“I’m working on it.”
My father appeared beside me with a pitcher of iced tea. “Working on it, Dray? It’s been a couple of weeks.”
“He’s human. I can’t walk up and ask him to take his shirt off, and by the way, we’re fated.”
“Why not?” Anderson, my young cousin piped up. He was ten and had no filter. “He is, right?”
Yes, he is, and you’re dawdling.
“Your dad and I knew instantly we were mates.” Now Pops was talking. “He showed me his tat, I showed him mine, and boom.”
Gods, I couldn’t listen to a story about the first time my parents had sex, or the second or one hundredth.
“I have to go slow, Pops.”
My aunt Raine sidled up to us, eating fruit salad. “You’re tiptoeing, Dray. At this rate, he’ll be in a nursing home when you tell him.”
She’s right.
I tapped my skull, a sign to everyone my dragon was talking to me.
“Is your beast giving you a hard time?” my dad asked from his place at the grill.
“When doesn’t he?”
I can hear you.
They were right. I’d been working for Pax in between doing other work, and I’d do coffee runs and order food for us. I’d make excuses to go over there, saying I’d left a tool. But I hadn’t confirmed the tattoo, and without that, I couldn’t do the big reveal and tell him the truth.
I was terrified he wouldn’t believe me and he’d leave town and sell the house. After years of waiting, I’d lose him forever because I’d moved too fast or said the wrong thing.
“He’s grieving the loss of his aunt. I can’t dump world-altering news in his lap yet.”
“I understand.” Pops ruffled my hair. “But I worry about you because I can see the pain of being separated from him.”
“What you need is a plan.” Dad flipped a burger.
I had one, but it wasn’t working out the way I’d hoped. But much as I loved them, I didn’t need my family interfering.
“I’m hoping he takes his shirt off so I can confirm he has the matching tattoo.”
My families shared glances.
“That’sthe plan?” Garrett banged his fist on the table.
Everyone burst out laughing.
“It’s a first step, okay.” I needed to go to the office and send out invoices to get my mind off this shit.
My dad abandoned the grill and walked over holding a spatula. “Here’s what we’re going to do.”
I didn’t like the word “we.” When my family got behind something, they usually created pandemonium.
“We’ll invite him to something.”
I whisked the phone out of his pocket, thinking he was going to call Pax now.
“Don’t worry. It’ll be casual and low-key. When he meets us and spends time with the family, he’ll see we’re good people who care about you. Humans like that sort of thing, and he’ll see we’re normal.”
