Page 117 of Before Broken Vows

Theo rises. "Hey, little man."

"I'm hungry," he says, and we both laugh.

"Let me see what I have," Theo says.

"I got it. I have just the thing," Elena says, coming into the kitchen and rubbing Xander's head. "Chocolate chip pancakes coming right up."

Xander cheers and climbs onto one of the kitchen chairs.

"They're almost done with the thing," Elena says with a wink, looking at Theo.

"Almost done?" I ask Theo, sipping my coffee.

He shrugs, very pleased with himself. "You'll see."

Before I can press him, Dimitri walks into the kitchen.

He has a devilish grin, looking too smug for this early in the morning.

Xander's whole face lights up. "Uncle!"

"Hey, kid," Dimitri says, ruffling his hair.

He turns to Theo. "Had to make sure it was perfect, and it is."

I glance between the two of them. "What are you two talking about?"

Dimitri smiles, raises his hands, and turns to Elena. "You are making pancakes. I'll take some too please," he says, walking away.

Theo rubs my leg. "Ready for a surprise?"

I raise a brow. "Should I be nervous?"

"Maybe a little." He looks down at Xander. "Xander, buddy. I want to show you something before we eat."

Xander's eyes go wide. "Really?"

Theo holds out his hand. "Yes, come on," he says and turns back to me. "You too, Mommy."

Xander nods eagerly, sliding off the stool.

We walk down a hallway, and Theo turns to me. "We can't have Xander in the guest room. He's my boy. And every member of this family gets their own room."

Theo stops in front of a closed door. He looks down at our son.

"Ready?" he asks, putting his hand on the doorknob.

Xander bounces on his heels. "Yes!"

Theo opens the door.

The moment it swings open, my heart stops.

It's a dream.

No, it's magic.

The entire room is dinosaur-themed from top to bottom. Dinosaur wallpaper featuring velociraptors, triceratops, and agiant T-rex covers the walls. They're realistic but playful, like something out of a museum crossed with a fantasy land.