Chapter 27
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
H ayden sat out on the patio, which was just warm enough with the heaters, and watched Jacks scoot around on a little tricycle. Not a real one. More of a plastic toy with wheels that he pushed with his knees.
Daniel sat across from him, feet elevated, and he had no idea how Daniel would make it another month.
He was huge.
He wasn’t sure what to say, so finally he just asked, “Are you sure there’s only one baby in there?”
Daniel stared at him, eyes wide. “How would I be sure or not? I don’t know. Well, I mean, he moves all the time. How am I supposed to know if there are two or four legs?”
“I have no idea, love.” Hayden felt bad for asking now. But it just seemed… hard to believe.
“When you figure it out, let me know.” Daniel winked, letting him know that he wasn’t angry.
Hayden worried, because he kept hearing stories in the lore that he’d read about, which wasn’t much, but there were a few primary sources that talked about how dragons could hear their young.
And he knew he heard Nicolaa, and that Nicolaa had told Daniel what his name was. So why did Daniel seem so disconnected?
“Do you not feel close to the baby?” Hayden asked.
“I’m not sure how I could get any closer,” Daniel said, hand on his belly. “He’s inside me.”
“I know. But you don’t seem to be hearing him well.” Hayden moved to pick Daniel up and then sit down with his mate in his lap, putting his hands over Daniel’s on that swollen belly. “Should we try talking to him together?”
Daniel gave him a searching look, the expression in his eyes vulnerable. “Would you do that with me? I think sometimes I’m just not in touch with my dragon side enough.”
“Of course I would, my love. Let’s listen first and see if we can tap into Nicolaa’s song. He sings all the time. It’s sweet and high and wonderful.”
Daniel leaned against him, and together they listened. He thought maybe Daniel was hearing the song because a sweet smile spread across his face. “There he is.”
“It’s a great sound, isn’t it?” Soft and sweet — it was pure magic. He could almost imagine holding his new baby.
“It is. It’s amazing.” Daniel stroked his belly, chuckling as their Nicolaa kicked and rolled.
“Dan-Dan?”
Daniel glanced over at little Jacks. “Yes, baby?”
Jacks frowned at him. “Dat babbie.”
“It is the baby. That’s our baby.” Daniel snuggled closer.
“No.”
Hayden blinked. Jacks fascinated him with how that little mind worked. “No?”
“Dat mine babbie. Mine babbie.”
“He is your brother, absolutely. You’re going to have to teach him how to be a dragon.”
“Nika. My Nika. Brudder.”
“Oh, wow.” Daniel beamed at him. “Did you know that that was Jacks’s brother?”
“I might have had an inkling yes. Look at you, using your words.” He was very proud of Jacks, who seemed to be progressing even faster these days.
Maybe to help protect Nicolaa.
“He is kind of a brilliant little boy, isn’t he?”
Jacks’s response was to laugh and ride his little tricycle, making little buzzy noises with his lips.
“That’s adorable. He really loves that little thing, doesn’t he?” Daniel was smiling, and he drank the expression down like whiskey.
“He does. It’s a great thing.”
Daniel leaned back and took a deep breath. “Maybe he’s just really a big baby.”
“That could be. I mean, he might spring fully formed from your belly like Minerva did from Jove.”
“Oh, that would be a tabloid thing, huh? Jacks is challenging enough. Can you imagine something so big with that personality?” Daniel spelled out challenging—smart. No one wanted to upset Jacks.
You know, I would never upset him on purpose. He’s my buddy. Daniel arched one eyebrow at him.
I know at least you have an experience with adding siblings in a family, right? Hayden thought it was important. This was going to be hard on Jacks, he was afraid.
Yeah, jealousy is normal. We just have to remind him that nothing’s going to change the fact that we love him.
Nothing could change that. Jacks was his baby.
We do. We’re going to love them both so much, both of them, and I think Jacks is ready to be a brother. He probably just doesn’t know what all that entails. There might be some small fires.
Daniel giggled for him at that and shook his head. Good thing we have an ice dragon in the house, and I think maybe Rita might be a human fire extinguisher.
Or not human as the case may be.
He laughed out loud and sort of lolled on the couch, wiggling his toes, at Hayden. “I don’t suppose you want to rub my feet?”
“Of course, my love. I am at your command.” Hayden grabbed Daniel’s feet and he loved how they never seemed to get cold. Daniel was an ice dragon but at times he radiated heat.
Hayden grabbed one of Daniel’s feet and began to rub his fingers into the delicate arch there, knowing Daniel was carrying a lot of water weight and stress in his feet.
Daniel moaned, “Fuck, that feels so freaking good. Don’t stop.”
Jacks tricycled by, going, “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.”
“Oh.” Daniel wrinkled his nose up.
And Hayden cracked up. After all, he was the one voted most likely to say stupid shit in front of Jacksy.
Their little dragon puttered by, singing, “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.”
Danial sighed. “Jacks, that’s not nice. Don’t say that.”
Jacks looked at him, obviously confused.
Daniel found Jacks a smile. “Let’s say vroom, vroom, vroom, vroom!”
Jacks tilted his head. “Vroom, vroom, vroom, vroom!”
Daniel clapped. “That’s right! Vroom, vroom, much nicer.”
Daniel’s cheeks were bright red, and Hayden thought it was funny as hell.
“See what you’re teaching him?” Hayden cackled.
Jacks cackled right back, imitating him.
Daniel put a hand on his belly. “Oh. I heard the baby laugh, too.”
“Well, there you go.”
Daniel nodded to him. “I think he’s just a big baby, just our big baby.”
“Our two boys.” Hayden touched his nose to Daniel’s. “I love you, oh pregnant one.”
“I love you too, with all my heart.” Daniel put Hayden’s palm on his belly. “And with his.”