Page 36 of Omega’s Oath

Chapter 13

They’d buried her mother and Aide had been by her side and she tried to remember the good times with her and had recalled a few. Her sister had been there with her family, her husband had been quiet and a little aloof, but Rose put it down to him being shy.

Her dad was being held in custody as none of them could afford his bail. She’d procured him a decent lawyer though, not because she wanted him to get off if he did kill his wife but because state attorneys were bogged down with so many cases it was hard for them to give anyone enough time. If her father got the death penalty for this, she needed to know it was because he was guilty, not because his lawyer was crap and overworked.

Now it was six weeks later and she was having her follow-up appointment with Dr. Ryder.

“Are you sure I’m not going crazy, Dr. Ryder? I keep losing my keys, putting stuff down, and when I go back it’s gone or moved from where I thought I left it. Food keeps going missing as well, and I’m sure I didn’t eat it.”

Dr. Ryder smiled kindly. “Rose, having a baby is a huge adjustment, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally too. It’s exhausting, and sometimes overwhelming and confusing and wonderful but with all of that going on, not to mention the hormonal changes, it’s to be expected that sometimes we forget a few things. I’ve run a full blood panel on you, and everything looks perfect.”

The older woman grinned at Jude who was trying to shove his whole fist in his mouth. “Jude is perfect and passed all his six-week milestones like a champ and has even made up his weight. Physically, you’ve recovered well but you need to go easy on yourself. You can’t expect to act like everything is the same as before because it isn’t. You have another human to care for and it’s draining and takes adjustment. Go easy on yourself, eat healthy food, exercise regularly, and sleep when he does.”

Rose nodded, feeling much better after her chat with Dr. Ryder. It was hard to believe her little angel was six weeks old already. “Thank you, that makes me feel better.”

Dr. Ryder went to stand, and Rose knew she had one more question to ask she’d been putting off. “What about sex?”

Dr. Ryder cocked her head and nodded. “As I said, you’re all healed and can resume regular sexual activity.”

Rose felt like fist-bumping the air but controlled the impulse. She and Aide fell asleep together most nights after making out like teenagers, and if he was as frustrated as she was, he’d be just as thrilled as her to get the green light from the doctor. “Thank you, Dr. Ryder. For everything.”

The woman was attractive with a short bob, her silver hair suiting her with her blue eyes. “You’re welcome. You did all the hard work. I just helped a bit.”

Rose strapped Jude into his car seat and carried him into the afternoon sunshine. For early March it was warm and the whole day held promise. She was so involved in her daydream she didn’t see Aide standing by her car straight away. When she did, her mouth began to water. He was leaning with his boot raised against the tire, arms crossed, wearing a brown leather jacket and sunglasses, and she almost lost her mind.

He was the picture-perfect hero, and she was sure Fee would be writing him into a book if she could see him now.

He saw her and dropped his arms, as he strode toward her a wide grin stretched across his face. “Hey, beautiful!”

As nicknames went it wasn’t original, but she loved when he called her that as something inside her melted. The fact he only did it when they were alone, just the two of them, and not around their friends made it even more special. Aide knew how private she was and how she wanted to be recognized for her brains, although lately around the people she considered friends it didn’t seem as important anymore.

“What are you doing here?”

Aide took the car seat from her and made a face at Jude, which earned him a smile before he looked at her. “Wanted to see how my little man was doing and check on you.”

Her heart practically exploded with love for him. “Well, your little man passed all his milestones with flying colors and I’m as healthy as a horse and ready for action.”

“Of course he did. He’s a superstar.”

Rose felt a flicker of disappointment that he hadn’t acknowledged that she was ready for action and immediately gotten on board with her insinuation. She let Aide fix the car seat into the back of her car as her son closed his eyes, ready for his afternoon nap. Aide gently closed the door and turned to her. She didn’t make eye contact, not wanting him to see her disappointment.

Grasping her arm, he drew her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist until his hands were clasped just above her butt. Still, she kept her eyes down so he wouldn’t see the sheen of tears her damn hormones were causing.

“Rose, look at me.” Rose blinked hard and looked up, her breath hitching with the desire she saw in his dark brown eyes, which were almost black with need. “Why the tears?”

“Nothing, I’m being silly.”

“No, nothing is silly, so tell me what upset you.”

He looked ready to go and kick some asses and she wasn’t sure she could love him anymore but every day he did something to make her fall even more in love with him. “I thought you didn’t want me because you didn’t acknowledge my comment about being ready for action.” She saw his lips twitch and scowled. “I swear to God, if you laugh, I’ll do you bodily harm.”

He buried his head in her neck and held her tighter against him, where she could feel his erection pressed hard against her belly and his breath was warm against the skin of her neck. “Does it feel like I don’t want you?”

“No.” She could hear the sulky tone in her voice and cleared her throat, trying to act less like a teenager who’d had their phone confiscated.

“Rose, I didn’t outwardly react because I didn’t want you to think that’s all I care about. Inwardly, I’ve driven us home and had you half-naked already. I’ve never wanted anyone the way I do you. It’s all-consuming how much I want to be inside you, to watch you come, to taste your climax on my tongue.”

Rose squirmed, his words like fire through her blood. “What if I disappoint you?” Her body was changed now, and certainly not back to what it was before Jude. Her belly wobbled and had lost its tone, and she had ugly lines from where her skin had stretched that were red and angry looking no matter how much vitamin cream she rubbed into it.