Page 21 of The Baby Dragon Cafe (The Baby Dragon #1)

Chapter 21

B ack home after a successful trip, Aiden dropped Saphira off in front of the cafe at around four p.m. It had been a whirlwind of a day, and she was still pinching herself from the charged kisses from this morning, which had felt like swimming to the surface of the sea and finally gulping in air after holding her breath for so long.

Then Sparky’s first flight, the anxiety of it, followed quickly by pride when he had accomplished it. The baby dragon was growing up, which made her sentimental; she wished she could stop time, hold onto him tight. But at the same time, she loved this reality, every moment of it.

Aiden parked, and she stepped out. He did as well, grabbing her bag from the back.

“Thanks,” she said, taking it from him. The second his hand was free he cupped her face, pulling her into a kiss. He stepped back, bringing her with him with a hand on her waist. He leaned against his car so she wouldn’t have to be on her tiptoes, and she stepped between his legs, drawing closer.

And then they were fully making out in the middle of Main Street, all teeth and raw emotion. His hand moved from her cheek to tangle in her hair. Burning desire spread through her as he angled her head back, opening her mouth to deepen the kiss with his tongue.

She made a whimpering sound, then pulled back before she got too carried away.

Saphira covered her cheeks with her hands, the skin warm against her palms as she looked around her, at the people walking by.

“Oh my god, we need to stop.” She laughed. “There are children around.”

“Don’t care,” he said, drawing her in for another hungry kiss. She smiled against his mouth and stepped away, putting her hands on his chest. His eyes were dark, his lips red, desperate need written over his features.

“I have to go!” she said, grabbing her bag, but when she took a step away, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

She yelped, and with a spin, landed in his arms, where he wrapped his arms around her, locking her into a hug.

She giggled, putting her hands up around his shoulder blades, feeling his muscles shift beneath her palms.

He kissed her cheek, then released her.

“I suppose I’ll let you go now,” he said, smiling softly. She pulled back to see there was a sweet expression on his face, and she was hit with a deliciously painful wave of affection. She touched her hand to his cheek, then noticed the ring she was still wearing.

“Oh, before I forget …” She took the ring off, holding it out for him.

“You can keep it,” he said.

She looked at him to see if he was joking, but he was serious. Ridiculous! “Okay, let’s slow down,” she teased, laughing.

But then she quickly sobered, realizing the suggestion was probably best if taken seriously. Nani-Ma always used to warn Saphira about how Saphira’s mother would dive into things and get hurt. Saphira didn’t want that to happen to her, especially with Sparky involved. They had to be thoughtful.

“Yes, of course,” Aiden replied, clearing his throat. He pocketed the ring.

“Sparky’s first vet appointment is tomorrow morning,” she reminded him. “I think we all need some rest before that, and I should check in at the cafe.”

He sighed, his hands falling to her waist. “I don’t want to let you go, but you’re right. See you tomorrow, then?”

“Tomorrow.” This time it was Saphira who stole one last kiss before going, looking over her shoulder for one final glance. Aiden was still leaning against his car, holding a hand to his heart. She giggled.

Practically floating, Saphira went inside the cafe, where Lavinia was watching her from behind the counter, mouth wide open. Saphira realized that Lavinia had probably seen her and Aiden kissing through the window.

Before Lavinia could adequately freak out, Saphira held up a hand. “First, tell me how everything’s been,” she ordered. “Was everything okay while I was gone? No problems?”

“Oh my god, everything’s been fine, literally nothing to worry about,” Lavinia said. “Business as usual, and no problems at all.”

“Okay, good, good,” Saphira said, glad that the cafe had fared well during her absence.

“Now, I need details!” Lavinia cried, eyes wide. Saphira hid her face with her hands. “Wait for me in the back while I tell Cal to cover the front!”

Saphira went to the back and, a few moments later, Lavinia rushed after her with two iced lattes in her hands.

“Details, now!” Lavinia ordered. Saphira took one of the drinks, and they went to the garden door, from where they exited to sit outside on the grass. There, Saphira relayed everything that had transpired in the thirty-six hours since Saphira had seen Lavinia yesterday morning, which now felt like an eternity ago.

“We have the vet in the morning, so it’s probably best to get some rest tonight,” Saphira finished. Talking about all of it made it so real, which was a bit overwhelming to grapple with. “I also need to just process all of this.”

“What is there to process?” Lavinia asked. “He’s hot! He likes you! I don’t see the problem.”

“Well! Technically I work for him? I’m pretty sure this is an HR violation.”

“Psh.” Lavinia waved a hand. “Who cares about that? Besides, you’re not going to be training Sparky forever. Don’t overthink it.”

“True.” Though that was much easier said than done.

Lavinia squealed, and Saphira grinned, feeling giddy.

“I can’t believe that all actually happened,” Saphira said at the end, shocked. “Like, that wasn’t a fever dream?”

“He was wearing your lipstick in the middle of Main Street, so no, it was not a fever dream!” Lavinia cried. Saphira threw her head back and laughed. She couldn’t stop, she was positively giddy. Lavinia giggled.

“Oh Saph,” she said, awed. “I’ve never seen you like this.”

“I’ve never felt like this,” Saphira said, and the words sunk in. “God, my tummy hurts.”

“You are fine!” Lavinia said. “Breathe! You just need some oxygen.”

Saphira took deep breaths, fanning herself. “Okay.” She blew out her cheeks. “Enough about me—tell me how your internship has been going?”

“I’ve been learning so much,” Lavinia told her. “I’ll be there tomorrow when you guys come in with Sparky-Poo.”

“Oh, good! He’ll have a friendly face,” Saphira said, relieved. “I know we’re putting the little guy through a lot all at once.”

“No, it’s good,” Lavinia said. “He’s growing up, so he needs his vaccinations now.”

“Don’t say that he’s growing up! I’m going to cry!”

“When aren’t you crying?” Lavinia asked.

Saphira was about to protest but conceded. “Fair point.”

They were interrupted when Calahan stuck his head out of the side door, a clearly apologetic expression on his kind face.

“Um … Lavinia?” he asked nervously. “If someone had—theoretically—attempted to foam milk with too much milk in the frothing pitcher, and said milk splattered everywhere, how would that someone go about cleaning that?”

Lavinia gave him a dry look. “Is this someone you?”

“Maybe.”

“And is this theoretical situation actually not theoretical?”

He paused. Lavinia gave him a look. He gave her a winning smile, and she rose to her feet.

“You’re a lifesaver, Lav,” he said, looking eternally grateful.

“Oh, I know.” Lavinia went to follow him, then turned back to Saphira, who waved a hand, not wanting to get up yet.

“You go in,” Saphira said. “I’ll be there in a second.”

Lavinia went in, and Saphira sat outside for a few moments longer, admiring the garden, which was all cleaned up and organized, mostly finished. Soon, the playpen would be ready for the baby dragons, and patrons would be able to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine the same way she was now.

A little while later, Saphira got up, about to head in. As she reached the door, she overheard some girls talking as they left the cafe from the front. Her heart pounded, and she strayed closer to the garden door, listening.

“I can’t believe Aiden Sterling was making out with Saphira .”

“I know! Like, what? ”

“Do you think they’re, like, together?”

“Absolutely not. There’s no way. They’re probably just hooking up.”

“In the middle of Main Street? That is so messy.”

“Tell me about it.”

Saphira felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of ice water. She recognized the voices; they were some girls who were around Saphira’s age. They were from Drakkon families and often came into the cafe with their baby dragons.

Saphira was shocked to hear the disdain in their voices. They had always been perfectly nice to her, but they were speaking now as if she had personally offended them.

They were so astonished that she and Aiden had been kissing, as if Saphira had reached for something that was not hers and could never be hers.

Insecurity rippled through her. She was devastated, actually.

This was just like how, at Mount Echo, Mireya had said Saphira was an outsider, that she didn’t belong.

Saphira shook her head, pushing the memories and voices from her mind. She would not spiral.

These girls were probably just jealous, Saphira convinced herself. Aiden was a highly eligible bachelor, after all. The Sterlings were an important family.

Was it truly so unbelievable that Aiden would be interested in Saphira?

Whatever. She was not going to think about it. Saphira went into the cafe, helping out with the last customers before sending Lavinia home. Saphira covered closing up the cafe with Calahan.

After everything was clean and in order, she grabbed her bag and went up to her apartment, where she changed into her pajamas, rummaging around for something to eat. She settled on a handful of strawberries with chocolate spread, munching while she prepared for the vet appointment tomorrow.

The appointment was midday, and she would be leaving work for an hour to head over to the Animal Hospital for it. She had missed the cafe while she was at Mount Echo, which was why she didn’t want to take an entire day off for Sparky’s appointment.

Saphira thought about Aiden and, alone in her apartment, she giggled to herself, twirling around. She collapsed onto her couch, hugging a pillow to her chest. She was giddy all over again, and she wouldn’t let a stupid comment bring her down.

She recalled how it felt to kiss him, to be kissed by him, and she touched her fingers to her lips, the memory of his mouth making her toes tingle.

Saphira looked around for her phone and, when she found it, she saw she had a missed call from him from about twenty minutes ago. She called him back, and he picked up after the first bell.

“Hey, everything okay?” she asked.

“No,” he replied.

Concern shot through her. “What’s wrong?”

“I miss you.”

She smiled, getting up and going to the kitchen. He was so silly! Goodness!

“You just saw me!”

“Can never have too much Saphira,” he replied easily. “What are you up to?”

“Just thinking about making dinner,” she said, inspecting the contents of her fridge. “What about you?”

“I made some dinner and was going to eat soon. What are you making?”

“Hm, good question.” She pulled out a loaf of bread and some turkey. “I think a sandwich?”

She put him on speaker and set her phone down, and they chatted while she quickly assembled her sandwich.

“Are you eating now?” he asked.

“Just about to sit down, yes,” she replied. “Did you finish?”

“No, I was waiting for you,” he replied. She received a notification and opened their chat to see he’d sent her a picture of his plate, which was half chicken, and half steamed vegetables, but all untouched. She smiled, sending him a picture of her plate, too.

They both began to eat, continuing to chat as they did. She knew she should probably say goodbye and focus on the little chores that needed to be done around her apartment, but she couldn’t bring herself to say goodbye just yet. She hadn’t gotten enough of him, and she feared she never would.

“What’s Sparky doing?” she asked.

“Being a menace,” Aiden replied, sending her another picture, in which the baby dragon was being adorable, as usual. “He’s flying around, knocking into things.”

“Aww, he is too cute,” Saphira replied. “He’s getting too big, though. It’s breaking my heart.”

“God, mine, too. He needs to stop growing, actually.”

“I completely agree. We need to come up with some scheme to keep him forever this small.”

“I will start researching.”

They kept talking, and she kept the phone on as she did her dishes and unpacked her bag and did her skincare and got ready for bed, his company a constant through her entire evening.

“Okay, I think we should sleep now,” Saphira said, yawning in bed. She heard sheets rustling and knew he was in bed, too. She turned her lamp off, and then all that was left was the glow of her phone and his voice. “Goodnight, Aiden.”

“Sweet dreams, Saphira,” he said, voice low and warm.

Smiling to herself, she hung up, then released a long sigh. She kicked her feet, feeling fizzy.

She couldn’t wait to see him tomorrow—she could hardly sleep, she was so excited.

She hadn’t been this excited to be alive since the cafe first opened, when an entire expanse of possibilities seemed to spread ahead of her. There were so many ways this could go wrong, but so, so many ways it could also go exactly and perfectly right.

*

The next day, Saphira waited outside the Animal Hospital, waiting for him. He was running a little late, he had messaged her, but he would be there soon.

Saphira was restless, fidgeting. Until she saw him coming down the street. Air entered her lungs, and she met him halfway, throwing her arms around him in a hug. She inhaled the sweet scent of mint.

“Hey, gorgeous.” He kissed her neck, holding onto her tight. She pulled back, and he gave her a smile, dark eyes molten. She played with the ends of his hair as his hands moved up and down her back. She hummed, perfectly content. “Sorry I’m late, I gave Spark some of the medicine the vet had said to give him this morning and he was not happy about it.”

Saphira looked down to where Sparky was grumpily sitting by Aiden’s legs, scratching his face and growling. He was having a little temper tantrum, hissing and glaring.

“Aw, my little baby,” Saphira said, lifting him up into her arms. She gave him a cuddle, but he still fussed, upset and agitated. She made soothing noises, trying to calm him.

“Ready to go in?” Saphira asked. Aiden opened his mouth to reply when his phone rang. He pulled his phone out, then winced.

“Ah, it’s my father,” he said. “I have to take this.”

“No worries,” she replied. “I’ll go check us in.”

Saphira headed inside with Sparky while Aiden answered his phone. She walked up to the receptionist who was busy typing something into her computer.

“Hi! I’m here to check Sparky in for his appointment.”

The receptionist looked up, then did a subtle double-take, blinking; she was clearly surprised to see Saphira with a dragon.

Saphira bristled.

Before the receptionist could say anything, Aiden rushed in, coming to stand beside Saphira. “Sorry about that.” He put a hand on her back. “Checked in okay?”

“Just a moment.” The receptionist did something on her computer, then gave Aiden a big smile. “You’re all set. You can go to the waiting room and you’ll be called in.”

Aiden kept his hand on Saphira’s lower back as they walked over to the waiting room, where there were other small animals like baby chimeras and baby griffins and baby phoenixes. The Animal Hospital on Main Street was mainly for the babies; the veterinarians did house calls for the fully grown animals whenever there were any problems, since they couldn’t exactly easily fit into a small building.

When they sat down in the chairs, Sparky leapt from Saphira’s arms.

“Sparky!” Saphira chased after him, and he growled at her, trying to fly away. Despite all of his training, he really did not want to be here. The medicine Aiden had given him this morning was supposed to help him relax, but it had only succeeded in making him more agitated.

She caught him in her arms, and he squirmed, inhaling as if to blow a puff of smoke at her. Saphira gave him a frown.

“Sparky, no,” she scolded, and he acquiesced, though he clearly was not happy about it.

Saphira sat down again with a sigh. “I don’t get it,” she said to Aiden. “He was fine on Mount Echo, which was so much worse than a few shots.”

“Don’t worry.” Aiden put his hand on her thigh. “It’ll be over soon.”

A few minutes later, Lavinia poked her head into the waiting room, scanning. When she spotted Saphira and Aiden, her face lit up.

“Hey guys!” She came over.

“You look so official!” Saphira said, impressed. Lavinia wore a white coat with a name tag and even had a stethoscope around her neck. “I’m so proud!”

“A real professional,” Aiden added.

“Thank you, thank you.” Lavinia did a little bow, smiling. “You guys can follow me.”

Saphira stood, still holding onto Sparky so he wouldn’t get ideas about running away again.

“And how’s our little baby doing?” Lavinia asked, petting Sparky with both her hands. She looked up at Aiden and Saphira then. “You know a lot of the babies try running away or setting things on fire when they’re getting checked in, but Sparky-Pie is being such a good boy.”

Sparky was pleased by the praise, even if it was false, and he settled in Saphira’s arms, enjoying the attention. As they followed Lavinia into one of the rooms, he remained calm.

It helped that he already knew Lavinia as a friendly face, and though he fussed a bit on the hospital cot, he stayed largely well-behaved as Lavinia ran the preliminary checks and took his vitals before the veterinarian came in to administer the shots.

As Lavinia checked the inside of Sparky’s mouth, Saphira’s phone buzzed. Checking it, she saw a text from Calahan, asking where the napkin refills were stored.

“I’ll be back in a sec,” Saphira whispered to Aiden. He nodded, and she slipped outside, walking down the hall a bit so they wouldn’t hear her in the room and get distracted. As she instructed Calahan on precisely where to look, she saw the vet going into the patient room that Sparky was in.

“Cal, hold the fort a little longer, okay?” she said into the phone. “Sparky’s about to get his shots, so I have to go.”

“You got it, boss.”

She hung up, then headed for the room.

An assistant was walking by just as Saphira reached for the doorknob, and he said, “Excuse me, are you meant to be here?”

Saphira stopped, a cold feeling creeping through her. “Yes, um … my dragon is just in this room.” She cleared her throat.

The assistant checked the file on the door, looking up at her. “Sterling?” he asked. She nodded. “Can I see your ID?”

Saphira was taken aback. She reached to her side, then realized that she hadn’t brought her purse with her, so she had neither her regular identification, nor her Drakkon identification.

“Sorry, I don’t have it on me,” she said, and the assistant frowned. Anxiety spread through her. She didn’t want to miss being there for Sparky while he got his shots. “I was just in there—I only stepped out for a second!” Her voice was high.

“I’m sorry, we’re pretty strict about that kind of thing,” the assistant said, face blank.

Saphira was so embarrassed, she had no idea what to say or what to do. She stood there, frozen, heart hammering. Time felt as if it was standing still.

A second later, the door opened, and Aiden stepped out, coming to her side. “Hey, where did you go?” he asked, brows furrowed. “They’re about to start.”

Saphira’s lower lip trembled, and a dark expression immediately crossed his face. “What’s wrong?” he asked, hands light at her elbows.

“Is she supposed to be here?” the assistant asked Aiden. Aiden looked at the assistant, seeming suddenly to understand why Saphira was upset.

“Yes,” he snapped. Aiden looked pissed off. “Obviously.”

“Oh.” The assistant swallowed nervously, sheepish. “I’m sorry about that.”

Aiden frowned. With his hand on Saphira’s lower back, he led her back into the room, but not before glaring at the assistant one more time for good measure.

Saphira hardly noticed; she felt so humiliated.

“I’m sorry you had to deal with that,” Aiden said to her, voice low.

“It’s not your fault,” she whispered. Saphira forced a smile, but it didn’t quite land.

“Ready?” the veterinarian asked. Saphira nodded, but Sparky was unsettled, fidgeting on the cot. Lavinia came to Saphira’s side.

“Saph, you okay?” Lavinia asked. “Sparky’s picking up on whatever you’re feeling, so try and put on a brave face, okay?”

But that only succeeded in making Saphira feel even worse. The room was suddenly too small; she couldn’t breathe.

“Hey,” Aiden said, coming to stand in front of her, until all she saw was him. He put his hands on her shoulders. “Breathe,” he instructed, voice gentle.

He cradled her face in his hands, thumbs rubbing against her cheeks.

“You have every right to be here,” he said. “Look—Sparky’s looking to you.”

He let go of her face, stepping aside so she could see, and he was right. Sparky was watching Saphira carefully, as if waiting for her to tell him it would be okay.

Saphira took a deep breath. Subconsciously, she reached for Aiden’s hand, and he entwined their fingers. When he squeezed her hand, she felt centered … calm.

Saphira gave Sparky a smile, and this time, it was genuine. Sparky relaxed, no longer fussing.

“He’s ready now,” Saphira said to the veterinarian, stepping forward. He nodded, then began administering the shots.

Sparky cried out at the first shot, and Aiden told him, “You’re so brave! You’re doing so well!”

Then Aiden turned around to see that Saphira was crying, too, her eyes welled up with tears. “Oh no,” he said, lips twitching. “You’re so brave, you’re doing so well!” he told her, looking amused.

She pouted. “It’s not funny,” she cried, and he hugged her. Saphira buried her nose against his chest as he stroked her hair.

“I know, sweetheart, I know.”

She pulled back, sniffing. “Sweetheart?”

“You are my sweetheart.” He gave her a shy smile. “You’re my sweetest.” Aiden kissed her cheek.

The veterinarian cleared his throat, and she gave him a sheepish smile, turning her attention back to Sparky.

“He’s all done,” the veterinarian told him. Lavinia reached into the cupboard and gave the baby dragon a lollipop, which he happily sucked on. “Sparky did great, he should just rest up today and tomorrow.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Aiden said, shaking his hand. Then the veterinarian took his leave, and after he was gone, Lavinia snuck a lollipop to Saphira, who really needed it. She undid the wrapper, sucking on it; it was spicy-sweet.

“You did great, bestie,” Lavinia said, giving Saphira a hug. “I’ll see you later.”

Saphira and Aiden both said goodbye to Lavinia, then turned to Sparky. “My little golu-molu,” Saphira cooed. She squished him, and he purred. “You did so well! I’m so proud of you!”

“Good boy,” Aiden said, scratching Sparky’s chin. Sparky closed his eyes, enjoying the contact.

“Ready to go?” Aiden asked. Saphira nodded. She picked Sparky up, and he cuddled close to her. They walked out of the patient room, passing the waiting room to head out.

As they did, Saphira felt like everyone was staring at her, even though they probably weren’t, and she was just projecting her insecurity, but even so …

She felt the urge to hide away.

Aiden walked her to the cafe. They stopped in front to say goodbye before she went in but, after a sweet kiss, Aiden pulled back to inspect her face. He furrowed his brows.

“Is everything okay?” he asked. She nibbled on her lower lip, and he frowned. “Hey. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Saphira released a long breath. She opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn’t quite find the words. Aiden tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek, patiently waiting while she collected her thoughts.

“It’s just—when we’re in our little bubble, I don’t feel as though I don’t belong,” Saphira finally said. “I feel like I have a right to Sparky, like he’s mine, too. But out in public sometimes, I just feel so out of place, and it makes me insecure.”

“You do have a right to Sparky,” Aiden reassured her. “He is yours, and you belong with him—with us . Okay?”

She sighed. She knew the opinion of random strangers didn’t matter; what mattered was how Aiden felt, how Sparky felt. And she knew that she belonged with them. Sometimes it was just hard—but Aiden’s words did make her feel better.

Saphira nodded, mustering a smile. “Okay,” she said.

Aiden gave her a small smile, kissing her cheek. They wouldn’t be training Sparky today or tomorrow while Sparky rested, and Aiden had some work to catch up on anyway.

“I’ll call you later?” he said.

She smiled, nodding. “Okay.”

With his free hand, he cupped her face, and she went on her tiptoes to kiss him, melting into his achingly tender touch. She savored the kiss, her body humming even after she had pulled away.

“Remember,” he said with a wink. “You’re my sweetest.”