Page 2 of A Hatchling for Valentine’s

At last Kellan’s smile was back and his eyes bright and filled with joy the way Vic hoped they would always be.

“You’re the best mate ever, Vic. Thanks.”

A tickle in Vic’s nose and a burning in his eyes brought home the truth of how much Kellan and the baby really meant to him.

And I’ll kill anyone who dares hurt either one of them.

* * * *

Kellan had put away his food processor and other purchases, then called in his and Vic’s dinner order to the restaurant. Once he’d taken over the nesting duties, Vic had headed across the parking lot to grab their food. One catfish for him and some prime rib for Vic later, they were on their sides playing cards on the bed, the egg perched between them on the pile of soft towels and blankets he’d constructed over a month before when he’d gone into his pre-egg-laying frenzy. He snorted to himself. What a shock that had been.

Vic lifted an eyebrow. “You up to something sneaky with those cards over there?”

Kellan shook his head. “Just remembering.” A bit of guilt coursed through him. “Do you think Dora and the others who came to visit are still mad?”

Vic sighed. “Sweetheart, they were never mad at you to begin with. And now that your swan knows they’re safe to be around the egg, they can come back and visit again another time.”

Kellan’s lip trembled. “I didn’t mean to bruise Dora’s face.” The restaurant’s hostess was his closest friend and she’d helped him so much when he’d first arrived in Vale and begun working as a server. “She ran out of here crying and I just… I just…” He caught a sob in his throat, tossing down his cards on the comforter as tears filled his eyes. “I don’t understand why I did that!”

Vic rose from the bed and came around the end to sit next to him. He petted Kellan’s hair back from his forehead.

“Did you discuss what happened with Jonas?”

The swan shifter who lived in the same town as Dr. Arthur, and who the doctor had put him in touch with, had helped him with so many of his questions. Kellan picked at the bed covering, unable to hold Vic’s gaze. “I was too embarrassed.”

“But, he’s there for you as a resource and you told me he’s helped you with so many other questions.”

Frustration bubbled up in Kellan. “Why did I have to be raised by a hateful bastard who never told me anything of what to expect!”

Vic grasped his chin and encouraged him to look up. “Hey. Listen to me. I doubt that little shit knew anything either. Doesn’t excuse his behavior, but we move forward from here. We don’t have to worry about him anymore, right?”

The heaviness in Kellan’s heart lifted. Vic always made everything better. “You’re right. We don’t.”

Vic offered him a wide smile. “And Dr. Arthur will be here any minute and you can ask him, okay?”

Kellan nodded. “Okay, I will.”

They went back to playing cards while they waited for Dr. Arthur to show up. He’d texted to say he was running late since he was helping his nephew, the new Vale Valley fire chief, to move.

Kellan perused his cards. “Do you have any fours?”

“Go fish.”

A knock sounded at the door and Kellan dropped his cards in excitement. Vic chuckled.

“I guess that takes care of that.”

Kellan glanced down to see his cards strewn about, face up. “Oh.” He shrugged. “That’s all right, I was getting bored anyway. We should mess around after he leaves.”

Vic snort-chuckled as he rose from the bed. He winked at Kellan. “Much less boring than cards.”

Kellan had been horny ever since he’d gotten out of the lake but knew Dr. Arthur would be stopping by, so he hadn’t acted on his urge. However, once the avian fertility specialist was gone, he’d heat up the cabin and get Vic naked.

While Vic let Dr. Arthur in, Kellan gathered up the cards and put them away. The cabin was probably warm enough that they could’ve put blankets over the egg and played in the other room, but they’d automatically stayed on the bed. There seemed to be some sort of unspoken instinct in play when it came to the nest. They got as much satisfaction out of staying with it as they did out of almost any other activity they shared.

Kellan snickered. Except for what we’ll be sharing later. Finn and the other guys had never let on how great sex was, so he’d had no idea what to expect. That’s because they probably aren’t getting any. He snickered again.

“Good evening, Kellan. How are you feeling?”