Page 8 of Talk About… Dramay

“Money,” he shrugged as if it didn’t bother him, but I saw the shadows coloring his silver blue eyes now. “I’m an art teacher. I make enough to support myself and my apartment, but I’m going to have to step up my game to help support you. They’ve always told me that it wouldn’t last once I found a pack.”

Fuck that. He was absolutely not giving that up for me.

“We’re pack enough for each other, and we support each other. You already know what I do; I can support myself. I don’t need you to pay my bills, Roman. I just needyou.”

The way this entire man’s demeanor changed at my fierce words, his smile was back, the light flaring to life in his eyes. Even when I realized what I’d said, that I’d all but claimed him as pack, I didn’t want to take it back.

Oddly enough, I meant it.

He pulled me into a hug, his nose nuzzling into my neck again as he breathed me in.

“How can you be so perfect?”

“I’m so sad that my simple acceptance is enough to make you think I’m perfect. I’m sorry that they couldn’t see how amazing your passion is. I think I’d like to come with you next time. My art skills are terrible, but I’m a great organizer. I can pour paint, wash brushes, whatever you need.”

“You want to come?” His voice was so full of awe, and one hand slid over my cheek, resting there like he couldn’t believe I was so precious.

My stomach dipped, everything in me swooning for this beta.

I’d always said I never wanted to be one of those couples that people cringe at, but damn it, in that moment, I didn’t care. He was all that mattered.

It was far too fast. But I wasn’t young and dumb anymore, I’d learned to read people out of necessity, and this man was already someone I could trust.

Deep down, I was proud of myself. I never thought that I’d be able to tell anyone as much as I told him.

It was starting to feel like I could let go of that storm that hung over me for years.

We stood like that in the middle of this carnival, staring into each other’s eyes, his hand on my cheek, and our emotional bond building between us.

It was crazy that one minute you could be walking down the street, enjoying the rain, and the next you’d find a scent match, and everything would change.

My life was forever altered now, and I knew there was no looking back. Maybe this right here was the reason Cameron pushed me away. I never would have found Roman otherwise, and I couldn’t find fault in that.

Our moment was broken as someone bumped into Roman. He quickly circled his arms around me to keep us from falling. It was like everything came back into focus then: the noise, the crowd, the scents. Everything was all of a sudden so muchmore. For a short time, it had all faded into the background as we lost ourselves in each other.

“Let’s go before someone throws food at us for being disgustingly cute in the middle of a crowd,” I joked, hooking my arm through his and leading him this time. It didn’t take us long to find the lemonade stand.

Despite my protest, Roman paid.

“I asked you on the date. That means it’s my treat.”

“Fine, I’m claiming the next date.”

He flashed his teeth at me in a wide grin that time, his eyes crinkling around the edges. I loved that, how easily his emotions filled his face, that it shifted with each one, brightening even further at the idea that there’d be more dates between us.

He might have had to beg me to meet him again, but now that I had… I couldn’t seem to stop myself from craving more.

I took a few sips of my lemonade as we continued through the crowd. I’d been so caught up in my own pain and then building my career, working and building my life, that I hadn’t had much time in the last thirteen years for any kind of social life.

The most socialization I did was spending my Thursdays with Vinny.

“This is nice. I’m glad you brought me here. It reminds me a lot of home.”

“Do you miss home?”

There was no point in lying to him. “I do. Everything about it. My omega dad, Brandon, is amazing. We were really close. My other dads are great, but they’re both alphas, and very overprotective. Brandon is the omega of their pack. My mom is a beta. She’s always been really work-focused and never wanted the whole housewife thing. I think she loves me in her own way, but she and I are not close. We just never really connected. My grandma was an omega, though, and she was amazing. I miss her a lot.”

“Sounds like you have a great family,” he said. “I’d love to meet them someday.”