(BL)Alpha Made
Chapter 77: A man’s apology

Chapter 77: A man’s apology

Kim’s phone vibrated before Andrew could respond and she had to get up to answer the phone. Mrs. Proctor chuckled, smiling at the two men.

"Maxwell, please be careful teasing Andy. I know you mean it from a warm place, but with Andrew’s current condition, we need to be careful about his heart." She teased, and Andrew sighed. He had a feeling that he had inherited more than just some shares in a company when he had agreed to come in to speak with Kim, and he didn’t regret it.

It was nice to know that other people hadn’t forgotten his Mom.

"Ah. I of course would never want anything to happen to Andrew, so I will reduce the times I tease him." Maxwell agreed readily, and Mrs. Proctor laughed.

"I love how Andrew has such a supportive partner. Have you met your parents yet?" Mrs. Proctor asked, and Maxwell smiled.

"We have. I was concerned at first, but Andrew handled himself well. I’m sure they were surprised at first, but my Mother pulled me aside while Andrew was having a chat with my eldest brother and told me she quite liked him." Andrew, who had never heard this, felt his cheeks flush.

"She liked me?" Andrew asked, and Maxwell rolled his eyes.

"Andrew, who wouldn’t like you? You’re a sweetheart, and Mother said she would come over and bother us. My Mother doesn’t like to leave her house. That is a huge sign that she likes you." Andrew gulped at Maxwell’s words, his emotions overwhelming him. He had known that he had passed the safe point, but he didn’t realise by how much. "And my Father is all for anything we do. I don’t know how you won him over so quickly since he was awful to you when you two first met, but I know that Dr. Smith has his hands full from my Father asking about your health. He’s almost more worried than I am." Maxwell said with a sniff. Andrew’s heart warmed, his chest squeezing at the reminder that Maxwell was worried about him, always.

"I don’t know how that would be possible. I didn’t know you could nag, Maxwell, but you are impeccable at it." Andrew murmured, and watched as Maxwell’s ears turned pink and his expression hardened. He was clearly flustered.

"I do not nag you. Worrying about your health is not nagging. Your body-" Andrew chuckled, and Maxwell stopped in his rant.

"I’m not criticizing you. I like when you nag me. You can do it for as long as you like." Andrew smiled, raising their joined hands to his lips and pressing a kiss there. "In fact, I hope you do it for the rest of time. I’ll worry if you stop doing it. I’ll think I’ve done something wrong, or I’ve lost your affection." Maxwell’s expression didn’t get any better, and Andrew smiled. He was happy when the script switched and he was able to tease Maxwell.

It filled him with warmth. He liked being able to get a rise out of him since it showed that Maxwell cared about him deeply. It also usually resulted in the man pouncing on him later. Which he definitely didn’t mind.

Kim came back after answering her phone call with a sigh. She didn’t sit down again, but put her hands on her wife’s shoulders, giving them a squeeze from behind the couch. It was a sign of comfort, and Andrew loved watching two older people in love.

"Sorry about that, you three. It seems my next meeting is a little anxious to speak to me. I’ll escort you back down to the cafe and you two can take your time. If it becomes too much for you Andy, you can leave whenever." Her voice and expression were warm, but Andrew could see a little bit of annoyance behind her eyes. Andrew wasn’t a fool. He knew it wasn’t directed at him, and had to be at the people who had interrupted them.

Getting to his feet, he gently tugged Maxwell up as well and the smaller man came easily to his feet. Mrs. Proctor did the same, and taking her wife’s hand, the four of them left the office.

They chatted about a few things as they made their way down to the lobby. Mostly about what Andrew had missed out on, like how they had two kids of their own. Andrew had never met them for safety reasons on Andrew’s side, but they were both in their early teens.

One had manifested as a true alpha, but she was a handful outside of that. Kim seemed at her wits end when describing her eldest child and how much of a handful she was, but there was so much love in her eyes and voice that Andrew knew she was only complaining because she loved her. Mrs. Proctor had a similar exasperated expression, but such a depth of love that Andrew knew the child felt safe enough to act out.

Their second child they were pretty sure was going to manifest as an omega, but nothing was ever set in stone. They also didn’t want to pressure him, since he was still a baby in their eyes, or make him feel uncomfortable. Andrew could tell Maxwell was slightly uncomfortable when it came to the topic of a young male omega, and the fact that his parents were pretty sure he was going to become one, but he held his tongue. Andrew pressed a kiss against his forehead when the two women were chatting to each other.

Maxwell’s eyes when they met Andrew’s, made him want to wrap his arms around him and comfort him. Andrew knew that Maxwell still had some hang ups about his own manifestation, and Andrew couldn’t blame him. From his understanding, Maxwell was sensitive to pheromones, his parents had known he was going to be an omega from a young age, and he felt he was the reason they had broken off their relationship with his grandfather and his grandfather’s company.

Andrew couldn’t easily comfort that away, nor did he like to pry too deeply into Maxwell’s worries. If Andrew felt more stable about himself and his life, he probably would, but he had a good understanding of the situation. Andrew wasn’t capable enough to manage someone else’s anxieties and worries to the depth that he would want to given his own issues at the moment.

So, he’d wait, keep everything he wanted to ask questions about in the back of his pocket until he could pursue and try to comfort Maxwell to the lengths and depths that he wanted. Maxwell deserved as much care and consideration as that. Maxwell deserved everything, as far as Andrew was concerned, but he didn’t want to half ass it.

Maxwell wouldn’t like it if he did that.

The doors to the lobby opened and Kim and Mrs. Proctor were the first to step out. The four of them walked shoulder to shoulder down the long stretch of the T until Andrew and Maxwell spotted a duo they hadn’t expected to see.

The Fulton brothers.

The brothers, who had been chatting to each other with a few men gathering behind them, paused when they spotted Andrew and Maxwell. It was clear that Andrew and Maxwell were together, since they were holding hands and quite close, and Andrew watched as several emotions crossed their faces. Maxwell’s grip on Andrew’s hand loosened, but Andrew refused to let go.

"Ah. I am sorry for the delay, you two. I had a visit from my nephew, and we haven’t seen each other in a few years. I hope you’ll forgive us for going a little long." Kim laughed, patting Andrew on the shoulder. Andrew watched as the eldest’s eyes widened, and he glanced at Maxwell before darting back up to Andrew. He gave a tight smile, placing his hand on his younger brother’s shoulder. Andrew had a feeling he was warning him quietly, and he fought with a smile.

"It’s alright. We don’t have as tight of a schedule as you do, Mrs. Proctor. We can be flexible." He turned to Maxwell. "It is good to see you in good health, Mr. Beckett. I believe we’ve met before, Dr. Knox?" The eldest Fulton brother offered Andrew his hand, which meant he would have to let go of Maxwell’s to shake it. Andrew smiled, doing so since he didn’t mind. He could always hold Maxwell’s hand later.

Andrew shook his hand with a smile, while Mr. Fulton’s expression shifted and he sniffed.

"I’m glad to see you remember me." Andrew told him warmly, while Mr. Fulton faltered.

"You...what happened in between the last time I saw you and now?" He asked rather bluntly, and Kim stiffened behind him. So did Maxwell, but Andrew didn’t mind. This was the first time he’d encountered someone from his past like this, so it was a good test.

"I’ve manifested since we’ve last met. Quite a surprise to everyone, if I’m honest." Kim chuckled.

"Andy, it was only a surprise to you." Andrew rolled his eyes with a warm smile, releasing the older brother’s hand and stepping back to take Maxwell’s hand again. The eldest seemed dazed, before he nodded.

"Ah. It makes sense. Congratulations on manifesting then. I am glad to hear that Mr. Beckett has a good man around him." He seemed genuine in his words, and his gaze darted to his younger brother, before going to Maxwell. He bowed deeply to Maxwell rather suddenly, enough that it surprised the Proctors beside them. "I know I sent a card and several emails, but I would like to apologise in person given the opportunity at hand. I had no idea what was planned, and I promise you, I have personally fired and dealt with the plot that had happened behind my back. I know you don’t have to forgive me for what happened, and I don’t expect you to." He stood up and frowned, turning his gaze to Andrew. "And I’m sorry as well. I should not have let my emotions and prejudices get the better of me. Beta or not, it was not right." Andrew had not expected this type of growth from him, while Maxwell stepped forward.

"Are you apologising because you heard that Andrew was Kim’s nephew?" He asked quietly, and Mr. Fulton’s eyes went wide.

"No! It’s nothing like that. I’ve been wanting to apologise for a while. It’s not an excuse, but I found out after that the food had been laced with...something on our end as well. It seems there was a plot of some kind brewing behind the scenes." His gaze slid to his younger brother, before sliding back to Maxwell. "Someone had planned to put two people in a room who had been intoxicated on medication that was supposed to stimulate omegas and alphas. You made the right call leaving when you did." Maxwell’s jaw hardened, and so did Andrew’s.

He bowed again.

"Again, you do not need to forgive me. I just want you to know I am genuinely sorry for what happened." Kim, who had been listening to everything, made a soft noise in the back of her throat.

"Was it your family?" She asked, and Mr. Fulton winced.

"My...My Mother, actually." He muttered. "She contacted the hotel and bribed several people. My Father put her on house arrest shortly after he found out what she had done." He admitted quietly, and Maxwell’s expression didn’t shift. He let go of Andrew’s hand and crossed his arms, staring at the man. Andrew would have been sweating under his look. Mr. Fulton was no different. Neither of the Fulton brother’s remained calm.

Eventually, Maxwell sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"I’m not such a cruel person I would remain angry when someone punished their own Mother, Mr. Fulton. I accept your apology." Mr. Fulton seemed genuinely pleased that Maxwell had done that.

"Thank you, Mr. Beckett. I...thank you." He bowed again, but when he came up his eyes were sparkling. It was clear that a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Of course, this doesn’t mean the deal we were discussing will be picked up." Maxwell continued, and those same sparkling eyes widened.

"Oh, absolutely not! I would never expect something like that. We messed up that deal, and I personally take responsibility for that. If you choose to work with us again, I promise that something like this will never happen again, but I understand your hesitation." Mr. Fulton turned his gaze to Andrew. "And if you ever need anything from us, please, don’t hesitate to reach out. I...I owe you two for not making a mistake that I could not take back. I...my parents..." He sighed, shaking his head. "No, it’s nothing to burden you with. Again, thank you for accepting my apology. We’ll wait over here until you are ready, Mrs. Proctor." He yanked his brother to the side while the four of them shared a look.