Page 40 of My Monster, My Choice

“Oh, look at that precious dress!” I coo.

Jayna, Jaire and Anya’s daughter, is six months younger than my own grandchild. The sweet baby girls have been proclaimed best friends by Kenny. The dress she has on is an adorable little sack dress the Adroki use, with a hem that has draws that can be tied like a bag around their tentacles. It teaches them control. Right now, Anya has it hiked up, so her baby’s tentacles are everywhere.

“Did you see Elex is back?” Anya asks, handing Jayna to me.

Jaire and Anya listened to Kenny’s advice in naming their kish but did not want the nameJanya,Kenny’s version, to rhyme with Anya, so they gave it a slight variation. Kenny is still proud. He believes baby-naming is his thing.

The baby automatically winds her tentacles around my waist as her fists reach for my hair. I inhale her sweet scent as I press a kiss onto her bald little head. My heart melts when she gurgles at me. I love this baby so much.

Anya’s waiting for a response, though. I’m beginning to think this is a conspiracy. I try a different tactic than the one I used with Lampia. “Your mother-in-law just told me. I’m glad he’s able to focus his time on new recruits.”

But Anya is more forward than Lampia. “He volunteered because he wants to be around you and Kenny.”

Well…shit. I look up at her blankly. “And we are dating,” I remind her.

“By now you should be a happily matedcouple. Not dating. Just like the rest of us.”

Her. My daughter.

“I have a son to think about. I need to take things slow. Make sure they’ll work,” I say vaguely.

Her face softens. “Oh, sweetie, they’ll work. You have no idea how dedicated, how focused Adroki males are.” Then she leans in. “And you have no idea how much that man loves you.”

Oh. Butterflies flit around in my belly, a feeling I haven’t had since I was a teenager. I smile at her and it’s more genuine. But then I convince myself that the butterflies are anxiety, dread for the pickle I’ve gotten myself into because I plunged into this relationship without thinking it through.

Behind Anya, Jaire approaches, his arms coming around her belly and her entire face lights up as he whispers into her ear. She blushes and I immediately know what he whispered.

“I’ll take Jayna over to Lampia,” I offer.

That does it. Anya can go off with her mate for some alone-time while everyone is distracted, and she’ll think Lampia will be able to talk to me about Elex.

“Thank you,” she mouths, and then giggles as Jaire pulls her by the hand.

I head back to Lampia, who’s standing talking with two of the dancers, Elizabeth and Rebecca.

“Anya wanted me to bring Jayna to you,” I say, handing her the baby as her face lights up.

Elizabeth is another story, though. “Gross! Those two just did it this morning. Woke up the entire house with Anya’s moaning.”

Rebecca brings the back of her hand to her forehead and closes her eyes in an expression mimicking a Victorian maiden’s ecstasy.

Lampia looks proud, pleased as punch. “I think my son is an excellent lover.” She really has no human modesty.

“Or maybe Anya’s just horny from years of repression,” Rebecca mutters. “Maybe if you moved back into the house, they wouldn’t do it so often.”

Elizabeth laughs, bumping her shoulder with hers in agreement.

There’s a sparkle in Lampia’s eyes that makes me giggle. “But that’s why I moved out. It was such a noisy house with all that midnight moaning. And you two are young. How much sleep could you possibly need?”

I laugh as I wave and back away.

I find Tera and Relion sitting in the middle of a crowd and head that way, determined to get to my grandbaby.

And my stomach drops when I see Relion’s seated next to Elex—with Telilah in his arms.

God didn’t prepare me for this. The man with bulging biceps and defined abs with a delicate baby in his arms. The baby he calls his granddaughter. The sight makes me melt.

Tera grins broadly. “Surprise! Did you see Elex is back?”

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