Page 77 of Emerald Waves
“I see someone has been bonding with their element,” Odem teased him. “Definitely helpful in this case.”
“Guys, how will we find a tree stand for this massive thing?”
“Huh,” Caro paused in the hallway. “Didn’t think that far ahead. Wait, is the crate the bassinette came in still in the garage?”
“Yup, I’ll go get it. But won’t we need plastic to line it with?” Odem paused at the door that led to the garage and connecting tunnels.
“Let’s set the tree here and I’ll go down with you. We can figure it out there.”
Goddess, help us all. Not sure those are the two brothers that should be left alone with power tools. I took a picture of the massive noble fir and texted it to Alex, seconds later he replied.
Alex: Oh. My. Gawd.
Me: Exactly my thought. I’m walking away while my sanity is still intact.
Alex: LOL
Determined to let them figure this out on their own, I returned to the sanctity of the library. This felt like one of those times where watching the chaos unfold would give me hives or send me into early labor. I’d rather wait and see the end result, even if it meant calling our poor contractor out again to fix whatever mess they’d made.
That man would likely retire off what the Denarius brothers paid him alone.
I had just finished assessing Larkin’s database, which I’m happy to report, set off no red flags for me. My gut agreed that it wasn’t a dragon that was the mole, but a human. Or a human that didn’t know they were a dragon. I’d shared my findings with him, but the whole issue just didn’t sit right with me. Like, I knew who it was and at times in the past had felt eyes on meand blew it off as nothing more than my imagination working overtime.
Though looking back now, I believed otherwise.
Without a doubt, I’d been watched.
There have been several incidents over the years that I’ve gone against my gut on only to find out it was right. That revelation had me questioning so many oddities I’d written off and scouring my brain for any details I’d overlooked. What else had happened that I should’ve been more aware of? How I made it all these years, nose buried in a book, even while walking down the street, just amazed me. I had likely missed a ton of red flags.
“I told you it’s not gonna fit.”
“Sure, it is, watch.”
“No. It. Won’t. Ouch! Fuck!”
Someone tumbled down the stairs while the other yelled, “Shit!”
Nope, not touching that. Dragons heal instantly, but mates will be traumatized by what they see. This was one of those best to let them sort it out scenarios. Besides, the sight of blood might not be wise for a very pregnant mate to see. Or ever, when it comes to me. Blood is my kryptonite.
“Let’s take it apart and reassemble it in the family room.” Okay, Caro finally realized the issue. Why didn’t they measure the door opening in the first place?
Alpha males and the way their brains work.
Someone should write that book.
Overgrown children and how to tame them.
“What are you giggling about in here?”
Oops, busted! “Just amusing myself while I gather my thoughts and decide which project to dive into next. How goes the battle of dragons versus crate?”
“Oh, the smart guy has got jokes. I see how you are.” Caro smiled and rolled his eyes. A reaction I was getting quite often from him. “That’s what I came to get you for. Come see.”
Keep an open mind, Emerson, don’t burst their bubbles.A chant I repeated all the way to the…
“Holy moly.” Good thing we hadn’t considered a tree topper, there’d be nowhere to put it. The very tip top of it literally tickled the ceiling and given he was replanting it after the holiday, I wasn’t keen to do any trimming. “That tree is ginormous!”
“Yeah, isn’t it great?” Caro smiled wide. “She’s a pretty pine.” Was it possible for trees to preen, because I swear the needles just puffed up as he petted them.
