Chapter Five
Ladon
“Text or call” the back of the sticker had said, followed by ten digits.
It was two days after seeing the sexy firefighter at Vista Park, and while I had his number programmed into my phone, I still hadn’t contacted him.
I didn’t know what to say or how to word a message.
It wasn’t as if I regularly got asked on dates.
Blaze was the first alpha to show any interest in me after learning I had a kid.
I hadn’t been out with any alpha since getting pregnant with Kirin.
With no family around, I didn’t have anyone to look after my son, even if the opportunity had arisen before now.
I sighed, loading up the computer at ST Kids Care Center to get ready for the day.
Kirin was already in the toy room, making siren sounds with the fire truck he insisted on playing with since last Monday.
I had to see if I could find one at Deilko, the big department store a few blocks west of Shifter Towers, so he had one at home to play with, too.
Ever since the Touch a Truck event, he’d become even more obsessed with being a firefighter, watching any show that had a firefighter or a fire truck.
When he heard the sirens coming from outside, he dashed to the window and begged to go outside so he could see the fire truck go by, even though we missed most of them by the time we got out to the street.
While my son had been thinking about fire trucks, I’d been turning over every moment I had with the handsome fireman who gave me his number.
Especially when he pulled me up into the truck and had me sit so close that our thighs touched the entire time, followed by the passing of the sticker, when his fingers brushed over mine before he let go to hand it to me.
Then there were the dreams where my dragon, tired of being suppressed, took over my mind and showed me what it would be like to fly with him.
At first, I thought my dragon was simply acting out by showing me him as a dragon, until Blaze’s slipup at Vista Park left me reconsidering.
Blaze had said it was good to see a dragon again.
I still couldn’t be sure if that meant he was also a dragon, but I didn’t believe any other type of shifter, and especially not a human, would say such a thing.
Dragons were something for them to fantasize about, but the reality of living with our kind always proved too much for others in the end.
Hence, why dragon shifters often lived together with our own kind in small towns or kept our other side buried while in big cities.
Flying with Blaze would be the ultimate kind of freedom, but I didn’t know when I would ever have the opportunity. I couldn’t even figure out how to go out on a coffee date with him.
Emily entered the day care and slapped her palm on the desk. “Hey, do you need a babysitter?”
My whole body lurched, wondering how she had read my mind. I hadn’t discussed meeting Blaze with anyone beyond when he’d shown up at work on Monday. “Um, why?”
“Monica took her babysitting course this weekend.” My co-worker handed me a flyer with toys and flowers, along with her daughter’s contact information on it.
“Now, she’s looking for kids to babysit.
I figured since you and Kirin have been over to our place before, you might consider having her babysit for you and then you can also provide a reference for her for other parents. ”
“Oh, I—”
“C’mon, Ladon.” She let the sheet fall in front of me on the desk. “You never go out anywhere without Kirin. Isn’t there some alpha you’d like to go out with?”
When she winked at me, I wondered if she had developed ESP.
“Okay, maybe there isn’t an alpha. But wouldn’t you like to go shopping on your own for once?” Emily leaned over the counter. “Please. I’m begging you to give her a chance.”
Or maybe not ESP, but I didn’t feel like I could say no, even if I wasn’t already wondering how to go on a date with a hot firefighter. “Sure.”
She gasped before I had a chance to say anything else. “Thank you. I appreciate this.” She pointed at the paper again. “Just call Monica and tell her when you need her. I’ll make sure she gets there on time and pick her up after.”
“Sounds good. I’ll message her tonight.”
The kids began to arrive only moments later, so I had to wait until the last of them had trickled in by ten to text Blaze. I had no idea what type of schedule firefighters worked, so I didn’t want to arrange a babysitter until I knew when he was free.
After several attempts at what to say that didn’t sound dumb, I typed in Hey, this is Ladon. You gave me your number on Saturday and hit send before I could delete it again.
With no idea how many omegas he’d given his number to at that event or whether he was busy at work, I didn’t know if he’d text me back right away or even remember who I was. I never expected to get a response right away.
I’m glad you texted. I thought you might not.
I worried why he thought I wouldn’t text him back then remembered all the doubts I’d had earlier that morning. Did I look like I hadn’t been with an alpha in a long time?
Are you up for getting coffee or something? He texted before my doubts could dig deeper.
Yes. I have a babysitter now, but I don’t know your schedule.
I was sure he didn’t need to know that, as it made it obvious I hadn’t dated recently.
Though he would probably figure that out when he realized I had very little dating experience.
Kirin’s father had been someone I worked with at the time.
We never went on any dates but hung out after our shifts were done.
I thought we had the perfect friends-to-lovers relationship.
Until a few days after we first had sex, when I learned he’d quit at the bowling alley we worked at.
All my calls and messages to him after that went unanswered, and I never heard from him again.
Barely over the heartbreak, I learned I was eggbound a couple weeks later.
I have today and tomorrow off. Friday and Saturday as well. If you’re available to go out this week.
I doubted I could arrange a babysitter for tonight or tomorrow. Besides, it was still a school night for Monica. Plus, I didn’t know if I was ready to let someone else put Kirin to bed. A daytime date might be better. How about Saturday during the day?
Sure. Tell me where you would like to meet for coffee. We can figure out what to do after that.
I wasn’t sure I could handle anything after going out for coffee. It was already a big stretch simply leaving Kirin with someone else. I hadn’t planned it that way, but life had befallen me like that, and I needed time to adjust to not having my son with me.
Do you know where Rondack’s is? The place was known for its coffee, soup, and sandwiches, and was only a few blocks down the street from my apartment. I could walk there and still be close enough to rush home if I needed to.
I do now. Just looked it up. Meet you there at two on Saturday?
Sounds good. I’ll see you there. My stomach twisted as I hit send, and I thought I might vomit. As much as I wanted to see Blaze again, the idea of going on a date and leaving Kirin with a babysitter sent my mind into a spiral of doubt and worry.
Looking forward to it.
I wanted to be able to say the same. I was looking forward to the date, but my anxiety got in the way of all that hope and longing.
I needed Saturday to arrive fast so I could get the date over with and deal with the afterglow or disappointment at the end of it all.
It also didn’t help that my dragon had become harder to suppress since meeting Blaze.
That would be okay if I was on my own, but how did I teach my son to control his dragon when mine had suddenly decided to fight for dominance?