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“The baby loves you so much, Daddy.” Wren rested her head on my mate’s arm as he put a hand on my bump, and the baby kicked again.

Sinclair and I shared a glance, and I took his hand and placed it on my cheek even though his warm palm made me sweat profusely. Knowing that the baby reacted to their alpha father more than anyone else brought me to tears. The little dragon shifter inside me connected with my mate in a way no one else could.

“The baby’s dragon likes Daddy’s dragon.” Poppy picked up an ice cube and studied it as it melted on her palm.

“They like all our dragons.” Ivy patted my bump.

Leaning back, I caressed my huge belly. The baby inside me, a little dragon shifter, was warming me from the inside. They were my personal heat patch, or maybe furnace was a better description. I couldn’t see them yet, but I could feel them in that impossible heat. Soon they’d be in my arms instead of under my ribs.

Sinclair reminded me we still had to put all the baby’s clothes in the closets and drawers in the nursery.

“We will.” I doubted our little one would care that not everything was folded and put away.

I’d read about nesting, whether the omega was human or a shifter. And while my mate and I had fussed over furniture, paint color, and a suitable rug, putting away things wasn’t my priority. What did make me uneasy was when the girls were at school or my mate was in his workshop. I knew where my family was, and they were safe and being looked after at school and working hard. But they weren’t with me.

Some nights, I’d wander into the girls’ connecting rooms, and even though they’d started the night in their own beds, they’d moved into one and were cuddled together. I sat beside them, resting an arm over all three, thankful they were under my roof.

This was my version of nesting, having my family with me. As an adult, I’d never had my own home. Decorating came second to togetherness.

“Ready for bed?” My mate was leaning over me.

“Aren’t I in bed?” I glanced to the left and right. “Pretty sure this is a bed.”

“Ummm, but bedtime equals treat time.”

Sinclair had adjusted the air conditioner to the coldest temperature because I overheated even more at night. He was bundled up as if he was about to embark on a trip to the South Pole. Even his eyes were hidden behind goggles. The poor man was putting up with subzero temperatures just for me.

“Gimme, gimme.”

He handed me a popsicle and placed a towel over my bare bump and chest before putting on his gloves and pulling up the hood on his jacket. It was like sleeping beside a Bigfoot.

“You don’t have to sleep with me.” I pulled his ear muffs off when he didn’t react.

“I can hear you.” He tapped his head. “Shifter hearing.”

“Go into my old room where it’s warm and toasty. You’ll be more comfortable.”

“My darling River.”

His teeth were chattering so loudly the baby reacted, and I stroked my bump, telling our little one that was their alpha father being stubborn.”

“I would sleep in a snowbank for you.” Sinclair placed a soft kiss on my lips. “That’s what love is.”

“What? Sacrificing your fingers and toes to frostbite?”

“No. Being with my mate, no matter how hard or difficult it is. I'll always be by your side.”

I blinked away tears because this dragon shifter, my mate, had never once made me feel like a burden, even when he was shivering.

“Now eat before that damned thing melts and I’ll be sleeping in a mixture of chocolate and ice cream.

I slurped on my icy treat as Sinclair waited to take me to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

“The girls are ready to meet their sibling.” Sinclair dabbed at melted ice cream sliding over my chin. “They’re planning a welcome party.”

“Let me guess. It involves meat.”

He laughed. “I know few details, but I did remind them the baby wouldn’t be eating real food for a while.”