Page 33 of Naughty Elf: Merry
“Just trust me.”
On arriving home, I waddled into the house and told Hernan I wanted to nest in the bed. He went back and forth, bringing loads of toys, while I showered and rearranged the toys when I was done.
My mate might’ve been a dragon but he wasn’t an expert nest maker. I climbed in and got comfortable while my mate brought sandwiches, snacks, and water.
“You think it’s time?”
“My body feels different.” It was hotter, and my hands and feet were clammy. I’d never laid eggs before, so what did I know? There was no manual telling me what to do.
Hernan stripped down to a tee and boxers and sat behind me. I lay back, and after nibbling on crackers and fruit, I dozed off.
I was awakened by a sharp pain in my belly. This had to be it unless I had an upset tummy. I shook Hernan who’d also fallen asleep.
“I need to squat. The eggs are coming.”
He helped me up and supported me as I bent my knees. Looking down at the crocodiles, dolls, pandas, dinosaurs, and teddies, I knew my eggs would be safe.
My body was wracked with pain as I grunted and moaned, and Hernan whispered how great I was doing. And when I thought I was going to burst, I pushed out an off-white egg, streaked with blues and greens.
I wanted to snuggle it and cover it with a blanket and tell the little one inside this was supposed to happen. But another egg was on the way. This one was more eager to emerge than their sibling, but it was cream with pink and blue spots.
“Two eggs,” Hernan kissed my head. “Are there more?”
“No, that’s it.”
My mate put a pillow under my head and tucked the toys around the eggs so they wouldn’t move. He wrapped a quilt around the base of the eggs, and we snuggled together under a blanket, admiring our babies.
“You’re amazing. Omegas have mad skills. I’m in awe.” Hernan explained they’d recognize our voices, especially mine, so we sang to them and read stories about Santas and elves.
Our babies were so lucky they’d know the world of dragon shifters and the North Pole.
“We should choose names.” Hernan curled around me.
“Let’s wait until they’re born.” Names needed to suit a baby.
I shifted my butt and a toy squeaked. Oops, one of the squeaky ones had been put in the wrong pile at the warehouse. I would never have chosen a noisy toy for my nest.
“Maybe we can call one of the babies Squeak.” My mate giggled, but I nudged him.
“Nope. What did you have planned for the second one? Bubble? So there’d be a Bubble and Squeak?” One of the Santas loved that dish of eggs and leftover vegetables.
“Nah. What about Go-Round? We’d have a Merry and a Go-Round. Merry Go-Round.”
“Not funny.”
Chapter 24
Hernan
Merry had sent me off to my studio this morning, saying it was only a ring twist away I needed to stop hovering. Easier said than done. Ever since the eggs came, I had become a master hoverer. Merry, on the other hand, was such a good dad. He watched those eggs like a hawk and still got things done.
Merry had never been good at sitting still. He loved to be productive. He reorganized our clothes twice, kept the room immaculate, and started crocheting. He made so many little stuffed animals that I had to set aside a new section in the attic just for them. He said we could sell them next year at the Christmas festival. They were absolutely adorable and kept his need to accomplish tasks sated.
I glanced up at my clock. It was getting close to lunchtime, so I started to clean up. I could only focus on work for so long, knowing our eggs could hatch any day. I didn’t want to miss a moment of their coming into this world.
I’d put a stew on in the kitchen earlier, and the aroma hit me before I even fully opened the door. It was a vegetable stew from one of the cooking shows we’d watched recently. I’dbeen skeptical about it, but the smell told me it was going to be wonderful. That was another new habit of ours—watching cooking shows together. I had to laugh at how different our lives were now that the eggs were here and Merry was glued to the nest.
I turned the stew down, as per the directions, and was about to make sandwiches for lunch when Merry’s voice rang out, sharp and filled with fear.