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Connor and Louie both seemed surprised but pleased by that answer. Connor quickly threaded his arm between mine, and we started walking beside Joey. “Oh, this is gonna be so fun. Orsino never shows any interest in anything. I thought he’d be a bachelor forever, but it looks like you’re the one he’s been waiting to settle down with.”
Orsino was obviously listening to every word that was said. “Don’t go getting all sentimental over there, boys. This was a business deal and nothing more. Cool it with the heart eyes.”
My heart sank a little, along with my shoulders, and the other omegas took notice.
Joey placed his hand on my shoulder, flanking my other side. “Ignore him. He’s very gruff sometimes, but he must like you if he wants to keep you all to himself.” He turned and waited for me to look him in the eye. “I mean it. Don’t let his exterior frighten you. He’s a good guy. Just as protective as our alphas.”
Connor nodded beside me. “Totally. These Ferrini men can be a little crazy, but in a good way.”
Joey patted his slightly protruding belly. “And they’re fertile as fuck, so I hope you want kids.”
I almost choked on my tongue at that. “Oh, I hadn’t thought that far ahead. This all just happened in the past few hours.”
Connor chuckled. “Just prepare yourself for the next few hours when you get back. If he’s anything like Louie… All I can say is, carbo-load at dinner.”
The two omegas at my side laughed, and I could hear some snickering from the alphas behind us, but I didn’t dare look back.
They were talking as if we were a couple, but that’s not what we were. I was a desperate loser who got myself into a bad situation and forced Orsino to rescue me. It wasn’t exactly a love connection, but I couldn’t shut down that little voice in my head that kept saying maybe someday it would be.
It was foolish. If I was going to survive this, I needed to keep a cool head.
Before we left, Connor lent me some of his clothes—expensive khakis and a simple white button-down that was soft. I didn't know where my scrubs would end up, but I was happy to be rid of them for the outing.
We traveled in two SUVs, and Orsino kept himself pressed against one side of the bench seat while I stayed on the other. I didn’t know if he was just distracted or actively trying to keep two feet of space between us—either for my benefit or for his family.
Either way, it sucked.
I liked the way he had been earlier, touching my arm and shoulder and keeping me close to his side. Now, I truly felt like a stranger sitting beside someone who low-key hated me. And not even that low-key.
Anybody who saw us would think we were enemies.
I sighed a little louder than I meant to and then closed my eyes.
“What’s wrong?” He placed his hand on my thigh and pressed his fingertips into my muscles. “Worried about your dad?”
Shit, I hadn’t even thought about my dad that whole time. We weren’t exactly close, but I should have been a little bit more concerned about whether he lived or died considering I just gave my life away to save him. I peeked over at Orsino and shrugged. “No, just not sure how to act around your family.”
He shook his head. “Don’t let those boys get to you. They’re a bunch of fucking gossips, but they’re good kids and will help you with anything you need to know. They run the house and take care of the children. Just don’t let them get in your head. Good or bad, their situations are different from ours. Don’t try to compare us to them. We’ll do our thing and they’ll do theirs, and we don’t need their approval for anything. Got it?”
I nodded at his reassurance and swallowed hard, grateful he wasn’t upset by anything they said. “Yeah, I got it. I won’t let my imagination turn this into something it isn’t.”
Orsino frowned as if I’d said the wrong thing, but we were pulling into a parking lot so he didn’t ask more questions. Then we were ushered inside a dimly lit restaurant and taken to a private room in the back.
Two men were already seated at the table.
Orsino pulled out the chair next to the younger man. An omega. “Ethan, you can sit here next to my brother, Jeremiah. Jeremiah.” He looked at his brother and seemed to steel himself. “This is Ethan, my omega.”
Jeremiah’s jaw dropped, and he stood up and jumped into Orsino’s arms. “Oh my god, Sino. Why didn’t you tell us sooner? This is so exciting.” He turned to me and pulled me into his arms too. “Ethan, right? OMG, I want all the details about how you and my brother got together. How long has this been going on?”
Louie chimed in before Orsino or I could say anything. “No, it’s not like that. Sino bought the kid to pay off some gambling debt. It’s only been a few hours, right?” He looked at Orsino, and I could feel my cheeks burning with embarrassment. Nothing like having all my dirty laundry displayed for the world.
The humiliation of basically being a prostitute was bad enough, but having to constantly be reminded that Orsino didn’t choose me and was being forced to bring me home was even worse.
Orsino placed his arm over my shoulder and heaved out a heavy sigh. “Look, everybody. I know this is unexpected. It’s unexpected for us too. But I expect you to treat Ethan with respect and kindness…and not make him feel like an interloper in our family.”
My eyes were locked on my fingertips in my lap, and I willed myself not to shed any tears.
“No, Ethan.” Jeremiah reached for my shoulders and hugged me to his side. “Please don’t feel bad. I’m excited to have you in the family. We all are. We’re just… Surprised. Pleasantly surprised. Please don’t take anything we say as disapproval or judgment.” He pulled back and looked me in the eye. “I promise, we’re happy to have you with us.”
