Page 41 of Mate Match: Curtis & Jae
He let out a frustrated noise. “I can’t get home, but I’ll stay on the line with you.” I heard him walking. Probably to somewhere quieter to hear the call better. “Do you want me to send someone over? I could ask my dad, or send one of the crew.”
Just knowing I had backup was enough for me. “Just stay on the line. He won’t do anything.”
Returning to the living room, I caught Hwan watching Percy warily. My cat was sitting on an armchair looking regal, just staring at my ex boyfriend who had stayed standing, probably wondering if he was about to be attacked. “He’s never liked me,” Hwan remarked. “Maybe we should have both guessed we weren’t meant to be.”
“Maybe. Why don’t you sit down?” I sat on a chair, motioning for Hwan to take the sofa. I placed the phone on the table. “Curtis, you’re on speakerphone.” My boyfriend stayed silent, waiting for the reason Hwan had turned up unannounced.
“Look, we might not have been a good match.” I scoffed. His jaw clenched briefly. “Still, it didn’t give me the right to cheat. I came to say I’m sorry for how I behaved in those last few months. We had our ups and downs, but that’s no excuse for acting so horribly and betraying you in such a way. I really am sorry, Jae.” In his eyes was a plea for forgiveness.
His apology rocked me. It was the last thing I expected him to appear at my home to say. “Uh, alright. I mean, it was awful at the time. It hurt a lot.” Hwan winced. “I’m over it, though. Things are good now.”
Hwan appeared relieved and maybe a little sad at my words. “I’m glad. I just wanted to take this opportunity to clear the air and maybe offer some support.”
“Support?” The question came from the phone.
“Word has been going around that Jae is working with some important people to create some accountability for medical firms, particularly when it comes to omega reproductive health. My firm—”
“Hwan is a lawyer, Curtis,” I interrupted Hwan to say.
“Ah, thanks.”
“Yes, my firm is interested in working with you and those you’ve gotten on board to push through the laws you need.”
Okay, it wasn’t the apology, offering to help was the last thing I expected. I didn’t think the Hwan I knew cared about omega reproductive health. He must have seen the confusion on my face because he went into more detail.
“Seungmin, my husband,” he winced, discomfort all over his features, “was horrified when the news about DuoStop broke. He told me he was particularly worried about less affluent omegas and the burdens this would cause them.” Despite being my replacement, I wasn’t angry at Seungmin. In fact, he sounded decent. “When I was told you were working on the situation, he asked me to help you. He has always felt bad about how we started. He didn’t know about you until later.”
“Oh.” I’d never placed any blame on Seungmin. My ex had admitted the other omega hadn’t known he was in a relationship when they began. Besides, Hwan had a lot going for him. He was attractive, well off, came from a good family, and was charming. I couldn’t fault the young omega for wanting him. “Would youthank him, please? Let him know I’m not angry at him. I never have been.”
“I will. Thank you, I appreciate how gracious you are being with me just appearing like this. Will you consider my offer and my apology?”
Life was all about choices and the paths they put you on. Hwan’s led me to a much better life. If he could help me now so I could improve things for omegas, then I’d put my pride aside and do what was necessary.
“There’s no need. I accept both. What is done is done.” I shrugged. “Yes, it hurt, but it gave me Curtis, where I’m much happier. I’d also love the help. There’s a lot of work ahead.”
“Yeah. Jae has his book and the baby to think of. Anything that’ll lighten the load for him is welcome,” Curtis added, still on the call.
“Ah, yes. I’ve heard about the book. It’s wonderful! I’m glad your dream is coming true.” Hwan genuinely looked happy for me. “Your grandparents are telling everyone about the book. I don’t think they know about the baby. Maybe you should tell them before they find out from someone else.”
Hwan’s remarks about my grandparents sat with me all day, even following me into my meeting with the publisher the next day. Brady could tell I was distracted.
“Why don’t we plan your schedule over lunch?” he suggested, bringing the meeting to a close.
The company had promoted Brady to agent. He was my go between for the editor, the company higher ups, and controlled my diary. There was a decent amount of promotion planned, a lot of it for after the baby was born, which would require us to travel. Curtis, of course, was coming with us, which was why he was hiring more people to cover him.
I still had a few signings to do before I went on leave to have the baby. The hype from the DuoStop stuff was giving me a lot of attention, which the publisher wanted to maximize on. Completely fair, plus it helped my book get seen.
“Alright,” Brady said over our lunches. “What’s wrong?”
It took a little while, but I explained Hwan’s visit and his offer. Brady was suitably angry at Hwan’s audacity to just turn up, though he also appreciated the apology, saying, “about damn time!” When I got to the part about my grandparents, Brady bristled. “Ugh, I hate that he’s right. You need to get ahead of this and just tell them on your terms.”
“But—”
“They can’t do anything to you without looking petty. They live so far away and have no influence over your life. Just tell them.”
When Curtis got home, I asked him if he would be there for the call. I knew Hwan and Brady were right. My grandparents deserved to hear the news from me, not my parents, who I’d banned from telling them, or the news. Once the book went live, I knew I’d have to do events, and they’d know straight away.
They were thirteen hours ahead of us, so we had to wait until just before we went to bed to do the call. My grandmother loved technology and loved a video call, preferring to see our faces when we spoke. It had been quite some time since I’d called her.
