ished feeding her babies again and gotten them back to sleep when Faye and Grant entered the nursery, little Mac-squared squirming in Grant's arms.
Making a motion to be quiet, she walked up to them and whispered, "What are you doing here? I told Finn that you should stay home. There's no reason for everyone to sleep on cots and the floor."
Faye raised her brows. "If you think sleeping on the floor is going to keep me away from supporting my cousins and little Freya, then you must be exhausted and without all your sense." She engulfed Arabella in a hug. "If you need a break, Grant can watch them all for a few minutes whilst we nab some coffee."
Releasing Faye, Arabella smiled. "No, I'm fine. They're sleeping, after all. It's once they wake up that it becomes a madhouse."
Bouncing Mac-squared, Grant grunted quietly. "We'll help when they do, even if Finn returns by then from his important clan matter. Besides, wee Jamie here loves his cousins, and will help keep Freya occupied."
Arabella reached out and took Mac-squared's hand. "He's just started to crawl. If he does that in front of Freya, her dragon might get jealous and come out."
Faye patted the bag slung on her hip. "I brought all of Freya's favorite toys and books. I'm sure we can mollify the wee beastie."
She smiled. "Thanks, Faye. I know you have doubts about becoming a mother, but based on today, I think you'll do just fine."
Waving a hand in dismissal, Faye replied, "We'll see. I may not be a mum yet, but a few of my own mother's ways have rubbed off on me."
"Too bad cooking wasn't one of them," Grant murmured as humor danced in his eyes.
Faye stuck out her tongue. "I'll leave that to you. Besides, I'll be the food source before much longer, once the bairns are born. And it'll be your duty to feed me properly."
Mac-squared babbled, and Grant readjusted his grip on the baby. "I'll take wee Jamie with me to check on Holly and Fraser. That way we don't wake the triplets." Grant gently kissed Faye. "I'll even bring you back a scone with clotted cream."
Faye sighed. "While not my mum's, any scone is better than none."
Shaking his head, Grant exited the room. Faye didn't miss a beat in wrapping an arm around Arabella's waist and guiding her toward a plush chair. "You need to rest. If either of the lads wake up, I'll tend to them. And I'll only wake you if Freya's pupils turn slitted again."
"I'm fine—"
"Don't say you're fine. I know you think you always need to be strong, Ara, but even a clan leader's mate sometimes needs to let an emotion or two peek through."
She allowed Faye to guide her to the chair and she sat down. "To be honest, the emotions wanting out at this point are uncertainty and fear."
Arabella paused, wondering if she should mention her past to Faye.
Her dragon growled. We can trust Faye. She would never pity or belittle us.
I know, but she has one image of us, and I'm afraid to break it.
That is partially what kept you from reaching out to me. Don't block others out. We have Finn and the MacKenzies. They are our family.
Taking a deep breath, the words spilled from her lips, "I've lost my mother and father. And, in a way, my brother, too. I love Finn and would never trade my place on Lochguard, but I miss Tristan sometimes. And if anything happens to one of my children, I'm not sure if I'll be able to cope. I tend to close in on myself when things get tough. Finn has been helping me to break the habit, but it could always come back."
Faye squatted so that she was eye level with Arabella. "We all have fears to face, but one thing is certain—the MacKenzies stand together, no matter what happens. Never hesitate in asking us for help. After all, you have to put up with Finn. And that is punishment enough."
She smiled. "He's not that bad."
Faye snorted. "I know. Fraser is worse." She winked. "But in all seriousness, I think of you as my sister, Ara. Promise me that you'll ask for help when you need it."
Sometimes Arabella forgot how much her life had changed in the past year. She'd gone from relying solely on herself to having more people care about her than she could count.
Her dragon stood tall. And me.
And yes, you too, love.
She nodded. "I'll try. I know you want me to say yes without hesitation, but I sometimes still have trouble with Finn. Give me a few years and I'll be better at it, I'm sure."
"Aye, I think so, too." Faye stood and extracted Arabella's laptop from her bag. "I thought you might want this. I know you always like to fiddle with something on it when you have a spare minute at home."