Page 8 of The Baby Dragon Bakery (The Baby Dragon #2)

L avinia had found a way to push off Theo’s question yesterday at the cafe, but today was Sunday, her day off from all work, internships, and school.

It was also Sunday, the day Theo came over to her house.

The bakery was busy in the morning, but he usually came by for an early dinner, as the Williamses had a late brunch on Sundays.

After sleeping in, she had joined her family for breakfast. Sundays were for the elite combination of fried eggs, shami kebabs made of spicy minced meat and lentils, and parathas, the flatbread’s dough lathered in ghee until it was practically fried.

The meal was paired with mango juice, then followed with biscuits and elaichi chai, which she was now lazily drinking in the living room, shafts of sunlight pouring in through the wide windows. Her stomach was full as she sat with her parents and little brother, Alfie, who was eleven.

The baby dragon, Biter, was asleep in her bassinet, which was a special dragon bassinet made of stones. Biter was nestled in a pile of blankets, her red scales shimmering in the sunlight. Her little chest rose and fell as she slept soundly, the sound of her breathing soft.

Biter was three months old, which meant she spent most of her time asleep.

Lavinia knew all about taking care of babies from her experience at the Animal Hospital and her classes, and at this age, baby dragons weren’t high maintenance at all, so long as they were fed (special formula in bottles) and kept warm (hence the blankets).

Famke had provided everything the Williamses would need to look after Biter until Famke recovered in December.

“Alfie, don’t bother her,” Lavinia scolded, as her little brother went to touch Biter’s red head.

“I’m not!” Alfie protested. “I just want to pet her.”

“Be gentle,” Beena ordered. “If you wake her up—well, you know where she gets her name from.”

While the little dragon only had her deciduous—or baby—teeth, her bites could still be painful when she wanted them to be. Lavinia watched as Alfie gently patted Biter’s red scales. The little dragon hummed in her sleep, nestling deeper in her blankets.

“She’s so warm,” Alfie said, smiling to himself. His face was the picture of contentment.

The house was slightly chilly, but sitting in the sun, Lavinia was warm, too. Her legs were over Beena’s lap, and Beena rested her teacup on Lavinia’s knee. Lavinia bit into a buttery biscuit, taking a sip of chai.

Lavinia had never moved out, and a big part of that was because she loved her family. They got along really well. She also didn’t want to miss spending time with Alfie, who had grown up before her very eyes and who she adored. And now the added—though temporary—fun of Biter.

Another part of the appeal of staying home was evidenced by her full stomach.

Her mother was a fantastic cook. Lavinia had picked up a few things from Beena, but she was always so busy with school and work that she hardly ever had time to spend in the kitchen with her mother. Beena’s true prodigy was Theo.

Even now, Beena asked when Theo would be coming round. “I’m making murgh cholay for dinner,” she said. The hearty spiced chicken chickpea dish was one of Theo’s favorites.

Mention of Theo made her heart skip a beat.

“Umm,” Lavinia said, trying to sound normal. “Whenever he’s done with the bakery.”

“You haven’t spoken with him today?” Beena asked, confused.

“He’s at work!” She tried not to sound defensive.

“Ask him when he’s coming,” Alfie said. He moved away from the bassinet and went to sit on the couch across from her, hugging their father’s arm.

Garrett had glasses and short brown hair.

While Lavinia looked more like her father, Alfie looked more like their mother; he had darker hair and a deeper brown skin tone.

Alfie had already asked her a million times since he had woken up if Theo was coming, when he was coming, how long would he be coming for.

“He’s coming! Relax!” Lavinia said. “I swear, you people care more about Theo than me, your own blood!” She tried to sound offended but couldn’t quite manage it; Alfie was her little munchkin.

“Well, are you going to play football with me?” Alfie asked, eyebrows raised.

Lavinia sank deeper into the sofa. “No.” She took a sip of chai. “And maybe grow another two feet before you can catch up to Theo.”

She and Theo had been thirteen when Alfie was born and practically spent the next decade using him as their favorite toy, playing with him constantly. As such, Alfie practically hero-worshipped Theo, especially since Alfie didn’t have an older brother.

An hour later, they were all in the same position in the living room and her family members’ wishes came true as a knock sounded on the door. Alfie shot up.

“I’ll get it!” he said, running out. Lavinia’s pulse quickened, and she took a deep breath, ordering herself to calm down and act like a human being. A moment later, Theo entered, his arm slung around Alfie’s shoulder.

“Hiya,” he said. Garrett waved, and Theo walked over to hug Beena hello.

She kissed his cheek as he bent over, and Lavinia kicked his stomach from where her legs were still over her mother’s lap.

“Oi, be nice to me,” Theo said, deflecting.

“I come bearing gifts.” He threw a brown paper bag onto her lap.

It was still warm, and the smell of bread wafted out.

Lavinia gasped with delight, pulling the fresh loaf of bread out. As Theo went to look at Biter, still asleep, she split the bread open, closing her eyes as she inhaled the heavenly scent.

“A work of art,” she said, squeezing the bread. She watched it bounce back, then squeezed again. “I want a bed made out of this stuff.”

Alfie bounced over to rip off a piece of the bread. “That sounds gross.”

“No, that sounds delicious .” She hopped off the couch and threw 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 so she 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 before she 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.

“Come on,” she said. “That’s enough Theo time for you all, now we’re going upstairs.”

Things were back to normal between them, and she would keep them that way. After spending some time with her family, they usually hung out in her room.

She took Theo’s hand, pulling him off the ground and practically going sprawling herself in the process.

“Can I come too?” Alfie asked, handing Biter a chew toy. Beena was in the kitchen, making dinner.

“Hmm,” she pretended to think. “No!”

Alfie pouted, about to cry. She pinched his cheek. “Watch Biter with Daddy. We’ll be back down for dinner, alright?”

“Then we can play football, too,” Theo added.

“Promise?” Alfie asked, still pouting.

“Promise.”

Alfie automatically lit up. He was such a fake crier. Theo laughed, ruffling Alfie’s hair. Lavinia loved seeing Theo with Alfie, and there went her stupid heart, getting all gooey again. She needed to stop, so she mentally smacked herself.

She went up to her room, Theo following her, telling her how his day at the bakery was, relating some gossip about his coworkers, who were in some sort of love–hate relationship and who always had some moment that made for a good story.

They entered Lavinia’s room, which was maximalist in style—things everywhere.

There were so many different eras and trends that she had enjoyed, and there were many memories in every corner of the room: movie and concert and airplane tickets, receipts from special days, all collaged together on cork boards. Books and trinkets and dried flowers.

Then her schoolwork, notebooks and textbooks and papers and folders, stray pens and markers and highlighters.

She had a monthly calendar on the wall, then a weekly calendar on her desk.

Now that it was autumn, she’d pulled out all her fall scented candles, but that was about the only thing that had changed in this room.

It had looked like this since she was a teen, just with more and more bits added on as she lived her life.

She pushed some clothes onto her desk chair and they both sat down on her bed, talking about regular things, about everything. As they talked, they both ended up lying down in opposite directions, her feet up on her headboard, his hanging off the bed.

She told him about the rest of her evening yesterday, how her mom was watching a Jane Austen adaptation with her dad and she and Alfie ended up watching as well, Biter comfortable in her lap.

Afterward, Alfie had helped her bake brownies for dessert—and Theo was horrified to hear they had just made them from the box instead of from scratch.

They always told each other every single little detail or thing that happened or that they thought or felt. Well, almost everything. But it was close enough to feel like things were back to normal, and thank god for that. She had missed him.

Even just one weird day between them, and it had made her feel unsettled, but now that he was here, she was glad.

It was like he was a part of her, and every time he was gone, there was an undeniable sense of something missing , but whenever he was with her again, everything felt right, how it was supposed to be.

Until her gaze strayed to her vanity, to the drawer in which she knew she had hidden away his cologne. She should just give it back to him, she knew that, but she was greedy. She couldn’t—she didn’t want to.

She couldn’t have him, but she could have this part of him, to play pretend in the dark hours of night, when she was at her most vulnerable.

Lavinia shook those thoughts away, reminding herself of her deadline and the path that would lead to success: Calahan.

An idea popped into her head.

She sat up. “I need a makeover.”