"I've been looking forward to this date all day," Dave told Alex with a smile as he escorted her into the restaurant.
"So have I," Alex said. "I haven't dated in awhile, as I just got tired of getting a lot of duds. "
"It happens," Dave said in understanding. "Finding someone you actually want to mate with is not always easy, especially if you're always working."
"Oh I've dated a lot, professors, doctors, lawyers. A lot of professional people," Alex said honestly. "None of them worked out for one reason or another and not always because they wanted me to wait on them hand and foot because they were lazy or at least thought that was all omegas were good for."
"I can guess why it didn't work out," Dave said as he and Alex sat at the table. "Some of them probably bored you."
"No comment," Alex said with mischief and Dave chuckled warmly causing Alex to shiver in delight. Dave's chuckle did something to her insides and caused the omega in her to take notice.
"Others talked down to me like I was a child with no understanding of what was going on," Alex added.
"Unfortunately, a lot of alphas don't know how to talk to a woman or omegas in general and it doesn't help that some consider Omegas stupid or childlike."
"I am well aware of that Dave," Alex said using his first name, as she had been given permission. "It's one reason I broke up with some of them though. I will not be treated as if I'm stupid and the fact that I got a degree in linguistics I would think would prove I'm not. It's not like they hand down college degrees like potato chips."
"I can't really blame you actually, because if those alphas can't treat you as intelligent you have every right to break up with them," Dave said.
"They didn't even realize what they were doing, talking to me as if I was stupid and were rather pissed off when I told them I didn't want to see them anymore. There were a few that tried to convince me to change my mind but I held my ground," Alex said. "There was also a couple that didn't want children ever, mostly because they didn't like how a pregnancy changed the shape of a woman's body. I do want children so those relationships didn't last once I found that out."
That answered one of the questions Dave had yet to ask her and that was whether or not she wanted children. Alex had answered it without him even having to bring the subject up. That she wanted children was good, because he did as well if they relationship got that far where having children was a viable option.
"Yes, our kind has that problem too and I don't blame you for breaking up with them at least you found out they didn't want children before you actually mated with them. Most of our kind do want children, but there is a percentage that don't," Dave said not letting Alex know his thoughts.
"So do you want children of your own Dave," Alex asked as their food was delivered.
"That's a very good question Ms Alex," Dave said giving her charming smile causing Alex to blush at the compliment. "We were just talking about children after all and the answer to that question is yes, I'd love to have some more as the triplets are nearly grown-up now. I never got to meet my twin daughters since they died at the same time my mate did."
"That same kind of tragedy is unlikely to happen again," Alex said and Dave nodded soberly.
"Yes, I know, which is one reason I'm willing to try again if I ever manage to meet a women I feel happy to settle down with," Dave said. "I would love some more daughters and not to replace the ones I lost necessarily. I just never had a chance to get to know them. I wouldn't mind some more sons either ones that share my blood. I love the three I have, even though they're adopted."
"Of course, you do or you never would've taken them in, in the first place. This shows me that you genuinely love children, even those that are not of your blood," Alex said. "I really admire you for taking in the Reid triplets just because your father was a doing a proper job in raising them."
"He seemed to resent their very existence, particularly his omega son," Dave snorted in contempt. "Julio and Kade fared better and I think that's because they are alphas. While all three of the boys are intelligent Julio and Kade weren't sure what to do to protect their brother."
"Of course not, they were only seven and had no one to turn to that they could trust. No housekeeper, no family friend, no one. Even if they say, had gone to a teacher they might not have done anything about it or at best went to the father, which would've made the situation worse I'm sure. I'm not saying there wasn't a chance that the teacher wouldn't have contacted the proper authorities, but even if they had the boys probably would've been split up," Alex said. "Most kids are unsure of themselves at seven, especially in that type of situation."
"True, even if they are extremely intelligent much more so than average. So much so in fact, I sent all three of them to a private school where they came home every day to tell me about their lessons. They would've been bored in public school, as I know they were when they started at five in Las Vegas.
"That they were in college at 16 just shows me how intelligent they really are," Alex commented.
"They could've come at 14 actually, but I wouldn't allow it that young," Dave said. "Finally, I agreed they could go to college at 16 so long as it was close by where they could still come home every day. Luckily, there are several local colleges and they were admitted to all of them."
"They really must be geniuses then," Alex murmured appreciatively. "Not just smarter than a lot of people but true geniuses."
"They are, but their social skills before they came to me were practically nonexistent, especially Spencer's," Dave said shaking his head in disgust. "Apparently, the father never bothered to find clubs they could join with kids of their own kind. Never bothered to introduce them to any kids of his clients that might be just as intelligent. He seems to have forgotten that they existed at all unless they were right in front of him."
"I'm glad you got them away from him then," Alex wrinkling her petite nose in disgust her expression rather sour. "I hate to think of what could've happened if someone hadn't been paying attention, particularly to Spencer since he is an omega. Omega's have been known to take their lives before if the situation is bad enough. I hope the father went to prison."
"Unfortunately, there wasn't much anyone could do about the situation other than get his sons away from him," Dave said. "He has no idea where they are as we live here in New York and Las Vegas is thousands of miles away. I did hear through the grapevine though that he lost his job at that lawyer firm where he was an associate when his dirty laundry became public."
"If he was a lawyer that means he wasn't exactly poor, which translates that he should've been able to hire a housekeeper to help look after the boys while he was working. I figured before that it was lack of money that stopped William Reid from hiring someone to do all the chores that are required in a home."
"It was a good hypnosis with the information you were given," Dave congratulated Alex making her blush. "It could very well have been the situation but in this case it's not. Personally, like you, I think he should've gone to prison for what he did to his sons, but unfortunately neglect isn't considered that type of crime, even if it can lead to suicide for the child in question. Now, if Spencer had actually committed suicide it would've been a different situation entirely and William Reid would have definitely gone to prison."
Dave changed the subject and Alex immediately got the point and dropped the 1001 questions she wanted to ask for now anyway.
The rest of the date was pleasant and when they were about to leave Dave asked Alex out again.
"I'll be happy to," Alex responded immediately. "but I have to work in the morning so I need to get home. My kittens will be waiting on me probably crying for some attention.
"So you have kittens then," Dave asked Alex nodded.
"I got them just a couple of months ago when it became evident I wasn't going to just meet a man I could settle down with. I thought about getting a puppy instead, but the kittens were so adorable and this man was giving them away for free. Apparently, he couldn't afford to keep them as he lives in a small apartment and just didn't have room for them. I would have liked to have taken them all, but I don't have the room for six kittens or the money to take care of them. I had to be practical. I made sure they had their shots and chips inserted in case they get lost."
"I would like to meet them sometime," Dave said. "I don't have any animals, though I have thought about getting another dog. Mine died a few years ago of old age."
"It happens," Alex sympathized. "It's a natural process, but that doesn't mean it's not heartrending."
Dave silently agreed with that as he dropped Alex off at her apartment building
~~~Dave and Alex~~~
Several months later
"Have you told your sons about me?" Alex asked Dave. "I know Spencer of course, since he's in my classes, but I've never met the other two."
"I have," Dave said, as the two of them cuddled on the couch at the house Dave owned. "Spencer likes you, so he was very enthusiastic about the idea. As for his brothers they've never met you, but since their Spencer likes you they're all set to like you to. You need to meet them of course, but they pay attention to Spencer and if he likes someone then it's nearly a sure thing that they will too.
"So the brothers are close then," Alex said and Dave nodded. "I know that's not always the case not even with multiples."
"True," Dave agreed soberly. "In this case, the brothers are close as they went through the same experience when they were much younger. I think it made Julio and Kade much more thoughtful where it concerned Spencer. They learned to look out for each other, but especially their omega brother."
"I'm sure Spencer appreciates it," Alex said.
"He does," Dave agreed. "Do you know what the ironic thing is though?"
"What's that?" Alex asked.
"Spencer is firstborn and he turns out to be the only omega in the bunch," Dave revealed.
"That is ironic," Alex laughed lightly.
"Julio's next and is definitely the stronger alpha next to his brother," Dave said.
"It happens that way sometimes though, when the firstborn is an omega and that's another point that Spencer and I have in common," Alex said.
"So you were born first and your two brothers after you," Dave said absorbing the information.
"Scott is the baby and has the strongest alpha personality. Unfortunately, though while Danny was also an alpha, he was killed on the job several years ago," Alex said with sadness in her voice. "His death nearly destroyed both my parents, especially my father who carries the guilt of his son's death around with him to this day."
"Why?" Dave curiously. "It probably wasn't his fault, though I know I don't know the situation that caused the death of your brother."
"My father feels that it's his fault, because backup didn't arrive in time and my brother was in the middle of a shootout with some dangerous drug dealers. The cops had been warned in advance of how dangerous these particular criminals were, but the backup was still late in arriving. Some kind of snafu, a traffic snarl I believe. Other units were too far away to make it in any reasonable amount of time. One of the drug dealers got in a lucky shot. A fatal wound. He didn't survive the surgery."
"It doesn't sound like it was your father's fault at all, though I understand why he still feels guilty," Dave said.
"My mother took it really, hard which only made my father feel guiltier," Alex said. "If I ever have a have a son I'd like to name him Daniel after my brother."
"That's more than possible you know," Dave said and Alex looked at him curiously.
Dave took a sip of his wine, which he hadn't been drinking since he and Alex had begun talking.
"That requires a man I'm afraid and I haven't found one yet that I want to settle down with permanently, present company excluded," Alex said. "You already know I want children, but I'm nearly 35 now and I'd prefer not to have them when I'm 50."
"When is your birthday Miss Alex?" Dave asked smiling at her charmingly. "I've been meaning to ask, but I keep getting distracted by other things."
"It's next month actually, which is why I said I'm nearly 35," Alex revealed.
"So March...?" Dave asked fishing for the exact date.
"27th," Alex said.
"I think you can expect an extra special present Alex," Dave said not adding the miss this time.
"If you mean what I think you mean then I'll happily accept," Alex said beaming. "I'm certainly gotten closer to you than I have to any other alphas I've dated in the last 10 years. I realized sometime ago that I had fallen hard and fast for you but I didn't want to say anything as I wasn't entirely sure of your feelings. I didn't want to insult you by telling you I loved you even though I knew you would let me down gently if you didn't feel the same."
"There was little chance of that, but still I understand why you said nothing. Some alphas are easy to insult but I'm sure you know by now I'm not. The fact that Spencer likes you made my decision an easy one," Dave said. "I've come to love you in just a few weeks. I know we've only been courting for a short time but that doesn't matter for our kind."
"No we tend to know when we have found a mate," Alex agreed, as she finished her wine gulping the last of it from the crystal goblet. Finishing her wine gave her enough time to regain her composure, as Dave made her feel things she had never felt before. He made her feel safe without making her think that she couldn't take care of herself, he made her feel protected and he made her feel loved for herself.
Dave had some really nice wine glasses and they were made of crystal instead of glass which meant they were ultraexpensive.
"I would love to get you with child with your next heat Alex," Dave said, as he took her hand in his own rubbing the knuckles gently. "I think we should have dinner sometime in the next couple of weeks so you can meet my other two sons start to get to know them. It will give them a chance to assess you for themselves. I have had a couple of close calls other than the one I told you about where Samantha suggested I ship my sons to an orphanage."
"I still can't believe how stupid this Samantha was," Alex snorted. "She must not have been very intelligent to actually make such a suggestion. That she then tried to get you in trouble with the law seems even stupider to me."
"It does," Dave agreed wholeheartedly with Alex's opinion. "That wasn't the only close call though, I have had a few others. Samantha apparently, wasn't raised correctly since she tried to pull that crap on me."
"You're usually so easy-going know that maybe she thought that you'd be amenable to the suggestion," Alex suggested.
"That just makes her stupider," Dave said. "Just because I'm usually easy-going doesn't mean I'm going to agree to send my kids to an orphanage or even boarding school. It shouldn't matter that they don't share my blood they're still mine and I love them."
"And you should. I don't believe that this Samantha loves anyone but herself much less three children that technically weren't even yours," Alex said. "If I found out about a similar situation I'd probably do the same thing if I could. Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to take in two or three children unless they're my own. I make decent pay at the University that's true but that doesn't mean I have the money or the space to take in several children who need a good home. I'm really fond of Spencer and I'm sure I can become fond of his brothers to once we meet. For one thing he pays attention in my class when a lot of students don't and I can definitely appreciate and respect that. Also, he seems to have a real knack for linguistics, something not many have."
"That's good because Spencer is definitely fond of you," Dave said finishing his wine. "He might even love you like a mother or older sister but he's hard to read at the best of times."
"That's really nice compliment so thanks, though I'm not really old enough to be his mother not unless I got pregnant at 16 or 17," Alex said.
"It happens," Dave said.
"I'd be proud to have those three as my sons as there not only kind, they're generous. They are very intelligent they go out of their way to help others when they don't understand something. You must be awfully proud of them," Alex complimented Dave,
"I am," Dave agreed, even as he kissed Alex's temple. "It amazes me some times that they seem nothing like their birth father. I don't know how all three turned out more like their mother then their father but that seems to be the case."
"Please, don't bring him up, because I feel like going to punch him in the nose at the very least for the way he treated his sons and usually I'm not violent at all," Alex said. "It's just that there's a right and there's a wrong and what their father did was definitely wrong and I'm sorry that he's not in prison."
Dave snorted at that one but agreed with Alex's comment.
"My father taught me how to defend myself if necessary as alphas or humans can have ill intentions. A kick in his gonards often does the trick. No offense to present company." Alex explained with twinkling eyes.
"I'm glad your father taught you how to defend yourself from unwanted attention," Dave said wincing as he imagined being kicked in that area of his body. "No offense taken, because you're right a lot of men in general don't have good intentions.
"Of course, he taught me how to defend myself. I am his only daughter after all," Alex said. "He wanted me safe, didn't want to lose me like we lost Danny."
"Is that the reason you never became a cop like the rest of your family?" Dave asked. "Too dangerous?"
"It's not the danger, as I did consider joining the FBI, which can be very dangerous depending on what department you're in," Alex said. "However, my mother begged me to find a less dangerous profession. She took losing Danny hard and she couldn't bear to lose me as well. She knew how much danger that my father was often in when I was growing up. Of course, we didn't lose Danny for years and by then, I was already teaching linguistics. Still, she knew it was a likely possibility that she'd lose at least one of her children."
Suddenly the front door opened and their was the sound of laughter
"Oh, the boys must be home," Dave said, as he rose to great his sons.
Dave greeted his sons as they entered the house. "Welcome home boys. Remember your manners, I have a guest.
"Alex is here," Spencer said. "I recognize her car."
"Oh, we've been wanting to meet her," said Julio. "Spence here just raves about her classes."
"Makes me wish I was taking linguistics," Kade added slapping his brother on the back. "Unfortunately, I don't have Spence's talent at languages.
Spencer blushed at the praise and walked into the den where Alex was.
"Dr. Blake it's good to see you," Spencer said shaking Alex's hand.
"It's good to see you to Spencer and why don't you call me Alex," Alex suggested warmly. "Of course, I know your aware, you'll have to call me Dr. Blake in class."
"Meet my brothers Julio and Kade," Spencer introduced once his brothers had entered the room.
"We've been wanting to meet you for sometime, Dr. Blake," Julio said shaking her hand. "Spencer simply raves about you and loves your classes."
"Well, I'm glad to know he thinks so much of me," Alex said with a warm smile and handshake. "He has a real talent for languages that not many people have and could take it up as profession if he cared to."
Spencer blushed right on cue and nobody said anything as not to embarrass the young man any farther. Spencer was a very modest young man and only part of that was being an omega.
"You have so many options for a career once you finish your education," Alex said. "From all I've heard from your father all three of you are going to be able to choose whatever careers you want. He's been bragging about you."
"Of course I have, because I'm very proud of all three of them," Dave said, as he came to put an arm around Alex's shoulders to show his sons what he thought of her. By putting an arm around her shoulders it sent a message to the triplets that he and Alex were very close and that she was going to be their new mother. "We can talk more over dinner next week as Alex needs to get home and get some sleep. She has classes to teach tomorrow."
"Unfortunately yes, I do," Alex said. "I would love to stay and chat, but I don't want to be tired tomorrow and it's already getting late. Just let me know what day you want me to come for dinner and I'll be here."
"I'll escort you out," Spencer offered and Alex nodded knowing that the young man probably wanted to talk to her about something.
"That would be fine," Alex said. "I'll see you in the next few days Dave."
"How about Saturday or Sunday for that dinner, as you don't have any classes then," Dave said.
"That sounds fine. I don't have any concrete plans for either day other than normal chores," Alex said.
"Saturday then, 6 o'clock," Dave said and Alex acknowledged Dave's words by kissing his cheek affectionately.
"Sounds good," Alex said before taking Spencer's of arm so he could escort her to the front door.
Once they were at the front door Spencer spoke softly so his father and brothers wouldn't overhear him. "I wanted to thank you for what you done for dad. He's been much happier and more content since you two started courting."
"That's not necessary, but still I do understand," Alex said just as softly. "I was just as lonely as he was before we started courting. I dated a lot of duds before I met Dave."
"He's done so much for me and my brothers that all of us just want to see him happy, which means a mate and children eventually," said Spencer.
"And you don't care if he has children of his own blood?" Alex asked Spencer delicately.
"No, I really don't and my brothers would tell you the same if you ask them. The three of us are almost grown-up for one thing and will soon have careers of our own. We'll visit of course when we have time, but we still won't live here anymore and you know what often happens to our species if they don't find a mate of their own. I know that you won't try to send us to an orphanage like Samantha tried to do."
"I heard about that, as Dave told me all about it," Alex said winkling her nose in disgust. "I don't know what this Samantha could've been thinking to make such an outrageous suggestion to an alpha, even one as easygoing as Dave.
"Especially one as strong as dad," Spencer agreed. "At the time I was terrified that dad would do so, but now I know differently. He threw her out without a qualm—bodily. She ended up with a broken arm and she's lucky it wasn't worse."
"True," Alex agreed. "I'm glad you approve Spencer," Alex added warmly. "If he does propose I will happily accept. What Dave's former girlfriend did was boneheaded stupid and just tells me that she wasn't taught how to handle an alpha. There are certain things you never suggest to an alpha and one of them is sending their kids to an orphanage or boarding school. It shouldn't matter that you're not related by blood he still took you in and adopted you as his own and that should've told Samantha that he loved you. This tells me that this Samantha wasn't very observant or intelligent or possibly couldn't see past her own desires."
"That's the understatement of the decade. Still, I agree with your analysis," Spencer snorted. "I suspect a proposal will be coming sometime in the next few weeks. I'll look forward to having some brothers and sisters."
"I'll see you on Saturday," Alex told Spencer who escorted her to her car.
"I'm looking forward to it," Spencer said, as he opened Alex's door for her.
Alex drove away with Spencer watching her go and realized she was really looking forward to Saturday's dinner.
~~~Dave and Alex~~~