Page 13 of The Baby Dragon Bakery
Alfie bounced over to rip off a piece of the bread. “That sounds gross.”
“No, that soundsdelicious.” She hopped off the couch andthrew an arm around Alfie’s shoulder, leaning in close. Even though she was many years older, he was only an inch shorter than her. “Just imagine how soft it would be.”
Alfie laughed at her theatrics.
“I can get behind a bread-bed,” Theo agreed, playing along as he came over. He sat down on the couch. “Slice it open and tuck in like a piece of chicken.”
Lavinia was grateful things weren’t awkward between them, and she smiled as he continued. “Exactly! And if I got hungry, I could just take a bite out of the blanket. I wouldn’t even need to get up.”
“A two-in-one,” Theo affirmed. “That’s what we call an excellent business model.”
Alfie giggled.
“You two are so silly,” Beena said fondly.
Alfie settled down on the couch between Beena and Theo. “Alf! That was my seat!” Lavinia cried. Her little brother ignored her, already talking Theo’s ear off about how he was the fastest kid in his class.
Lavinia went to the kitchen to get a plate for the bread and a knife for the butter Theo had brought with it. When she returned, Beena had migrated to the other couch, taking the opportunity to snuggle with her husband. Those two were ridiculous.
Lavinia went and joined them, much to her parents’ chagrin. Beena cried out in protest as Lavinia wiggled in between the couple, forcing them apart.
“Please!” Lavinia said. “Not in front of the children!” She gestured to Alfie, and Garrett pinched her side. She squealed.
“Alright, pumpkin,” he said with a laugh, moving over soshe was no longer sitting on top of them. She used to hate being called pumpkin because she felt like they were making fun of her for being so round, but now she was fond of the pet name. She loved pumpkins.
“Thank you, Dad,” she said. “Just for that, you get the first piece of bread.” She broke off a piece of the end and gave it to him, but he handed it to Beena, knowing she liked the ends of bread loaves.
Lavinia broke off hunks of the bread and threw pieces across the room to Theo and Alfie, who caught them easily.
“Tch, don’t throw food,” Beena scolded, slapping Lavinia’s thigh.
“Ow!”
Lavinia gave her father a piece, then tore off a bit for herself before putting the rest on a plate that she balanced on her lap. The brown paper bag had a cube of butter in it as well, which had softened from the warmth of the loaf.
“The butter’s fresh,” Theo told her. Lavinia dipped her bread into it, smearing some across, then took a bite.
“Mmm.” The butter definitely had illegal amounts of fat content in it, but it was so rich and creamy and delicious, with a sharp salty taste to it.
“Well done,” Beena said, impressed. Then, they heard a little cry, and everyone’s attention shifted to the bassinet. Biter crawled out of her blankets, rubbing her ruby eyes with her paws.
“She’s awake!” Alfie cried, running over to her. Biter hissed as she adjusted to being awake. Theo walked over to the bassinet, as well, and Biter blinked up at him.
“She is too precious,” he said, picking her up. She crawled up onto his shoulder, nestling her face against his neck beforeshe proceeded to nibble on the collar of his flannel shirt. Her red tail hung down over his chest.
“Uh, I think she’s hungry,” Theo said, holding a hand up in case she felt unbalanced on his shoulder, which didn’t seem likely. He had very broad shoulders, Lavinia noted despairingly. She frowned. Biter was not helping Lavinia’s situation in the slightest.
“Just a second,” Beena said, getting up. She came back a few moments later with a baby dragon bottle of formula, handing it to Theo, who sat down, detaching Biter from his shoulder and settling her in his arms as he fed her.
Alfie crowded Theo’s side, watching with big eyes. Lavinia’s heart squeezed painfully at the adorable scene. First her baby brother and now their baby dragon!
When Biter was finished with the bottle, she burped happily, and they all smiled. “I feel bad for Famke with her broken leg, but I’m so glad she’s having you guys watch this little cutie instead of her family’s dragon caretakers,” Theo said. Most Drakkon families had dragon caretakers, the same way horse owners had stable hands.
“I wanted to help, and Famke knew just how much Alfie has begged for a pet over the years,” Beena replied. “Besides, the caretakers see Biter during the week when Garrett and I are at work.”
Sufficiently rested and fed, Biter was full of energy now, and she jumped from Theo’s lap onto Alfie’s, making Alfie laugh. Then, she crawled up Alfie’s arm, jumping back down to the carpet, rolling around the soft floor. Baby dragons at this age were just learning to crawl and jump, their wings fluttering ever so slightly.
After an adequate time with everyone, Lavinia stood up, hitting Theo’s shoulder where he was sitting on the floor.
