Page 114 of Perfect Pairing
“Balthazar the Bloody,” Hansen said matter-of-factly, and I couldn’t help the startled laugh that left me.
“He’s cool.”
Hansen looked up at me, eyes narrowed. God, he looked so much like his father when he did that. Ezra made the same face whenconfused about something. “You mean it?” Hansen asked.
“Of course,” I assured him. “I would never joke about dragons.”
His face brightened. “Thanks! I have a whole book full of different ones. Dragons are so awesome.” His expression fell a little as he added, “I wish they were real.”
I reached up and brushed a curly lock of his chocolate brown hair off his face then tapped his temple. “They are real,” I told him. “They just live in here.”
He grinned. “I like that. You’re smart, Baker Brie.”
I smiled in response. “Thanks, kiddo. You’re pretty smart too.”
And the only one I’d let get away with calling me Baker Brie. It was how Ezra had introduced me all those years ago, and while he may not remember the details of that meeting, it had been important enough—Ihad been important enough—that he hadn’t forgotten who I was.
“Did you know Dad has been reading me this super cool book series about dragons?”
“Really?” I asked, surprised. I hadn’t known that, but it was just like Ezra to do something so sweet for his boy. I knew Hansen was quickly learning how to read, but the fact that Ezra wanted to keep him close and do something so special for him made my heart melt. “Which series is that?”
“It’s calledEragon,” Hansen said proudly. “It’s about this poor farm boy who discovers a dragon egg, and when it hatches, he realizes he was meant to be a dragon rider, and she belongs to him.”
“Wow. That sounds amazing.”
“Have you heard of it?” he asked me.
“In fact, I have,” I told him, easily picturing the blue dragon on the cover of the first book. “The dragon is blue, right?”
“Yes!” Hansen cheered excitedly. “My favorite color.”
It cracked me up that this kid was barely six years old and knew his favorite color so matter-of-factly. I loved his zest for life, how everything around him was magical and full of possibilities. I sincerely hoped he never grew out of it, and while I was around, I’d do everything in my power to ensure every day was filled with things that would make him smile like he was right now.
“Her name is Saphira, right?”
“Yep!” he said, coloring the dragon on his sheet of paper the same as Saphira’s scales.
“Did you know there’s a reason for that? A deeper meaning behind her name?”
Hansen canted his head to the side, considering. Then he looked at his dad and said, “You never told me that.”
“It’s good for other people to teach you things,” Ezra said, plating a perfectly constructed omelet and walking it across the room to Rik.
“So what does it mean?” Hansen asked me.
“Well, a sapphire is a type of gemstone,” I said. “Can you guess what color it is?”
“Blue!”
“Exactly,” I told him, grinning widely. “SoSaphirais just a play on that.”
“That’s so cool,” he breathed, glancing down at his drawing and studying the blue scales he’d given the dragon. He glanced back up at his dad and said, “I want a whole room full ofsapphires, please.”
He said it so calmly, so confidently, that Ezra and I shared a look before bursting into laughter. From across the room, even Rik chuckled softly as he shoveled his food into his mouth. Hansen’s forehead creased in confusion.
“What’s so funny?” he asked. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Oh, of course not, bud,” I said, pulling him into my side and dropping a kiss atop his head. “It’s just that sapphires are very precious gemstones, which means they’re pretty expensive. But how about this? I’ll search online to see if I can find you some imitation gems that are as big as baseballs? You can keep them in your room and pretend they’re the real thing.”
