I stared. I forgot what I was about to say.
At Tanya's birthday dinner, I had laughed at her envy over being loved by two people. She was still young, of course, she'd eventually find someone to love her deeply. But what I couldn't laugh off was the envy I felt toward her for something I had never known: loving, protective parents. Hers never saw her omega status as shameful. Mine saw it as disposable.
And yet, now... just a few moments ago, that lifelong ache cracked open, only to be filled by three simple words:
Call me Mom.
My throat closed. My chest felt tight. My vision blurred. I quickly looked down, pretending to rub my eye, trying to hide the tears. But Mrs. Walker noticed. Her voice came gently, laced with concern.
"Did I offend you? I apologize if—"
"No!" I looked up at her, my voice trembling. "I'm just... overwhelmed. I haven't seen my parents since high school…"
I couldn't say anything more. I choked on the lump in my throat. Her expression softened. She reached across the table and held my hand, her own eyes full of emotion.
"Tony," she said, voice steady but tender, "I don't know what happened between you and your family. I don't know why they couldn't love you the way you deserved. But I'll tell you this, they lost out. They lost the chance to be proud of a son who turned out strong, compassionate, and brave. That's their loss, not yours."
I gave her a bittersweet smile. "I haven't done anything remarkable, Mrs. Walker. I'm just a regular omega, trying to keep things together."
But she shook her head slowly, her eyes still on mine.
"You survived rejection by your society, by your family, by the man you once loved. You gave birth to Twen when you were just eighteen. You worked through hardship after hardship, all while raising him with love. Don't you dare call that ordinary. That's courage most people wouldn't even know how to begin to emulate."
Hearing it said like that made it feel... heroic. No one had ever said those things to me before. I'd learned not to expect praise, or sympathy, or comfort. After Robbie's rejection, I had stopped hoping altogether. I poured everything into Twen instead, thinking if I couldn't be happy, at least he could. That would be enough.
But now... here I was, being seen and accepted.
I looked up at her and smiled, voice thick with emotion. "Thank you, Mom."
Her eyes shimmered at the sound of it. She squeezed my hand and turned toward Robbie, who looked like he was trying to disappear behind his coffee cup. Twen, too, sat in silence, gently nibbling his pastry, pretending not to notice the tension in the air.
Then Mrs. Walker's tone changed, subtle but firm.
"Robbie," she said. "Could you give me a few minutes alone with Tony?"
Robbie blinked, clearly surprised, but nodded. He stood and motioned for Twen. The boy hesitated, fingers grasping my sleeve tightly. I leaned down and ran my hand through his hair.
"Twen, Granny Ash wants to talk to me alone for a bit. Be with…" I looked at Robbie. "Be with Dad for a little while, okay?"
Twen looked at Robbie with wide eyes; he was clearly surprised, but said nothing. Robbie's face lit up, and Mrs. Walker gave me a warm smile. Twen studied us all before slowly letting go of my sleeve and slipping his hand into Robbie's.
Once they were out of earshot, I turned back to her. "Is there something you want to say, Mom?"
She didn't hesitate. "I'm sorry."
I frowned. "Why are you—"
"For what my son did to you. For rejecting you and leaving you alone with a pregnancy that wasn't just your responsibility. I know I can't undo the past, and I won't insult you by pretending I can. But you didn't deserve any of that, Tony."
Her voice was low and steady. It was not defensive, just filled with regret.
I stayed quiet. Her apology was genuine. And yes, I'd been hurt. Robbie's rejection had nearly broken me. But I also knew that pain doesn't belong to just one side.
Finally, I spoke.
"What Robbie did... yeah. It destroyed me at the time. I hated him for years. I thought he ruined my life."
Her face dropped, but I continued.
"But he also gave me the reason to keep going: Twen."
She looked up at that, meeting my eyes. I smiled gently.
"Only recently did I begin to realize... I wasn't the only one who suffered. I spent so long hating him that I never stopped to ask if he hated himself even more. And maybe he did."
She opened her mouth to speak, but her emotions caught up with her first. She shook her head, voice slightly trembling now.
"No, Tony. You had every right to hate him. I won't ask you to forgive him. That's not my place. I just... I just want to say he won't repeat that mistake. I know my son. And I know he regrets it deeply. He's trying to make things right. I can't erase the past, but I believe the future can still be rewritten."
I reached out and took both her hands in mine.
"Mom… I know he regrets it. And you're right, he's trying. I don't know where we're headed, and there are still things unresolved between us. But I don't hate Robbie anymore."
She stared at me for a long moment before her face broke into a smile that was equal parts relief, gratitude, and sorrow.
"God has been very unfair to you, Tony. But I'll keep praying that the future holds only joy for you from here on out."
"I'll do my best to bring happiness to both of them, Mom," came Robbie's voice from behind me.
He was holding Twen in his arms. Twen's head was resting on his shoulder, eyes half-lidded. He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't resisting either.
Mrs. Walker chuckled softly. "You three already look like a family."
And just like that, I blushed. Robbie laughed. And we walked out of the café together.
Before parting, Mrs. Walker hugged me tightly and whispered, "It was a pleasure meeting you, son. And remember, if you ever need me, I'm always a call away."
I nodded. "Yes… Mom."
She bent to kiss Twen on the cheek. "My little prince, come visit Granny Ash again soon, okay?"
Twen hugged her tightly around the neck. His little arms wrapped her without hesitation. Kids always know sincerity.