My breath hitches, fear coursing inside me at the sight of Aaron towering over me. He has always been tall but seems even more so with his anger.
"You need to leave," I tell him, scooting as far away from him as I can while trapped on the couch.
"You need to stop thinking you can tell me what to do," he says. From anyone else, that sentence would sound like one a bratty teenager would make, but from him, it causes me to bite my tongue. I hate being like this, vulnerable and no way to get myself on even ground.
And it's too loud out in the café for anyone to hear me if I call for help. The jazz music playing and the constant sound of people conversing. Scooting closer to the edge of the couch, I watch with wary eyes as Aaron stalks closer to me, his dark eyes hard.
"What do you want?" I whisper, surprised that my voice doesn't tremble just as hard as my body is.
"For you to stop spouting those ludicrous accusations that I was slipping you suppressants. And for you to sign those divorce papers so that I can be done with you."
"You can't scare me into dropping those charges," I say, meeting his gaze head on. "You did give me those suppressants without me knowing. They were doing serious damage to my body, Aaron, and you didn't care."
His eyes narrow even more, "That never happened," he seethes. "And you need to stop playing investigator and let me out of your life. God, you're just as pathetic as ever, trying to be something that you aren't." He steps back, a twisted smile on his face as he shakes his head. "I let you chase after your fantasies, and look where it got me, an omega that can't even do what he was made to do."
"Look where it got you?" I ask, anger bubbling up inside me. Pushing myself up from the couch, I stand right in front of him. "You never wanted that from me! You never even mentioned children with me, so don't go using that excuse as to why you left. You were having an affair, Aaron! I saw you and her, you asshole, and you knocked her up. So don't go acting like you were a perfect alpha who just got dealt a bad hand. You could have gotten over yourself instead of being a conniving, manipulative asshole. So, get out!" I say, poking him harshly in the chest.
He looks like he is about to snap, but a knock comes from the door. Aaron turns to looks at it, and I use his distraction to grab my phone, quickly dialing my brother.
The person at the door peeks their head in, and I can see that it is David. His eyes are hard as they settle on Aaron, and he doesn't hesitate to step into the room, arms crossing over his chest. "Everything alright, Mr. Katz? Xania heard you arguing and called me over to come check it out." His eyes slide slowly up and down Aaron's body, looking thoroughly unimpressed. "Looks like she was right to call me."
"Thanks, David, but Aaron was just about to leave." Looking over at him, I raise a brow. "Weren't you?"
"Milo?" my brother answers, his voice tinny over the phone. "Are you okay?"
Aaron snarls at me, fists clenching before he forces himself out the door, shoulder checking David on his way out.
"I'll make sure that he leaves," David says before walking out of my office and closing the door behind him.
Letting out a shaky sigh, I collapse back down on the couch, my heart still pounding from that earlier encounter.
"Milo?" Nico says, voice sounding worried.
"I-I'm fine," I say, voice coming out much shakier than before.
"Tell me what happened," he says, voice sounding harsh, just as it always does when he is in overprotective big brother mode.
"Aaron came by my work, started harassing me."
"Did he touch you?"
"Snatched my phone out of my hand and was towering over me. Honestly, if David hadn't come in when he did, he probably would have snapped." Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I try to hold back my tears. "I-I'm scared, Nico."
He doesn't say anything for a moment, before letting out a long sigh. "It'll be alright, Milo. I won't let him touch you." He pauses, shuffling coming from the other side of the phone. "Now, I want you to go home. I'm going to call Ollie and tell him what happened, and then I'm going to call one of my buddies, whose partner owns his own alarm company. I'm going to get your store and home all set up so he can't touch you without me being able to throw his ass in jail."
"I can't afford that right now, Nico. Not with-" I cut off my next words, but Nico is already catching on to the fact that I am hiding something from him.
"Not with what?" he says.
"Not with me being pregnant," I finally whisper, closing my eyes tightly as I slump down onto the couch.
"You're pregnant?" he says, "Congratulations, Milo! Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"There's kind of a lot going on right now. I just wanted to get this divorce over with so that I could actually enjoy the pregnancy. It was a bit of a surprise but not an unhappy one. I was going to tell you as soon as I finished the first trimester."
"Well, consider the alarm system a present from me and Maya. Our baby shower gift."
Despite the fear still coursing through me, a chuckle still manages to slip out of my lips. "Thanks, Nico."
"That's what I'm here for, to take care of my little brother. Now, I want you and Ollie over for dinner soon, so that you can tell Maya. She'll be over the moon."
"Sounds good to me. How's Friday?"
"We'll see you then. I'll text you the information about the alarm system guy and when he can come by to install it."
"Love you."
"Love you too. Now go home."
With that, he hangs up, leaving me alone in my office. It takes me a few minutes to calm down, the weight of Aaron's words still settling on my shoulders. Everything he said was a way to tear me down, make it seem like it was my fault that he went and slept with someone else.
Shaking my head, I force myself up from the couch, grabbing my stuff before leaving the coffee shop. Xania gives me a tea to go, and the warmth feels great between my hands. The weather has been getting steadily colder, and I wouldn't be surprised if it started snowing any day now.
By the time I get home, my exhaustion is hitting me hard. Emmie greets me by the door, wanting me to pick her up and carry her around the house for a while. Seeing as my hands are full, she just has to trail behind me until I reach the couch. She jumps up as soon as I am laying down, settling on my stomach and purring as I pet her.
Little things like this cause my heart to ache, realizing that Aaron is wrong. He always wanted me to be a traditional Omega, one who just stayed home and popped out babies. He reminds me of my own parents, and seeing as I don't have the greatest relationship with them, it is truly surprising that I was attracted to that alpha in the first place.
So what if I don't abide by societal norms? No more making excuses for him. No more allowing what he says or does to get to me.
Because I am getting everything I have ever wanted. I have my own businesses, a place to live, and children on the way. Maybe it isn't what the majority of society would call 'normal', seeing as my partner is an Omega as well, but screw them. Ollie is one of the only people who has always been by my side.
Before I can think any more about my growing feelings for my best friend, the front door is being unlocked and swung open.
"Milo?" Ollie's familiar voice calls out. Thumps come from the hallway, most likely him just dropping his things in his haste to see me. He quickly closes the distance between us once he sees me on the couch, picking up my feet and settling them in his lap so that he can sit down. "Are you okay? How are you feeling?"
"Tired, maybe a little scared."
Ollie nods his head, his lips pinched as he watches me with worry. "Nico called me and told me what happened. The alarm guy will be here tomorrow morning to install it, and will go straight from here to the shops to do the same." He gives my leg a squeeze. "We won't let him hurt you, Milo. Just because he is an alpha, doesn't mean he gets to get away with terrorizing you because you aren't doing what he wants."
"You're right," I whisper.
He looks somewhat shocked at my statement, most likely because before today, I have always been reluctant to place all the blame on Aaron. Ollie has never liked him, and has never been shy about sharing his opinion. But, today I completely agree, and for some odd reason, the weight on my shoulders gets lighter.
"I need him out of my life. No more defending him, and he needs to take responsibility for what he did."
Ollie nods his head, a small smile on his face. "Exactly." He pauses then, eyes scrunching as they look at something on the table. Turning, I see that the ultrasounds had fallen out of my bag sometime when I was putting it down. He reaches over to pick it up, the smile on his face growing. "How did the appointment go? Are you and the baby alright?"
"Well, actually, there is something I need to tell you."
His eyes snap up to me, fingers tightening along the edges of the picture. "What is it?" He looks like he is bracing himself for the worst, and for some reason, that has me smiling, barely containing a laugh. His brow just crinkles further when he sees me.
"Nothing's wrong," I say, pushing myself up from the couch and scooting closer to him. "Unless you have a problem with twins."
His mouth falls open at that, eyes widening significantly. "Twins?"
"Mhm," I murmur, scooting closer to him. "We're having twins."
Leaning forward, I press a kiss against his cheek, trailing feather-light kisses all the way down to his mouth. He seems to get with the program, and captures my lips with his own, pulling me tightly against his chest with his arm that he has somehow wrapped around my waist.
"Thank you, Ollie," I whisper, pulling away from him just enough that I can catch my breath. My lips brush against his with every word I speak, making heat curl inside me with every touch.
"For what?"
"For giving me everything."