Page 21 of Dragon Daddy's Second Chance

Theo nodded, “I want some cereal,” he said, then quickly added. “Please.”

“I’m afraid I’m fresh out of cereal, but I could…” Her words died away when she saw the eggs and cheese on the counter, all ready to go in the pan, but she took a deep breath and ignored the little stab of pain when she thought about Blake. “How about a cheese omelet instead?”

Theo wrinkled his nose, then shrugged his shoulders. “I guess so,” he said. “But we really need to get some cereal.”

“Do you need some help in here?” Susan asked, hobblinginto the kitchen. “I thought your mom and dad might want some coffee. Is there a fresh pot?”

“You bet,” she said, giving Susan a dirty look. “Was this your idea?”

Susan shook her head. “I had nothing to do with it, I promise. I’m as surprised as you are to see them,” she said. “You didn’t tell Blake, did you?”

She glanced over at Theo, then back at Susan, and shook her head. “I was going to this morning,” she said, then sighed. “I think he figured it out on his own. He’s going to be so mad at me, I’ll probably lose him now; I really screwed up, Susan; I need to talk to him.”

“I thought you were bringing coffee,” Lisa said, joining them. “I’m practically asleep on my feet, but Mom and Dad insist on talking to you before we go to our cabin. Can we just get this over with?”

“In case you missed it, I’m having a bigger crisis than Mom and Dad’s conscience right now,” she hissed at her sister. “You shouldn’t have brought them here, especially without telling me.”

“Don’t blame me; it was Dad’s idea. He paid for everything, so you’re going to have to talk to him,” Lisa said. “By the way, it’s good to see you having some fun. Who was that delicious man we chased out of here?”

She could only stare at her sister, and then she remembered that Lisa had been gone most of that summer. “That was Blake,” she said. “He didn’t know about Theo, but now thanks to you all showing up, the cat is out of the bag. I can’t deal with Mom and Dad right now. I have to find Blake and talk to him.”

“That was Blake?” Lisa asked, her eyes round with astonishment. “You ran into him here?”

“It’s a long story, and I don’t have time to go into it right now,” she said, letting out a long sigh. “I know you just gothere, but could you please keep Theo busy? I have to find Blake right now; it can’t wait. I already waited too long to tell him. I hope I haven’t screwed everything up again.”

“I’ll take Theo down to the beach. I can manage that much with my ankle, Lisa, you get your parents settled,” Susan said, then turned to her. “Go find, Blake, he’ll understand. Just tell him the truth. If he loves you as much as I think he does, he’ll forgive you.”

“Thank you,” she said, giving Susan a hug. “I hope that you’re right. I can’t live without him, not again.”

“Then you’d better go find him,” Lisa said. “I’ll handle Mom and Dad.”

She walked over to the table and crouched down next to Theo. “Hey, kiddo, Susan is going to take you to the beach as soon as you’re finished eating. I’ve got a few things to take care of, and then I’ll meet up with you guys,” she said. “I want you to be good for her and listen to what she tells you. The ocean can be a very dangerous place, you know that.”

“I know, Mom. Grandpa told me all about it,” Theo said. “I promise that I’ll be careful.Aunt Lisa bought me a lifejacket to wear in the water. I won’t get washed out to sea.”

“Good,” she said, ruffling his hair. “I love you, baby.”

Theo rolled his eyes at her. “I’m not a baby, Mom,” he said, " but I love you too.”

She took off from the cabin at a run but forced herself to slow down. Blake would be at his cabin, she was sure of it. They’d talk, and everything would be okay. Her heart was pounding when she knocked on the door, but she was greeted by silence and knocked again. A few minutes later, she turned away disappointed and headed for the village, hoping that he’d gone to get something for breakfast.

There was no sign of him in the village, so she headed for the beach, but she didn’t find him there either. She fought off a wave of disappointment so powerful it took her breathaway. She couldn’t go on one second more wondering and worrying about how upset Blake was with her but she had no idea where else to look for him; then it hit her. He’d be with Max. It took her a second to find the path that led to his cabin, but once she found it, she began to run, desperate to find Blake and make things right if she could.

When she knocked on the door, it was opened right away as if Max had been waiting for her. “It took you long enough,” he said, swinging the door open wide. “He’s on the porch. I’ll leave you two alone to talk.”

She let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Max,” she said. “I’m sorry you got pulled into our drama. I hope I can fix things.”

“He loves you. I just think he’s in a bit of shock,” Max said, patting her on the back. “Honestly, so am I, but I can’t wait to meet Theo.”

CHAPTER 13

***BLAKE***

Blake stumbled down the ladder and up the path toward his cabin, his head spinning. Theo’s image ran through his head over and over, making his breath catch in his throat. A few steps down the path, he was forced to stop and lean against a tree to keep from passing out, but he stood taking deep breaths, willing his brain to slow down, too. The shock finally began to fade away as the oxygen began to feed his body and the darkness that had been threatening subsided, leaving him standing there, not sure what to think.

Emotions tumbled through him one after another: panic that he was a father, anger that he hadn’t known, pride that he’d created such a handsome young man, and finally, a deep desire to get to know his son. He looked down the path, wondering if he should go back; running away had been the coward’s way out, but the anger surged to life above all the other emotions, and he knew that he wasn’t ready to see Wren. But he didn’t want to be alone. He needed to talk to someone about the dramatic turn his life had just taken, andheaded to Max’s cabin, hoping his old friend would help him work through the mess in his mind.

Max opened the door only seconds after he knocked, dressed only in his pajama bottoms, a cup of coffee in his hand, an annoyed look on his face. “It’s awfully early,” he said, then saw the look on Blake’s face. “What’s wrong? You look like the world is about to come to an end.”

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