13. Cam
THIRTEEN
CAM
Price agreed that we shouldn’t say anything to the kids yet. I had to figure this out, whatever “this” was. He didn’t push, but he seemed more content about it than I was and happy to call what we had a relationship.
We were too new, and I was exploring being with a guy who had an internal heater. I snuggled next to him in bed, and even on the coldest nights, his body would keep me warm.
“You just want an excuse to cuddle,” he’d teased when it first happened.
“Maybe.”
I asked him to be patient about me meeting his beast, and he said there was no timeline.
But keeping our closeness from the children was harder than I expected. I was finally able to brush against Price without reacting as though I’d received an electric shock, and there were lingering smiles as we eyed one another in whatever room we were in.
“Why are you doing that?” Bea was slathering peanut butter on her toast, and at my insistence, adding some banana.
I glanced up from where I was unloading the dishwasher. Price was beside me putting the clean cutlery away.
“Doing what?” Jack got off his chair and barged between us, putting sticky fingers on a clean plate.
Bea waved her knife at us. “The looking thing. Cam does it, then Dad and you both look away and act weird, but you’re still smiling.”
“Eat your breakfast, sweetheart.” That was Price admitting he didn’t have an answer.
“Do you wanna kiss?” Jack was still between us, looking from me to Price.
“I want to kiss you.” I smooched his cheeks, and he giggled. “Now finish your breakfast.”
I was driving the kids to school this morning, as Price was on an important call about that blue he was making. I’d already ruined it once, so no way was I interfering again, and I hustled the kids out the door ten minutes early.
Isla and Jack were arguing about a toy she said he’d hidden as I drove past Ledger’s house.
“Dad says you know about us.” Bea twisted in her seat so she was looking at me.
I gripped the wheel and didn’t flinch. “Yes.”
The younger two stopped mid-argument. “You do?” Isla asked. “That’s good, right?”
Jack wanted to know what I knew, and Bea told him, “That we have dragons.”
“I can show you how to fly?” Jack flapped his arms because I’d confiscated the wings, and he was only allowed to use them after school and on weekends.
“You can’t fly and neither can your dragon. Not yet.” Isla shook her head.
“I can.”
“Are you scared?” Bea’s pale cheeks and her trembling lower lip were a warning sign. “You’re not leaving, are you?”
Isla and Jack leaned forward, and as I glanced in the rearview mirror, their eyes were on me.
I have to deal with this right now.
We were still on our road with the only traffic being Ledger’s car behind us, so I pulled over. This wasn’t a conversation to have in traffic. I got out and opened Bea’s passenger door.
“Everyone in back.”
The four of us huddled in the back seat. We were kinda squished, but we were together and none of the kids complained.
“I know that you all have dragons inside you and your dad has a big dragon that can fly.”
“Have you seen his beast? He’s beautiful.” Isla closed her eyes as if she was picturing him.
Having never imagined I’d see a dragon, I hadn’t considered if they were a thing of beauty. But with a huge wingspan, spikes, and scales, I could only imagine what he looked like.
“Not yet.” I had us link hands so we were all connected. “But I’m not scared, and I’m not leaving. I love you, and nothing you do would frighten me. I might not understand much about your dragons yet, but I’ll learn.”
“We love you too.” Isla looked at her brother and sister, and the three chorused, “We love you too.”
I couldn’t stop the tears sliding over my cheeks, and Jack reached over and caught one. “You’re raining, Cam.”
I sniffed and kissed him and his sisters. “But it’s warm, happy rain.”
“Not like at school.” He grinned.
When it was time for dinner and Price was still out, I ordered in.
So much had happened, my energy levels were low, and as it was the end of the week, the kids were tired.
We were all together on the couch, talking about their day.
Jack was sitting on the back of the sofa behind us, and the girls were on either side of me.
Jack rested his chin on my head and put his legs over my shoulders.
“Why can’t you sit normally,” Isla hissed. “Your feet are in my face.”
“Cam is warming me.”
Huh? I was the cold one in this house of dragons.
“Don’t be silly. Cam doesn't have a dragon.”
“Feel.” Jack put a hand on my cheek.
Isla shoved Jack’s leg back and rested her cheek on mine. Bea felt my brow.
“Wow, are you sick, Cam? Humans get hot when they’re not well.”
“Nope. I’m just used to you.” I took a deep breath and wondered if I was breathing in air that their dragons had breathed. Did that happen when the beasts were inside them? I had so much to learn.
“What are you all doing?” Price appeared and tossed his phone on an armchair. “Is this a new game? Can I play too?” His eyes sparkled, and I mouthed, “Stop it.”
“Cam is like us.” Jack squeezed my cheeks which wasn’t my best look. Isla grumbled and held my hand instead.
“Ummm, okay.” Price plonked himself at my feet.
“Yeah, he’s hot now.” Bea patted my forehead. “Normal temperature.”
Price frowned. “Normal?”
I wanted that word thrown out of the dictionary because it wasn’t a gauge of anything.
“Are you sure?” He got on his knees. “There’s no space. You’re feeling his cheeks, brow, and hands.”
“This is all I have left.” I waved my spare hand. “This one’s for you.”
Price pressed my hand between his but didn’t glance up. He didn’t make a joke about my warmth. He just kept holding my hand as if he’d never seen one previously.
“Do you feel it, Daddy?” Jack kissed the top of my head.
“I do.” His voice had changed. It was croaky, and though I couldn’t see his face, it sounded as though he was choking back tears. Perhaps he was thinking how could he be with someone who had such dry skin?
“And I’m so happy.” He sniffed and turned his face to the side, wiping his tears with his shirt.
Whatever was going on with him, he couldn’t tell me with the kids around or he would have blurted it out.
“Okay, shower, bed, and stories in that order,” I told them.
“What if I want to listen to the story on the floor? That’d be shower, floor, story, and bed.” Isla grinned.
“Or maybe I should practice the violin before my shower,” Bea mused.
Not now, darlings, please. I needed the kids in bed lickety split. But perhaps the girls sensed my mood or it was me glowering at them that got them up and running to their rooms. And I pulled Jack over my head and he thunked onto the sofa.
Price told me to stay where I was and he was doing baths and bedtimes. He and Jack walked out of the room hand in hand while I folded a cushion under my head and closed my eyes.
I must have fallen asleep because I opened them as Price was carrying me into his room and placing me on the bed.
“Sorry.”
“For what?” He nuzzled my neck, and I was pretty sure he sniffed me.
“Dozing.”
“Sleep isn’t illegal in this house. You’re allowed.”
“Good. I’ll do more of it.” I yanked off my pants and crawled under the covers. I’d lie here for five minutes before showering and brushing my teeth.
“Can we talk first?” He’d placed his lips on my ear.
“Mmmm. You talk and I’ll sleep.”
“Cam, it’s important, and if I don’t tell you now, you’ll be annoyed with me tomorrow for keeping it to myself for twelve hours.”
“You finished the blue?”
“I did, but that’s irrelevant.” He lay beside me and placed a hand on my tummy.
“Okay. Keep going. I’m listening, I promise.”
“Your skin’s warm.”
Yeah, I was human and warm-blooded, so of course it was.
“And it’s not because you’ve gotten used to living with us. It’s something much bigger.”
That word “bigger” had me open one eye. “Bigger as in I’m getting a dragon of my own? Does that happen when a human lives with dragon shifters? That’d be so cool.” I sat up and made a list of the things I was going to do when I got my wings.
“Ummm, sort of, but not really. We’ll probably be adding another dragon to the family, because that's the way it usually works with humans and dragon shifters.”
“What?” This conversation was too long-winded. Was I getting my own beast or not?
“Cam, you’re pregnant.”
I didn’t move because he’d said a word that was bigger than any other. Pregnant? Huh?
“A baby? I'm going to have a baby?”
“Our baby, yes.”
I shot up and stood on the mattress. “And that baby might be a dragon shifter?”
He nodded, and I pulled out the neck of my T-shirt so I was staring at my belly. “Hello, hello? Can you hear me?” Glancing up, I stared at Price. “A little dragon.”
His eyes filled with tears. “A baby.”
I was going to be a father. But how would the baby and three kids fit in my car? Any kid of mine would have to wait until I got a new vehicle.
I gazed at Price. He was already a great dad, and I didn’t know anything about parenting, and it was scary.
I caught sight of Jack’s wings in the corner of the room. “Wait.”
I grabbed the wings and piled pillows and cushions against the bedhead. After putting the wings on, I stood awkwardly on the pile as the wings buzzed and flapped. Price held out his arms.
“You’ll always be here for me, right?”
“Absolutely.” He steadied me, but I nudged his hand away. He glanced from me to the wings. “Always.”
I dived into the air as the wings flapped furiously, and he caught me.
Always.