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She scoffs, more than irritated. Holding the egg in her arm protectively. “Are you kidding me? Why do you get to make the calls? Just because you’re the man?”
“No, because what you’re thinking is a death sentence. If you want a baby so bad, I’ll make one with you. Don’t need to hatch a monster to get that sorted.”
She drops her jaw open. “I’m not going to have your baby, we just met!”
I smirk. “Not what you said last night.”
I probably crossed the line there, but her ideas are making me crazy.
She walks over to the cave, slipping inside, and I decide to sit here and eat my fish to give her some space. It’s been a lot of adjustment and clearly the time travel has messed with her head.
An hour or so later, she emerges from the cave with a sling around her torso. For a moment I think she’s hurt herself, then I realize it’s for the egg.
“You can make fun of me if you want,” she says, shrugging and munching on a bag of trail mix. My mouth waters as I read the label.
Cashews, Chocolate and Cherries.
“Did you name it?” I ask, twisting my lips. This woman is bananas, but I don’t want to upset her. She is my lifeline, and I like her way more than I think she’s bonkers. She hands me the trail mix. “Actually, I thought we could name it together.”
I try not to laugh, and reach into the bag, savoring the morsels as I drop them into my mouth. “Seriously? You want me to help you name a million-year-old egg?”
“Gosh, you could have a better attitude. I thought it would be fun, you know how the paleontologists who make discoveries get to name them after themselves? I thought we could too. And it’s way more than a million years old.”
“Are you going to keep carrying it around?”
She nods solemnly. “I took a bit to think about it, and you are probably right.” She frowns. “Hatching this egg is risky. And it’s dangerous enough just living in the Stone Age, no need to amplify the risk. However, it does feel special, having it. And it has protected you. So, maybe you can let me marvel at the magic of this discovery a bit longer? It makes me feel less lonely, having it strapped to me.”
“You didn’t seem too lonely last night.”
She rolls her eyes, but laughs. “Fair point.” She takes the trail mix back and eats some more. “So, two things need to happen next – name the baby and take me to this lagoon.”
9
Fancy
Carrying an egg that’s sixty million years old in a sling across my body might seem crazy, but for some reason it feels like the only option. The moment my eyes landed on it, I felt a connection to this unhatched dinosaur.
I know Flint must think I've gone off my rocker, and considering we just met, I wouldn't be surprised if he considers me completely batshit crazy. But instead of telling me to find my own cave, he’s playing along with my demands.
He packs us a bag for the lagoon and I slip my hand into his as we walk down the well-worn path he's created.
"Thank you," I say.
"For what?" he asks, looking over at me.
I run my hand over the shell of the egg. "For not telling me to make my own camp somewhere else after I–" I stop, not sure what words to use.
He fills in the blank. "After deciding you were the mama to this baby?"
I nod. "Yeah. It's kind of unexpected because I’ve never had an overwhelming maternal instinct," I tell him as he pulls back beautiful flowering vines revealing the lagoon to me. It's beautiful.
"Wow," I say, breathless. I feel like I have just landed on the set of Tarzan, or some movie like The Croods, a prehistoric paradise with large birds circling above and howling monkeys swinging from a nearby tree.
"I wonder if maybe you're not exactly maternal because you didn't have much of an example growing up," Flint says.
I squeeze his hand. "You're probably right. I have a lot of family issues in general."
Flint nods. "I get it," he says, setting down his backpack. "I've got plenty of my own, but I always wanted to be a dad someday. Didn't think it was even on the radar anymore, but…"
I smile. "Now I'm here."
He nods. "Exactly. Though, I've got to admit, when I thought of fatherhood I never expected to be the dad to an unhatched egg."
I grin. "Thank you for placating me."
He leans in and kisses me softly. "I think it's a little weird, but," he grins, "I like weird."
"Good, because I'm a nerd too, you know."
"Oh, I know," he says. "You fell into my arms carrying a book. I figured as much."
