Page 7 of Mate Matched: Xavier & Brady
“Counseling!” he cried, reaching for me once more. “We’ll do couples therapy. I can fix this if you just—”
“No, Gio. There’s no fixing this. We’re done.”
I left my husband standing outside of the door to our apartment, the symbol of our life together, and took the elevator down to meet my moms without looking back. They were waiting to wrap me in their arms when I got to the parking garage. I cried for a minute before bone-deep exhaustion hit. Maybe I was being a coward, running back to my parents, but I needed to regroup, to end this chapter with Gio and get my omega back.
Mama bundled me into my car, then took the driver’s seat. “It’s going to be okay,” she whispered before turning the car on. “Everything will work out as it’s supposed to.”
As long as that meant Brady was in my future, then I didn’t care what I needed to get through first. I could handle it.
Four
Brady
Confrontingyourloverstookan emotional toll on a person I wasn’t prepared for. Luckily, I hadthebestest best friend in the world in Jae, and he came with an amazing alpha that put all other alphas, especially those jerks Gio and Xavier, to shame. No, really, Curtis was the perfect match for my sweet omega friend. I really couldn’t have asked for a better person to come along and see the worth in Jae.
Once we got the hell out of that cursed clinic, sorry, but Jae could not go there again. I was happy to let Jae drive us to Curtis’ place, where he was now living. Some omegas had all the luck. Okay, Jae had gone through it with a cheating ex, so maybe it was just his turn for some good fortune because Curtis had everything: not just a job but a business, a house, loving family, a solid network of friends, looks, and a little nest egg.
The house they lived in was super cute. All on one level, it was neatly kept with a tidy yard out front and plenty of space out back. It gave such a peaceful vibe, not that I could truly enjoy it. I barely gave it a look as Jae led me inside and went straight for his bedroom.
My heart hurt more than I thought possible over the two men I’d been slowly handing my heart to. I thought I’d been guarding myself these last few weeks when I figured out something was wrong, but that was a lie. This cut deeper than I was prepared for.
I fell apart, wrapped up in my friend’s embrace until I couldn’t cry anymore and fell asleep. When I woke, it was because I sensed an alpha in the house. My omega instincts were screaming at me to protect my pregnant friend. I only relaxed when I realized Curtis had returned home. The large alpha was sympathetic when he entered his bedroom and found me sitting up, stroking Percy who had joined us for our impromptu nap.
“Hey baby, I brought dinner. Would you like to eat it in here?” The tender way Curtis spoke to Jae while gently smoothing his hand up and down Jae’s back as my friend woke stirred envy in me. Not for Jae having Curtis in particular, just for having found the type of alpha I wanted for myself: a caretaker, exactly like Curtis’ Mate Match bio had said.
Watching the happy couple, I vowed I would sign up for Mate Match once I was ready. Once Gio and Xavier were out of my system, I was going for it and finding real love.
My stomach gurgled once I caught a whiff of the smell of melted cheese and the tomato sauce from the pizza. Despite my heartbreak, it tempted me into taking a slice. Curtis really was too sweet when he offered to let me stay in his bed with Jae for the night, but the cozy setup in the office, with the privacy it offered, was far better. The cherry on top was the Percy cuddles.There was something I needed before I could work those alphas out of my system. I had to have answers.
Xavier had texted me multiple times. He had tried to call, too, but there was nothing from Gio. It was as if I didn’t matter to him at all, which stung. I’d thought he had been a part of what we were building. Now it seemed like he didn’t care to give me an explanation for the other omega. Jerk.
It was late by the time I was ready to call Xavier. I sent a text to Gio first–a big mistake–wondering what, if anything, he would say to me after the clinic. He hadn’t called out to me like Xavier had, and that bugged me. Did he not care about me at all? When I got the reply, I wished I hadn’t bothered since it had me spiraling.
Brady
When were you going to tell me about her? Did I mean anything to you? You made all those promises.
Gio
That wasn’t down to me. You were Xavier’s omega. His pick, not mine. He made the promises. I just went along with it to make him happy. It was never that deep. Don’t overthink it.
Oh, it wasn’t that deep? Wanting to have an unprotected heat wasn’t that deep? What would he have done if I’d gotten pregnant? With how slim my chances were, there was no chance of me having an abortion. That baby would have tied me to them for life!
Brady
Fuck you, Gio. You know you made promises to me you never intended to keep. Getting you bannedfrom the app did everyone a favor. You’re just another alphahole. I wish I’d never met you.
It didn’t take long for Gio to fire back a response.
Gio
Same, hon. You ruined my marriage. If I don’t get Xavier back, I’m going to do everything I can to ruin you. Stay away from my husband.
My heart tripped. Ruined his marriage? What the actual fuck was he talking about? Instead of sweating over it, I chose to get my answers from the source. Xavier had reached out to me half a dozen times already.
It barely rang before I heard his tear-soaked voice. “Brady?” Why was he so upset? I was the one who had been wronged.
“Hey, this is me giving you a chance to explain what the fuck is going on. Gio just texted that I ruined your marriage, but you looked pretty cozy with that omega.” My tone was cold, hard, with just the hint of the tears I was struggling to hold back.
