Page 4 of Mated in the Stars

“What is wrong with you? I don’t know what’s going on that you’re not telling me about, but I can’t fix anything if you don’t tell me. Why would we break up? How could we?” He gestured from my shoulder to his and back. “And if we did, why do you think I’d try to kick you out of the baby’s life? I co-parented my eldest for the whole of his life that I knew about. I was the one fighting not to be pushed out. I would never do that to you.”

“I know,” I sighed. “I don’t know. I mean, I know you probably wouldn’t do that to me but sometimes I feel like I’m on the outside looking in at my own life or at least at your life!”

Fred nodded and walked into the kitchen. He was going for the bourbon. I’d irritated his dragon again. I gave him a second and then followed him. He wasn’t pouring bourbon. He was filling up sippy cups for the next day and sticking them in the fridge.

“I had a long life before we met,” he said, studying the contents of the fridge and making a mental list of what we needed to pick up soon. “I’m not going to lie – it was fucking fantastic a lot of the time. I tamed a city, started a legacy club. Had the egg brats – met the love of my life. Raised those kids. Had friends and accomplices. So much life that if I started talking now, we’d never get to go to bed because it would literally be impossible to tell you everything. I’m not going to apologize for that.”

“I don’t want you to apologize for that!” I growled.

“Shh!! Minter is asleep!” he scolded me.

“That! Right there! That!”

“Wanting the kid to sleep?” Fred crossed his arms. “I’m missing something, Elio. If I’m being dense tell me because outside of wanting Teddy and Minter to spend time together and telling you I’d save Teddy from a fire I haven’t done anything!”

“What about her?” I snapped.

“She’s dead,” he narrowed his eyes on me. “Whoever she was is gone now. Sure, she’s back around now. She’s living somewhere but she might not even be a she. If she were alive now, she’d box my ears for saying anything else. She would want me to save Teddy and leave her! He’d say that the other way around! I told you I’d get them both out and I think I could, but you said that wasn’t an option in your little game! Do you realize how ridiculous this is to argue over?”

“I don’t want to be left because you’re saving someone else!” I spat the words out, tears stinging my eyes.

Where in the fuck had these stupid tears came from? I wiped at my eyes. My vision blurred with tears when Fred appeared in front of me wiping them away with a cloth napkin. I slapped at his hand to stop him, but he kept at it. Then he cupped my chin and kissed the tip of my nose.

“We’ll get you a sonic in the morning, mate,” he said.

“What?” I blinked at him, sure I misheard what he said.

“I think,” he said, trying not to smile, but the expression tugged at the corners of his mouth. “I think your emotional state is probably half my fault. Half your own, though.”

“What?” I snapped at him again. “What do you mean? I didn’t –”

“Mate, I think you’re pregnant,” Fred said, and I stumbled back a step.

His big, strong arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me in close to him. I closed my eyes and let out a long breath.

“What are you afraid of?” he asked.

“If I need saved and you’re out or with---” I stopped because I sounded like an idiot. I could save myself. I was a fucking dragon. With my brother’s help I sent out thousands of scrolls to get Fred here. I wasn’t helpless. “Okay,” I nodded. “A sonic tomorrow.”

“And just so you know, if you and Teddy were locked in a burning building, he’d toss you out a window if that was the only way to save you. He wouldn’t let what happened to him and his siblings happen to Minter if he could help it.”

I nodded because Fred was right. Teddy and I were a bit at odds over his dead carrier, but he had a point that I’d know the ‘new’ Lotus but never would know his carrier like they did. That hurt. It stung somewhere deep inside me.

“And he’s not trying to steal Minter,” Fred said. “Part of it is he’s trying to be helpful. Part of it is he chased after his own older brother whenever he was around when they were kids. Teddy’s the sort to heal his own hurts by ensuring that he does his best not to pass them on to anyone else. Does Minter need naps? Yes. Absolutely. Is he going to nap every day? Only if we resort to slipping him sleeping pills or some other monstrous shit. That’s the ironic part of parenting. Kids thrive on schedules but can’t follow them to save their lives even when you do your best. I’m not vetoing you on everything. Did you really want to try to put him down for a nap while he yelled for Teddy the whole time?”

“No, I just---”

“He’s your first. He’s your baby. You’re protective and territorial. I get it. I fought a wolf and an elf over Duke, and I’d do it again if I had to,” he smirked. “I’d fight every dragon who ever lived if that was the only way to keep them safe and happy.”

“I know that,” I sighed. “I really wanted a nap, though, and I only get them if he naps.”

“Hey,” he cupped my chin. “If you need a nap and he’s not going down, let me know. I’ll take him out and let you sleep for a while. I can’t make him go to sleep any more than you can, but I can give you a break.”

“I shouldn’t need a break from my own kid,” I groaned and rubbed my hands over my face. “If I need a break now what’s going to happen when we have two of them?”

“You’re going to have to let me know more often. I could assume on some days but what if you don’t want to nap or to have a break and I whisk him away. That feels like something we’d fight over. So, you’re going to have to speak up,” Fred said and kissed my forehead. “Seriously. Everyone needs a break. It’s not about how much you love them. It’s about staying sane with it. Things might even get crazier when we find Lotus again or if Teddy’s mate shows up and he runs off with him.”

“That’s going to break Minter’s heart. Maybe they’ll stay here. They can even live with us and---” I said, tearing up again.

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