Chapter Nine – Kim

Being the mother of a young child was a twenty-four-seven job. After making love, they had stayed up talking. Not about the important stuff, but about the small stuff. Reconnecting with each other as if he’d been on a business trip, not a dangerous undercover assignment.

When they’d finally gone to bed, they had tumbled into the single bed in Sapphi’s room, unable to bear being apart. As Kim closed her eyes, the first light of morning was creeping across the sky, and she was warm, happy and content. Jay was by her side, they were together, at last.

When she opened them again, she swore only an hour had passed. But that meant nothing to Archie, who stood up demanding his breakfast.

“What time is it?” Jay asked as Kim rolled away from him and looked at their son.

“Early. I told you he liked his food.” Kim slid out of bed and grabbed her robe, which she dragged on over her T-shirt. “You stay in bed.”

“No, I’ve been in bed for far too long, my body needs some exercise.” Jay got up and dragged on his clothes, which he’d discarded when they’d come to bed. He’d murmured something about being skin to skin with her, which Kim found highly arousing.

But then she found everything about Jay arousing. Her body wanted to make up for its abstinence from sex. It was going to be a long day.

“Come on, little man, let’s get you changed and fed.” Kim lifted Archie out of his crib and rested him on her hip, before retrieving diapers and wipes from his baby bag. Then she set to work, cleaning her wriggling son, while Jay hung his head over Archie’s and made faces. “I’m going to let it go this time, since you two need to get acquainted, but if you are going to make Archie so excited when I’m trying to clean his butt, you can be promoted to diaper duty.”

“Show me how, and I’m your man,” Jay offered.

“Really?” Kim asked.

“Sure, I want to be as hands-on as I can. At least while I’m at home.” Jay’s words played on her worst fears.

“You aren’t going back undercover.” She made it a statement, not a question.

“No.” He shook his head, and reading the concern in her expression, he leaned over and kissed her lips. Archie giggled and swiped at their faces with his hands. “You are a little firecracker, aren’t you?” The love in Jay’s face as he looked at his son assuaged her fears. “But I’m going to need to work.”

“Alex offered you a job.” Kim wanted to give Jay hope, but instead, she hit a nerve.

“The guy who saved you?” Jay asked bitterly, then he swore under his breath. “Sorry.” His breath shuddered through his body. “I should have been there for you. For both of you.” He stroked Archie’s face. “He’s perfect.”

“If I’d told you, you might have been there.” Kim wanted to soothe Jay’s guilt. “I take that responsibility. But I know I was doing what I thought was right, just as you were.” She sat up, and then lifted Archie into her arms, kissing his cheek before handing her son to his father. “We have to decide to stop with the guilt. It’s done. Our new life starts today.”

“It certainly does.” Jay bounced Archie on his knee. “Doesn’t it, young man?”

“You know what Archie needs?” Kim asked, tickling his cheek.

“No.” Jay switched his attention back to Kim.

“I think he should meet your bear.” Kim raised her eyebrows and nodded. “Don’t you think? And I’m sure that soft bear of yours would love to meet his little bear cub. They are going to have such fun when Archie is older.”

“I like that idea. And so does my bear. Why don’t we have breakfast and then take a walk into the forest? We don’t have to go too far.” Jay stood up. “I need to get out in the fresh air.”

“I thought you’d had enough of the outdoors on your trek here.” Kim led them out of the room. Downstairs there were sounds of life, Archie wasn’t the only early riser.

“I could never have enough of the mountains. Although honestly, I was so focused on getting here, I didn’t take in the scenery.” He chuckled, a sound Kim loved to hear. Jay, for obvious reasons, had been more somber than she remembered, and she liked this glimpse of the Jay she used to know. It was proof he was still there, under the hardened exterior. “The bullet in my shoulder might have distracted me, too.”

“How is that feeling this morning?” Kim examined Jay, noting the tension caused by the pain in his shoulder had left his face.

“Good. I heal quickly. It’s gonna be a few days until it’s fully healed, but I sure do feel better. The bullet was like having a knife stuck in my shoulder.” They walked downstairs, and headed to the kitchen. Passing the living room door, Kim was reminded of their night of shared passion. She was never going to look at the sofa in the same way.

“Here they are.” Harlan’s usual chirpy mood as he flipped pancakes was comforting. In the days since she arrived here, Kim had grown to see him as a father figure. A better father than her own, who had never shown much interest in his daughter. Perhaps if he’d been a more protective man, Kim would have turned to her parents, rather than Alex, when she needed help.

However, neither of Kim’s parents had been involved in her life. Even as a child she’d been left to her own devices. Born to them later in life, at a young age, Kim had been aware she was what her parents openly described as an accident.

Watching Jay with Archie, seeing them interact and the love between them, she let go of her anxiety. Anxiety she didn’t realize had played a part in why she’d kept her pregnancy a secret. She’d been scared. Scared that when Jay told her about shifters and the mating bond, that she would have broken the dream of their future together if she’d told him she was pregnant. Scared he would have seen the child growing inside her as an accident.

“Okay?” Jay took hold of her hand, jerking her out of her thoughts.

“Yes.” She smiled broadly. “Absolutely.”

“Good, coffee is on, pancakes are hot. Sit down and eat.” Harlan put plates out for them. “How are you feeling, Jay?”

“Better.” Jay set Archie down in a high chair next to Harlan Jr. and then sat down himself. “I’m sorry for imposing like this.”

Harlan waved his pan at Jay as he shook his head. “Don’t mention it. We love having a houseful of people. And it’s good to see you looking so much better.”

“You were pale.” Kim poured the coffee into three mugs and then put a bib on Archie. “Milk for you.” She set his sippy cup down in front of him. Archie picked it up and drank deeply, while eyeing up the pancakes.

“Oh, this is so good.” Jay sipped his hot coffee and then poured maple syrup on his pancakes. “I think I must have died and gone to heaven.” He locked eyes with Kim, and she squirmed in her seat as she helped herself to pancakes. She was part of that heaven. And boy, was he part of hers.

“We’re going for a walk after breakfast,” Kim told Harlan. “Is there anything you need help with when we get back?” To repay the dragons for their hospitality, Kim helped out around the house and with babysitting duties whenever she was needed.

“I think we have it covered today, thanks, Kim.” Harlan sat down next to his son and passed him another pancake. “Sapphi and Alex will be coming over this morning. Sapphi wants to get her business off the ground as soon as possible, and she’s brought some beautiful gems back with her.”

“Alex is here?” Jay asked, an edge to his voice, which Kim hoped Harlan didn’t notice.

“They arrived back yesterday,” Kim told him.

“I’d like to meet him. To thank him for what he did. For you and Archie.”

Kim let out her pent-up breath. “We can meet them later. You’ll like him, and Sapphi.”

“I believe Alex’s mom and dad will be visiting, too, very soon. So many dragons,” Harlan said good-naturedly.

“Do you need us to move out?” Kim asked, there was no way everyone was going to fit into this house.

“I was going to talk to you about that today.” Harlan held up his hand. “Now, I know you will want to do your own thing, but until Jay is on his feet, I’d like to offer you the use of one of my houses. I have one just along the road here. It’s empty, and it needs some work. But it’s clean and the roof doesn’t leak.”

“We can manage,” Jay said politely.

“I don’t doubt it,” Harlan replied. “But you need to rest, and we would feel better if you were close by.”

“Why?” Jay asked, spearing the last piece of his pancake.

Harlan sighed. “I spoke to Avery yesterday. She came over with Kit to check in on you.”

“You were asleep,” Kim told Jay. “Kit was happy to leave you to recover since there was no sign of infection.”

“I must have been out of it if I didn’t know I was being examined in my sleep.” Jay didn’t sound happy. “I must be losing my touch.”

“Or you knew you were safe,” Kim suggested.

“Maybe. So what did Avery say?” Jay asked.

Harlan glanced up at Kim. Whatever it was, Harlan had kept it from her, too. “Your handler…I think that’s the correct term.” Jay nodded. “He wants to come over and see you. Today if you feel up to it.”

Jay stiffened. “Do you know why?”

“I’d like to know why you didn’t tell me,” Kim said a little too sharply.

“I’m sorry, Kim. You had enough to worry about, so I kept it to myself.” Harlan reached out and squeezed her hand reassuringly. “No other reason, I promise you.”

“But you think this might mean trouble?” Kim asked. This was why Harlan wanted to keep them close by. His conversation with Avery must have caused him to fear for their safety. Perhaps Avery had inside information from her contacts in the police force, which she’d entrusted to Harlan.

“I don’t know.” Harlan turned his attention to Jay. “Look, you two need to talk. And this is none of my business. You’re a proud, independent man, Jay, I understand that. But we’re here. For both of you. You were undercover, helping to protect us from bad people. If that doesn’t deserve some kind of appreciation then I don’t know what does.”

Jay looked down at his plate and sighed. “When I was undercover, it was just me. I had to depend on myself, because if anyone else knew why I was there, I would have ended up dead.”

“I understand,” Harlan told Jay. “It’s going to take you a while to let people in. To let down your defenses.”

Jay met Harlan’s gaze. “Exactly. I can’t just let it go. It was a coping mechanism.” He put his hand up to his shoulder. “I’m not going to lie. Walking into a houseful of strangers makes me uncomfortable. Accepting charity off them…that’s another thing altogether. It makes me dependent.”

“It’s not charity, Jay,” Harlan insisted. “And if it makes you feel better, there’s work that needs doing on the house. Good honest work. How about when you’re feeling better, we discuss our terms?”

Jay nodded and his face cracked into a lopsided smile. “You dragons, always a smart answer.”

Kim froze, and then risked a look at Harlan, who looked equally as stunned. “You’ve only just met my family, Jay. But it sounds as if you’ve met other dragons.”

“One.” Jay nodded. “I don’t exactly trust them.”

Harlan opened and closed his mouth before saying, “Where did you meet this dragon?”

Kim’s face paled. Was this why he was suspicious of Alex? Because he’d already met him, or because he was a dragon?

“He’s from out of town. Way out of town. Used to fly in to meet the guy I was tracking. He had money to buy whatever and whoever he wanted.” Jay shook his head. “Sort of guy who wants to take over the world.”

That didn’t sound like Alex, or any of the dragons Kim had met. And it couldn’t be Alex’s family, since only his mom was a dragon shifter. That meant there were more of them.

“How old? Do you have a description?” Kim asked, keeping her voice casual, when a siren was going off in her head. Had the dragon shifter been arrested or was he still out there? Worse, was he a threat to her dragons?

“Elderly. Older than you, Harlan.” Jay rocked back and forth in his seat, and then shook his head. “I need to talk to Guy Patterson, my handler, before I tell you any more. After an operation this size, I’d have been taken in for debriefing. I don’t want to mess up the chances of this guy being arrested. You understand?”

“Perfectly.” Harlan looked pale and nervous. “I appreciate any information you can tell us after you’ve spoken to Guy.” He sagged forward. “We have each spent our lives thinking we were alone. To find out there are others, so far, has been a joy. I suppose it was only natural that sooner or later a bad apple would turn up.”

Jay nodded, and then said to Kim, “Shall we go?”

“Yes. I’ll get Archie ready.” Kim picked up her son and kissed Harlan on the cheek. “Thanks, Harlan.”

“You’re welcome. Both of you. All three of you,” he corrected himself. “Think about what I said, Jay.”

“I will, thanks, Harlan. I appreciate it.” Jay followed Kim out of the room, unaware of the bombshell he’d dropped into the midst of the dragon family she’d grown to love.