by Lola Gabriel
“But no babies were ever born again,” Olive finished.
Asher nodded. “Osric burning an elder, however, petrified the witches. It didn’t stop humans from going on brazen witch hunts, killing many that weren’t even associated with the coven. Ever since, the witches have been out for our blood, looking for any opportunity to bring down our entire Kingdom. Which finally leads me to my main point. There is no doubt in my mind that Esme is a witch.”
Olive was still trying to digest all that she had just been told, but she tried to stay focused on the conversation. “You’ve never met her, though. Why do you think she’s a witch?”
“Well, I never suspected it until tonight. It would be one thing if she was just some loon that believed in dragons, but she knew that I was one. There’s just no possible way she would know.”
“It didn’t feel right when she told me that,” Olive agreed, a frown beginning to form on her lips.
“Then there was that necklace. That was all the proof I needed. It wasn’t a good luck charm, as she put it. It was an amulet. I don’t know what its purpose was, but I know I’ve seen it before. It could have been to track you, to ward off dragons, to make you submissive, anything. Whatever it is, we’re safer without it.” Asher’s hand rested on her knee. “I’m sorry, babe, but she’s been deceiving you. I’m not implying the entire friendship was a lie, but the moment you told her that you were pregnant… Well…”
Olive’s own mind was reeling at the thought. She had no doubt that the story Asher had told her was true. She tended to be able to detect when he was lying, albeit she hadn’t experienced that very often. Almost all his lies and diversions had come before the night he revealed he was a dragon-shifter. Besides that, it would have been one hell of a lie to come up with on the spot. Furthermore, why would he lie about that? Esme would have told her it was Asher tricking her, getting her away from the safety of Esme and eventually leading her back to the family estate.
Esme couldn’t be trusted, though. It had been a red flag to Olive that she had known about Asher being a dragon-shifter, but she had so easily let Esme explain that away. Though it hadn’t been very convincing, Olive supposed she had allowed herself to believe her, since Esme was all she had at the time. They had been through so much together. How much of it had been a lie? What if Esme hadn’t joined Olive on the road out of the kindness of her heart and love for her friend, but to get to the baby? Had she been leading Olive into a trap?
A migraine blossomed, and Olive let out a groan, placing her head in her hands. Asher rubbed her back with one hand as he drove with the other one. Esme had been so sincere. They had an amazing friendship. Never had Olive felt in danger or even uneasy around her. Had she been putting up that much of the façade? Her mind attempted to battle it out, but it was impossible with her head pounding. Olive wanted so desperately to believe in the sanctity of their friendship and tell Asher he was wrong, but how could she say he was wrong when she was having doubts herself? Should she still be having doubts about Asher? Even if she should have, she didn’t. He had been sincere, open, and vulnerable with her the entire time. That was, except for one detail.
“So, were you really out here on business?” she asked as she sat up again.
“So, you caught my white lie,” Asher sighed dramatically, attempting to lighten the mood just a bit. “I will never be able to hide anything from you. That could potentially be annoying, but I still like it.” An airy chuckle sounded from his throat. “Not exactly business. Also, I lied to you one other time, but I hadn’t known I was at the time. Our family has scouts spread throughout the region to keep an eye out for suspicious activity from the witches. A couple of our scouts picked up on the scent of a dragonborn with no other dragons around. It was a reason to believe a human was pregnant with a dragon, and, well, I was ordered by my father to hunt the woman down. Never for a second did I think it could be you.”
“My scent, huh…” Olive mumbled, wondering what exactly she smelled like.
“Oh, yes. I caught the smell at least fifty feet away from you.”
She shot him a puzzling look. “Then how didn’t you know when you first walked into the diner?”
“I was trying to figure that out myself. I think our bond had such a hold on me that none of my senses were really aware.”
“Bond?”
Asher cleared his throat. “I know we’re doing full transparency, but could that be a conversation for later? Please?”
“I suppose,” Olive submitted, despite the subject sparking her interest. It wasn’t imperative at that moment in time, or else he would have told her.
“Thank you.”
Olive nervously chewed her lip. “We’re not going to your estate, are we?”
“No. I respect the fact that you’re scared, and I’m not going to put you through that. What we’re going to do is try and figure out how in the hell I got you pregnant. We can go from there.”
“Where would we even start?” Olive pondered. She personally had no idea how to take on such a complex and bizarre task.
“From the bottom up,” Asher suggested. He was quiet then, but he had something on his mind. “I know you probably don’t want to explore this, but it’s going to be our best bet. We’re going to have to get some information on your biological family.”
“You think it could have something to do with me personally?” The notion was shocking to Olive. The entire time, she never contemplated that this could be something to do with her. She figured it had to have been either something with Asher, or something beyond their comprehension.
“I think it’s what makes the most sense. I’ve certainly never been a participant in conceiving a child before.”
“What do you think it could be about me to let this happen?”
“I wish I knew, sweetheart,” he answered. “It may take some time, but I’m sure we can get to the bottom of it. Do you know where any of your records are?”
Olive’s stomach churned. She knew exactly where they were: her parents’ house. She had been in minimal contact with them in the past six months, telling them she was traveling before contemplating graduate school. They had no idea she was pregnant.
12
That evening, after a short stop in a hotel to get at least a few hours of sleep, Olive and Asher pulled up to her parents’ house. She had called that morning to ask if it was okay to drop by later in the day. Asher had met her parents a few times during the months he and Olive had been entirely inseparable, and they had taken a liking to Asher right away, always insisting that he and Olive come by more often. Yvette and Don were a bit on the older side. Olive was only twenty-two, and her parents were already entering their sixties. They bickered the way old married couples did on television, had honorable hobbies—crocheting for Yvette and restoring a vintage car for Don—and simply radiated happiness and love, neither of which shined brighter than when they were around Olive.
Despite all of this, Asher was racked with nerves. If he had been a lesser man, he would have sent Olive to get the records on her own after dropping the bombshell that was her pregnancy. She had also told them she had left Asher six months ago. That didn’t exactly set him up for a warm welcome. Yvette and Don were probably going to assume he had knocked her up, perhaps gotten so angry at the news she was pregnant that it hurt her enough to leave him, and then somehow lured their vulnerable daughter back into his web.
Even though he had done nothing wrong, Asher was going to face the music. He could take an evening of uncomfortableness and accusations if it meant they were pointed in the right direction. Even if they didn’t find anything of note in Olive’s files, at least they would know they needed to look elsewhere.
Asher wasn’t sure which of them was fidgeting more as they stood on the porch step, in a silent standoff for who would knock on the door. Taking in a deep inhale of the suburban air, Asher raised his fist to the door. Before his knuckles could brush across the wood, the door flung open, and there stood a
n elated Don.
Don was a short man with a bit of a gut on him, dark olive-toned skin from his Italian ancestry, and a dazzling white grin. His silver hair was slicked back with pomade. Asher didn’t think he had ever seen the man in anything but plaid button-downs and jeans.
“I knew I heard a car pull up!” Don exclaimed excitedly, throwing his arms open to pull Olive into a hug. Olive, who had strategically dressed in an oversized cardigan and flowing blouse to hide her pregnant belly from first glance, turned to her side when she hugged him. After a warm, loving greeting to his daughter, sealed with a kiss on her forehead, Don turned to Asher. “I must say I’m surprised to see you back over here, but I’m glad to see ya.”
Don’t speak too soon, Don, Asher thought. The old man then gave Asher a hug, deepening Asher’s worries on how he would react to the news. He found himself wishing once more that Olive had told him months ago and avoided this entire mess. All that mattered at the end of the day, though, was that Olive was back at his side, and their baby was safe. Asher returned the hugged and followed Olive into the house.
The décor hadn’t been updated in decades. Asher recalled the first time Olive had taken him there: she had been bashful about her childhood home, knowing it hadn’t been extravagant like Asher’s. Once she knew he was a dragon-shifter and they came to visit again, he had made a joke about how his childhood home had been a cave.
Besides, Asher loved Olive’s house. It was full of character and memories. Much of the furniture had been handcrafted by Don and his brothers, the curtains had all been handstitched by Yvette, each knick-knack that lined their shelves had a story, and there wasn’t a single wall in that house that didn’t have at least one picture of Olive. The smell of homemade soup filled the house. Asher could pick up on the notes of basil and thyme.
As if on cue, Yvette sprinted through the kitchen doors. Once again, Olive turned to her side to meet an embrace. “Oh, I feel like it’s been years since I’ve seen you! I’m so glad you called. I’ve got your favorite soup going on the stove!”
“Aw, you didn’t have to do that, Mom. We could have just stayed for an hour or two. Didn’t have to go to any trouble.”
“You think it’s trouble to feed my own daughter?” Yvette playfully remarked. “As if you’re going to leave this house unfed! You’ve always been so skinny. Though it looks like your trip has been doing you well! You have some color in your face and a little bit of meat on your bones.”
“Mom,” Olive blushed horribly. Asher wrapped an arm around her. Olive had always been petite, so he knew the transformation she was going through must have been taking a toll on her self-esteem. He would be sure to fix that later.
“It’s a compliment, Oli, don’t be so sensitive.” Yvette playfully swatted at her daughter with a serving spoon before heading back into the kitchen to tend to the soup. Neither she nor her husband had noticed anything.
Asher was beginning to wonder if they could get away with not sharing the news, stowing away on holiday, and coming back with their son to tell them then. Dragonborns grew very, very slowly. He would be the size of an infant for at least a year. However, he didn’t think that Olive would take to that idea. She expressed the immense guilt she had been feeling about hiding it from her parents. She wanted to come clean, no matter their reactions.
Soon, they were all sitting in the living room, with Asher and Olive on the couch and Yvette and Don in their favorite chairs. For a while, it was just chit-chat and catching up, asking about Olive’s road trip and if she had met any interesting people. They shot Asher a few questions, asking about the family business and if he had been up to anything new.
With each passing minute, Olive was getting more nervous. She began rubbing her clammy hands across her jeans in an anxious rhythm. In an attempt to comfort her and remind her he was there to take the heat with her, Asher clasped one of her hands.
“So how did you two end up back together?” Yvette asked, her eyes brightening with curiosity.
Olive and Asher exchanged glances. What were they going to say, exactly? That they had reunited less than twenty-four hours ago?
“Well, we never stopped caring about one another, and communication between us never fully ceased,” Olive began. She was getting to the truth by telling a lie, but it was for Asher’s benefit. That way, her parents wouldn’t think he had abandoned her and his unborn child, even if she had been the one to leave. After just one sentence, though, Olive was stuck. In hindsight, they should have thought about this before. They had been so worn out and nervous, all they had done was begrudgingly get out of bed, go buy a few outfits, and come straight here.
Asher took the lead. “I was on a business trip near the coast. After the long day, I couldn’t seem to wind down. I started driving with nowhere in mind, following whatever my heart told me to do. At a certain point, I felt like I was headed for something but didn’t know what. I ended up in a town an hour away. The place only had three stoplights and two gas stations. It was the middle of the night, so the entire place was empty, except for a twenty-four-hour diner. I figured I might as well go in and get a bite to eat before heading back. Couldn’t have driven all that way for nothing.”
Olive was smiling brilliantly, her anxiety tamed for the time being. “That same night, I was staying in a crappy little motel with Esme, just stopping on our way back from the beach. I couldn’t sleep at all, just tossed and turned for hours. I decided to go for a walk and actually ended up at that same diner.”
“She was already sitting down, plates cleared from the table when I walked in. She called over to me, I came and sat down, and, well, the rest is history,” Asher concluded the story with the classic cop-out line.
Yvette didn’t seem to mind, one hand placed over her heart as the other reached for her husband. “Oh, is that not the most romantic thing you’ve ever heard, Donnie?”
“Sure. You’ve made me watch The Notebook at least five times,” Don joked, earning a playful hit from Yvette. He chuckled and then addressed the couple. “Well, I’m glad you two are back together. You seem to suit each other rather well.”
“We think so, too,” Olive shyly agreed, gripping Asher’s hand.
“I think it’s meant to be, I really do,” Yvette nodded. “The universe is pushing you two together! You never know, Asher, one day you could be our son-in-law.”
Asher didn’t have to glance in Olive’s direction to know that she was twenty different shades of red and her mouth was hanging open. He passively wondered if Olive had taken a liking to Esme, a bold and sarcastic character, because she vaguely reminded Olive of her mother. Yvette certainly was a pistol. “If that were to happen, I couldn’t be more honored.”
“What are you talking about? Taking my little girl’s hand in marriage is the greatest honor on Earth,” Don ribbed. Before Asher had a chance to smooth his comment over, Olive spoke.
“Don’t you think fathering my children would be an even greater honor?”
Oh, there it was. They were diving into the deep end. Asher was proud of her for working up the courage to say something about it.
“Oli, I don’t wanna think about that,” Don remarked with a disgusted grimace.
“Oh, hush, she’s an adult. I’ve been telling you for over a decade, she wasn’t going to be a child forever,” Yvette scolded him before turning back to Olive. “You would make a lovely mother, sweetheart. Maybe after grad school you can make us grandparents!” she giggled, wiggling her brow. Olive was squirming. No longer was she flushed; now she was drained of all color. “Honey, are you okay? You look like you’re about to faint!”
“I… I…”
Then she bolted from the couch, with Asher right on her heels. She rushed into the kitchen and doubled over the trashcan.
“Oh, babe,” Asher frowned, rubbing her back in slow, circular motions. Her nerves were getting the best of her. Once she was done, she turned and leaned into his chest. “Don’t cry,” Asher whispered. “It’s going to
be okay.”
“What’s going on?” her parents asked in unison as they entered the kitchen. Asher didn’t want Olive getting any more upset than she already was. While he was holding her close, he ripped off the band-aid.
“Olive’s pregnant, and she’s almost seven months along. Before you lose your cool or berate her in any fashion, keep in mind what I just said. She’s pregnant and under enough stress as it is. So, if you could please handle your reactions in private, I would appreciate it. Otherwise, we will just leave now.” His tone was harsher than he had intended it to be, as well as louder and firmer. While Asher didn’t blame them for Olive being upset, he was still protective of her.
Don and Yvette were stunned, but followed his orders and retreated into the den. Asher rubbed Olive’s back and showered the top of her head in kisses, assuring her that the worst part was over. He guided her back to the living room and sat with her on the couch until she had calmed completely. Olive continued to lean into his side. She had taken off her cardigan after getting sick, and her hand now rested on her stomach.
It was a while later before Don and Yvette reappeared. Asher had anticipated flustered faces and an immediate interrogation. Instead, they just sat down and studied their daughter.
“You feelin’ okay, princess?” Don asked, to which Olive replied with a nod. “Good. Now, I just want both of you to know that while yes, we’re in shock, we’re very, very happy for you. How could we not be when we’re about to receive a little Olive clone?” He grinned. A smile appeared and disappeared from Olive’s lips. “If anything, we’re just upset you didn’t tell us sooner.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” Olive meekly replied.
“Well, why didn’t you?” Yvette asked. The hurt in her voice was evident. At least they weren’t converting their hurt into anger, like most people seemed to do.
“I was scared,” she admitted.
“There’s nothing to be scared of,” Don soothed. “We’re not mad, just upset, and that too will pass. I have to say I’m a little curious. Why today, of all days, did you decide to come clean about this?”