Page 30 of Accidentally a Dragon Daddy

“Lots of emotions,” I said, swiping at the tears. “When you go for years thinking this sort of thing isn’t going to happen, that it’s not possible, and then get told not only is it possible, but it’s happening, that’s a lot to take in.”

“Oh, okay,” he said awkwardly, looking around. “Here.”

He pushed a box of tissues into my hands before retreating several steps.

“Thank you,” I said, dabbing my eyes amid some sniffles.

“Listen, um, I have to go see the sovereign, okay? It’s not really an optional thing.”

“I know,” I said.

“Will you be okay here? While I’m gone, I mean? I’ll be back in a few hours. Either that, or someone will come to fetch you if things go badly.”

I sat upright. “If things go badly? What on Earth are you talking about?”

He shrugged. “The sovereign isn’t usually capricious. But I did sort of take matters into my own hands. I think she’ll understand. Especially once I tell her about your, I mean, our, situation. But she’s the supreme ruler of our people. If she throws me in jail, well, I’m going to jail.”

“Oh.”

“So, can you manage here until I get back?”

I looked around the main floor of his house. The stone statues, glass sculptures. Kitchen knives lying on the counter. Unsecured furniture against the walls. Wide open stairs without any carpeting. Sharp corners. Low ledges. Slippery floors.

“I’ll be fine in this deathtrap,” I said slowly.

Damon frowned impatiently. “What are you talking about?”

“This place is filled with dangers to young children,” I said. “You’re going to have to change this.”

“It’s my house. I like it the way it is,” he said defensively. “It’ll be fine.”

“They could kill our child,” I pointed out emphatically. “You can’t leave the knives out, for starters. And these statues are so unsteady. A child will easily pull them down on top of themselves, and—”

“You’re being insane,” Damon said, holding up a hand to cut me off. “You’re two months or so pregnant. We just found out about this. You need to relax.”

I inhaled sharply. “How can you care so little? You’re going to have to make some big changes around here if you want to be a dad.”

Okay, maybe I was being a little over the top. A part of me was well aware his arguments were rational. We had a year and a half at least, probably closer to two years, before we had to worry about an overly mobile child. That was plenty of time to do things.

But my brain saw the dangers now and wanted them gone. It had to be safe. That child might be my only chance to be a mother. I would not screw it up.

“I’m going to go to see the sovereign now,” Damon said levelly, ignoring my outburst. “Pull yourself together. We’ll talk more when I get back.”

Then he was gone, up the stairs, leaving me alone in the house. Moments later, there was a whoosh of air as his wings lifted him into the air, taking him away from the house.

I rubbed my belly.

Away from us.

My chest rose and fell as I sucked in a deep breath and let it go. A lot needed to be done. Yes, there was time to do it, but I wanted it done now, so that when the baby arrived, there was no confusion or distractions.

There was plenty of that to go around now. So much unknown. What did I do next? Were there dragon doctors we could go see to confirm the pregnancy? What about potential incompatibilities between human and dragon DNA? How safe was the baby?

Those questions and more circled my mind. I needed answers.

And the only person who could give them to me had left. Even when he had been there, he hadn’t seemed overly eager. Did Damon want to be a father? What would I do if he didn’t?

The walls of his house seemed to close in tighter. Trapping me. Keeping me there. Keeping me alone.

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