Page 20 of The Dragon's Surprise
And if there was ever a man who needed a friend, it was Kyle Baker. The only question was whether Lexi could be that friend or not.
Wait, did she want to put in the effort? But she quickly dismissed the doubt. Helping Kyle meant helping Ethan. Yes, that was it.
When she finally reached the main living area of the clan, where she was staying, she spotted Jenny Torres. The woman waddled over, waving, and when close enough, she said, “Just who I was looking for!”
Doing her best to push aside the last few hours, she smiled. “Now I’m curious. What for? It’s not Ethan, is it?”
“Oh, no. Well, yes, but not in a bad way, I promise. My niece, Reyna, invited Jackson and Ethan over for dinner. Daniel and his family are having a barbeque, and I thought it might be good for Ethan to meet all the kiddos and feel more settled. It was okay to invite him, I hope?”
“Of course. At this rate, Ethan will feel he belongs here within weeks, which is the goal.”
“Don’t go thinking you can leave just yet. That boy still needs you, after all.”
Jenny couldn’t know that Kyle had accused her of wanting to get away as soon as possible, and she knew the woman was only teasing. And yet, it still hurt a little to have everyone think she didn’t truly care and only wanted to flee.
The other woman placed a hand on her arm. “Are you okay? I didn’t say something wrong, did I? I do that sometimes, although I’ve been better at not being blunt with some of the older dragon-shifters. Still, things just come out, but I promise I never try to be mean or hurt anyone on purpose.”
“No, don’t mind me. It’s just been a long day, and a barbeque get-together sounds wonderful for Ethan.”
“Oh, did I forget to invite you? Because it’s for you, too. I need some more female support, for sure. Dragon-shifter populations skew male, and there are just too many of them, sometimes. Honestly, you think they’d remember to put down the toilet seat with a pregnant lady in the house! And yet, no. I nearly fell in a few days ago.”
She smiled, doing her best not to laugh. However, Jenny sighed and added, “You can laugh. Daniel did, the jerk. Although he did make it up to me later.”
As she sighed wistfully, jealousy shot through Lexi. But she pushed it aside. “I’ll come, although just don’t ask me to grill anything. I always overcook things, and the meat ends up like rubber when I’m done.”
“Daniel takes grilling very seriously, so don’t worry about that. You don’t need to bring anything but yourself. We may as well head over.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now! They’re going to start a game of horseshoes soon, boys against girls, and we need you.”
She took Lexi’s hand and tugged, and Lexi couldn’t help but laugh. “You act as if the world will end if you don’t win.”
“It will, trust me. The Torres men are insufferable when they’re smug. Well, dragonmen in general, if I’m honest.”
As they walked, Lexi muttered, “And pig-headed, too.”
Since Jenny was human, Lexi hadn’t expected her to hear the words. However, the other human quirked her eyebrow. “Who acted that way, and what did they do? And don’t look at me like that. I used to be a kindergarten teacher. Of course I hear everything.”
Sighing, she glanced at Jenny, wondering how much to share. However, she was the only human on MirrorPeak and was mated to a dragon-shifter. If anyone could give her answers, it was Jenny. And yet… “Promise me you won’t tell anyone, not even your mate.”
“As long as it won’t endanger him or anyone here, I promise.” She looped her arm through Lexi’s and squeezed. “Tell me. Is it Kyle? And don’t give me that look. I’ve seen how he looks at you, and vice versa, when neither of you thinks someone is watching. Are you his true mate and he’s fighting it because he’s a stubborn ass?”
She blinked. “True mate? Kyle’s?”
“Well, he hasn’t found her yet. Not that he’s looked, or barely ever gotten laid, to be honest. He keeps to himself. Too much, according to Daniel, since they used to be friends.”
Since Lexi worked with dragon-shifter children, she was well aware of what being a dragon’s true mate meant—if they kissed,it would start off a mate-claim frenzy that would only end once she was pregnant.
And while she loved children, was she ready for her own? Especially if it meant giving up her job and helping countless children to find new homes?
Jenny’s words interrupted her thoughts. “It’s only a guess, Lexi. And as long as you don’t kiss him on the mouth, nothing will happen. Still, I think you like him, and maybe you should use part of your time on MirrorPeak to try and get to know him. Changing your life will be hard, I know, as I went through it all myself. But you don’t have to make any decisions yet. Plus, didn’t you say your sister worked with ADDA? I’m sure she knows what you can or can’t do regarding your job, if you did mate a dragonman.”
Her sister would probably know or try to find out. A flicker of hope, about still working with the children and maybe being a dragon’s true mate, flared in her chest.
However, since Lexi didn’t even know what she wanted—she barely knew the dragonman—she wasn’t about to call her sister just yet. “For now, Ethan needs to be my focus. The rest I’ll deal with as it comes.”
“Of course. But if you ever need a friend and want to talk, I’m here. I know I can chatter a lot, but I can keep a secret when it matters, I promise.”
