I shrugged. “What are we going to do about it?”
I grabbed the tea I was making and made my way to the large overused sofa with threadbare fabric. The original color was a deep brown, but it was more beige now. The one benefit of this itty-bitty apartment was the amount of sun we got from the window, which in turn faded our couch.
“I’ll help you no matter what. I mean, I never really saw kids in my future, but you’re going to be a great dad,” Preston said.
“Thanks. But I can’t burden you with this. It’s not fair to you. I can help you revise the business plan so that it’s a sole ownership.”
“Yeah, that’s not happening. It’s not a burden. I’m going to be the most fantastic uncle that ever lived.”
I grinned. “You really will be.”
“And you’re still going into business with me. It’s what we’ve always wanted, and we’re going to show that kid of yours that we can do it.”
I leaned into Preston, resting my head on his shoulder. “I don’t deserve a friend like you.”
“Of course you do. Consider it payback for the time you had to pick me up at the bar cause that creepy alpha wouldn’t leave me alone and I ended up puking all over you and your bed.”
I laughed. “I suppose that’s fair.”
We were quiet for a moment, and Preston squeezed my hand. “Nym, have you thought about reaching out to your father?”
I pulled my hand away and put some distance between us. As if that idea would soak into me if I sat too close to him. “No, of course not. That never goes well. Other people have done that and he rejected them. I don’t want that.”
“It has gone well for some of your half siblings. Hell, some of them have gotten jobs in his businesses.”
“Those are all rumors.” I shook my head. “I don’t want anything from him. If he didn’t want to claim me when I was a child, then I most certainly don’t want anything from him now.”
“I get that and I respect it, but we can’t raise a child here.” As if to prove his point, the people in the apartment above us began shouting. A moment later it sounded like someone threw a plate or something breakable across the room. Not the greatest environment for a child.
“We?” I asked.
“Well, yeah, I’m not leaving you alone. If we went to your dad and got even a small amount of money, we could set ourselvesup with a little house in some small town away from this stupid city. We could open up our bakery. You could raise your kid in a place that has an actual backyard. Instead of that.” He gestured toward the window. While we did get tons of sun, it was because directly next door to us was a waste-management plant. We had plenty of light, but it stank to high heaven. “Who the hell wants to live here? How can our stupid landlord raise the rent so much anyway?”
“If he forces enough people out of the building, then he can probably sell it.” I shrugged.
“Then why not evict us?” My friend grimaced.
“Don’t say those words. It’ll probably happen.”
“So you’ll think about going to your dad?”
I closed my eyes and put a hand over the swell of my stomach. The picture that Preston painted of a life away from this crappy neighborhood sounded glorious, like the life I always dreamed of having. It was times like these when I desperately wished that things had been different, that Dain hadn’t left. I pictured my life so much differently. The moment I had met my mate, dreams of a life I’d never had before had imprinted in my mind. I pictured exactly what my friend had just described: having a bakery, raising kids in a house that had a yard.
I wasn’t going to get that here, and I wasn’t going to get that with Dain. The only way it was going to happen was if I took control and did it myself.
“Okay,” I said. I may not have liked the idea, but there was nowhere left to turn. “I don’t have a choice. If I have any chance of raising this kid in any sort of safe environment… perhaps it’s time that I got my inheritance.”
“Finally,” Preston said. “I’ll be with you every step of the way, okay? No matter what, I will not leave your side.”
If only it was my alpha saying those words and not my closest friend.
“Are you sure? My dad is not known for his kindness. I say one wrong thing and he’ll cut me out for good. I don’t want him to make you an enemy too.”
“Pshh. What is that old dragon going to do to me, anyway? I’d never let you face him alone, Nym. If we’re going to make the Frost and Flame bakery a real thing, then I’m in this with you for real. You aren’t getting rid of me.” He moved closer to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulder.
Tears pricked at the corner of my eyes. Damn these hormones. “Thanks, Pres. My kid’s lucky to have you. And I am too.”
“And don’t you forget it, babe.” Preston squeezed me tight, and we laughed. “C’mon, let’s pack up. We can make the trip into the city in the morning. With any luck, we’ll be celebrating Christmas in our own home paid for by the richest dragon to ever live.”
