by Lisa Oliver
“I’m sorry.” Suddenly Cam was conscious of how he looked, his shirt half out of his waistband and most of the buttons undone. Running a hand over his non-existent hair, he pulled down his shirt and tucked himself in. Inhaling sharply, he let the breath out slowly. “Excuse me, ladies. I need to see Fergus and my son.”
Easing past the ladies, Cam felt as if he were walking into a dream. Fergus was upright on the bed, a gentle smile on his face, cradling a bundle against his naked chest. Even Doc looked up and gave him a smile before busy scribbling notes on a pad on the desk.
“He’s here, babe. We did it.”
The prickle of tears wasn’t a usual feeling for Cam, but he ignored them as he made his way to the side of the bed. Cupping a hand around the bundle, he searched Fergus’s face for any sign of stress. “Are you okay,” he asked softly.
“I’ve got stitches, but a couple of shifts should take care of that. Doc suggested I leave doing that for a day or so, just to let my body calm down first. It seems our son was in a bit of a hurry. Are you all right?”
“Perfect now. Gods, I love you so much.” Cam leaned forward, brushing his mate’s forehead, nose, and finally his lips with his own. “So very much.”
“I love you too.” Fergus jiggled the bundle in his arms slightly. “So, what do you think of our son? Here, you can take him.”
You want me to hold him? But this wasn’t Liam’s child, or Joe’s or Simon’s or Ra’s. This is our son. I’d better get used to this. His heart in his throat, Cam carefully eased the warm bundle out of Fergus’s arms, bringing it up to his chest so he could see.
The features were squishy and chubby, the baby’s eyes tightly closed although Cam noted long dark lashes. His nose was cute, with a slight turn up at the end, and there were wisps of black hair sticking up from his head. Cradling his son on one arm, Cam opened up the blanket, stroking a finger over the little barrel chest, his arms, and tiny fingers.
“He’s amazing,” Cam whispered just as his son’s eyes flew open. Brilliant blue eyes latched onto his, and Cam knew he was in the presence of an old, old soul. Possibly another dragon then. “Hello, precious. I’m your other daddy. Welcome to Arrowtown.”
The baby yawned, flung one of his arms around, and then closed his eyes again. Cam looked up to see the room full – Marybelle, and Mrs. Hooper, Rocky and Mal leaning on each other, while Liam propped up a wall. Deputy Joe was there with his and Doc’s two kids, and the forgotten bag. Sarah turned up, and Brutus, who was munching on what looked like a custard square. “I just heard,” Brutus said, swallowing quickly. “I’ve got to get back. There’re eclairs in the oven. Just wanted to say congratulations. I’ll catch up with you later.”
“You left eclairs in the oven to burn,” Rocky yelled, running out after the bear. “You heathen. I’ll…”
“And that’s my cue to go too.” Mal sketched a salute. “Huge congratulations, guys.” He ran off after his friends.
One by one, people stopped to say hello, coo over the baby, and congratulate Fergus. It was an hour, maybe two before the doctor’s surgery was quiet once more. Perched on the edge of the bed next to Fergus, Cam wasn’t in a hurry to move. He didn’t realize just how many friends he and Fergus had, but he was filled with a quiet sense of pride and belonging he’d never had before. When Doc checked Fergus’s stitches, and told them they could go home, provided Fergus took things easy, Cam was ready. It was time for the hard work to begin. Their son might be sleeping now, but Cam could see the mountain of sleepless nights they would be getting through in their future. He couldn’t be happier about it.
Epilogue
“Come on little Ivan, come and see the wonderful big outdoors,” Fergus crooned to their son as he took him out into the back yard. Ivan was now five days old, and a placid baby for the most part. The only time he cried or made a fuss was when he wanted feeding, which seemed to be every two hours. Fergus had left Cam sleeping, the lure of the early morning quiet too sweet to ignore. The air was warm, and the sun was just peeking through the leaves as he stepped out onto the lawn.
“The world is such a beautiful place, sweet Ivan.” Fergus kept his voice soft as he picked his way over the grass. “Full of birds and plants and animals and life. You just have to take the time to stop and appreciate it.”
He stopped underneath the big tree that had drawn him to the house in the first place. “You see this.” Stepping close to the tree trunk, he held Ivan’s hand against the bark. “See how big and strong this tree is. You want to be like a tree, my precious darling, with deep roots and a strong core, just like your daddy has.” He looked up at the leaves as Ivan murmured. “Me, I’m more like the leaves up there dancing in the wind. But see, I can do that, because your daddy is like the roots and the trunk that keeps me anchored.”
Ivan squealed and waved his free hand about and Fergus laughed with him. “It is beautiful, isn’t it darlin’? But come on, let me lay you down and then you can see what I love most about this tree.”
Spreading out a blanket wasn’t easy one handed, but Fergus got it opened enough for them both to be comfortable. Getting them both on the blanket, he cradled Ivan with one arm, pointing up with the other. “See there, all the shapes, all the clouds. Look how the sun glistens on the leaves as they move. Ooh, look, there’s a big white cloud. Maybe it’s a dragon, or maybe it’s a man on a magic carpet flying off to see his lover. Or they could be on a great quest. What do you see?”
Ivan shrieked again, his little legs and arms flailing about as if he wanted to touch the sky. “Oh, my precious. One day, maybe you will. Now, what else can we see.”
/~/~/~/~/
Cam stumbled out of bed, dragging on his sweat pants and then rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. A quick glance through the open window let him know it was still early in the morning. The empty bed and quiet house meant Fergus was with Ivan. Coffee. I need coffee.
The bathroom was empty. Only a damp towel flung across the edge of the hamper letting Cam know Fergus had showered. The past five days had been hard, with both of them catnapping when they could, taking turns to respond to Ivan’s yells for food. Doc said his avid feeding was all perfectly normal, given his genetics. Ivan would grow considerably faster than his human counterparts, and for that, he needed energy.
I could do with some of that energy myself, Cam thought as he ducked his head into Ivan’s room. Seeing it was empty, he made his way to the kitchen. The smell of fresh coffee hit his nose and Cam’s eyes gleamed spotting the full pot sitting on the element. My mate is so good to me, he thought as he fixed himself a cup.
Taking a long sip, Cam moved over to the kitchen window, smiling as he caught sight of Fergus and Ivan. Fergus was clearly animated, pointing up at the sky and moving his arms around. Ivan was awake, and as he wasn’t yelling, it was clear he’d been fed recently. Cam watched the chubby little legs and arms moving about, as though Ivan was telling a story too.
I am so damn lucky. Cam rubbed his chest where his heart would be. I have a loving mate, a gorgeous son, a peaceful home and friends who care about us. I even have a mother now. Cam thought about the long and lonely years he’d spent with a hardened heart, refusing to get close to anyone. He knew he would go through it all again, if it meant Fergus and Ivan were waiting at the end of it.
Taking another sip of his coffee, Cam gave a passing thought to Austin. Did you do it, you old fart? Did you claim your mate or were you still determined to avoid Fate’s bounty for you? Cam realized he truly didn’t care. In the end, the Fates were never wrong, and they were never thwarted either. Either Austin accepted his mate, and was now appreciating the joys of mated life, or he was dead, as his mate would be too, their souls floating wherever they went, waiting for another chance on earth to find that special love again. Together. Cam chuckled as he thought about it. Austin would find, in this life or the next, that the Fates knew him better than anyone else living could. Maybe I’ll give him a call sometime and see if he answers.
&n
bsp; Glancing out of the window, he could see Fergus was still talking to their son. Whereas once, Cam would have looked upon a happy scene like that and moved away, now he found himself setting his coffee mug on the bench and heading for the door. I wonder what whimsical things I’ll find in the clouds today, he thought as he stepped outside and went to join his loving mate and son. Life honestly couldn’t get any better than it was in that moment.
The End
Of course, this isn’t the end of the Arrowtown series, especially with people like Rocky and Mal, and the wonderful Brutus still hoping for their own HEA one day. But Cam has always been speaking to me since book one – very quiet, I didn’t know a lot about him, but I came to love him all the more while I was writing this story, and I hope you did to.
There is so much more coming up – perhaps most notably, Wesley’s story from Cloverleah. I know, I have been putting it off and putting it off, mostly because it will be the last book in the series and I truly love those guys. But, my first Cloverleah book was published in February five years ago and I am determined that Wesley’s story will be published on the sixth anniversary of that day. So, look for that in February (2020). I am also hoping that Baby’s story from the Gods series will be out next, and if I can squeeze it in before February, the next story in the City Dragon’s series. But as I am in the process of trying to buy a new house as well, we will have to see what happens.
You know, it wasn’t always easy writing this story. I loved Fergus’s rainbow attitude to life and people – a state of mind that’s not easy to maintain if you read the news. But as Fergus said, it’s all about choice and I for one choose to maintain a positive attitude. Love will always prevail against hate.
Can you spare me a review please? I love going on the sales pages and seeing the lovely comments you share about my work. They can keep me smiling all day, and not to mention reviews are truly helpful in gaining me new readers for my story, and in uncertain financial times that is hugely helpful to me. Writing is, and has been for five years, my sole source of income and I thank everyone of you for your purchase.
Share your smile, share the love, and remember to hug the ones you love.
Lisa xx.
P.S. – Did you love the idea for those bacon and banana muffins that Brutus made? You can find the recipe for them here - https://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/banana-and-bacon-muffins - let me know if you try them out, my contact details are on the next page.
About the Author
Lisa Oliver lives in the wilds of New Zealand, sharing her home with her two Rotty dogs, Zeus and Hades. They can often be found, sleeping around her office chair as she taps out the stories she loves. With over sixty paranormal MM (and MMM) titles to her name so far, she shows no signs of slowing down.
When Lisa is not writing, she is usually reading with a cup of tea always at hand. Her grown children and grandchildren sometimes try and pry her away from the computer and have found that the best way to do it is to promise her chocolate. Lisa will do anything for chocolate.
Lisa loves to hear from her readers and other writers (I really do, lol). You can catch up with her on any of the social media links below.
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lisaoliverauthor
Official Author page – https://www.facebook.com/LisaOliverManloveAuthor/
My new private teaser group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/540361549650663/
My MeWe Group - http://mewe.com/join/lisa_olivers_paranormal_pack
And Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lisa_oliver_author/
My blog - (http://www.supernaturalsmut.com)
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/wisecrone333
Email me directly at [email protected].
Other Books By Lisa/Lee Oliver
Please note, I have now marked the books that contain mpreg and MMM for those of you who don’t like to read those type of stories. Hope that helps
Cloverleah Pack
Book 1 – The Reluctant Wolf – Kane and Shawn
Book 2 – The Runaway Cat – Griff and Diablo
Book 3 – When No Doesn’t Cut It – Damien and Scott
Book 3.5 – Never Go Back – Scott and Damien’s Trip and a free story about Malacai and Elijah
Book 4 – Calming the Enforcer – Troy and Anton
Book 5 – Getting Close to the Omega – Dean and Matthew
Book 6 – Fae for All – Jax, Aelfric and Fafnir (M/M/M)
Book 7 – Watching Out for Fangs –Josh and Vadim
Book 8 – Tangling with Bears – Tobias, Luke and Kurt (M/M/M)
Book 9 – Angel in Black Leather – Adair and Vassago
Book 9.5 – Scenes from Cloverleah – four short stories featuring the men we’ve come to love
Book 10 – On the Brink – Teilo, Raff and Nereus (M/M/M)
Book 11 – Don’t Tempt Fate – Marius and Cathair
Book 12 – My Treasure to Keep – Thomas and Ivan
Book 13 – is on the list to be written – it will be about Wesley and yes, he will find his mate too, but that’s all I can say about this one for now (Coming in February 2020 - guaranteed)
The Gods Made Me Do It (Cloverleah spin off series)
Book One - Get Over It – Madison and Sebastian’s story
Book Two - You’ve Got to be Kidding – Poseidon and Claude (mpreg)
Book Three – Don’t Fight It – Lasse and Jason
Book Four – Riding the Storm – Thor and Orin (mpreg elements [Jason from previous book gives birth in this one])
Book Five – I Can See You – Artemas and Silvanus (mpreg elements – Thor gives birth in this one)
Book Six – Someone to Hold Me – Hades and Ali (mpreg elements but no birth)
The Necromancer’s Smile (This is a trilogy series under the name The Necromancer’s Smile where the main couple, Dakar and Sy are the focus of all three books – these cannot be read as standalone).
Book One – Dakar and Sy – The Meeting
Book Two – Dakar and Sy – Family affairs
Book Three – Dakar and Sy – Taking Care of Business
Bound and Bonded Series
Book One – Don’t Touch – Levi and Steel
Book Two – Topping the Dom – Pearson and Dante
Book Three – Total Submission – Kyle and Teric
Book Four – Fighting Fangs – Ace and Devin
Book Five – No Mate of Mine – Roger and Cam
Book Six – Undesirable Mate – Phillip and Kellen
Stockton Wolves Series
Book One – Get off My Case – Shane and Dimitri
Book Two – Copping a Lot of Sin – Ben, Sin and Gabriel (M/M/M)
Book Three – Mace’s Awakening – Mace and Roan
Book Four – Don’t Bite – Trent and Alexi
Book Five – Tell Me the Truth – Captain Reynolds and Nico (mpreg)
Alpha and Omega Series
Book One – The Biker’s Omega – Marly and Trent
Book Two – Dance Around the Cop – Zander and Terry
Book Three – Change of Plans - Q and Sully
Book Four – The Artist and His Alpha – Caden and Sean
Book Five – Harder in Heels – Ronan and Asaph
Book Six – A Touch of Spring – Bronson and Harley
Book Seven – If You Can’t Stand the Heat – Wyatt and Stone (Previously published in an anthology)
Book Eight – Fagin’s Folly – Fagin and Cooper
Book Nine – The Cub and His Alphas – Daniel, Zeke and Ty (MMM)
Book Ten – The One Thing Money Can’t Buy – Cari and Quaid
Book Eleven – Precious Perfection – Devyn and Rex
Spin off from The Biker’s Omega – BBQ, Bikes, and Bears – Clive and Roy
There will be more A&O books – This is my go-to series when I want to have fun.
Balance – Angels and Demons
The Viper’s Heart – Raziel and Botis
Pas
sion Punched King – Anael and Zagan
(Uriel and Haures’s story will be coming soon)
Arrowtown
A Tiger’s Tale – Ra and Seth (mpreg)
Snake Snack – Simon and Darwin (mpreg)
Liam’s Lament – Liam Beau and Trent (MMM) (Mpreg)
Doc’s Deputy – Deputy Joe and Doc (Mpreg)
Cam’s Chance – Cam and Fergus (Mpreg) (You just read it)
NEW Series – City Dragons
Dragon’s Heat – Dirk and Jon
Dragon’s Fire – Samuel and Raoul
Dragon’s Tears – (coming soon)
Standalone:
Rowan and the Wolf – Rowan and Shadow (series to be determined by reader vote)
Bound by Blood – Max and Lyle – (a spin off from Cloverleah Pack #7)
The Power of the Bite – Dax and Zane
One Wrong Step – Robert and Syron
Uncaged – Carlin and Lucas (Shifter’s Uprising in conjunction with Thomas Oliver)
Also under the penname Lee Oliver
Northern States Pack Series
Book One – Ranger’s End Game – Ranger and Aiden
Book Two – Cam’s Promise – Cam and Levi
Book Three – Under Sean’s Protection – Sean and Kyle – (Coming soon)