Page 49 of The Baby Dragon Bakery (The Baby Dragon #2)
T he winter came and passed, and in May, the renovations at the Baby Dragon Cafe were finally completed. Saphira hosted a private party the night before the big launch, and she invited the people she loved most: Aiden, Genevieve, Emmeline, Lavinia, and Theo.
Of course, there were dragons in attendance as well: Sparky, along with Genevieve’s baby dragon, Fang, who had been hatched in December and was now six months old and quite mischievous.
They sat together on the side now, black-scaled wings folded behind them. Sparky was almost triple the size of Fang, keeping the six-month-old in check as they both sipped draggiatos, the new dragon-specific drink that Saphira had concocted specifically for her reptilian patrons.
They were all upstairs, in the newly renovated second floor of the cafe. One wall was covered in floor-to-ceiling windows, giving them a gorgeous view of the night sky outside Main Street, the thousands of stars glittering above them.
Saphira walked to the front of the cafe, Aiden by her side. Saphira wore a beautiful pink sundress, and as she held up a glass of champagne, Lavinia squeezed Theo’s arm, looking up at him with stars in her eyes.
“Before the official opening tomorrow, I’d love to make a toast to all you, my loved ones, for helping out during this period of change,” Saphira said.
Then, she looked at Theo. “But I’d like to especially thank my managerial assistant, for so flawlessly overseeing this project.
The cafe could not have grown without you. ” She raised her glass. “To Theo.”
“To Theo,” they all chimed. Theo’s cheeks turned pink, and he held a hand to his heart in gratitude, bowing his head.
“Okay, now everyone eat and have fun!” Saphira said, turning to kiss Aiden. He pulled her closer, and Lavinia turned to Theo.
Being with Theo was even better than all the love stories and love songs she adored because this was real—this was hers. Theo was hers.
“I’m so proud of you,” she said, going up on to her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. He smiled, and she saw that finally, he was proud of himself, too.
It had taken time and effort, and he had cut off contact with his parents because they only made him feel bad, but now, Theo was much more confident in himself.
“Thank you,” he said, kissing the back of her hand. “I’m exhausted, but it’s amazing to see the cafe now, after everything. I really did that.”
“You did!” She laughed, and he laughed with her.
“I couldn’t have made it this far without you,” he said, pulling her into his side. She hugged him, leaning against his chest.
Things changed, and would continue to change, but as long as they had each other, there was nothing they couldn’t handle.