Page 90 of The Baby Dragon Cafe
Aiden braced for his father to argue with him, for his mother to convince him. His parents exchanged a long glance, then Cecilia let out a little laugh.
“Goodness, is that all?” she asked.
“Son, we may be old, but we aren’t dense,” Edmund added. “You’ve always made it clear that you aren’t interested in racing. Of course we would never force you into something you felt so strongly about.”
Aiden was confused. “But what about Sparky? He’s a Sterling dragon.”
“Darling, what about him?” Cecilia asked. “He’s your dragon, it’s your decision.”
“But I thought you guys meddled with the egg to hatch it to try and force me into racing.”
Cecilia looked alarmed, and even Edmund looked taken aback by his claim.
“Do you really think us to be that manipulative?” Edmund asked.
“Er … well … no,” Aiden replied, and it was his honest answer. He realized then that perhaps he had been worrying for no reason.
He did have a bad habit of overthinking, of being in his head too much.
“We may have meddled a little with the hatching, but it was only for your sake, dearest,” Cecilia said. “I was betting that once the egg was hatched, you would want to raise it on your own.”
“We were hoping it would make you feel connected to Danny,” Edmund said. “You were so sad for so long.”
“Oh.” Aiden blinked. “Well, thank you.”
His parents laughed. “Of course,” Edmund said.
“Anything else?” Cecilia asked.
“I took Saphira with me to Mount Echo for Sparky’s first flight.”
“How did you manage that?” Edmund looked curious. “You know how Sister Mireya is.”
“We pretended to be married,” Aiden said, cheeks warm. He thought he might get scolded for such a deception, but his mother only looked delighted.
“You must really like her,” Cecilia said, eyes glittering.
“I do.”
“Good. You deserve a bit of happiness,” Edmund said.
“And we like her a great deal, as well, dear,” Cecilia added with a smile. Aiden’s heart warmed. He was so thankful for his parents and gave them a smile he hoped relayed just how much he loved them.
“You’ll stay for lunch?” Edmund asked.
“Yes.”
Aiden stayed, and they had lunch together. Afterward, he hung out with them for some time, just being there, and when he went home in the evening, he felt so much lighter.
He was glad Saphira had given him the courage to speak up.
She made everything better. He was falling for her harder and harder every day. They had only known each other for three months, but he felt as if he had known her forever.
Aiden wanted to arrange a special date for her. As he considered what to do, he recalled something she had said about her favorite flower and started planning.
It took a bit of research and a handful of phone calls, but he managed it.
The day of the date, it was super sunny: perfect weather, if a little hot. He picked her up after work, and she wore a sundress the color of cornflowers. She looked radiant, which she always did, but today, especially so, half of her hair tied back with a ribbon.
