Page 93 of Cosmo

Hawk just nodded down at little Robin. “I can’t wait.”

“Are you okay?” Arielle came over with pizza for her dad. “And I’d like to be perfectly clear, I did not try to tattoo anything on him. I was practicing making leather art. He got in the way, and he got the burning stick in his arm and it left a dot. Don’t exaggerate and make me sound worse than I already am.”

Brand nodded to her, face a study of patience. “You know what? You’re absolutely right. I was just?—”

“Trying to be funny. I get it. I totally get it, but everybody already thinks I’m an asshole.”

“You don’t have to make it worse, Arielle.” Devon’s voice was deadly. “Your father said he was sorry.”

“Right on. Does the baby want another piece of pizza?” she asked Cosmo, and he nodded eagerly.

“The baby is always into pizza. The baby is always into eating anything with tomatoes—fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce, ketchup. It doesn’t matter.”

“Tomato soup,” Brand offered.

“Tomato juice,” Devin teased, and Arielle wrinkled up her face.

“Tomato aspic.”

Cosmo blinked at her. “How do you even know what an aspic is?”

She rolled her eyes. “Siren’s parents invited me to supper, and they had one. Oh man, talk about nasty.”

Cosmo grinned at her. “Did you eat it?”

She nodded her head. “Sort of. I mean, I poked at it a lot with my fork. It moved. I think perhaps it was a living thing, and they were trying to get me to put it in my mouth.”

She looked at Brand, winked at him. “The good news is I didn’t offer to set it on fire.”

“That’s my girl.” Brand grabbed her by the waist and hugged her real quick. “Now feed your Uncle Cosmo’s baby.”

“Then can you give one to Hawk as well too?”

“Sure.” Arielle leaned down, whispered. “What does he like?”

“He likes all the meats.”

“Ah, a dragon after my own heart.” She winked and headed off, which was when Sebby joined them.

Like the changing of the guard.

“Did anyone need more pizza?”

“Arielle is making rounds, kiddo.”

“Ah.” He gave a very cat-with-cream smile, as if he’d known that, and sat down, smiling at Hawk. “It is very nice to meet you, Sir.”

“And you as well, Sebastian. I have heard a great deal about you.”

“Thank you!” Sebby beamed at him, and Cosmo chuckled. Sebby never even considered that someone would say something bad about him and mean it.

There wasn’t a lot bad to say, come to that. Just that he was competitive with Arielle.

They were firstborns, fierce and strong and loving.

His son would be their firstborn. How cool was that?

It’s better than cool, mate. It’s amazing.

---