Page 38 of The Dragon, the Bear, and Their Sugar Glider Omega

The dragon egg seemed to glow from the inside out. The shell was covered with the most beautiful designs, and the colors blended perfectly. It looked like a giant piece of candy. Polished and perfect.

We had set up a soft basket for the egg, but I hugged it gently to my chest before putting it there. My dragon made a rumbling deep in my mind. It sounded like a purr.

“I love you both so much.” My voice sounded weird and distant. Wet.

“Are you crying, Rome?” Clay turned over in his nest to look at me.

I shook my head in denial.

“Yeah, he is.” Armel smiled at me, cupping my wet face with his hands. He leaned over Clay and kissed me then kissed Clay.

“I love you both, too,” Armel said.

“Me, too,” Clay said, reaching for the basket. “And now we’re having a family.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Clayborne

Silly me. I’d thought having our sweet tiny baby so they could get all the way to their pouch was the hard part. Then I thought the nesting, which seemed to be an endless morphing project until the egg was laid, was the hard part. And then I thought laying the egg was the hard part.

I’d been wrong on so many accounts. They were all the hard part, but they were all the magical and wonderful parts too. Right now, the hard part was waiting for our babies to be born.

I wanted to meet them already…and take a shower. But neither was happening. Not yet anyway.

I had a big ol’ fat prego belly, which was a little too high up, thanks to the pouch. Even if I wasn’t glued to my nest, I probably wouldn’t go outside right now because humans would look at me and wonder what was up. And then there was the fact that I could see the baby moving very clearly and very close to the surface. It was a true wonder, and I loved watching it, but objectively, it looked like that movie with the alien that came out of the person’s chest and then killed people. That’s probably not the best thing for people to think was happening while I wandered around the city streets.

Not that I had to worry about that. I didn’t. I wasn’t able to leave my nest. Not at all. I couldn’t go to the kitchen to make ramen. I couldn’t take a long hot shower. I couldn’t get the mail. None of it. Going to the bathroom and racing right back was all I’d been able to manage, and even that was difficult.

By “wasn’t able,” I didn’t mean my mates didn’t let me. Quite the opposite. They encouraged me to take a shower or bath, told me they’d watch the egg if I wanted to grab something to eat, suggested I take a little walk. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t even go to the bathroom until it was a near emergency and I could see the nest from the bathroom door.

Rome said this was normal, that dragons were glued to their nests. It was a means of protection, and that was great and all, but also, I stank. I more than stank. Baby wipes just weren’t cutting it anymore. My poor mates had to put up with me like this. I didn’t even want to be around myself.

And now? Now I was starving. I studied the pile of snacks beside the nest—nothing looked good. I opened up the cooler and same. Nothing was catching my eye. I wanted something hot. I wasn’t even sure what, but it had to be hot. Eggs, maybe? Or chicken?

I took out my phone and typed a whole bunch of emoji figures of food into it and sent it off to my mates. They were both in other rooms, working. They were on a semi-leave as we waited for our babies. It was great having them so close by.

The babies should arrive any day based on my calculations. Yesterday, I had been sure the day had come. I’d been wrong. So, when I woke up this morning, I was for sure, sure it was the day, I tried not to get my hopes up too much. Babies come when they come, and with one in an egg and one in my pouch, it was hard to tell which we would meet first. Who knew? Maybe they would come together. They could also be one of those sets of twins born on different days.

Spending too much brainpower on it wasn’t going to change anything. It wasn’t like I was going to find out until I did.

Rome came in first, Armel right behind him.

“Hungry? What can we get you?” Armel watched the egg intently. He did that quite a lot, looking for subtle movements and enjoying its beauty.

“Yes, I’m thinking—” Before I could answer, I felt a sharp pain across my upper belly.

“Are you okay?” Rome asked.

They both rushed to my side.

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, trying to figure out if I was telling the truth.

“Show us,” Armel said, but I ignored him.

“How about we have sandwiches?” The rest would happen when it did. This was only the beginning.

“Sandwiches. I’ll do those,” Rome said as another sharp pain slashed across my upper belly.

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