Page 35 of The Baker and the Kraken

Calder snorted and kissed him again. “Yes, I guess I’m just that good.”

Adam sighed happily. “I’m so lucky.”

He could hear the smile in Calder’s voice. “No, that’s definitely me, sweetheart.”

Chapter Ten

Calder

Calder had been hoping for a mate for almost as long as he’d been alive—and he’d been alive for a very long time. All that hoping and all that wishing hadn’t prepared him for the utter perfection of having a mate. He couldn’t claim that everything had gone smoothly between him and Adam, but now that they’d got past the worst of the misunderstandings, now that they were actually communicating with one another and Calder wasn’t trying to hide part of himself, now that Adam accepted him as he was…

Quite simply, it was the best thing that had ever happened to Calder—and he’d lived long enough that many good things had happened to him. Bad things had happened, too, of course, and he knew that having a mate didn’t mean that would cease. He’d sort of hoped it would take longer for a bad thing, though. But no, Adam had to explain to his father that he’d found a shifter he was going to bond with.

Adam had wanted to do this on his own to ensure that his father wouldn’t feel outnumbered, but Calder really didn’t want to leave Adam on his own for what was sure to be an emotionally fraught conversation.

Because they were partners who could communicate, they’d compromised: Calder would stay out of view of the camera and swear not to say a word, but he’d hold Adam’s hand and be there for him.

It meant he was eavesdropping on the conversation, in a sense, but he could have heard it anywhere in the apartment, and Adam would have told him about it anyway. Calder had already sworn up and down not to take offense no matter what Adam’s dad said about shifters or him in particular.

Adam and his father made it through some initial pleasantries, and then Adam’s grip on Calder’s hand tightened.

His face was strained as he announced, “Dad, I’ve got something to tell you.”

“Hit me with it, kiddo.”

And Calder could hear the affection in his voice. He couldn’t see the screen from where he was sitting, to ensure Adam’s father couldn’t see him, but his voice was a lot like an older version of Adam’s.

Hesitating, Adam finally admitted, “It’s just, I’m not sure you’re going to be happy about it.”

Calder prayed that this was an occasion where Adam was wrong.

He could hear the frown in Adam’s father’s voice as he asked, “What? You’re leaving the bakery? Moving even further away? Not coming home to visit this summer?”

Adam seized on that with a look of desperation. “The summer! No, I’m still hoping to get out there, Dad, but I, uh, probably won’t be alone.”

There was silence for a moment, and then, “You’ve met someone? And it’s serious enough that you’re already talking about meeting the parent? Kiddo, that’s wonderful!”

He sounded delighted, and Calder wished with all his heart for this to go well. Adam’s grip was still strangling Calder’s hand.

“His name’s Calder,” Adam said, and he managed a genuine-looking smile, though he still looked a little nervous. “And he’s amazing. He’s smart and kind. He thinks other people are fools for being bothered if I’m clumsy.”

“I like him already,” Adam’s father said, and Calder could hear the smile in his voice.

“He cares about ocean conservancy, and he likes to walk me home from work, and he always comes up with the best ideas for dates. We just cuddled on Valentine’s Day, and he took me out for a harbor boat tour a couple days later,” Adam added.

“That sounds like a man with his head on his shoulders,” Adam’s father said approvingly.

“He’s the best,” Adam said, his voice incredibly fond. Then he straightened his shoulders, his expression going stern. “And I want you to remember that, Dad. Okay?”

“Okay,” the man said, clearly confused. “He’s not married or something, is he?”

“No, of course not,” Adam said, scoffing. “As if I’d put up with that.”

“Drinking? Drugs? Come on, Adam, what is it? You’ve described someone who sounds just perfect. What’s wrong with him?”

“There’s nothing whatsoever wrong with him,” Adam said firmly. Then he swallowed, a look on his face Calder didn’t want to ever see again, fatalistic and resigned, before he added, “He’s a shifter.”

Dead silence, heavy and suffocating. For one second. Two. Five.