Page 46 of The Baby Dragon Cafe
When they reached the stables, her mouth fell open with wonder. Firstly, the stables were massive, double the size of what she’d expected. Secondly, she had never seen this many dragons in one place in her life. Some were resting within the stables, while others were playing in the field, and a few flew up above.
They were all basalta breeds, scales glimmering midnight black, eyes a gorgeous purple. And they were stunning.
The basalta breed was the most prestigious breed of dragon, even she knew that. Which meant that the Sterlings were amongst the most powerful and wealthy Drakkon families—if notthemost powerful Drakkon family, for Aiden’s father was on the Dragon Council.
Suddenly, she felt way out of her depth, insecurity spreading through her. This was a whole different world than the one she was used to, and Aiden had been born and raised within it.
It was not even simply about the wealth the family enjoyed, it was this generational privilege and power and the dragons—things she couldn’t quantify, things she would never understand nor be a part of, no matter what she did.
Saphira looked at the stable hands, the caretakers tending to the dragons. Even though they worked with the dragons, they were the help.Shewas basically the help, as well, in her cafe.
Those baby dragons would never be hers. She was not on the same level as these Drakkon families, as Aiden, and she never could be.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of a caretaker bringing forward a sleeping Sparky in his arms. She was glad to see him and thankful to the caretaker for bringing him back to her and Aiden.
“Shall we head home?” Aiden asked, offering her his hand.
Saphira recalled how, under the table, when she had reached for him, he had been reaching for her, as well. How he had held onto her and it had felt as though she was anchored. All the noise around her had dimmed, and it was just them.
Saphira took his hand and smiled. “Let’s.”
They went to Aiden’s car, where the caretaker deposited Sparky into the backseat. Aiden drove her home, meandering slowly through the hills. She looked out the window, basking in how lovely it all was, despite how overwhelming.
Everyone had been so kind. When she had first entered and seen how fancy his house was, she was scared they would disapprove of her—but the fear had been easily dispelled in the first few moments.
Slotting into his family had been so easy, so seamless. There were too many people at the table to keep track of, but she loved seeing Aiden with his family. Even if he was a little out of his depth, he was still comfortable around them.
He seemed to be equally comfortable with her now. Saphira was paying close attention to the little changes in his behavior, when he was more anxious, when he was more relaxed. She had watched him throughout the night, noticing when he looked overstimulated, when he looked calmer.
She enjoyed watching him. Even now as he drove, her eyes kept stealing over to him. He had chucked his jacket off, and his sleeves were rolled up, revealing the strong lines of his forearms.
One hand was on the wheel while the other rested lightly on the stick shift; he had long, elegant fingers, like a pianist, or a surgeon. The signet ring on his left hand glinted in the moonlight, the same light which illuminated his face in shifting glimmers as they drove by trees.
More and more, Saphira was understanding that Aiden wasn’t a grump or a bore, he was just shy and nervous. A recluse. He didn’t like being around too many people—but he did like her.
Or at least, she thought he did. But maybe that was her being optimistic.
They arrived at her place, and he parked in front.
“I’ll walk you to the door,” Aiden said, unbuckling his belt.
“Thank you.”
They stepped out, Sparky still asleep in the back, and Aiden locked the car, even though there was no danger at the moment. Main Street was empty, all the shops closed, everyone home for the night. The scene looked to her like a postcard, or an image from a snow globe.
They walked to the side door, stopping in front.
“Thanks for letting me tag along,” Saphira said, turning to Aiden. In her heels, she didn’t have to look up so much, and she enjoyed being this close to his face, being able to peer into his dark eyes.
“Thanks for coming,” he replied. “I’m sure you probably have a headache.”
“No, I loved it!” Tears pricked her eyes. “It was so nice. I don’t have anything like that now, so it was … It was really nice.”
“Hey,” Aiden said, frowning. “You’ve got Sparky and …” He hesitated, and her heart stopped. “And me,” he said. “We’re doing this together, right?”
Her heart glowed. She smiled, stepping forward to kiss his cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered. Desire hummed through her at the point of contact, and she pulled away before she got carried away.
But Aiden lingered, not yet leaving.
