“I see that. And you? You’re up for all this change?”
Wes folded his arms and nodded. “Assa and I spent all week talking about how we wanted to approach this. We agreed from the beginning that Zinn, and you of course, should be in Ryde’s life.”
Calder sat back in his chair. “That’s not what I meant.” He studied Wes’s face. “I was mostly checking in on you. Forgive me if I’m overstepping, but I get the sense that you’re very focused on making this okay for Assa. And I suppose I wanted to tell you that it’s alright if this isn’t always neat and tidyfor you. If you need to vent or be real with someone, I’m here.”
Wes laughed. “I feel like you just peak alpha’ed me right now.”
Calder shrugged. “Maybe. But the offer stands.”
“Well, you’ll be glad to know I’m doing fine. I don’t need someone to take care of me.”
“Ah.” Calder’s tone was on the edge of hisvoicewhen he locked their eyes and said, “Wes, just because you don’t need someone to take careofyou doesn’t mean you don’t need someone to careforyou. So, I’ll say it again—I’m here if you need me. Even if it’s just to talk. My omega will have that with your husband, so I want you to understand that you have it too, with me.”
“Thank you…alpha.” Wes looked down at his hands.
For the first time, Wes was open to the idea that he could relax. Assa was happy, mostly free from the self-doubt that had plagued him his whole life. The constant worrying about Ryde’s parentage was now a thing of the past, at least on the omega side.
He wondered if this was the reason he and Assa were opening themselves up to the possibility of a future with Valentin. Had the stress of not knowing the truth kept them from making space for someone else? Or had the non-monogamy they’d used as an escape and a fun time become something more fundamental in their lives?
Wes wanted to give and receive love. As often as he could. Like he’d told Assa a year into their relationship, he was wired that way. He loved Assa, Valentin intrigued him, and now, he lit up knowing he’d be getting closer to Zinn and Calder. But as much as his brain was set up for polyamory, he could not allow his thoughts to gothere. They had to take this slow. Get it right for Ryde. But understanding that he couldn’t predict the future, that the greatest possibilities were the ones that existed in the unknown, was the truest way to explain how he wanted to live.
He and Assa had a date with Valentin on Saturday. Would the alpha from The Cracked Heart be like Calder? Would he offer to care for Wes and relieve him of his burdens?
Wes didn’t hate the idea. It was just so foreign.
Assa and Zinn returned to the dining table and they had a wonderful meal. Wes couldn’t remember sharing such easy conversation with anyone, other than perhaps their text chain with Valentin.
“So, what’s the story with the nicknames?” Wes asked. “Capandsunshine.”
“Calder’s is pretty boring,” Zinn replied. “No elaborate story. When I first started at the bakery, I was nervous. I’d never had a job before, and I had just changed my name and started dying my hair. All I wanted was to fly under the radar, and I figured being deferential to everyone would make me invisible. I’d be the employee who kept his head down and no one noticed.”
“But every time he called me ‘Mr. Rosen,’ it was like nails on a chalkboard,” Calder picked up the story. “Nobody else called me that. I told him to knock it off.”
“Calling him ‘Calder’ was out of the question. There was no way I was going to be that familiar with an alpha, after everything my parents put me through. I tried ‘boss’ for a while, but ultimately settled on ‘captain,’ which became ‘cap.’”
“I love it,” Calder said. “And I reserve it for Zinn. One of the other staff tried to call me that once, and I shut it down—”
“You never told me that!”
“It’s only for you, sunshine.”
They smiled at each other, and Calder lifted Zinn’s hand to kiss his knuckles.
“What aboutsunshine?” Assa asked.
“Zinn was always so serious,” Calder explained. “At first, I used the nickname to pull smiles from him. And it worked. Every morning, he’d come in all businesslike. I’d greet him with a ‘hey, sunshine,’ and he’d shake his head and crack up a little. Over time, it’s become clear that it suits him perfectly. He tried to hide his brightness, but it’s impossible.”
“It certainly is,” Assa said, winking at Zinn.
Zinn rolled his lips inward as his cheeks reddened. “Okay, we have to change the subject.” He turned to Wes. “Was there anything else you and Assa talked about regarding Ryde, like, in terms of logistics?”
“Actually, we have a date this weekend. On Saturday. And we were wondering if you and Calder would like to watch him? Take him to a movie or something? He has a birthday party at the go-kart track earlier that day, but this would be in the evening.”
“We’d love to!” Zinn practically shouted. “I mean, if you think he’s ready for that.”
“Date?” Calder asked. “You said there’s no one you’re serious about right now.”
“That’s technically true.” Assa coughed. “But there is an alpha we’ve been messaging with that we are…quite fond of. It’s very new, but it seems promising.”