Page 3 of Omega Dragon Manny
I picked up the living room, shoving burp cloths into a laundry basket and cramming empty formula cans into the recycling just to distract myself from checking my email. I even shaved because stubble was one of the best ways to wake up a sleepy baby when trying to give a cheek or forehead kiss. I learned that the hard way.
I’d just put a frozen pizza in the oven when my phone dinged with a message. A dragon manny had just become available for a live-in assignment and could be at my place in an hour.
Holy dragon…this was really happening.
The triplets woke up right as the doorbell rang. Part of me worried that the first impression we were giving was of chaos, but at least that was honest. And on the plus side, I’d be able to see how this dragon handled them and me while under pressure.
I managed to get Betsy and Colby into the bouncy seats, but Rory wasn’t having it, and I kept him tucked into my arm as I opened the door. “Oh, hi there.”
A young omega looked up at me with an unreadable expression. I wasn’t sure if he was amused or afraid or just surprised to hear three varying degrees of pissed-off baby cries coming from inside my house. “Um, Mr. Robin, I presume?”
I nodded and stepped back. “You’re the dragon, right?”
“Yeah, I’m Beau Draco.” He chuckled and reached for Rory. “May I?’
I looked down at the bright red face that was scrunched up and screaming and was happy to hand him off. “Go for it.”
Beau dropped his suitcase by the door and pulled the squirming baby into his arms. Even from a few feet away, I could feel the warmth radiating from him.
Rory immediately quieted and curled against the omega’s neck as he softly hummed. I could tell it was perfect even through my sleep deprivation.
“Wow.” I stood in astonishment at how natural he moved with one baby, but there were two others that got louder when theirbrother quieted down. “Impressive. Can you do that two more times?”
“I can try.” Beau reached into one of the bouncers and pulled Betsy out, then carefully positioned her on the same shoulder as Rory and secured them both in that arm before reaching for Colby with his free arm.
“I didn’t mean literally.” I stepped closer, spotting him to make sure he had a secure grip on each of the babies. “I can help.”
“I’ve got em.” He carefully swayed with the three bundles, and they immediately quieted. They weren’t asleep but they were content, like he was exactly who they’d been waiting for.
I was speechless.
“Can I sit?”
Oh, shit. “Yeah, sorry.” I waved him toward the sofa. “Of course. Let me get you some pillows…and some water. A steak. Pretty much anything you want for that sorcery you just pulled.
He glanced at me with a grin. “Babies like me.”
“I can see that.” And in case he didn’t notice, alphas did too.
3
BEAU
Being offered the job within the first ten minutes of meeting Clark and his three sweethearts was a bit of a shock. I’d been on a few interviews that weren’t great fits, so my expectations were low when I arrived at his house. But as soon as I held that sweet boy in my arms and he curled into me and settled, I knew I wanted the job. Not just because of the babies but because of their handsome daddy.
I didn’t have the full story about how Clark became a single father of three infants, but the way he looked at me as a savior and baby whisperer made me feel a sense of pride I hadn’t felt in a long time. Being in toxic situations for so long had broken me down to the point that I forgot how good I was with babies. They loved me, and I loved them.
And until the day I had one of my own, I wanted to spend my time helping good people with theirs. And Clark seemed like a genuinely good guy. Exhausted and overwhelmed, but good. So when he asked what it would take for me to take the job, I almost offered to do it for free. But I just smiled and told him I was fine with his contracted rate. It was triple what I’d been makingwith the Donohues and promised a strict 8AM to 6PM schedule, which meant I’d have time to fly when I wanted to have a life of my own.
Clark was still new to having newborns, so after we fed the babies and changed their diapers, I helped him make a list of things he needed to buy to make all of our lives more comfortable. He handed me a credit card as he held back a yawn. “Order whatever we need. I’ll get a card in your name, but for now, just use that. There’s not a lot in the kitchen, so order whatever drinks and food you like. I’ve been ordering a lot of takeout because I’m not much of a cook, but we could definitely use some fruit and veggies. I’ve been lazy about shopping.”
“No problem.” And it wasn’t. For some reason, when Clark asked me to shop for him and his family, I felt excited. I didn’t feel like he was taking advantage of me. And since he’d made it clear he wanted me to buy anything I needed as well, I was optimistic that this could work out. “Let’s get the babies down and you can take a nap too. You look like you’re about to topple over.”
“Thanks.” He chuckled and ran his hand up his face and over his head as if he were smoothing out his rumpled hair. “I could definitely go for a quick rest. Come on. I’ll show you around.”
I followed the tired alpha down the hall to his "home office slash gym." Judging by the way everything non-baby related was shoved to one side and a portable crib with a changing station was on the other, it was clear he was still figuring out how to make his insta-family fit into his bachelor lifestyle. But I liked it. The entire scene made me feel like I was needed, and that was enough to make my dragon all warm and gooey inside me.
And, let’s be real, I liked the guy, too. I wasn’t supposed to focus my attention on my employer when I was hired to focus on thebabies…but damn, ignoring that man wasn’t possible. Clark was tall, and he had the kind of frame that I just wanted to climb up and snuggle with myself.
