Page 45 of The Baby Dragon Cafe
“I’m sure much of the credit for that can be given to Saphira,” Emmeline teased.
“He never was adept with dragons,” one of Aiden’s cousins told Saphira.
“No, Aiden is really—” Saphira started, but her voice was quickly lost under those of his various family members as they joined in, laughing.
“Took him ages to learn how to ride!”
“And even then, he was hopeless at it, do you remember?”
“No wonder Aiden needs a trainer for his baby dragon.”
“It’s a good thing you’re helping him out, Saphira, or who knows how Sparky would end up.”
They were all true statements, but Aiden bristled all the same, feeling ashamed.
Saphira frowned. “He really is wonderful with Sparky,” she said, but no one seemed to pay her any mind.
It was all idle talk, and soon the conversation moved on, but Aiden’s mind dwelt on what they’d been saying. He felt inadequate.
“Hey,” Saphira said, voice quiet, just for him. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I just …” He trailed off. It was difficult to voice what he was feeling, to allow himself to be vulnerable. “I feel like a failure. No one else has had trouble with their baby dragons.”
“You are not a failure,” Saphira said and, just by her saying it, somehow, he believed it. “You’re doing so well!” Under the table, he reached for her hand as she was reaching for his. He held on. “We’re doing this together.”
She squeezed his hand, and the weight lifted off his chest.He felt he would float away, but the point of contact between them was anchoring him to the ground, exactly where he wanted to be: sitting beside her.
Her face was illuminated by candlelight. Her lipstick had worn off but left behind a pink stain, the same shade as her cheeks, which were rosy from laughing. Suddenly, he felt a tightness in his chest he couldn’t explain.
But as he held onto her hand, all he knew was that he wanted to hold onto her, never let her go.
Chapter 12
Dinner at the Sterlings was an entireevent.At first, Saphira had felt a little out of place at the table, not knowing exactly how to act, what the correct etiquette was for the occasion, but then she would just look over at Aiden, and it was so easy to feel like she belonged. He was steady, solid beside her.
Saphira was a bit overwhelmed by his family, but still, they were all incredibly lovely. Genevieve was adorable, and Saphira already loved Emmeline. Aiden’s grandad was such fun, Ollie was hilarious, Aiden’s parents were so kind, and everyone else seemed great, too.
While Saphira could tell Aiden adored his family, she could also see that he was clearly ready to go home. So after dinner, when everyone else was settling in for more talking over green tea, she asked Aiden if he wouldn’t mind dropping her home now, since she had an early morning at the cafe.
“Of course.” He sighed with relief. She smiled, and he must have suspected she had made the request for his benefit, for his eyes crinkled. “Thank you, Saphira.”
A shiver ran down her spine. There was something sointimate about him saying her name, as if he savored the taste of it in his mouth. She wondered what else he might savor the taste of if given the chance …
Surely thoughts she should not be having whilst surrounded by his family! Saphira internally scolded herself.
They said their goodbyes, and he wrapped her shawl around her, his hands lingering on her shoulders. She felt the calluses on his hands through the fabric and longed to feel his hands on her bare skin.
Everyone had been acting as if she and Aiden were on a date, and even though she knew they weren’t, still she ached for what the ending of a date might entail.
They exited the grand house into the quiet night, and Aiden released a long breath. As she looked at his moonlit face, the shadows his jaw cast along his throat, she didn’t want to go home just yet. She wanted the night to last a little longer.
“I’ll ring for the caretakers to bring Sparky,” Aiden said.
“Actually, can you show me around the grounds?” Saphira asked. “I want to see the dragons.”
“Of course,” he said, offering her his elbow.
She took his arm, and he led the way, ushering her across the estate. Saphira was amazed by the mansion from the outside, how grand it was. The grounds were beautiful, meticulously groomed and crafted along the hill, but what she was really keen to see were the dragons.
