Page 7 of Bailey-Rose: The Complete Duet

“Bailey-Rose, if you think I’m still going to my parents’ house for dinner, you’re delusional. I’m not going anywhere you’re not,” Ulysses stated, making my fluttering heart melt.

Chewing on my lip as I tried to hide my grin, I lost the battle against my blush, feeling my cheeks heat. “Still…”

“Shower,” he finished. “I hear you, Rosie. Shower it is.”

Rising to his feet, Lysse stepped out of my way, and I hurried to the giant walk-in closet. I grabbed a simple T-shirt dress, undergarments, and spandex shorts to wear under the dress. I was never one to risk flashing people because I always forget I’m wearing a dress. When I got in the zone while painting, I sat in odd ways and didn’t always remember what I was wearing in those moments. Turning to head to the bathroom, I crashed into Ulysses, who’d followed me into the closet.

“Oh shit,” I swore as I bounced off him, but he instantly caught me. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you’d joined me.”

“Don’t be sorry. I didn’t make myself known. It’s not your fault,” he assured me, tucking me against his side as we exited the closet.

Having no clue what to do with this situation, I let him guide me over to the shower and turn on the water for me. To my shock, he searched the bathroom until he found the closet with extra towels and sheets. I watched as he pulled out a fresh set of towels in a soft mint color and set them on the stool next to the shower door.

Ulysses noticed me watching him, and he raised a brow. “What?”

“Um…” I started, confused at his confusion. “I’m waiting for you to leave.”

He frowned. “Leave?”

“Yeah, so I can take my shower. I kind of need to get undressed, and the shower is all glass,” I pointed out.

“I’ll turn around, but I’m not leaving. Your monitor went off twice really close together, and I remember that time you passed out from the heat of a hot shower. I’m not taking the chance that something happens and you split your head open or worse,” Ulysses answered.

Letting out a sigh, I walked over to the sink and set my clothes off to the side before facing him. “Look, I get you’re fully aware of my condition and all that goes with it, but you only remember what it was like for me as a kid. Yes, my heart-rate threshold is lower, but I’m really good at managing my illness. I’ve been doing it for twenty-five years now. I promise I’m going to be fine. If I get lightheaded, there’s a bench in the shower for me to sit on.”

His fingers brushed along my jaw as he stared intently into my eyes. “I can’t bear the thought of anything happening to you when I just found you, Rosie.”

“It’ll be fine, I promise,” I assured him. “Now get out so I can once more become human and shed this trash-panda look I’ve been rocking.”

“Trash what?” Lysse questioned.

“You know, a raccoon… because they like to dig through the trash yet are still cute and cuddly-looking,” I shared, trying to stifle my laughter. “Guess an old man like you wouldn’t know the cool kids’ lingo.”

He gave me an unimpressed look. “Five years doesn’t make me old, Rosie.”

“We’ll see about that,” I countered as I started to shove him. “Out you go. Go on, git.”

Reluctantly, Ulysses complained, and I shut the door, twisting the lock just to be sure. Seconds later, it was unlocked and opened just enough so it wasn’t latched.

“I’ll stay out here, but I’m going to sit just outside the door so I can hear if you need me,” Ulysses informed me.

Blinking at the door, I didn’t quite know what to make of the situation, but I decided it was rather adorable for him to be that worried. After a moment, I snapped myself out of the daydream and got to the matter at hand. I needed to redeem myself for that terrible first meeting with a man I’d yearned for and somehow magically ended up being and would spend the rest of my life with.

In a flurry, I stripped out of my clothes and hopped into the shower, letting the scalding hot water burn away the last remnants of my wallowing. Crew was right—Randall wasn’t a great catch. Yet when the world, outside of your family, tells you you’re not good enough to love—part of you starts to believe it. It was beyond rare to find your scent match by chance since they could be anywhere in the world. In come the Scent Matchers, who built a central database to find each person the perfect Alpha or Omega.

Giddiness bubbled up inside me as the reality of what just happened registered. A little squeal of joy burst out of me as I danced under the water. The dream I’d been wishing and hoping for just became a reality, and with a man I’d always pictured kissing me good morning and goodnight.

What would the other members of his pack be like? How many were there? Were they all the same age? All I really knew was they’d been matched up and together for a little over two years and only because Crew told me.

Then a thought hit me, What if they didn’t feel the same way Lysse did and decided they didn’t want a broken Omega?

Some of the excitement dwindled, but I decided to give love and the chance of having a pack one more chance. If this didn’t work, then I knew it was a fruitless effort, and I could find a peaceful life on my own.

All my instincts were screaming at me for not having Bailey-Rose in my sights. I’d never truly understood why Crew acted the way he did around her when it seemed like she could live a fairly normal life. Now my eyes were opened to the dread of not being around if something happened you could’ve prevented.

In all the things I’ve heard and read about the changes that happen after finding your Omega, none of them ever talked about the intense protectiveness that overtakes you. Yes, Alphas innately are wired that way, but I felt like everything was on overdrive. I strained my hearing when I heard a little squeak from inside, but when nothing else followed, I relaxed slightly.

“Wow… you got it bad, bro.” Crew snickered as he squatted in front of me. “Just a suggestion, but you might want to call your pack brothers and give them a heads-up. I can call your parents if you want to avoid that conversation for a bit.”