Page 44 of Her Dragon Daddy Disaster
It was only now I was, perhaps, mature enough to realize what it all meant. That she was my mate. Seeing her as a mother had tripped a circuit in my head. I wanted her to see me as father material. For Jakub … and for another. Or two others.
A smile crept across my face as we kissed to the point she pulled back.
“What is it?”
I opened my mouth to reply, but we were interrupted from inside.
“Mommy? Are you coming? I’m hungry.”
“Duty calls,” she whispered …
But not before pulling the robe open slightly. Just enough to tease me with what still lay covered.
I grinned, then followed her down the stairs. The ice between us was thawing. All I had to do was continue to show her I could be a good father, that I wouldn’t just leave her again. Which was easy because I wouldn’t.
And in time, she would believe it as thoroughly as I did.
“Mommy,” Jakub asked as we descended the stairs, once again scooped up to sit on her hip.
“Yes, dear?” she asked in that age-old tone that said she expected some ridiculous question.
“Is Mr. Levi my dad?”
Chapter Nineteen
Sarah
Istumbled, so caught off-guard that I tripped and started to fall face-first down the stairs.
Levi’s arm snaked in from behind, wrapping itself around my chest and hauling me back onto my feet.
“Sorry about the grope,” he murmured in my ear, letting go. “But this one is all yours to answer.”
“I think I would prefer that,” I said, wanting to look anywhere but at Jake’s expectant face. “Thank you for the save, however. I do appreciate that.”
“I’ll always be there for you,” Levi said with a bit more seriousness than I would have expected.
If it weren’t for the bombshell question dropped so casually by Jake, I might have turned to look for an explanation as to why. Even so, I was tempted sorely to do just that. Jake was a child. He was easily distracted. If I truly wanted to, I could put off the question and hope he forgot about it. There was a high probability of that happening.
Unfortunately for me, I had made a promise to myself, one that I’d kept over the years, of not shying away from his questions. Of being open and transparent so that as he grew up, he would hopefully understand and continue to be that way with me.
“Are you all washed up, dude?” Levi asked from over my shoulder, perhaps sensing my hesitation.
“No,” I said, putting up a hand to stop him. “It’s okay. He deserves an answer.”
I didn’twantto. That was for sure. Even now, my gut revolted, trying to get me to back down. I didn’t. I powered through. Walking down the rest of the stairs—and managing not to fall that time—I crouched in front of my son and put a hand on his shoulder, looking him right in the face.
“Yes,” I said softly. “Yes, he is, baby. Mr. Levi is your father.”
The word “Dad” wasn’t quite there for me. Not yet. That was a distinction Levi and I would make, however. Jakub wouldn’t.
“Oh. Okay.” He looked past me, working his little mouth. I wondered what he was thinking.
“Hi, Dad,” he said, sticking out his arms for a hug, not noticing how Levi’s face scrambled itself.
“Hi … son,” Levi said, his voice wobbly.
I bit my lip, touched by the impact those two words had on a man so large. There wasn’t much that could bring him to his knees like that, but I noticed the tremor as he bent down to Jakub’s height and hugged him.
