Page 57 of The Dragons' Healing Mate

That made me pause, my stomach twisting. “Oh, Lord. She’d have me in bed, fattening me up and refusing to let me leave!” I laughed. “No way. It’s not like you suddenly become an invalid. Exercise and activity are good for pregnant people.”

“I would visit you and bring snacks.”

All I could do was laugh. “So considerate. Now, speaking of food…”

“Do you want to go to the dining hall, or should I get someone to deliver food here?” Nina suggested.

I bit my lip, thinking it through for a moment. On the one hand, it was nice to get out of the office for a while. But on the other hand, sometimes eating in the office was easier.

“There is a third option,” a familiar voice said from the doorway.

Nix.

“Hello there. And what is this surprise ‘third choice’?” I asked, leaning forward, resting my hand on my chin, a smile plastered all over my face.

He held up two foil-wrapped packages. “We could go have dinner together and watch the sun go down.”

“Nix, you big softie,” Nina cooed before turning to me. “If I were you, I woulddefinitelygo with option three.” She nodded adamantly.

“I even have some of that fancy lemonade you like,” Nix added, sweetening the deal.

Chuckling, I glanced at my schedule on the computer. I didn’t have any more appointments; there was only paperwork remaining.

“Can you handle the rest of the admin for the day?” I asked Nina, unable to rid myself of the smile even if I wanted to, which I really didn’t.

She waved off my concern. “I canmore thanhandle that, Rowan. Give me some credit. Go have your date!”

“It’s not a?—”

“It’s a date,” Nix said with a smirk. “So, leave the paperwork to the incredibly talented Nina.”

My heartbeat was pounding in my ears, and I couldfeelthe heat in my cheeks. “How can I say no?”

Nix offered me his arm, and I circled the desk to take it. “You can’t. Thanks, Nina!”

He turned over his shoulder to call out a goodbye, and I left the clinic with a huge smile and a massive appetite. I just wasn’t sure which one I was hungrier for: the picnic or Nix.

Nix

Rowan was abusywoman.

Part of being in a clan with three other Alphas meant that I’d gotten used to not having all her time, back in the day. We had one-on-one time, of course, but with four of us, it was hard. So I should’ve been less surprised that stealing a moment alone with my mate was tricky.

This time felt oddly different, though, because even though we each had time with her—other than Basty, the grumpy, scaled bastard—I didn’t see her nearly as much as before because she was healing people, andwewere busy trying to get the horde back in order.

More responsibilities for all of us. We’re not… Well, we’re not kids anymore.

“You seem quiet,” Rowan commented before she took a bite of the burger I’d snagged from the kitchen. I’d even insisted on packing the food myself.

“Just thinking. I haven’t had time to slow down as much, either. The cabin, the horde: straightening it all out has been a lot.”

She picked at her burger, and I watched carefully. Part of me wanted to make sure she ate enough. She was workingso much,and I knew that when she was busy, food became optional. It was a habit from years ago that she had clearly kept.

Rowan chuckled just above a whisper. “That’s very accurate.”

It was astounding to me that, in some ways, she was exactly the same. In others, she was entirely different from when we first met. I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss the old Emmeline a little. She had been soft and quiet in a way Rowan wasn’t, but on the other hand, I was fuckingobsessedwith Rowan.

Her hair was cascading around her face in messy waves that blew lightly in the breeze as we stood together. She was wearing a pair of jeans that were so skin-tight that I could see every curve of her ass as she moved—and I wasn’t complaining.