Chapter 17 #2
“Yeah, I’m a little concerned about that, but he was explaining how his theory is that I’m going to have the triplets who are going to replace us eventually—once they’ve gone out and lived amazing lives and done wild things all over the various lands.
” He looked up at Ev with those dark eyes.
“I don’t want to have children who feel like they are required to stay here at this house and be guardians of it. ”
“I don’t think you’re going to have to worry about that.
Your children, our children, are going to be their own people.
Well, they’re going to be dragons and fae, but they’re going to be their own creatures, and we’re going to encourage that and let them do what they want to do.
However…” Ev stroked his hair back off his face, smiling into his eyes.
“You know as well as I do that fate plays a hand.”
“I do know that. The three of us, me, Cullen, and Cosmo, were fated to be guardians. It just seems cruel to pop them out knowing that. I don’t think my mom knew that when she had us.” He felt so conflicted about it.
“Your mother knew you were special. I know she did.”
“She was very brave to have us. I mean, it was one thing to mate with a dragon, it was another thing altogether to mate with a dragon and have dragon children. Three dragon children.” He shook his head.
“Can you imagine if we had been the size of Arielle—who obviously you don’t know, but you’ve seen her now.
You’ve seen the dragons that aren’t us. You know they’re huge.
Hell, you know Hawk. She must have been terrified. ”
Evander shrugged. “Yes, but she did it, and that’s the point. Yes?”
“That’s totally the point. Still, it’s a little overwhelming to think about.” He rubbed his stomach. “Do you think that there could be three in here? That we’ve just missed someone?”
“Well, if there are three… I mean, you’ve heard them in multiples—multiple heartbeats, multiple energies. When they’re older, when they get bigger, you’ll be able to hear their different voices, perhaps?”
He nodded. That actually made sense. “I wonder if it’s two girls and a boy or two boys and a girl.”
Evander shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. It’s going to be three babies, if it’s three babies. They’re going to be our children. That’s all that matters. Nothing else matters.”
Evander had a point. Really, what mattered was that they had parents who loved them and who would protect them to the ends of the earth. “I think that’s perfectly fair.”
Maybe he needed to talk to his mom. Ask her if she’d known that there were going to be three of them, and if she did, had she been scared.
His cheeks heated because someone should have asked before now, but she always seemed like she was so in control, like she’d never been afraid of anything for a second in her entire life.
But she had to have been terrified as her belly swelled and swelled, knowing that Dad was so much bigger than she was, that their magics were so very different.
And she was the first of her kind, at least in the Flower Mound. The first to have dragon hybrid babies. Human and fae, yes. But not dragon.
He patted his belly. “I need to talk to Mom again.”
“We’ll invite her for…” Ev tilted his head, then grinned. “Brunch. Your mom seems like the brunch type.”
“She really does, doesn’t she? I think she would like that. Cinnamon rolls and fruit and lots of yummy stuff that doesn’t involve meat. Not that we won’t have bacon and sausage or something like that for you.”
“You eat your share of it, even though you’re Mr. Plant-based Dragon.” It was hilarious when he was teasing. Corbin loved the way his eyes crinkled up when he smiled. And those beautiful lips curved. In fact, he loved most everything about Evander.
The occasional bouts of stubbornness, and the way he ran off with his father and brothers every once in a while, just about the time Corbin was ready to have a breakdown, that was less endearing.
But his dad assured him that all couples had a few things that annoyed each other because that was necessary.
No one could be syrupy sweet all the time.
“I do, but Mom, not so much, and we need to remember to put some edible flowers out for her too.”
“That sounds great.” Evander waggled his eyebrows. “I would rather eat that than grass.”
“You are so weird. I don’t eat grass.” Well, he did eat wheat grass, or he did grind it up and put it in smoothies, which he had to laugh about every time he thought of those because Evander had taken one sip and gagged.
Yogurt, wheat grass, peanut butter, and ginger was not something Evander cared for.
But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that they were together and they were happy. He really needed to talk to his mom because his stomach just gurgled and he thought he heard laughter.
“We’ll invite her then, for a meal and a hug, then she can visit with the grandbabies afterward.” He liked it, having a plan.
It had to be easier than worrying about triplets.