling, where is your date?”

  “Nora’s not my date, Mom. She’s with the rest of the guests in the back yard.”

  “Very rude to leave her alone,” Darla scolded him. “You should have brought her, she could have met the whole family at once.”

  “I can’t imagine anything more terrifying,” said Thomas, and glanced over at Kieran, suddenly worried – but Kieran was laughing at something, and there were othe
r cousins Jessie’s age with them, as Kieran supervised some sort of game to keep them busy. He didn’t seem overly traumatized.

  “Nonsense, we’re all perfectly nice and friendly,” said Darla, and then paused as Aunt Mae went after another member of the clan, this time complaining about the state of her new victim’s shoes. “Well. Most of us.”

  Thomas snorted. “Aren’t we meant to be taking photographs?”

  “Yes,” said Darla, somewhat distracted by Aunt Mae. “The whole clan, both sides, and then just immediate family. Connie and Brent insisted, she said she wanted pictures to hang on her walls in Germany.”

  Darla’s voice cut off abruptly, and Thomas glanced at his mother, surprised to see her covering her closed lips with trembling fingers. He quickly put an arm around her shoulders, and realized it wasn’t just her fingers trembling.

  Darla sighed, and leaned into him. For a moment, she sounded exactly as lost and afraid and lonely as Jessie did, when she asked timid questions about Felicity. “I just… I never thought she’d be the one to go so far from home. I’m not… I’m not sure it’s natural.”

  “She loves him, Mom,” said Thomas.

  “I know that,” said Darla, and the bravery was back in her voice, quick as fire. “And I’m happy for her, I am. It’s a wonderful thing, and I’m so glad she’s able to… well.” Darla pulled away from her son, and gave a sharp downward tug on her dress. “Enough of this. If we put this off any longer, we’ll all be caught in the rain.”

  Thomas glanced up at the crystal-blue sky, but Darla was already off, in a steady, determined walk that was somewhat reminiscent of Aunt Mae’s.

  Darla’s voice carried out loud and strong. “Everyone! Please gather on the steps, let’s take this picture before next week, if it’s all the same to you!”

  “Here’s your fa,” said Kieran, bringing Jessie over to Thomas. “And I’ll just be watching over there, all right, so when you’re done, we can go back to the party.”

  “Kieran,” began Thomas.

  “Where’s the pretty lady?” demanded Jessie.

  “Back at the party,” said Thomas, and turned back to Kieran. “Kieran—”

  But Kieran had already begun walking away, and didn’t look back.

  Jessie frowned at Thomas. “Why is he mad at you?”

  “I have no idea,” said Thomas, watching the stiff line of Kieran’s back as he went.

  The pictures did not take long, but by the time Thomas was allowed to return to the party, he had long since lost sight of Kieran and Jessie, and the party itself was in full swing. The rows of chairs had been supplemented with tables, and people were scattered here and there, chatting and laughing and even dancing a little bit on a bare bit of grass that was serving as an impromptu dance floor, while music blared from speakers along the house.

  It took Thomas a few minutes to locate Nora, now talking with his cousin Harry. It was another five to make his way over to them, with a brief stop at the table where someone had laid out bottles of wine and beer for anyone to take.

  “Oh, thank goodness, I’m parched,” said Nora, gratefully taking one of the wine glasses from Thomas. “I’ve been listening to stories from your childhood.”

  Thomas glared at his cousin Harry. “All lies. Every last one.”

  “Except the good ones,” agreed Harry.

  “They were all marvelous,” declared Nora.

  “Give me your beer and I won’t tell your girl about the scouting expedition,” said Harry.

  “She’s not—” began Thomas, but Harry cut him off with a slap on the back and took his beer anyway.

  Nora watched them, sipping from her glass.

  The crowd of people shifted – and through them, Kieran came into view. Laughing again, though Thomas couldn’t see why, or where Jessie was. But Kieran’s face was alive with humor, and Thomas wished he’d look over at him, just once.

  “Oh, damn,” groaned Harry, pulling Thomas back to his companions. “Here comes Aunt Mae. I’m doing a runner, cover for me.”

  Harry was gone before Thomas could refuse; Nora was laughing, but she smothered it the moment Aunt Mae appeared.

  “Is this your girl, Thomas?” Aunt Mae demanded.

  “This is Nora, Aunt Mae,” said Thomas.

  “Mmm.” Aunt Mae looked Nora up and down, and then to Thomas and back again. “You look good together. Did you hire that nanny of yours or did Connie?”

  Thomas immediately stiffened. “Connie. But—”

  “Why did that fool girl hire an omega nanny?”

  Thomas felt the heat flare up; it was all he could do to tamper it straight back down. “Because he’s the best one for the job, Aunt Mae.”

  “Safe enough, I suppose,” said Aunt Mae. “Not like you’ve ever taken a shine to male omegas before. And she looks right nice enough on your arm. Which way did Harry go? Never mind, I see him. Harry! Don’t you hide from me, I have something to say to you….”

  Thomas slumped next to Nora the moment Aunt Mae was gone. “Sorry about that. Aunt Mae is… opinionated.”

  “Poor Harry,” said Nora, and set the wine glass down on her knees. “Just out of curiosity, Thomas - what did you tell your family about me?”

  Thomas frowned, thinking. “Nothing. Not really. Why?”

  Nora glanced down at her wine, and then up again. “Your nanny is very nice.”

  “You’re changing the subject.”

  “Not really. Only… while you were taking pictures, half the guests came up and talked to me, every single one of them quick to assure me that you’ve never been attracted to male omegas, ever, in your entire life. I know the idea was to keep your family from trying to set you up with some poor, unsuspecting female… but I’m starting to wonder exactly what your motivations were in asking me to come.”

  Kieran was still laughing – but now the guests had parted enough that Thomas could see why.

  Harry, all smiles and slender strength, leaning in just a bit too close, a predatory look in his eye.

  Thomas caught his breath, staring at them. The blood in his veins ran hot – he could feel it surging through his limbs, and the feeling was like an angry rush that nearly propelled him forward.

  “Thomas,” said Nora, and Thomas looked at her, still breathing hard. “I think you should go to him.”

  Thomas struggled to calm the sudden urge to wallop Harry on the head. “It’s fine. Harry can talk to him.”

  “Thomas,” said Nora gently.

  “It’s not as if he’s anything but my nanny,” said Thomas bitterly, still staring as Harry reached to touch Kieran’s hand.

  You’ve never been attracted to male omegas before. Which wasn’t true – not that his family would know. And if everyone had been quick to reassure Nora of it already… and Kieran had spent the entire day surrounded by Thomas’s family as well….

  Thomas gritted his teeth, and didn’t wonder why Kieran had such a guarded look in his eyes anymore.

  Nora raised the wine glass, as if to drink it, but paused. “You said you liked the part of the ceremony with the wine.”

  “What’s that got to do with anything?” snapped Thomas, turning to her.

  “Everything, as it happens. Because there wasn’t any wine during the ceremony, Thomas. Just a few words, an exchange of rings, and that was it. Every time I looked at you – you were staring at Kieran.”

  Thomas couldn’t say anything. He turned back to stare at Harry and Kieran, just as Harry leaned closer to Kieran, almost as if he was going to pounce.

  Kieran wasn’t stopping him.

  “Go,” said Nora gently. “Just….”

  Nora took a breath, drank down the rest of the wine in a single gulp, and set the glass down on the table. She stood up so quickly that Thomas couldn’t track her movements, and then she kissed him.

  She tasted like wine and sawdust, and Thomas’s stomach fell straight to his feet. But before he could do or think or say anything – she’d pulled away, licking her lips
.

  “Off you go, then,” she said, her voice a bit shaky, and she reached up to smear the corner of his mouth with her thumb. “And thank you, I’ve had a lovely time.”

  Thomas was at a loss. “Nora.”

  “Go, you silly man,” said Nora and Felicity together: Felicity with a roll of her eyes and a laugh, and Nora with the hard-edged, no-nonsense command he knew from countless mornings of coffee and tea in her office. Nora took a step back and was clearly waiting for him to go.

  He darted forward, quick as lightning, and pressed a kiss to her cheek – and didn’t wait to see her expression before he turned and went to claim Kieran for good.

  * * *

  Honestly, Bear, said Felicity, as Thomas tried to make his way through the crowd of people. When did Connie and Brent have time to make so many friends? Didn’t they work?

  You make things so much more complicated than they need to be, said Felicity, and Thomas thought he spied Kieran, still sitting near Harry on the other side of the pool, still smiling shyly at him, eyes lowered, hands twisting together in his lap.

  If I wasn’t here to prod you along, I think you’d be alone forever, said Felicity, and Thomas narrowed his eyes, close enough to see now that Kieran wasn’t being shy, he was nervous. Eyes darting up to look not at Harry, but into the crowd, as if hoping for rescue.

  “I thought you wanted me with Nora,” said Thomas, grateful that he was close enough to the blaring music that no one noticed him talking to himself.

  Sometimes you’re not the only one who needs a push, said Felicity, and now the path was clear.

  Harry, leaning much too close to Kieran, and Kieran….

  Looking straight up at Thomas, eyes wide and shocked and….

  Thomas was about to let out a possessive, angry, alpha roar of intent, when Kieran broke into a wide grin, turned to Harry, and without a word, pushed him right off the bench and into the pool, where he hit the water with a splash.

  “No, thank you!” called Kieran into the water, while Harry splashed about, sputtering and choking. Thomas jogged up to the other side of the pool, trying very hard not to grin, and privately relished the way that the surge of alpha adrenaline made him feel particularly strong and impetuous.