13. Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Kier
The dinner was delightful.
As much as I had worried about dining with my boss, the whole thing had been incredibly welcoming and fun. Once we put in our dinner order, the four of us sat down and just chatted. It was natural, fun. Like what a family was supposed to be.
I loved it.
Once Malric and Eryndor left, it was just Tavian and me in our home. Malric promised to bring the nest over as soon as possible. I would have told him it was fine to wait a while longer, except I couldn’t wait. My instincts were pushing with full force for me to get the nest put together. If Malric was able to arrange it, they would have it delivered this evening, and I couldn’t be more excited.
Tav and I sat on the couch, staring at the makeshift nest I had put together so far. In the middle of the sitting room was an arrangement of blankets piled together to make a comfortable resting place. Several pillows formed to make a circle, and there were a handful of trinkets in the nest with the blankets. I had put one of my pens, and I’d taken several ties from Tav’s closet. If whatever Malric or Eryndor hoarded could fit in the nest, we’d include that as well.
“Explain to me about the basket,” I said. “Your father seemed excited about it, but something in his face told me he was a little sad. Did I not do the nest correctly?”
Tav grabbed my hand. “The nest is beautiful, mate. He wasn’t sad, not really. The basket has been passed down from generation to generation. Each family has one—or several if there are multiple omegas expecting at once. Our family has one that I know of. I’ve only seen it once since my parents only had two clutches. There was me, the lone dragon egg, and then, several years later, they had a clutch of three. I was young at the time, just fifty.”
I snorted. “Oh, just fifty.”
“Yes,” Tav said with a chuckle. “And I was in law school for the first time.”
“Started a little late, did you?”
“Hush, dragons take a minute to grow up, okay? This was a while ago also, and colleges weren’t what they are now.”
“How many times have you been to law school now?”
“You’re distracting me from the story, mate.”
“Oh, sorry.” I leaned into his embrace.
“Anyway,” he continued, “my omega father had a clutch of three, and that’s my three brothers. Only two survived—Eryndor and Thalric. I don’t believe you’ve met Thalric.”
“I have not, though I’ve heard of him. I’ve talked with him via email.”
“He likes to travel,” Tav said. “Anyway, I think my parents would have had more if my omega father hadn’t gotten sick and passed.”
“I’m sorry, Tav. I’ve always heard such good things about him.”
“It was a long time ago. Dragon deaths from sickness are very rare. My father was not yet named Lord of the clan. That came later. I think he took the position to distract from the pain.”
I threaded my fingers into Tavian’s hair. “I can’t image it would be easy to recover from losing one’s mate.”
“Most don’t.” Tavian squeezed me tighter, his eyes taking on a glazed-over look as if imagining what it might be like to lose a mate. I shuddered at the thought. “I wish he were here to meet you. He would love you very much, just as I do, and he would be very excited to have some grand-dragonets. When an omega is expecting, they go through this nesting period, as I’m sure you’re aware at this point. Their primary goal is to build a nest that is comfortable for their eggs but also to fill it with things that will teach the eggs about their family. Clan members will stop by with random gifts to put in the nest—lots of new blankets, soft things, little trinkets. It’s their way of introducing themselves to the dragonets before they even hatch.”
“That’s amazing,” I said.
“It is,” Tav agreed. “My father, when he brings the nest over, will likely have a few things to include with it, and my brothers will send some things, too.”
“Is there anything special that you would like to include?” I asked. “I stole a couple of ties.”
Tav kissed my temple. “I see that. Those are the exact ones I would have chosen for the nest, so you did well, mate.” Tav sighed and stared at the nest. “Before he passed, my omega father was into quilting for a while. He made me a beautiful quilt for my home. I’ve never once used it. After he passed, I’ve kept it stored in a closet. As soon as the nest arrives, we’ll get it out and put it down. It is large enough it will cover the whole thing.”
“That sounds like a beautiful piece to include,” I said.
Tav kissed my lips this time. He couldn’t seem to stop touching me. The feeling was mutual “Thank you, mate.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you’re telling me all this, because it makes me feel less crazy. When I started gathering up blankets and such today, I knew that I was nesting, but I guess I didn’t realize just how normal it all was. It felt a little crazy.”
“That’s okay,” he said with a smile. “Parenthood is a little crazy. You’re going to be a wonderful parent, Kier. I know it when I look at you.”
I melted at his words. Even if I didn’t have the confidence, my mate did, and that meant something. “I appreciate that, Tav. I wish I could describe how it felt today to start nesting... It was like a key sliding in a lock, everything clicked into place, and I got to work.”
“And the results are beautiful. The nest is our children’s first introduction to the world. It’s a beginning. It represents our commitment to them and our future.”
The weight of those words sank deep into my soul. “I understand. Our nest will be perfect for them. They’ll be so loved.”
“They will.”
I turned in Tav’s arms and pressed my lips to his. My legs opened, letting him know that I was seeking more than just a makeout session. I needed him. I needed his hands on me, needed him inside me.
Before we could go much further, Tav’s phone buzzed in his pocket and his hips jerked. “Who the—” He pulled his phone out and glared at it. “Seems my father couldn’t wait another minute, he is bringing the nest over now.”
“Right now?”
“Yes. He messaged asking if I could help him bring it in.”
“But...” My cock ached, I wanted release.
Tav must’ve read my thoughts on my face. He chuckled and kissed my nose. “Stay there, love. I’ll get it from him. He will understand.”
“I don’t want to be rude. He came all this way.”
“Nonsense. He spent the whole evening here. He’s just excited to get the nest here for you. He knows we’ll want to get it set up on our own.”
“If you’re sure...”
Tav left the room, and ten minutes later he came back, awkwardly carrying an oversized basket. He laid it on the floor.
I got up and kneeled next to it. The nest was about a foot deep and six feet across. I ran my fingers over the material woven together. The material was thin branch-like vines, dried out. There were so many strands of it. There had to be thousands of them to make a basket this large.
“It’s made of honeysuckle vines.”
“It’s beautiful.”
We set to work. Tav retrieved the quilt his omega father made him and laid it over the basket. It fit perfectly. From there, we transferred the other blankets and pillows and set them up inside. Once we were done, the nest was filled to the brim.
“We’re ready,” Tav said, and he put his arm around me.
I scoffed. “The nest is just getting started. We still have a lot to do.”