(BL)Alpha Made-Chapter 295: What are friends for if not to discuss your relationship issues?

"Jesus Andrew. You should have called me if you needed help! I would have taken you in in a heartbeat!" Maria started as soon as she finished hearing his story. Andrew felt his cheeks heat as Maria’s words filled the air, her facial expression the complete opposite of her words as she made silly faces at her son. "You’ve always been like this. Relying on others has always been an issue, but you want everyone to rely on you instead." She glanced at him, her gaze narrowing as Andrew sat back in his chair, checking the time on his phone.

"I’m sorry Maria. I just-" She raised a hand, silencing him.

"No no. I should know better than to expect you to reach out. After all, you disappeared off the face of the earth once already. This is a big step for you." Maria dug in deep and Andrew flinched. Yeah. He earned that one with his own hands. "So, you two worked it out and spent your rut together. That’s crazy. That was your first rut, right?" She asked, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him. "How was it?" She asked and Andrew flushed.

"I uh, I don’t remember it." Andrew admitted and she giggled.

"Most of them you don’t. Over time, you might remember snippets here and there. Now that Zack and I have been together for so long, it happens more frequently." She let out a soft sigh, her expression shifting as she recalled something. She looked soft, warm, and thoughtful. She then shook herself, blushing, and grinned "Maxy strikes me as the kind of man who likes control in the bedroom. Was he okay?" Andrew felt guilty as he remembered the condition of Maxwell’s shoulders. How they still hadn’t healed properly, probably wouldn’t for a while. He was due for a check up at the hospital because of them and Andrew felt pretty bad about it.

"He’s...coping." Andrew said and Maria snorted.

"Coping? Andy, you sound like a dog who hurt his owner. I’m sure Maxy didn’t mind, especially since he was helping out his alpha." Andrew felt strange hearing those words. He was doing better with understanding that he was an alpha now, but it was still hard for him to really get it.

Hearing himself referred to as an alpha, as Maxwell’s alpha was something he hadn’t heard a lot. Maybe this was the first time he’d actually heard it. He didn’t hate the way those words sounded, it just made him feel...complicated.

"I don’t know his feelings about it, so I don’t really want to put words into his mouth. I know that I would have some issues with it if I was in his shoes. I..." Andrew covered his face with his hands. "I was relentless. We...we ran out of condoms, Maria." Andrew whispered. Maria’s soft gasp filled the air before her hand landed on his arm, giving it a squeeze.

"Have you two gone to a Doctor yet? To check?" Andrew let out a soft exhale.

"We had my friend, Michael, do a house call but he specializes in alphas, not omegas. Obviously he gave us some advice, but we’re supposed to go soon to get him checked up. We...we’ve discussed it and we aren’t really ready for anything like that so..." Andrew trailed off, confusion filling him but Maria let out a small, content noise.

"Good. I’m glad you two caught anything like it quickly. Speaking from experience, it’s not always great when it’s too late to take any other option." Andrew peeked through his fingers at the other omega, a small smile on her face. "I’m also glad you two have discussed this already. That you had the presence of mind to speak about it. As two people who could bring a child into the world, having these kinds of conversations is important." Her eyes smiled as she looked at Andrew. "Do you want to know who taught me that?" She asked and Andrew blinked.

"Sure?" Andrew replied, confused, and Maria gave his arm a squeeze.

"It was you and your Mom, Andy. So, I’m glad that even though so much time has passed that I’ve been able to return the favour. If something does come from it, both you and Maxy seem to be in a good enough place, communication wise, that you know what you want to do. At this point, it’s nothing. It’s probably just a pill to get rid of it." Maria told him, offering him a kind of support that Andrew hadn’t expected.

He hadn’t opened up to anyone else about this. Not Maxwell’s parents, not Jenny and Kim, and not May and Ford. Certainly not now with Richard in the state that he was. Andrew dropped his hand and Maria slid hers to his, giving it a squeeze. Andrew hadn’t realised that he just needed someone to tell him he was making the right choices. That he was moving in the right direction not just for him, but for Maxwell as well. freёnovelkiss.com

Maxwell’s words did matter. They mattered so much, but hearing it from someone else? That soothed a part of him that he hadn’t realised was so tense.

"He told me he tried to take the max level of birth control the whole time. Tried to be diligent." Andrew swallowed. "He said that he did his best, but...it was near the end when the condoms ran out." Andrew told her and Maria giggled.

"Well I didn’t think it was at the beginning, silly." Her words weren’t demeaning, meant with affection. "It’s going to be okay, Andy. Maxwell isn’t just going to try to baby trap you." She said and then leaned in. "He might, but don’t tell anyone I said that." She whispered before pulling back with a grin. Andrew felt a laugh leave him, but his head was spinning.

"Max wouldn’t. It wouldn’t be a trap anyways. If he wanted to keep it, I would be fine with it. I’m just worried that we aren’t stable enough to have a kid." Maria snorted.

"And I was?" She countered and Andrew gave her an apologetic look.

"I didn’t mean-" She waved her hand dismissively.

"I know that of all people, you meant nothing by it. You were there to help me hold back my hair during my morning sickness. That bonds people. I’m just saying you seem to have this idea in your head that you need to be perfect before moving forward with the next step. Maybe that has something to do with your own trauma, everyone has some, but Andy," Maria leaned towards him again, meeting his gaze. "No one is perfect. Not a single bit. If you keep waiting like this, you aren’t ever going to move forward. With Maxy or with the rest of your life. You’ll drag your feet with other changes, and this isn’t just about the kid issue. It could be everything." She looked slightly apologetic when Andrew stared at her in shock. "I don’t want you to miss your life. I feel like you already have, Andy."

Her words were like a knife. The worst part was? She wasn’t wrong. His time abroad, while he had gotten a degree, he had been trying to numb everything. Forget everything. He’d avoided the people who could help him, and Maria was just...right.

He’d just started trying to move ahead when Tracey had pulled this shit and changed his life again. Andrew could feel it. The small part of him that was telling him to wait. To stop. That was causing the tension in his body even discussing kids right now.

He loved kids. Always had, always would. While that didn’t erase his fear that he would be a shit father, he knew that if they had Maxwell as the other father, he wouldn’t have to worry. Maxwell would never let him get to anywhere near to what his father was like, not without grievous bodily harm on Maxwell’s part.

Hewett, as if sensing that there was something wrong with Andrew, took that moment to turn to Andrew and throw his hands out, asking for his attention. Andrew gave him a warm smile, taking the child from Maria willingly, holding the small human as he fiddled, reaching for Andrew’s glasses and pulling them from his face.

Maria was chiding her child, but Andrew laughed.

Hewett’s little baby laughter filled the air, melting some of the concern away from Andrew. This was a good thing. Talking to Maria. It melted some of the tension from him and once more, he was kicking himself.

"Maria, I’m sorry I didn’t reach out. Now, and before. I was just-" Maria slid Andrew’s glasses back on his face, her pretty face coming into view as she smiled.

"You were grieving. I’m not such a shitty friend that I wouldn’t get that. With that said, a few of our mutuals are pissed at you, and I can see both sides." Andrew winced and Maria gave him a sympathetic look. "It’s okay. I’ve told them that I’ve run into you and that you’ve changed for the good. Still the same Andy we know, but with some maturity thrown in for good measure." She sighed. Andrew’s heart squeezed.

Maria had always been like this. Kind, smart, able to see what others couldn’t. She forgave easily, but that didn’t mean she was a push over. He missed this.

"I’m going to make a more conscious effort. I need to, I think, for both my and Max’s sanity." Andrew told her and she chuckled.

"Having other friends is good. Your Mom also told me that, and I’ve stuck to it. She’s the one who got through raising you all by herself and working herself to the bone, so it’s solid advice." Maria said and Andrew got to his feet.

"I should actually show you around now. Want to see my office?" Andrew offered and Maria got to her feet as well. She reached for her son, but he turned away from her, hiding in Andrew’s shoulder. Andrew chuckled while Maria puffed her cheeks out.

"Now that Uncle Andy’s here I’m chopped liver, huh? I’ll remember this, Hewie." Hewett’s giggles filled the air as Maria and Andrew headed towards the elevators, chatting about lighter topics. Maria’s issues with being a Mom, how Hewett was behaving like an angel now, but he’d kept her up last night wailing over the pain he was in because of teething and other growing pains.

Maria let some of her exhaustion show, but she still looked like she was glowing.

"You don’t regret becoming a Mom, do you?" Andrew asked as they waited for the elevator to arrive on Andrew’s office’s floor. She shook her head, smiling.

"No. Not at all. They are the best things that have ever happened to me and if suddenly things went sideways with Zack and I, I would still be grateful for the kids he helped me create." Her eyes were warm as she stared at Hewett in Andrew’s arms before they widened. "I am not manifesting that! We are doing great, our sex life is strong, I just sometimes think about-" Andrew threw his head back, laughing.

"It’s okay. I didn’t think you were complaining like that. I’m glad to hear that you two are still affectionate with each other." Andrew told her, smiling, and Maria blushed.

"I’d strangle him if he ever stopped touching me." Maria muttered and Andrew laughed.

"I feel like Max shares the same sentiment. With me though, of course." Andrew offered and Maria chuckled. The doors opened and Andrew waved them through. "Come on, let me show you what I do right now."