Chapter 19
Kehl did in fact start selling his fabrics, odds and ends, to every single being in the market place.
It didn’t matter if they were mated or not.
It didn’t matter to him anymore. My male had been afraid some female would come along and tempt him and discover his secret, so he’d thought it best to avoid all single females and females looking to add to their family groupings entirely.
Poor guy didn’t stand a chance when he stumbled across Vurhg panicking over the gash on my head, to hear Kehl tell it. And my Kehl told EVERYONE, anyone who would listen to him or asked about his Purr-roo.
Dace’s Dancing Krampus book was so popular, and Rosa’s translated read was so well received, Dace and I had our hands full, Dace working on her next book while I took work translating books into Creeson.
The first time Daisy waved at Dace in greeting, Dace nearly fainted. I literally had to catch the woman, she was so shocked stupid.
Berkr seemed to be keeping his distance from Dace after that night back at Dorothy’s and Dace seemed just fine with that.
I was so relieved I didn’t even think to ask why.
Berkr was all wrong for her. She needed someone that understood her.
If Birch were here I’d have wondered if they might make a good match, his quiet patience to her jitter bug jumpiness when she got anxious, and my best friend got anxious a lot, they’d get along famously at the very least. Their taste in movies and music were pretty similar.
The dilemma of the moment wasn’t so much a dilemma but more so… I was pretty sure I was pregnant. Well, I thought I might be. It wasn’t like there were beastly pregnancy tests just lying around, but I’d missed my period and it has yet to come.
Kehl hasn’t said a peep about it, making me wonder if my period was absent from stress and thinking I was pregnant was just wishful thinking.
That, or he was freaking out and hiding it from me because he was worried our baby would be bad.
Cy would have been over the moon to hear he’d, as he referred to getting pregnant, put a baby in me.
I’d like to think Elm would be ecstatic at the idea I had a little one brewing but his track record with me was kinda panic and run.
Would Kehl panic and run if I was pregnant?
I was admittedly avoiding him at the moment.
“Hey.” Dace walked up, a fat basket full to brimming over her shoulder. It looked almost too heavy for her but Dace was a lot stronger than beings gave her credit for. “Mind if I join you?” she asked.
She’d been working on something, I wasn’t sure what, in her free time.
I kinda felt like she was being a smidge secretive about it but that could be nothing— I was kinda all over the place right now and could just be projecting my growing insecurities.
Honestly, she was never not busy and I’d given up trying to keep up.
She always brought me into the know eventually anyway— I told myself to leave it be.
“Dorothy saw me headed this way. She saw you sneak off here earlier,” she was saying.
“I do not sneak off,” I muttered, though that was exactly what I’d been doing.
As if I hadn’t spoken, she went on, “She thought you might like a little something and sent me with this.”
My eyebrows shot up as my head lifted from where I’d been resting it on my bent knees. “That’s a lot more than a little something.”
“So… do you have something you wanna tell me?” she squeaked out.
“Do you?” I quipped, tit for tat
“No.” She shook her head, then smiled. “Not yet.” Nudging my shoulder, smile still in place, she looked like she wanted to tell me something but was waiting for me to ask.
“Spill it.” The look on her face made me laugh. “You look like you’re about to pop. Out with it.”
“Okay! So, I wasn’t going to tell you just yet but after Dorothy said Lukar heard from another beast that they thought they smelled a baby in you, I can’t possibly wait a minute longer!”
So I was pregnant then, and others had taken note. But Kehl never said anything to me? My stomach dropped but I forced a smile. “I was waiting for Kehl to tell me,” I admitted.
Dace’s grin fell. “Does he not know?” Leaning in, she whispered, “Do you think he can’t tell ‘cause of his nose? ‘Cause of, well, you know.” Her hand lifted and she gestured about her face.
I had no idea if his sense of smell was affected in any capacity.
He smelled things pretty good as far as I was aware.
He was always telling me how good I smelled to him.
Maybe it just needed to click for him? Was he not just telling me how good I smelled this morning as we cuddled up in bed?
Frowning, I wondered if that was him trying to tell me. Was I that dense that it didn’t click?
Either he can’t smell it, I’m a dummy, he’s waiting me out, or a bit of all of the above.
“Don’t look sad. Babies are wonderful. When I find my forever husband, I’m going to have at least a half a dozen,” she squeaked out happily.
“I’m sure Sorak would give them to you, if you just asked…” I teased.
The look Dace shot my way could peel paint.
“It’ll be a cold day in Unicorn Hell before I ever ask him to marry me again,” she grumbled churlishly, her good mood seemingly vanished.
But then, like I hadn’t just teased her to feeling semi-insulted, she was back to beaming.
“You know how I’ve been trying to find a beast to take me to the place they go to collect the abandoned? ”
It was so she could adopt a little one of her own.
Dace was done waiting for the male of her dreams to arrive and give her a family of her own.
She got the idea to go to the dumping grounds for those banished, abandoned, unwanted, and adopt a little Lo denaii in need of a family of their own, and would not be persuaded.
The problem was, it was extremely dangerous and no one would agree to take her.
She’d gotten quiet about it and I’d thought that was it.
She’d also briefly posed the idea of gathering a search party to look for more portals to Earth, and mentioned maybe she could go and see about finding Cy and Elm but it was all too risky.
I didn’t want her risking her life for me like that, or for my males.
She phrased it all like she owed me something and she didn’t.
Friendship wasn’t like that. She’s figured it out now but she’d had me worried there for a moment.
“You found a male to take you to the dumping grounds?”
“I found a male that knows his way around this world.” Scowling, she admitted, “It’s just going to be a minute to convince him to be my guide.”
Oh, thank god! I thought she was about to tell me she’d found a male that actually agreed on her wild plan.
“Maybe wait until they come back from the next trip, and see if there are any little ones then,” I suggested.
Dace gave me a look. “I’m person non au gratin or however you say it,” she muttered.
“They’ll never just let me raise a Lo denaii baby on my own.
” Shifting uncomfortably, she muttered, “I’ve already been told as much.
” In a mocking grumble, she growled, “Not same, not have Lo denaii mate. Know how take care of beast baby? No. Candy-ass don’t. ”
“I’m sorry,” I got out between the chortles that stole over me, “but you do them so perfectly now.”
Dace smiled, unoffended, and shrugged. Her smile fell just as fast. “I want to be a mommy so bad, Pru. I know I can be a good one, if I was just given the chance.” Staring down at the ground, her eyes began to glisten with unshed tears and she started to sniffle.
“I’d love them more than anything. They’d never go through what I did growing up. I’d be there, always.”
Wrapping my arm around her, I tugged her close. “You’re going to be the best auntie this nugget has ever had,” I murmured softly as my hand slipped to my stomach.
“You bet your buns I’m going to be the best favorite auntie,” Dace squeaked out with a watery smile.
Swiping at her face, Dace pulled away and shook her head. “Have I told you lately how much you mean to me?”
“It’s been a couple hours.” Tapping my chin with the tip of my finger, I gave her a look. “Maybe you should remind me.”
Dace laughed and threw her arms around me. “Love ya… Poo-dense,” she got out between choking laughs.
“Ditto, Candy-ass,” I laughingly tossed back.
We were halfway through our picnic when a soft whistle pierced the air. Dace’s gaze shot up and then she froze.
Trying to follow what had her caught up like that, she turned to me, crushed me in a hug, my mouth still half full of roast meat sandwich, and she gave me a squeeze.
“So, hey, I’ve gotta go right now! I’m working on something so I’ll be real busy for a minute but it’s a surprise, you’re going to love it, no hunting me down and peeking!
” Popping up, she went to rush off but turned to me at the last moment, “Life’s short, poo.
Call Kehl’s ass out.” With a shrug, she smiled. “You never know.”
“I’ll think about it,” I called after her.
“Remember you love me!” she laughingly called back, which was a little confusing but she’s been acting extra squirrely lately. Maybe she misheard what I’d said.