Page 4 of The Manny's Fiery Dragon Bond

I let myself into the home, expecting to find giggling children running and toddling about. Ever since the children started moving, they hadn’t stopped. They skipped over walking and headed straight to running. I had a feeling that at least one of them was going to end up on one of the flight teams when they were older.

Flint enjoyed being in various states of undress, including a sock on his hand and another on his foot. You never knew what you were going to find him wearing when you arrived. Meanwhile Ruby liked to see just how many shirts she could put on at one time. She was the epitome of the “can’t put my arms down” kid during the winter. And Opaline lived for anything with stripes. They each had their own unique style, and I loved it.

The house was quiet, and the delicious aroma of something Italian filled the air. That yummy scent of food wasn’t unusual. The quiet? Very much so.

“Hello?” I called out.

Usually, one or more of the children would come running to find me. None did, and as I looked around, I noticed that the house was incredibly tidy. Not that the house was ever a mess. It just tended to be more lived-in than it was now. And really, I didn’t judge my child and his mate on their ability to keep their house clean. They were making memories. Kids didn’t remember if everything was dusted and the throw pillows were plumped. But they did remember when you made cookies together or created some masterpiece out of a cardboard box. Those were the important things.

But regardless of all that, the place was in shipshape compared to how it usually was, and that piqued my curiosity.

“We’re in here, Dad!” Tavian called.

I stepped into the kitchen to find Tavian and another person. The person I didn’t recognize was a mouse shifter, by the scent of him, standing at the stove wearing an apron, stirring the pot of tomato sauce in front of him. He was young, but compared to me most people were. But even so, I couldn’t help being taken aback by his stunning good looks. Not that I should be looking at my son’s friend that way.

He had one of the boys in a carrier on his back, fast asleep. Flint’s little head rested on the man’s shoulder. The two other kids were in their highchairs, playing with some sort of clay, quiet and content. He smiled when he saw me, his eyes widening as he took me in.

“You must be Lord Malric. I’m Ollie.”

Lord Malric. Yes, it was my title, and yes, it showed respect, but something felt wrong about him being so formal with me. Like we were meant to be closer than a title.

He held out his hand. I stared at him, not moving. Mesmerized by him.

The apron Ollie wore was tied tight around his trim waist. Ollie was on the shorter side, probably a good half a foot shorter than my six feet. His wavy brown hair was flopped to one side like he’d tried to tame it with his hands throughout the day. Some tomato sauce had splattered, and he had a speck on his chin he hadn’t wiped away yet.

Did I feel the sudden urge to lick it away? Yes. Yes, I did. Did I try to shake that thought away? Also, yes.

I lingered too long, taking in every detail of this stranger. I didn’t reach out a hand, just standing there like an awkward oaf rather than a refined gentleman. Ollie dropped his back to his side, and his eyes ping-ponged between me and Tavian.

“Dad,” my son said.

“Sorry.” I shook myself. “My apologies. I didn’t know there was someone here.”

“Dad, this is Ollie, our new manny. Ollie, this is Lord Malric, my dad—although you don’t need to use the title in this house, right?” Tavian elbowed me.

“Of course not,” I said. “Malric is fine.” Good, although in the back of my mind, the thought of him calling me his alpha started to form. This man was going to be trouble, there was no denying that.

Maybe I needed a little trouble in my life.

I found it hard to look away from Ollie, his bright eyes shining at me, my grandson snuggled against his back.

“He spent the morning with the kids?” I asked.

“No. Kier had the morning off, so Ollie’s taking the evening shift.”

“Oh,” I said. “Do you need me to take the kids for a while? I can take them to the park.”

“That’s exactly where I was planning on taking them.” Ollie smiled bright. “Once dinner was done, anyway. Would you like to join us?”

Me, alone with him—the morsel of temptation? I cleared my throat. That would not be appropriate. Yet, was I going to pass up the chance to spend time with my grandchildren? It wasn’t lost on me the mental gymnastics I was currently doing to convince myself it was a good idea to accept the offer.

“Sure, I could do that. Or if you need the evening off, I can take the kids.”

“Dad,” Tavian said. His tone held a warning to it. Though what he was warning me against, I didn’t know. Probably because I was acting weird. Or maybe Ollie had a mate. My stomach lurched at the thought of that possibility. I had no right to be jealous. I didn’t even know this omega’s last name.

“Let us know when dinner is ready, Ollie. We’ll be right back.” My son gave me his best this-is-not-negotiable glance. Great, I’d pissed him off. That hadn’t been my intention.

“Okay, sure thing,” Ollie said.

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