I know how dragon biology works, thank you.
“You don’t need to treat me as if I’m going to break.”
“We'll figure it out.”
The panic, which had bubbled up when my beast confirmed the pregnancy, evaporated. And least for now. We were going to be parents, in the middle of a competition while hiding ourrelationship from two crews who were going to lose their minds when they found out.
But we’d get through it as long as the man holding me didn't let go.
THIRTEEN
LARKIN
Percy fell asleep on my sofa twenty minutes after telling me he was pregnant. I sat beside him, making sure he was okay, while my dragon was in protective mode.
Percy was curled on his side with one hand tucked under his cheek and the other resting on his stomach. He looked younger. The bravado and the jokes and the constant motion had vanished, leaving my mate who'd arrived with two positive pregnancy tests and trusted me with the news.
But now he was asleep, and my brain was awake, and the lieutenant in me was doing what it always did. It was assessing the situation, identifying problems, and building a plan.
Percy couldn't compete in the final because the rescue simulation involved smoke, zero visibility, and carrying weight through a building. Even without the physical demands, the smoke exposure alone would take him off the roster.
So Station 9 was losing their strongest member before the biggest event. Percy pulling out would raise questions about him, and that would lead to questions about the baby and us being together. From there it would leap to me and both stations imploding.
I opened the notes app and typed a timeline. We had to tell the crews, and I put question marks after Percy and the doctor. His apartment above Station 9 was tiny, and the fumes from the engine bay weren't ideal for a pregnancy. My place was better, but moving him in would be visible.
The list grew to fourteen items, and I organized them by category.
You're doing the thing, my dragon pointed out
What?I was problem-solving. That was my job. That was what I was good at.
You're turning him into an incident report.
I rubbed my face with both hands and pressed my palms against my eyes until I saw spots. My dragon was right, and I hated that he was, because the alternative to planning was feelings that were so big they didn't fit inside the framework I'd built for my life.
I was going to be a father, and Percy and I were a family. This omega I’d mated who teased me about ironing my shirts and climbed ladders with ease saw through my composure as though it were made of gossamer.
Huh? Gossamer? You’ve been reading too much romantasy.
“Hey.” Percy reached out and took the phone. "You've been organizing.”
“A little.”
“Larkin, you made aspreadsheet.”
“It’s a list.”
“It's a spreadsheet for our baby.” He got up. “I came here scared out of my mind and you held me, and that was what I needed. But I fell asleep, and you what? Opened a project management app?”
I waved the phone at him. “It’s just the notes app. Nothing special.”
“Larkin.” His brittle voice had both me and my dragon paying attention. “I don't need a logistics briefing. I need my mate to tell me how he feels about us having a baby.”
I cocked my head. Maybe Percy was already suffering from pregnancy brain. “I told you.”
“You held me. That's not the same as telling me.” He folded his arms. “You skipped the part where you reacted.”
“I plan, that’s how I process things.”
