Page 48

Story: Cosmo

“Oh. I suppose you’re right. Maybe we can’t get pregnant…” Cullen started creating balls of rainbow-colored light and juggling them.

“Maybe I don’t want to,” he shot back.

“You don’t have to,” Hawk growled.

“Of course you don’t. Cullen was just being a dipshit.” Corbin patted his arm before pulling him into a hug and squeezing him tight. “We have plenty to do without babies being involved.”

“Absolutely,” Cullen agreed, balls splashing to the ground. “Totally. So much. So many things. All the things we need to do, right?” Cullen gave him a worried, apologetic little smile.Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, not at all.“I really think that I walked into this conversation in the middle of everything. Should I make bread? Or something?”

“Or something. There’s bread already.”You’re fine, brother. I’m just…it’s sad.He forced himself to shake off any tension. “No one’s in trouble. It’s weird. That we’re—I mean, the dragons get pregnant all the time.”

“Well, not Brandon,” Corbin pointed out. “Brandon had to have a little help.”

“Right, Stella, the owl baby.” Beautiful little clever girl.

Hawk looked like they were speaking a foreign language. “Stella the owl baby?”

Cosmo nodded, heading over to pull out some soup bowls. “Yes. Apparently, Brandon was having problems conceiving.”

Cullen made a sad sound. “And he wanted to have a baby so badly, and after a lot of time…”

“Zeke talked to Auntie Arian,” Corbin added.

“He did, and Brandon got pregnant, but she’s not exactly a dragon like her fathers.” Not that Brandon and Abe cared. Not at all.

“In fact, she’s sort of an owl.” Cullen suddenly grew feathers.

“Like a literal owl?” It said something that Hawk didn’t even flinch at Cullen.

“Oh no. She’s…” How to explain?

“She’s very, very special.” Cullen spread his fingers and there was Stella, tiny and perfect and brilliant, but absolutely not dragonkind.

“Oh.” Hawk seemed fascinated.

“But he’s only had the one baby,” Corbin explained. “And they’re both perfectly happy.”

“And I’m perfectly happy without any babies.” Mostly. It was really weird that he couldn’t have babies. But he was happy.

Hawk pulled him close, kissing his temple. “I am happy with you no matter how we do it, love.”And I should never have brought up babies. Your brothers are…very concerned.

They are. But that’s just because they love me.

Mmm. So do I.Hawk nuzzled his cheek.

Corbin gave them a look. “Do you need to go get a room?”

“Nope. We’re going to have hot chocolate. And maybe cinnamon toast. That’s something you can make, Cullen.”

“Woo.” Cullen got to work slicing bread, and he turned the conversation to something else.

The last thing Cosmo wanted was to make everyone else as restless and weird as he was…

Chapter

Thirteen

Hawk wandered around the house a little, feeling as though he needed to…do something. He wasn’t sure what it was, but something was pushing at him.