Page 23 of Dragon Daddy's Second Chance

He looked over at her. “Is it really that easy?” he asked. “It can’t be; it has to be more complicated.”

“We’re bonded, Blake. You said so yourself. I think that means you have to forgive me or something,” she said, taking a few steps toward him. “I’m sorry I hurt you, Blake, I promise there will never be any secrets between us again. I know now that I can trust you completely, I know you wouldnever do anything to hurt me, and I believe in the love between us. Now you just have to decide if you do.”

It only took a heartbeat for him to open his arms to her and she slipped into them gratefully, sighing when he pulled her close. “You’re not completely to blame; I should have told you about my family and the money and everything,” he said. “Just promise me one thing. Tell me the next time you have my baby, I’d really like to be there.”

She looked up to find him grinning at her. “Blake, that’s not funny; I still feel so guilty,” she said. “I think it will be a while before I can joke about it.”

“It’s time to put it all behind us, Wren. We were both to blame, but it’s all over now; we’re together, and my son is waiting to meet me on the other side of the village,” he said. “I forgive you, Wren. I understand why you hid Theo from me.”

“Thank you, Blake, I think I needed to hear that,” she said, finally managing a smile. “I was so afraid you’d never be able to get past this, that you’d turn your back on me, and I’d never see you again.”

“I could never do that, sweetheart, you’re the other half of me,” he said. “Without you, I’m not complete, and I never will be. I love you, Wren, and I always will.”

“I love you too,” she said. “I’ve been miserable since we’ve been apart, I don’t ever want to live without you again.”

“That can be arranged,” he said, grinning down at her. “Now I’m going to kiss you to seal the deal and then you’re going to introduce me to my son.”

It was more than a single kiss, but they eventually made their way back to her cabin. “Wren, what have you told Theo about me?” Blake asked, pulling her to a stop at the bottom of the ladder. “He doesn’t think I’m a bad guy or something, does he?”

“When Theo asks about you, I tell him that you love himvery much but can’t be with us,” she said. “I tell him stories about the summer we spent together, the fun we had fishing, the way you made me fall in love with you…”

Her voice trailed off all the years of pain and longing back for just an instant, but Blake put his arms around her chasing it away. “It’s over now, Wren,” he said. “We’re together now, and we’re going to stay that way; it will never be like that again, I promise.”

She looked up at him, the truth of his words clear in his eyes. “You’re right,” she said, stretching up to give him a kiss. “That’s the past; this is the future. Let’s go see what Theo is up to.”

CHAPTER 14

***BLAKE***

It was a relief to walk into the cabin and find only Susan and Theo, but Blake was still nervous about how their talk with the little boy was going to go. “Mommy!” Theo called, jumping to his feet and throwing himself at Wren’s legs. “You don’t look sad anymore; I’m so glad.”

Wren picked Theo up with a grunt and gave him a big hug. “No, I’m not sad anymore,” she said, pulling back to look at him. “But there is something we need to talk to you about.”

“Oh, I think that’s my cue to go take a nap,” Susan said, getting to her feet. “I’ll be in my bedroom if you need me.”

When she was gone, Wren motioned for Blake to sit down on the couch, then carried Theo over and sat down next to him. “Sweetheart, do you remember when I told you that your dad loves us but can’t be with us?” she asked, then waited until Theo nodded his head. “Well, things have changed, and your dad…well, he’s free to be with us now.”

Theo thought about that for a second, then looked over at him. “Does that mean you’re my dad?” he asked. “Mommy always looks sad when she talks about you, but she doesn’tlook sad now, so I guess I’m glad that you’re here. Can we go back to the beach now?”

Wren looked at him over the top of Theo’s head and shrugged her shoulders. “Sure, sport, let’s go to the beach,” he said, wondering if it was really going to be that easy. “Are you sure you don’t have some questions for me?”

Theo studied him for a second. “Are you going to be around all the time now?” he asked. “Are you going to move in with us?”

“Let’s see, yes, I’m going to be around you all the time now. I hope that’s okay,” he said. “I think we can share your mom, can’t we?”

“Only if I still get story time,” Theo said, a challenge in his voice. “We always read stories at bedtime.”

“I would never dream of interfering with story time,” he said. “But maybe I could do story time with you sometimes.”

After a brief pause, Theo smiled. “Okay,” he said. “I get four stories every night.”

“Theo…” Wren said, looking down at him.

“Oh, right,” Theo said. “Three stories, sometimes I get mixed up.”

“Well then, we’ve got story time all figured out,” he said. “What’s next?”

Theo’s face became serious. “Why haven’t you been with us before now?” he asked. “Why did you stay away?”

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