Dragon's Omega Bride (Shifter Marriage Service 3)

Making a note of the measurements listed, she went to her study and took some measurements. Positioned with four on each side, there would be room for all of them with a dressing table between every two on either side of the room. That left space for a tall dresser on one end of the room and she could put some internal shelves in the large closet at the other end. It would be tight, but it would work.

Of course, this was assuming she had no more than eight children. She might have more, which wasn’t common but sometimes happened. Then again, she might have fewer and would be able to remove some of the cribs. She would worry about that later. It was much better to be prepared than to come up short when she had babies to take care of. Her first ultrasound had indicated six, but it wasn’t as reliable as the one that would be done closer to the birth.

The nanny would have to come from the clan. There was no question about that. She needed to be able to have honesty with the person caring for the children. If they got sick enough to warrant treatment outside the home, it would be important to know that they could not be taken to a human doctor. While the shifter anatomy was virtually identical to a human one, there were some differences that would cause alarm from a human doctor, but not from one of their kind. For instance, their increased heartbeat rate or accelerated healing rate. It wasn’t unusual for a dragon bone to heal before it could be set if not gotten to help right away.

She made a note to ask Hannah about this. After the tip about increased water intake, she could only assume that she was a mother and might have friends who would want a job as a nanny, especially to the children of the clan leader. Of course, she’d have to be careful not to allude to the fact that she wouldn’t be working in the home of the leader when the time came. She’d have to work around that little fact right now, as it was supposed to come across as something that just happened, not something they had planned.

Aileen spent most of the day making what arrangements she could for accommodating her future babies and making notes on things she still would need to do before they arrived. She left for Yakov’s feeling very good about the changes she had made. She was surprised to find her phone ringing on her way back.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“On my way back to your place.”

“How long until you arrive?”

“About ten minutes.”

“Hold on.”

She heard him speaking to someone in the background before getting back on the phone.

“Great. I’ll see you when you arrive. Come straight to my study.”

“Okay. Is something wrong?”

“No. We just need to go over some papers.”

“Ah, right. Be there soon.”

Yakov said goodbye and ended the call. This morning he had been curled up around her like she was some sort of blanket and this afternoon he was all business. It was so hard knowing what to make of him, but she had to realize that it didn’t matter. They had an arrangement and that had gotten a little more complicated. He was just making sure it didn’t get any more out of hand, which was his nature, she supposed.

She was surprised to find Charlotte waiting with him in his study when she arrived. The look of disdain on her face said pretty much everything she didn’t in her polite greeting.

“Well, it seems the situation here has gone a bit beyond its intended parameters,” she said through pursed lips.

Yakov ignored the tone in her voice, cutting her off to address Aileen directly.

“Aileen, Charlotte has had her office draw up the necessary paperwork for us to sign. It covers some of the things you and I have already discussed and some things we haven’t, so you’ll want to read through it before you sign. I asked her to do this so that I didn’t have to involve a third party. I can’t afford to have anyone stumble across our agreement, even now that I’m already leader.”

“Of course.”

“Good. I could stand to powder my nose if someone would like to show me to the little girl’s room while Aileen reads through the document.”

“I’ll take you,” Yakov replied, standing up and escorting her out of the room.

Aileen wasn’t sure if it had been planned for them to give her space to read on her own or if Charlotte really did have to go to the bathroom, but it didn’t really matter. She read through the papers she had been handed and waited for them to return. It all seemed very standard to her, no surprises other than the substantial “alimony” and child support he was offering her as a part of their agreement. The support was arranged at a flat amount with supplemental payments to be made “per child”. It was more than adequate.