Page 89 of The Platinum Dragon's Courageous Mate

Kieran sipped his tea, but he wasn’t hungry. He just wanted to sit here, breathe, and relax with his family.

Lachlan started a slow, gentle massage, and he closed his eyes in bliss.

“Good?”

“Exceptional. Don’t stop.”

“I won’t. I promise. So what were you doing?”

“Oh, just putting things away.”

“Mmm. Are you pretty happy with where it all is now?”

Kieran tilted his head. “I am.” Finally. He’d been moving stuff around for days.

“Excellent. It’s a beautiful room.”

“Baby room,” Micah informed them. “Not mine room.”

“No, but of course we’ll spend time with the baby in here together.” He didn’t think Micah was jealous; they’d redone his room in his color, and they’d gotten him some lovely things to replace the more random pieces that had been in it as a guest room.

No, he thought Micah was excited to have a place to put his sister that was not in his own room.

Lachlan rubbed, and Kieran might have dozed off. He wasn’t certain. His eyelids certainly got heavy. He yawned, making sure Micah wouldn’t slip off his very obscured lap.

He woke up to a tightening of his belly that had him sitting straight up, his eyes going wide.

“Love?” Lachlan reached out to catch Micah as he toppled toward the floor. “Are you all right?”

“That was wild! That was a pain. A real pain.”

“Ah. I had a feeling.” Lachlan smiled. “What would you like to do. Head downstairs? I can carry you, and you can rest and walk and snack…”

“Anything is fine.” He wasn’t going to fuss. He needed to breathe, to relax. Things would happen on their own time.

“Okay. Here we go. You hold Micah.” Micah was handed back to him, and then he felt weightless for the first time in a long while, Lachlan cradling him gently and carrying him as if he were a feather.

He smiled up. This was so much more relaxing, more peaceful than Micah’s birth, and he wasn’t scared. Lachlan had him, Helena was singing happily to him, eager to meet her brother. And Micah was singing along, patting him, smiling. So happy.

Not the silent, tiny child he’d been when they came here.

They made it down to the couch, which Alban had already prepared as a nest for him. So loving and kind. They snuggled in, and he dozed again until the next pain came.

Before long, he was paying attention to them, wondering if he needed to start counting and…

Light poured out of him as his water broke.

They had been prepared, and it was an easy matter of standing to walk around the room and stretch, while a set of sheets were pulled off. Then he was back in his nest, breathing easily, watching Micah play.

They watched a movie. They had a drink and a snack. Lachlan rubbed his back. And the midwife, Sally, came, her smile bright.

“How are we doing, sweet?”

“Good. Good, I’m just… being with this. Enjoying it, in a weird way.”

This was heaven, after all.

“That’s not weird at all.” She glanced at Micah. “I know the first time was not easy, so this time, we’ll make it pleasant. So let me know what you need. If you want me to fill the tub so you can float, just let me know.”