Page 79 of The Ruby Dragon's Unconventional Mate

Lars was curled up on one of the big violet cushions wrapped in a blanket, staring out the window, almost smiling. Almost. “You’re home. I would have come down, but I’m so comfortable.”

He held out the basket. “I have snacks.”

“Oh, picnic!” Lars’s eyes lit up. “How did you know I love a picnic?” His mate sat up and cleared off a little low table that shone in the low light. “We can spread it out. I’ll share my blanket with you.”

He went more than willingly, pulling Lars into his lap.Ohh, you’re still chilly. It won’t last long. No, you are my fire-breathing dragon.

Lars cuddled into him, tugging out all of the food from the basket and arranging it on the table. There were croissants and cookies. Little fruit tarts. Mini cheesecake bites. Chocolate-covered strawberries. And a half dozen different little finger sandwiches. “It’s perfect. And there’s tea! Thank you, love.”

“Arthur did it, but I carried it all without spilling?—”

Lars lifted his face for a kiss, and Bryant gave it willingly.

“I’m glad that we got to hang out. Jason spelled me so that I could come home.”

Lars nodded. “He feels sorry for me because I’m stuck inside.”

Stuck. He snorted. “You could go to Logan’s. You could go to Lachlan’s, Bea’s, Samuel’s.”

“I want to be home with you.” Lars chuckled softly. “But I want to fly. It’s so hard. I keep thinking if I just try it…just go really fast.”

“I know. I do. It’s not you I worry about; you know that, right? It’s the world we live in now.”

“I get it.” Lars kissed his nose. “I’m okay.”

“I’m sorry, love.” He really was. In this case, it wasn’t just him being a dick.

“I keep thinking that this is the last day like today that we’ll have before the baby comes. This is the last holiday. This is the last this and then next time there’ll be a baby. It’s wild. I don’t know if it’s weird or not.”

He chuckled at his lover. “You worry too much. You’re gonna be the most amazing father. It’s gonna make you so happy, I think.”

Lars loved children, spent tons of time with them. “I think so too. That it’s going to make me happy. I’m looking forwardto being a dad.” Lars popped a strawberry in his mouth and hummed, licking his lips clean from the juice. “What about you? What are you looking forward to most about the baby?”

How many answers were there to that question? “Mainly, I just want to meet him. I want to know him. I want to know what his magic is like. I want to see his scales. I want to watch him grow up and become an amazing dragon being.”

He wanted to teach him about, not just reading and math and facts, but all the different things. He wanted to teach him everything.

Well, maybe not everything.

Not the bad things.

Only the good things.

The bad things life would teach her all on its own, but he would teach her how to handle those bad things.

“Do you think she’ll be friends with the other kids like Grant and the new babies, the new twins?” Lars asked.

“Oh, I’m sure she will. They’re going to be cousins and best friends, and they’re going to have fights and parties and tons of laughter.”

Lars nodded, then fed him a bite of cucumber sandwich, so dainty and fresh. “I’ll be curious to know who comes to be with Lachlan.”

Bryant tilted his head, fascinated by how Lars’s mind worked. “Do you think there’ll be someone from inside the wing?”

“I have no idea, but I do believe that someone’s coming through for him. He’s got Alban now. He’s got a home. He’s healing, he’s happy, I think… I think he will have a mate, and some babies are coming. I think they have to be.”

Only if Lachlan wanted it, though. “Well, if he’s happy without it, then he is, absolutely?—”

“Agreed. Absolutely. If he’s happy, I’m happy.” Lars glanced at him. “You know that he’s not totally content, though, right? He likes being an uncle, but he wants children.”

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