Karter

KARTER

IT WAS THE last day of November. The wind was sweeping away all the colorful, fallen leaves, and weather forecasts let us know we'd be getting sheets of snow soon.

I'd decided to work from home, because Cameron had stayed home sick for the second day in a row, something I hadn't seen him do since we'd been together. I could get Ty on and off the bus and take care of whatever was needed around the house so he could rest.

If someone six months ago had told me this was what my life would be, I wouldn't have believed them. I'd never imagined I could feel so homey and domestic. Meeting Cameron and Ty had completely flipped my perception of my life and the world around me.

And I wasn't the only one affected. My parents, especially my omega mom, had fallen in love with Ty pretty much instantly. Since Halloween they'd begged us to let them take him out shopping or let him come spend the night so they could play board games and watch movies with him. We'd let them keep him twice this month, and had taken full advantage of our alone time. He'd returned safe and sound each time, with gleeful stories about how they'd made ice cream sundaes, gone to a petting zoo, and built statues out of popsicle sticks.

They'd come to his school play, cheering him on as enthusiastically as Cameron and I. They'd even thought to bring him a bouquet of flowers as congratulations. And Thanksgiving dinner had been lovely and peaceful and perfect. Incorporating Cameron and Ty into my family had been pretty seamless.

My relationship with him exceeded anything I could have ever imagined for myself. He was sweet, caring, hardworking, and smart. My alpha instincts rang with the absolute mandatory need to protect him and take care of him every time he was in my line of sight, but he did an incredible job taking care of me, too.

As far as our sex life, I couldn't keep my mind or hands off him. I'd been in relationships before, and enjoyed them, but the intensity of my need for him was magnified beyond the point of reason. I'd started buying surprise pieces of lingerie for him to wear, lace stockings and garters and even a silky ribbon collar, which he loved. He seemed to love any and all attention from me. It was obvious we were both basking in each other's adoration, and there were no signs of slowing down.

But it was difficult for me in the current moment to think of him as my naughty little lace-clad angel when he'd been throwing up for two days, trapped on the couch while he tried to keep any morsel of food down. If it didn't get better by tomorrow I was dragging him to a doctor whether he liked it or not.

Rising from my computer, I glanced at the clock before leaving the room to check on him. When I peeked over the back of the couch, he was laying in the exact same position as I'd left him, staring blankly at his phone screen.

"You aren't feeling any better?" I guessed, reaching out to tuck a piece of his bangs behind his ear.

"Not really," he said, somewhat pitifully. "I'm bored and lonely."

"I'll stay out here with you for awhile," I promised. I needed a break from working anyway. "Have you eaten anything?"

He scoffed, giving me a dry glare. "I haven't digested anything, if that's what you're asking."

"Are you hungry?"

"It's hard to tell. The fear of throwing up again is kind of distorting every other feeling."

"Maybe some crackers and room temperature water?" I suggested. He groaned lightly, digging his head into a pillow.

"I guess it's worth a try."

While I was in the kitchen arranging saltines on a plate and filling a glass with tap water, I heard him let out an annoyed huff followed by a melodramatic growl.

"What's wrong?" I asked, slightly alarmed. I hoped he wasn't going to be sick again. By this point I was worried for the state of his internal organs.

"Oh, nothing," he said sarcastically, setting his phone down on the table. "I just love reading about what a manipulative whore I am and how amazing it is that a teen dad making less than minimum wage in a beer and wings restaurant managed to get my greedy hooks into such an eligible bachelor."

"Ah." Unsure what to say, I handed him the plate and glass, picking his phone up off the table so I could skim the article. Another gossip rag, though not on the same website as the one Lucas had hired to photograph us at the bar. "Well, this isn't accurate at all. You're not a teen dad anymore."

"Ha ha." He took a bite of a cracker, chewing it slowly and cautiously, before taking a tiny sip of water. "Don't you feel ashamed for falling into my web of sex and deceit so easily?"

"Very, very ashamed," I retorted flatly, setting his phone back next to him. "These sites must be struggling for content to write something so brainless and uninteresting."

"Do you think Lucas is the one who called this in, because of me confronting him at the party?"

I sighed, thinking. I didn't know what to think of Lucas anymore. I still hadn't heard from him directly since the hotel room incident. And I had no idea what to think of the video on Cameron's phone that he'd taken at the Halloween party. I'd known Lucas for a long time, but that didn't mean I knew him well. Maybe he was incredibly good at lying? The CPS report I could possibly force myself to believe he wasn't involved in, but the eviction was undeniable. The old building had been purchased by a company owned by Cromwell Corp. There was no argument to be made there. But he'd looked utterly clueless.

"I don't know why he would wait so long to do it," I said honestly. An entire month had passed since the party, and he wouldn't have been afraid of looking like the one who'd done it. And I didn't say it out loud, but he'd been strange in the video. Normally he loved attention and generally being irritating, but he'd obviously wanted to be as far away from Cameron as possible. He hadn't derived an ounce of joy from being confronted by him.

"I don't know either," he sighed. "I don't know what to think anymore."

We'd put a hold on pushing a case through with Anthony because nothing had happened recently and the whole phone video had us completely confused and unsure how to feel. But he'd kept all our information safe if we ended up deciding to go through with it. Truthfully, until seeing this article, Lucas and his antics had been the last thing on my mind.

I watched Cameron cautiously chew through a few more crackers before pushing the plate away. "I think I'm okay," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. "But I don't want to push it."

"That's fair," I said, dumping the few remaining crackers into the trash and setting the plate in the sink. I was just glad he could keep something down now.

"Sorry about all this," he said, snuggling back under his blanket until it covered him to his neck. "I know it isn't fun waiting on a sickie."

I took a seat at his feet, smiling when he raised his legs to drape them over my thighs. "You don't have to apologize, baby boy. Everyone gets sick sometimes."

"I don't," he argued. "I never get sick like this. I don't even think I've thrown up since…" He trailed off, and his eyes widened like he'd suddenly realized he needed to run into the bathroom again.

"What?" I asked, sitting up straighter so I could help him up if he needed it.

"N-nothing," he said quickly, sounding a little breathless. "I just… I just meant it's been a long time since I've been sick. That's all."

"You sound upset," I noted, stroking up and down his blanketed legs. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I-I'm fine," he stuttered out quickly. "Can we turn on a movie or something?"

"Sure," I instantly agreed, snatching up the remote. "Whatever you want." Anything to get his mind off whatever was making him act so weird.

When it was time to get Ty off the bus, I picked him up, and ordered food in for he and I. Cameron was still only able to nibble at things, but at least he didn't get sick again. He'd retreated into our bedroom to keep resting, so I had Ty to myself for the night, which suited both of us fine.

"Daddy's going to be okay, right?" Ty asked, while we were eating dinner.

"Of course, buddy. He's just feeling a little sick right now. Probably because of the weather."

"It's cold out," he acknowledged my statement with a nod, chewing through another salty French fry. He'd chosen burgers tonight. I didn't know if I was supposed to find it cute that he and Cameron basically shared a palate, but I did. "I think it's going to snow soon!"

"I think so too," I said. "Do you like the snow?"

"Yep! Me and Dad build snowmen and make snow angels and everything. You'll play with us too, right?"

"Absolutely," I promised him. "It's actually been a really long time since I've played in the snow. Not since I was a kid."

"How come?" He wondered, tilting his head at me.

I thought about it for a second, taking a sip of the soda I'd ordered with my meal. I couldn't keep eating like this and skipping sessions at the gym or I'd lose my physique. But I had a hard time telling the kid no about anything.

"I guess I haven't had anyone to do it with."

"You didn't have any boyfriends before Dad?" He asked, giving me a suspicious look.

I cleared my throat, trying to suppress a laugh. "I did have some, but…" How could I explain myself to a six-year-old? "I didn't really get too serious with any of them because I didn't think they were who I was going to end up with."

"You mean forever?"

"Right."

"Soo…" He pursed his lips, glancing up at the ceiling. "You think you want to be with my Dad forever? You aren't going to make us leave?"

"I won't ever make you guys leave," I said. "I want to be with your dad as long as he'll have me."

"I don't think he wants to leave," Ty pointed out. "And I don't want to either! I like my new room," he added. The uncertainty in his voice was a little heart-breaking. Just like Cameron, he was already kind of used to life screwing them over.

"You're not going anywhere," I promised him. "We're all going to stay together and be happy."

"Okay," he said, immediately perked up by my reassurance. "Can we watch another Epic Power Squad before my bath?"

"Definitely."

Later, because we didn't know what kind of sickness Cameron had, Ty stood in our bedroom door and told his dad goodnight and that he loved him before letting me tuck him into his bed.

I briefly worried that he would ask me a few more hard-hitting questions before letting me leave but he seemed completely reassured and secure in my words to him. It was sweet, having that kind of power with him.

When I slid into bed next to Cameron, he was already asleep. I wasn't too worried about getting sick, and if I did, it would be worth it for him. Settling in close, close enough that I could hear his soft, rhythmic breathing, I fell into sleep too.