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came to sit on his shoulder, where she sniffed at his earlobe.
Hugh’s heart hammered. He’d made peace with the girls and even come to adore them over
the months he’d been with Finch, but it was still slightly unsettling to be besieged by a tiny
twitch-nosed beast.
“Hello, Elizabeth,” he said as she stood on her back legs and investigated the hollow of his
ear. “There are no chocolate chips in there, I’m afraid.”
Eleanor’s head poked out from the same place where Elizabeth had emerged, but she chose
to stay with Finch. Hugh couldn’t blame her—the likelihood of finding a treat was far better that
way. Hugh only stocked his pockets with candy when he knew he’d be seeing his nephews.
He’d yet to get used to his role as rat stepdad.
“Come now, Lizzie,” Finch cooed. He scooped Elizabeth up and brought her to his chest, where
she took to nosing a button on his shirt. “Have mercy on poor Hugh. If you’re nice, perhaps
he’ll reward you with a chocolate chip a little later.”
Eleanor ducked back into Finch’s jacket. Elizabeth, meanwhile, settled into a furry little ball in
Finch’s hand. The ladies were rather cute if you could look past their claws. What a man Finch
was to have taken something so frightening and turned it adorable. A smile curved Hugh’s lips.
“There will certainly be chocolate chips on the menu for later, but before that, what say you to
curling up together in my hoard and discussing the nursery? A paltry six months remain before
our little dragonet will arrive, and I’m worried there won’t be enough time to have the room up
and running.”
Finch gave Hugh a hard look. “What, exactly, are you planning on putting in there?”
“The best of everything I can find,” Hugh replied cheerfully, then took Finch’s unoccupied hand.
“A finer nursery the world shall never see. Its opulence will be unparalleled. A young dragon
deserves a hoard-worthy room, don’t you think?”
Finch’s face flushed. “I’m not pregnant with a clutch, Hugh. You know that.”
Hugh stepped close and slid a hand over Finch’s barely there baby bump. “The child inside
you is mine, Finch, and unless I’m mistaken, I am a dragon. It’s time to cast aside the ways of
the past and embrace the truth of today. Whether born as eggs or birthed as babes, the children
you carry for me will always be dragons. Always. And you, born of a dragon sire, are a dragon,
too.”
