Searching For His Omega - Harper B. Cole Page 0,48
into the room.
“It’s a surprise, babe. Violet knows, but I told her she couldn’t blab.”
“Huh! My daughter’s keeping secrets from me already. And you pair are tag-teaming. I see how it is. Two against one. I have to up my game.”
“It’ll keep until this evening, but I do have some other exciting news.”
I mentally prepared myself for him telling me he’d been offered a huge amount of money if he’d go back to his former job. But he wouldn’t do that without consulting me.
“I got an exciting offer.” Here we go. Slap on a smile. Clench those teeth. Don’t get pissed. Ask questions. Listen to the answers.
My face must have betrayed me because Chet removed the hand from Violet’s back and waggled it. “No. It’s not what you think. I’m not going anywhere.”
I must have been holding my breath because I exhaled. “Okay.” I briefly wondered if Todd, my paternity leave replacement, had hired Chet as a barista.
“Just down the street. If you agree, that is.”
More deep breaths. But my pulse wasn’t racing. And I wasn’t hyperventilating. Trust this man. He’s not leaving. “That’s weird.”
Chet placed the baby in her crib and took me in his arms. “Glenn’s eagle-eyed lawyer has been going over my contract. And without boring you with legalese, there was nothing specific about which show I was hosting. It’s all blah blah so many shows a year and this and that.”
“When do we get to the good part?”
He kissed the top of my head. “So, I pitched an idea and they loved it.” I opened my mouth, and he put a finger on my lips. “I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you first, but I didn’t want you to get excited and have it fall through.”
That’s exactly what I’d been going to ask. But if I was honest, my life had been revolving around keeping Violet fed, clean, and dry. “Yeah, I might not have listened if you had.” But I was still waiting for the good news. “How is this different from before?”
“It’s aimed at new dads.”
“You’re going to teach new fathers how to change a diaper?”
“I could. I’m pretty good at it.” He rubbed his fingers on his chest and winced before blowing on them.
“What’s wrong? Did you hurt yourself?”
He pushed my hand away. “It’s nothing.”
My dazed mind was having a hard time juggling two different things. New job and Chet was in pain. Deal with the work thing first. He’s an adult. “Okay, shoot. Fill me in on this new job.”
“It’s a cooking show for busy dads, especially when they have a newborn and they’re not getting enough sleep. The company is renting an empty shop on Main Street near the library. They’re putting in a kitchen and bathroom, and it’ll be decorated with a dining room and living room so it’ll look like a home. And it has a tiny garden out back which is overgrown right now, but we’ll fix it up.”
“Here? In town?”
“Yes, I can walk to work. But the best part is, there’s another room attached and they’re going to make it into a nursery slash playroom. We have to get a sitter anyway for when we’re both working. And he or she can be with Violet there. I’m thinking of asking Dave to be my assistant. What do you think?”
Cooking. Town. Kitchen. New dads. Garden. Nursery. Violet. Sitter. Dave. I latched onto the last word. “But Dave can’t cook.”
“That’s the whole point.”
“That’s amazing.” I took his hand. “I get why you didn’t bother me. But in future, please run any big ideas by me first. We’re a team.”
He nodded. “Point taken. Oh, one more thing. Glenn will produce the show. I’ve convinced him he needs to slow down. He’s going to rent a house an hour away so he can be close to the airport. Says he doesn't mind the drive five days a week. And he’s sniffing out other opportunities in the area. Might involve some travel for him.”
“I’m glad. He’s been a good friend to you, Chet. Now about this pain in your chest.” I placed a hand over his heart, and it… crinkled. “Is there something under your shirt?”
Chet grimaced. “I didn’t want to show you until tonight when we were in bed.”
Deep breaths, Stan. In and out.
“Remember the day of your first ultrasound?”
“Mmmm.” Medical procedures. Heart problems. Pain. My mind was going places I didn’t want it to.
“I was arranging something but couldn't get it done until after the baby was born.”
“You had a heart transplant? This morning?”
Chet rolled his eyes and stood up. He whipped off his tee, and I squinted at the left side of his chest. It was covered in plastic wrap and surrounded by redness. There was a dark shape underneath. “It’ll take a week to heal which is why I put Violet on my right shoulder.”
He sat beside me, and I gingerly traced over the words ‘Dance with me through life’ that were intertwined with an eternity symbol. Inside one loop was my name and Violet’s was written in the other.
Those pesky hormonal tears clouded my vision, and I blinked them away as Chet tapped a space beside our daughter’s name. “And if we have any more kids, their names will go here. So no matter where we are, you’re in my heart.”
I couldn’t contain my emotions and rested my head on his shoulder—his right one—and sobbed. Chet rubbed my back as he did with Violet. And when I was done and had wiped my tears with his shirt, I spoke from the heart. “I’ll dance with you anywhere.”
The next book in the series…
Flipping For His Omega
Order Now
Stay in touch
To keep up to date on her new releases, giveaways, and upcoming projects, sign up for Harper’s newsletter here.
If you would like to subscribe to Colbie’s newsletter, get updates on new releases and promotions, and receive a 6,000-word short story, Ring In The New Year, please visit her website here