Chapter 10

Chapter

Ten

T he knock came just as Samuel folded the last of his clothes away into his dresser. The ladies downstairs had given it to him when he'd still had boxes sitting around for their second, he assumed daily, visit.

This time, they'd brought a little dog that looked like a Muppet.

He frowned. Now what?

When he opened the door, he was met with a rush of frigid air, and he was brushed aside by a large man. Who wasn't Logan or Lars.

"Okay, get packed."

He gaped at the Other, who stood in his apartment, taking up far too much space.

"What? No, I will not." This was his apartment. The Other couldn't just throw him out of his own apartment. This was his place. Lars had assured him that this was his for as long as he wanted it.

"What? Did you say?" Jake scowled at him.

"I said no, and unless you're here to do a visitation, get out." He was not going to cry. He was not. He might zap this son of a bitch out of existence.

Oh, that was a very angry thought.

He huffed out a breath and electricity sparked.

"I'm trying." Jake looked around. "Logan said your stuff was in boxes."

"I just got it unpacked."

"Well, we'll pack it up later." Jake grabbed the two pieces of art he had yet to hang. "Come on."

"I said no!"

"Look, I can't leave Grant sitting in the truck, no matter how warm it is." Jake set down the art, then picked him up like a sack of potatoes. "Your books are on their way to my place."

"What are you doing? Why is the baby in the truck? Why are you carrying me? I just put my clothes away!" He was very confused.

"I didn't have anyone to watch Grant." Jake changed directions. "You really should pack a bag. I might not get back today to get your clothes. The chairs are yours, right?"

"Yes. You have to watch the baby. Please."

"Promise you'll come right back down?"

"I swear. Go be with Grant."

"Okay. We'll wait for you in the truck." Jake went up with him and grabbed a chair, then and headed out the door.

"That—that's my chair…" He was very confused. Very. He grabbed his suitcase and put some clothes in it, feeling conflicted as hell.

He thought about calling Lars, but if he waited too long, Jake might come looking for him and leave Grant in the truck again. Which, okay, who was going to steal him in Oro Escondido? Hannah and Anna? But still.

He went down the stairs, his suitcase and phone in hand. He hoped Jake was still here, and hadn't stolen his chair.

"Do you want your other chair today?" Jake asked as soon as he walked outside.

"Um—"

"You watch Grant. I'll get it." Jake trotted back upstairs.

Grant squealed at him. "Ammu."

"Oh, my Grant." He opened the back door and tickled that sweet belly. "I do love that snowsuit. Are you the best boy?"

"Ammu! Ammu!"

"That's right, baby. I am your Ammu."

Grant kicked and danced, just so joyful.

A thud sounded as his other chair landed with surprising gentleness in the back of the truck. "Let's roll. It's not supposed to snow, but I don't want to have to tarp anything. I locked up."

"Ah, Jake, dear. Finally taking Samuel home?—"

"—are you?"

The twins peered out their door at them.

"Yes, ma'ams. Have a good one." Jake steered him to the passenger side and shut him and Grant in safely. He hopped into the driver's side, then gave Samuel a sideways grin. "If you let them, they'll corner you like a rat trapped on a sinking ship."

"Every day. Yes. They're very…focused." He turned to look at Jake. "What's going on?"

"You're coming to stay at my place." Jake got them moving, eyes on the road. Which, to be fair, was fairly snowy.

"I—I am? Why? Is there something wrong?" Had something terrible happened?

"No. I mean, no more so than you having an apartment when I need you close to help take care of Grant."

The change of attitude was…dizzying. Samuel had no idea what to make of it.

And he didn't know what that meant exactly—he wasn't a babysitter. He was…family.

"And I called your family to get your books." Now Jake's voice hardened. "What the hell, Samuel? They were fucking awful. I had to threaten them with showing up and demanding my tribute for Grant just to get them to send stuff. I want you to count every fucking book. If you don't get all your stuff, I will go shake their asses down."

Samuel stared at Jake. "I—You got my books? You mean it?"

His heart was beating so fast. Oh, thank you. Please. Thank you so much.

"Yes. You're welcome. And I can absolutely see why you left that place. Your father is a dick." Jake really seemed mad. But for him, not just at his father.

"Yes. They both are. You got my books, though." He began to cry, trying to keep it silent. "I can't believe it."

"I did. And a few other things that your mom said you would want. That kept me from going and taking your share as well as Susan's." Jake gave him another grin, the friendliest look he'd ever seen on the man's face.

If Jake didn't ever do anything else but this, it would be enough. It was more than anyone else had ever done. Samuel just didn't know what to say so he went with, "Thank you."

"We'll go tomorrow, and we'll get the rest of your things. And if there's anything you need, all you have to do is let us know."

"Us?"

"Right. Me. You can let me know. This is going to be your home now, and you should be comfortable. There's plenty of room, and it's comfortable and safe and close. We're on the outskirts. There's plenty of room to fly. I hear that you like to fly a lot."

He nodded. He really did. He hadn't been able to just easily go out and about for a long time, but he enjoyed it.

"So you…create electricity?" Jake asked.

He thought Jake was trying to be friendly. It was strange, but it was better than the constant anger.

"No. No, weather. Wind, lightning, that sort of thing."

"Oh. So you and Susan did the same thing?"

He nodded. It had been that way with all of his mother's descendants; she bred true. "I assume that Grant will as well."

"I don't know because he hasn't shown any sort of inclination."

"He's awfully young."

"I don't know, I… I haven't seen anything."

The worry in Jake's voice made Samuel trill softly, offering comfort. "I think everyone's different."

In all of the thousands of tomes of dragon affinities he'd read, no one could come to any kind of logical conclusion about how dragons got their affinities or when they came into their power. It happened when it happened. "I guess sometimes the hardest thing is waiting to see."

"Ammu!" The baby called, making Samuel smile.

"Grant!"

"Ammu Ammu Dada!"

The happy little song soothed his soul. "Yes, dear, you're being very patient. We'll be back to your house soon, okay? Then we'll go in, we'll have a bottle, and we'll play for a little while."

The little one crowed, arms and legs kicking wildly.

"He likes you."

Samuel shrugged. "I love him. He's family."

"Were you very close to your sister?"

"When we were young, yes. And then? Schooling happened. Life happened, and she left to explore the world, and I didn't. Everyone was put out."

"Ah. And you went into your library?"

"I did." It had been the one thing he was proud of. "I—I don't want to be a bother."

"You're not." Jake said it firmly. "Look, I had to have an attitude adjustment, okay? I admit it. I was an ass. I'm sorry. But Grant needs his family, and we can help each other, right? And I have room for your home library. What you do with the public one is up to you."

"I accept your apology. Thank you."

He didn't know how long this change of heart would last, but it didn't matter. Once he got his books here, they'd be in the wing, and from there, he could do anything if he had to. And if Jake meant it, all the better.

They drove out of the wing proper, leaving the town, at least that's what it seemed like. It wasn't what it felt like.

In fact, it felt like the farther they drove, the heavier the magic was. Much like going to Lars's house. Made sense, he supposed, because Jake was a guardian, and this was the line of defense from the rest of the world.

"I haven't seen your house. What's it like?"

"Big. It's big. It's wooden. It's… It's kind of like a bachelor pad, I have to be honest. Lots of big rooms. Not a whole lot of art or anything on the walls. It's sort of like a big man cave."

"Well, that bodes well for Grant. He'll have plenty of room." He was totally not a man cave kind of dragon, but he could put things up in his area and make it nice. "What's your favorite part of the house?"

"The media room. I can watch movies, there's chairs that recline, and they have cupholders. Big-screen. I play video games in there sometimes. It's very comfy." Jake waved a hand, his enthusiasm plain.

"Oh, that does sound fun. I had a friend in my former wing that had one of those, and it was very, very nice to have parties."

"I can't imagine you at a party."

Samuel blinked. "No? Well. I've been to some." Maybe not dozens, but he'd been to quite a few, especially formal ones. Of course, he didn't count those. He was talking about friends.

"Do you miss them?"

"Parties?" What a weird question.

"No." Jake chuckled. "Your family, your wing."

"No, all of my friends have gone, had families. Mates. They have lives all their own."

"Well, now you do too. You have a life all of your own. You have a family and a home. And we're going to learn how to get along together." Jake nodded like he had made some kind of decision. "We're going to have a good life. You have a whole set of rooms. This is me. Us."

They drove up to this place that Samuel swore looked like a bunch of building blocks had kind of been tossed together. There were sunken levels and windows and floors and angles, and something that he was certain was a tree house, he thought, sitting right on the top.

It was lit up, and it was warm and inviting and absolutely not what he expected. "It looks like a giant threw toys down. It's so pretty."

"Thanks. I really like the Lincoln Log look, and it has all sorts of nooks and crannies. And the tower you can fly from."

An enormous porch wrapped around the house, hammocks and swings and lounges strewn around. A deck wrapped around the second level, too, with comfy spots to sit and eat or watch the sun and moon. Or a good storm. There really was a tower, and it had huge windows where a dragon could keep their clothes dry when they wanted to take off…

"I can't imagine a more wonderful house," Samuel said.

He felt, literally felt, warmth emanate from Jake. "Thanks. Okay. Come on in, and you can get Grant that bottle while I move your chairs in."

"I can do that." He really could. He figured kitchens were kitchens were kitchens, right?

Samuel unbuckled Grant out of the car seat, chuckling as the baby cooed and laughed and kicked, so happy to see him.

He got them in the front door and then put Grant down in order to strip off his snowsuit. Little bit was dressed in the cutest sweatsuit ever, with a great big dinosaur on the T-shirt and on the butt of the pants. It was adorable. Not as adorable as his nephew, of course, but it was sweet nonetheless.

The mudroom led to a lovely great room with a huge fireplace and lots of places to lounge about. The kitchen was off to the left and, Samuel was right, a kitchen was a kitchen was a kitchen.

This one was lovely. It reminded him a lot of the one in his parents' house, and he could totally make a bottle in it.

So he put Samuel down, keeping an eye on the little boy as he made up a bottle.

By the time he'd done that, Jake was in, carrying his two comfy chairs like they weighed nothing. "Do you want them both upstairs, or do you want one down here? Or maybe you want them both down here?"

Like he knew. He hadn't even seen anything.

Samuel shrugged. "Why don't you just leave them there for right now, and then I'll make a decision? I… I don't know how to make a decision without seeing everything, and Grant needs his bottle. I promised him a little play, too. Is his bedroom up with ours?" He almost swallowed his tongue. "I mean yours and mine. Not ours."

Jake chuckled. "It's cool, I understand. That's fine. I'll show you the rooms as soon as the baby goes down. We'll have to take him upstairs anyway."

Jake put the chairs down by the stairway and headed in. "The house is really straightforward. You have a sitting room and a bedroom on one side, I have one on the other side, and Grant has one in the middle."

"A sitting room?" he teased.

"Well, his is going to be a playroom, I imagine, but maybe he's going to be the most grown-up baby in the history of babies, and maybe he'll just go from bottle to boardroom."

That cracked Samuel up, and he found himself laughing, not just a polite chuckle, but like full-out deep in his gut laughing.

"Yeah. I know. I think about things too much." Jake grinned at little Grant. "I just love him so much."

"Of course you do. He's your son." And that was obvious.

"Yes." Jake cleared his throat. "Are you hungry? I have a take-and-bake pizza we can share."

"I'd like that. If you don't mind sharing. I love pizza."

"I don't mind at all. Is sausage and onion all right? I can add stuff…" Jake trailed off, looking doubtful.

"I love sausage and onion. I'm not a picky eater. Not at all."

"That's good. Things get catch-as-catch-can around here when Grant gets fussy."

"I have cookbooks…" he offered.

"Yeah?" Jake chuckled. "But can you use them? I mean, I burn meat. That's about it."

Oh, he liked meat, which so many people didn't believe. But it was hardly grilling season. "I'm sure I can cook if I put my mind to it. I lived where I just had to choose from a menu and have it sent to my rooms, sad to say." But he liked the idea of learning to cook. With Jake.

"Well, we could both try."

"Sure. I'd go for it with you."

Jake glanced at him, and he tried his best to stay relaxed and easy in his skin.

Grant made a bahbahbah sort of noise, and he realized he needed to do all the feeding and things. Playing. Bathing.

"Oh my gosh! Did I forget you? No!" He laughed and grabbed Grant up, dancing Grant about before giving him a bottle.

Grant sucked hard, his little body having used a lot of energy.

So hungry.

He jumped, staring down at Grant. He'd heard that more as an idea than as words, but he'd heard it all the same. "Are you? Well, baby, I have you. We'll fill your tummy right up."

"Did you hear him?" Jake asked, giving him a shrewd look. "I do too. Everyone tells me he's too young, but I know I hear him."

"He wanted me to know he was hungry. It was clear as a bell."

"Ah, yes. Hunger seems to be the great motivator." Jake moved to the fridge to pull out a pizza box. "Speaking of, let me bake this off. That way it will be ready by the time he's changed and sleepy."

"Sure." He cuddled with the baby, singing softly, letting the song go on and on.

Grant slowed finally, then burped on his own and went boneless. Oh, someone was so tired. Samuel went to change him from the diaper bag by the door. Jake would have to show him where everything was. But Grant could doze as he was until after they ate.

He was surprised how quickly Jake had gone from the Other to someone who was…kind. Easy.

Daddy.

That's right. He's your daddy.

He watched Jake as he rocked and walked with Grant. He was a rather fine figure of an alpha. Now that Samuel allowed himself to look. Clearly stubborn, but he'd gone to Samuel's family and demanded his things, and that amazed him.

No one ever did anything like that for him. No one ever had.

So that had raised Jake a lot in his estimation.

Jake slanted him an ironic glance. "You think loud."

He flushed hot. "Sorry. But you were mean."

"I was. I admit it. I'm not that way, though. For real."

"I'm not either. I'm just a bookworm. I love reading and organizing and sharing information."

"Well, the town archives could use your help. And the school and community library is yours for the picking."

"Oh, have they decided to keep a separate building?"

"For the town, you mean? Yes. They say it needs to be open three days a week, at least."

"Oh my. I'll be very busy then." He rocked Grant, smiling down at the baby. "You and I will learn so many new things together."

"He's such a sweetie, huh?" He half expected to hear animosity back in Jake's voice, maybe jealousy, but he just didn't. Jake sounded happy to have him here.

"He's beautiful. Very good-natured." He looked at Grant right in that stunning little baby face. He wasn't sure if he wanted the baby to resemble Susan more or less. He just didn't know.

Whatever made the pain smaller.

"I loved her very much, you know," Jake offered. "She fit right in. Everyone liked her."

"What about her mate? Did she love her?" Did someone think she was the most important being in the universe?

"Absolutely. No question there. Jolie adored her on sight."

"Good. Good." His eyes filled with tears, and he sighed a little bit. "I wish I'd come with her."

"My mother says if wishes were fishes, we'd all swim away."

Samuel chuckled softly. "My nurse, the one who raised me? She would say if horses were wishes, you'd all ride off into the sunset."

"Yeah? I guess we're all part of the same family." Jake was trying. The house was warm, the pizza smelled good, and Samuel had a cuddly baby in his arms.

It could be far worse.