Chapter Twenty-One
Falkan
Kyle craved everything spicy.
Griffith and I watched with our teeth gritted as he poured pepper flakes all over his pizza then dipped it in the highest-flame hot sauce we could find for him. As he took a big bite, mouth full, he grinned at us.
“Good thing we got our own separate pizza,” I muttered to Griffith.
“Hey.” Kyle gulped then pouted. “Don’t make fun of me. My taste buds are weird because of the eggs. Not my fault.”
“Sorry.” Griffith ducked his head.
“We understand,” I assured him.
His pout went away but he still grumbled. “You better understand.” He looked straight at me. “Only dragons make eggs, so it’s mostly your fault.”
“What can I do to make it better? Anything you want, my sweet omega.” I loved his pouts. I loved placating him.
“Well, you brought me the separate spicy pizza that’s all mine, so I guess that’s good.”
Griffith cleared his throat. “It’s not entirely Falkan’s fault,” he stated.
My pal always had my back.
“What do you mean?” Kyle asked. “He’s the dragon.”
“Wolves can hatch from eggs in a mixed marriage. For that matter, so can bears.”
Kyle pouted again. “Okay, but eggs formed because of him.” He pointed his pungent pizza slice at me.
“Point taken.” Griffith hunched over and stuffed his folded-over slice into his mouth. I’d lost him to Kyle’s logic. Yep, it was all my fault.
“I fully take the blame, and I’ll buy you all the spices in town.”
“Good.” Kyle beamed at me and lunged for another spicy slice.
***
Dad owned the investment firm when he met Father. When they claimed each other as fated mates, Dad signed papers to make them an equal partnership. But Dad was still, unofficially, the boss.
While I was working, he came into my office, shut the door, and sat down with a serious look on his face. Today, he wore pearls. All over his neck and wrists. Most of his chest was exposed by a fancy low-cut gold vest. His rich black pants showed off his slim hips.
“Falkan, I came to find out when you’re taking paternity leave. I’m not here to pry, but don’t you need to be with your pregnant mate?”
“I thought I’d wait until the eggs came. And the nesting.”
“But Kyle is pregnant. He has needs now.”
“Griffith mostly works from home,” I countered.
He sighed deeply. Like me, Dad was the workaholic, until it came to family.
Then he dropped everything for that. He never missed a single play or speech or presentation I’d had as a kid.
Nor a single birthday party. At the holidays, he made my room into a Christmas town with fake snow and little houses all around.
My bed became a sleigh hooked up to an animatronic reindeer.
I got my ability to focus and work hard from Dad. That was a sure thing. But he was right. Family came first. You did whatever you could to make them feel loved, happy, and whole. It was easier when you had money. Plus, my paternity leave came with full pay.
“You do you,” he said softly. “I’m just wondering when I might need to hire a temp or two?”
“It’s true. Kyle is all I can think about.”
“Well, then. Pick a date.”
“Thanks, Dad. Maybe after this weekend?”
“That’s fine.”
“Are you sure I’m not leaving you short-staffed?”
“I got it, Son. We’re fine here.”
I got up and came around the desk as he stood. I put my arms around him. He hugged back. Tight.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“No need to thank me,” he said. “You’re the one giving me grandchildren.”
***
My first day of paternity leave, I got up feeling happy and focused. It was family time now, and when those babies came, they would have three fathers to love and care for them.
Kyle carried two eggs. Two little ones would be joining us in a few short months. I couldn’t wait to find out if they would be dragons, wolves, or bears, or some combination of that.
I rubbed Kyle’s stomach under the covers until he woke. He turned on his side to face me and rested his head on my chest.
“Mmm. That feels good. You’re here and not rushing off to work.”
“Yep. No work until whenever I’m ready to go back.”
“I love having you here.” Kyle rubbed his soft hair against my neck. “I want to share this time with you and Griffith.”
“I didn’t know you missed me so much.”
“I know you love your work. I didn’t want to say anything.”
Guilt seeped into me. I kissed the top of his head and, when he lifted his face to mine, I kissed his succulent lips.
Griffith grunted as he woke and turned in the bed to face us. “Oh, is this what we’re doing?”
We all laughed.
The midwife told us making love was good for Kyle. It wouldn’t hurt the eggs, and as the time for him to lay the eggs came closer, it would keep his muscles supple and warm.
Okay, then. No complaints from me.
Morning sex became our daily ritual.
If it was warm out, we swam. Sometimes, we visited Father and Dad.
Shifting with the eggs was allowed, and I soared the endless New Mexico skies in our shifter territory while a wolf and a bear tussled beneath me. When I was done flying, I let my dragon nuzzle his wolf and bear underwing. Then we’d shift back to human and go out for a lavish meal.
My dragon was no longer restless. He spoke to me often, excited about the “new young” as he called them.
One day, he made a request. He wanted to nuzzle Kyle underwing in his human form.
Kyle loved the idea. Griffith joined us.
I shifted, and my two mates came under my wings and sat with me for about two hours. While they talked, my beast went into a kind of trance.
Nuzzling my mates makes me high.
That was news to me.
Every day, we all learned new things about each other and our beasts.
Dad had been right. I’d needed to take my paternity leave during Kyle’s pregnancy. This time together was precious. We needed to celebrate it. After the kids came, everything would change.
I looked forward to the future. But now was amazing, too, as the three of us solidified our bonds and got ready for the next stages of our beautiful, evolving family.