Let Me Find Your Omega - Ashe Moon Page 0,43
“Kole, I don’t know what you did… but that was fantastic. I swear that was even crazier than yesterday.”
“I’m learning a lot about myself,” I said, and he laughed and took my hands.
“Trust me, I’m learning a lot about myself, too. And I want to learn more about you.”
“Like what?” I asked, feeling a little flutter of happiness.
“Well…like, everything.” He gave me a modest smile. “I really like you, and that’s a surprise for me. Not because you’re not likable or anything, I mean because I honestly thought I wouldn’t be able to feel that way about anyone.”
“Because of your ex,” I said. “Elise’s mother?”
“Yeah. Pretty much.” He paused and drew a deep breath. “Lianne wasn’t a great person. I wasn’t perfect either, of course. No one is. I’d been dealing with a lot of shit from how I was raised, and I think she just zeroed in on that. Made me feel like trash a lot of the time, and I just took it, because I felt like that was how I deserved to be treated. It wasn’t until after having Elise that I woke up to it. When Elise made her first shift, I realized that this little girl was going to keep getting older and that she was going to end up suffering in the same ways I had if I stuck around with Lianne. So, I finally broke free. It’s no surprise she hasn’t even attempted to be part of Elise’s life. I made the right choice.”
“I’m very happy you did,” I said. “It takes a lot of courage to do something like that.”
“Well, I knew I had to for her, but I did have help. My brother had always tried to get me to listen to him about Lianne, but…it was hard for me to hear him. He helped me pick up the pieces afterward. He and Jillian.” Markos’s face lit up. “Hey, if you’re free, what do you say to coming to have dinner at our place tonight? Elise would love it, and I’d love for you to meet Ivan and Jillian. It’s my night to cook.”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation. “I would like that.”
“Kole!” Elise squeaked when she spotted us coming down the hallway that connected his apartment to his brother’s. She bounced off the couch towards us, ran past her dad, and, to my surprise, hugged me. “You’re staying for dinner? Really?”
“Your father kindly extended me an invitation,” I said.
“You’re gonna really like his food, Kole!” She grabbed me by the hand and led me inside. “Uncle Ivan, Aunt Jillian, look who’s come over!”
Markos’s brother and his wife were lounging on the couch watching the TV, and they both straightened up in surprise when they saw me.
“Hello,” they said in unison.
Markos rushed over. “This is Kole,” he said.
“Markos, you didn’t mention you two were so close!” Ivan said, standing up. “I’m Ivan, Markos’s brother. This is my mate, Jillian.”
“Kole is Elise’s tutor,” Markos said.
“It’s lovely you two have been getting to know each other,” Jillian said. “Markos doesn’t get out much.”
“Yeah, Dad is always at the café,” Elise said. “You know, I think you’re the first friend he’s made in a long time.”
“I’m glad to be getting to know him,” I said. “I don’t get out very much either.”
“But you meet new people all the time, silly,” Elise said. She tugged my arm. “Come check out my room?”
“I don’t think Kole wants to look at your messy room,” said Markos.
“Yes, he does!” she said, pulling me along.
“We’ll be back,” I said with a laugh.
The hallway walls were adorned with a variety of photos of Elise when she was much younger—her in her puppy form bouncing around in a grassy field with Markos running after her, them together at a beach, and various baby photos. There were a few of them together with Ivan and Jillian, and even a photo of Markos that looked like it was from high school. I paused to look at it. His hair was longer, for one, but he also had this severe expression that seemed to show someone far different from the easy-going alpha I’d gotten to know over the past few days.
“That’s Dad,” Elise said, turning to see me looking at the photo. “That’s me, right there. I think I was seven. Aren’t I cute?”
“Very,” I said. “And you have cute little glasses.”
She adjusted her pair. “I’ve had them since I was really little. Dad says that our family has great noses but poor eyes. You