Page 56 of The Dragons' Healing Mate

The clinic stilled for a moment, and I took in a deep breath, savoring it. Maybe it would be a qui?—

“Rowan!” a high-pitched woman’s voice called out, deafeningly loud, before I was almost knocked off my feet by a small dragon throwing herself into my arms.

“Celia?” I asked, taking a step back. “Are you okay?”

A few steps behind her, lurking in the doorway, was her mate, Tanner. The one who was often with Bastian’s grumpy asshole father. His eyes darted between me and his mate, a slightly uneasy expression on his face.

Celia squeezed me tightly, bouncing up and down like an overexcited toddler. Usually, she was so calm and restrained, so I wasn’t sure what to make of all this sudden energy. She wasn’t crying, so it couldn’t be that bad, right?

“Am Iokay? Rowan! I’mbetterthan okay, I’mpregnant!” she squealed, pulling back to look at me as her eyes filled with tears.

It took a moment for her words to sink in as I stood there, my mouth falling open, but when they did, I couldn’t help but cry out with excitement. “Oh my God! That’s amazing! Are you sure?” I asked, squeezing her tightly as I cast a glance at Tanner.

All this lovely dragon wanted was a baby. She’d told me so herself. If the test were true, then words couldn’t describe how pleased I would be.

Celia nodded, wiping a few of her happy tears away. “I took tests. Loads of them. I wanted to be totally sure before I came to you. I know it’s only been a little over a month, but I had to tell you!”

I pulled her into a hug, her excitement infectious. “I’m so happy for you! Oh, that’s wonderful. How about I give you a checkup now? It’s far too early for a sonogram, but we can do blood tests to confirm?”

She nodded excitedly, her perfect curls dancing as she did. “Yes, please! Thank you! This never would have happened without you. Right, baby?” She turned to Tanner, who nodded, still holding himself tightly.

“Yeah, we owe you everything,” Tanner said, lips still pursed.

“Maybe noteverything,” I joked. “Some cupcakes, perhaps? Then again, Ma is fattening me up enough.” I chuckled, guiding Celia to the examination room.

“Want me to delay your next patient?” Nina asked, poking her head around the door, no doubt having heard all the commotion and delaying her lunch to figure out what was going on.

“I think we have enough time for a quick blood test, but thanks. Go get lunch before you can’t.” I shooed her out, turning to Celia. “All right, have a seat right here, and I’ll have you out in a snap.”

Nina left for lunch while I drew Celia’s blood. We talked casually, her telling me all the things she was excited for, and over and over how thankful she was for my help.

“I just got Jenkins out. That’s all.” I set up the blood to run a test and then turned to Tanner. “What about you? Are you… happy about this?”

He still looked so stiff, but after a moment, he cracked, letting out a huge sigh. “I was worried it was my problem, and now I’m worried about being a dad.” He chuckled to himself, taking Celia’s hand. “I think I’m just a bundle of anxiety at this point.”

Walking over to him, I smiled at them both, putting my hand on my chest. “You know what? It’s actually a very good sign that you’re worried about being a good dad. It means you care about this. That’s the first sign of being an excellent parent. There’s a lot of worrying, I hear, so my only advice is to pace yourself and trust your gut.”

Tanner softened in a way I’d never seen before. “Thank you, Rowan. Truly.”

“Well, that was something. You really are a gift.” Nina grinned as I slumped into my desk chair. We had been busy since the moment she got back from lunch. Despite it beinghourslater, we’d yet to discuss the news and what it meant.

“It may not be because of me,” I pointed out. “Maybe it was finally just the right moment.”

Nina’s brow furrowed. “What makes you say that?”

“It’s onlyonepregnancy—it could be a fluke.”

She raised her brows at me, scoffing. “One pregnancy after almost adecadeof none, after you took over the horde’s medical care. I think the cause and effect are pretty obvious here. Don’t try to shirk credit. I’m sure Celia will be tellingeveryoneas soon as she can.”

“Well, until she does, we can’t say anything. That’s her news to tell.”

Nina sighed. “Of course, I respect healer-patient confidentiality. Though, given the way she was shouting, I doubt her condition is going to be kept under wraps for longer than a few minutes.Especiallyif it gets back to Ma.”

The sweet older dragon had what I could only describe as baby fever. She scooped up Baby Rowan any chance she could; having a newborn in the den was making her blissfully happy. And the woman couldnotkeep a secret.

“She is… enthusiastic.”

Nina chuckled, her brows shooting up as she continued, “Just imagine what she’d be like ifyouhad a baby with her son…”