Page 25 of The Baby Dragon Bakery (The Baby Dragon #2)

A fter the movie finished, Theo offered to clean up in the kitchen, since he knew Lavinia had studying to do.

“You’re the best,” Lavinia said, giving him a quick hug. She checked on Biter, who was still asleep in her bassinet, before heading upstairs, leaving him alone.

He didn’t mind; her house was home to him, so being alone here didn’t bother him.

He shut the television off and folded the blanket, setting the pillows back into their proper positions on the sofa before switching off the lights in the living room.

He went to the kitchen, picking up their plates and glasses from dinner, taking them to the sink.

He washed the dishes, looking out to the backyard from the window above the sink.

It was a full moon, and the milky moonlight shone over the trees, making the branches silver.

The tree that stuck out to him the most was the apple tree, the fruit ripe and round, while some of the apples had already fallen to the ground.

It made him think of the apple tree in his own backyard—to that day over a decade ago when he’d split open his knee at eleven years old.

Theo wasn’t allowed to climb the apple tree; his parents were very strict about that.

They were very strict about a lot of things.

There was to be no fooling around or playing inside of the house.

Outside, he was only to kick the ball around if he did not hit anything but the net.

There would be no climbing of fences or trees, no getting dirty, and no making any noise that would be disruptive.

Overall, he was not to fuss. He was to be on his best behavior, all the time.

He tried so hard to be good, to be still and quiet, but he just couldn’t. He was hyperactive, something he knew was a bad thing in his parents’ eyes, so he thought it was bad, too—until he met Lavinia, who was so much worse than him.

And Theo loved her energy, how she was always bouncing and skipping and twirling and talking, always talking. She was so loud . And he thought maybe all the energy he had wasn’t so bad, after all. They became friends, and he was even worse with Lavinia, the both of them hyper and obnoxious.

With her, he was no longer the quiet, well-behaved child he was with his parents; he was carefree and fun , and he liked that version of himself best, the version he could be with Lavinia.

Which was why he had climbed the apple tree, even though he knew he wasn’t allowed. And he’d paid for it dearly. His parents made sure of that.

After the hospital, Rishi and Amaya were quiet the entire car ride home. They helped him to his room. After he was settled, his parents stood by the door, both of them frowning.

“This is what happens when you don’t listen,” Rishi said. Amaya was silent.

Their disappointment was worse than if they had hit him. The moment they left, he began crying, his entire body shaking until finally he fell asleep.

He went to a dark place—until Lavinia was there right after school, a shooting star landing in his room. A few days later, she brought an arsenal of things so he wouldn’t be sad, and she took care of him.

After the injury, they spent so much time together that it cemented them as best friends, and even though he’d had other friends at school or at football, it was then that he realized he didn’t need any of them—he only needed her.

It was why, secretly, he hadn’t even been sorry he’d split his knee open. It had made them best friends, and since then she had been the best thing in his life, without a doubt.

In school, they always liked asking hypothetical questions like, “If there was a fire what would you take?” or, “Name one thing you can’t live without” or, “If you were stranded on an island, who would you want to be stuck with?”

The answer was always the same: Lavinia . She was always the first thought that popped into his mind. If he had her, he didn’t need anything else.

It had always been platonic between them, but now, after that kiss, it felt like much, much more, in a way that utterly devastated him.

He was miserable with the way things were between them, and it hurt just like it had that day he split his knee open.

At least then, he’d had Lavinia. Now, it felt like he was utterly alone in what he felt.

But . . . what if he wasn’t alone? A little voice dared to hope, and he clung to it, fanning the flames.

Lavinia was much too good for him, but she had kissed him back. She had pulled him closer—he hadn’t imagined that, had he?

What if she also felt for him even a fraction of what he felt for her?

“She’s seeing someone,” Theo reminded himself. He aggressively scrubbed at a dish.

But what if she didn’t like Calahan that much? She hadn’t brought him up at all this evening.

She didn’t have to fall in love with Theo yet—but could she? Did he dare to hope?

She deserved a prince from a fairy tale, or a knight in shining armor, or one of those fancy titled lords from the period dramas her mom liked watching, and he was just a guy, but maybe, for her, he could be something more.

As Theo finished cleaning up, the front door opened, and in came Alfie, along with his parents behind him. Alfie bounced into the kitchen, still in his football uniform, the red jersey and shorts dirty with streaks of grass.

“Oh, Theo! Leave it!” Beena fussed, setting down her purse on the counter. Garrett took her coat, disappearing to hang it. “I want to say that I can’t believe Lavinia made you clean up all on your own, but I really can believe it.”

“No, it’s alright,” Theo replied, setting down the last dish. “I don’t mind. It helps clear my head.” He turned to Alfie, drying his hands with a towel. “How was the game?”

“Amazing!” Alfie exclaimed. “I scored!” Garrett returned in time to hear that and raised a brow. Alfie looked at his dad, then back at Theo. “Well, I passed it to the guy who scored, but that’s basically the same thing!”

“That’s great!” Theo held up a hand and Alfie shot over to give him a high-five, cheering for himself.

“And we got pizza after! And ice-cream!” Alfie bounced.

“In case you couldn’t tell we had sugar,” Garrett added, lips twitching.

“We saved you some apple crisp, too,” Theo said. Alfie gasped, running to the fridge.

“Excuse me!” Beena said, giving Alfie a warning glance. He froze with one hand on the fridge door. “You’ve had enough sweets, thank you.”

“You’re going to rot all your teeth out,” Garrett added. “Then how will you eat anything?”

“We’ll have to feed you banana mush and milk like when you were a baby!” Beena added.

Alfie looked harassed. “Please!” he begged. “I don’t even need all my teeth! Please, please, please!”

“You definitely need all your teeth, kid.” Theo snorted. He and Garrett exchanged an amused glance at Alfie’s theatrics.

“Why don’t you have a shower and get your things ready for school? And we’ll let you have a little bit.”

“Yesssss.” Alfie pumped his fists in the air, then shot out of the kitchen. Theo heard his feet running up the stairs, and Garrett followed after him, kissing Beena’s cheek as he exited. Beena remained in the kitchen, coming over to the sink to pour herself a glass of water.

“So what do you need to clear your head about?” she asked, taking a long sip.

“Hm?”

“Earlier,” she said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You said cleaning helps clear your head, but what’s going on in that head of yours?” She set the glass down, touching his cheek, and even though her fingers were cold, he still felt their warmth. “Is everything okay?”

Beena looked at him with such motherly fondness and concern that Theo felt tears prick his eyes. He could lie to his own mother, but he couldn’t lie to her.

He gave her a sad smile, swallowing the lump in his throat. “You know, I can’t remember the last time my own mother asked me that,” he said. “If she ever did, really.”

Beena frowned. “Your parents are blind. Is that what’s bothering you?”

Theo shook his head, shrugging. “It’s fine.” What was really bothering him was this whole thing with Lavinia, not his parents, anyway.

“It’s not fine,” Beena replied, brows furrowed. “No one is allowed to make you upset.”

She pinched his cheek, the way she used to when he was a kid, and that got a smile out of him, which made her expression brighten as well.

He had always been able to talk about things with Beena: if he should try out for the school’s football team or not; what colleges he should apply to; if he should take culinary courses in addition to his business degree.

Maybe he could discuss his feelings for Lavinia with her, too? She had never steered him wrong before.

“So, what did you guys get up to yesterday?” Theo asked, leaning against the counter. He figured he would ease into it.

“Oh, nothing much,” Beena replied, taking a sip of her water. “Lavinia was out with Calahan, and Alfie had plans with his friends, so Garrett and I stayed in reading together.”

Theo’s stomach twisted. “Oh.” Lavinia hadn’t mentioned she’d had a date yesterday. “Calahan—have you met him?”

Beena nodded. “We’ve met him at the cafe, and he seems like a wonderful boy! He has a good head on his shoulders, and I think he’s great for Lavinia.” She smiled, and it was clear just how happy she was.

His heart catapulted and crashed.

Beena was right; Calahan was wonderful. And in comparison, Theo was . . . not. Of course Beena wanted her daughter to go out with an accomplished adult. Of course she was pleased.

Just like Theo should have been, just like he should be. Instead of being selfish, hoping that things weren’t working out between Lavinia and Calahan so that Theo could have a chance.

“Yeah . . . Yes, he’s great,” Theo agreed, swallowing the lump in his throat.

Theo needed to give up now, before he went too far. He knew that was the wise thing to do, the right thing to do, and yet . . . it still made him sick. He wanted her, and he didn’t know how to stop wanting her.

He didn’t think he could.