Chapter Sixteen
Blaze
“This is it.” I pulled onto the shoulder of the road in front of the bungalow I was looking at buying. There were no curbs on this road in Cloudhaven, but there were on the streets on the south end of the town where all the new houses were being built.
After turning off my truck, I rushed around to the passenger side to open the door for Ladon. “What do you think?”
His eyes were wide, but I didn’t get a response before Kirin pushed his door open and leaped into my arms. He sniffed the air. “It smells different here. Smells like dragons.”
Ladon turned to face me with his eyebrows raised. “It does. Why is that? It’s not another Hawthorn, is it?”
I smiled. Although I’d seen Kirin chuff smoke, I’d never witnessed Ladon use any part of his dragon side.
“There are many dragon shifters here. But unlike in Hawthorn, this town has other shifters living here, too. In fact, the mayor of the township is an armadillo shifter. And the principal of the school is a wolf shifter.”
“Oh, okay.” Ladon shoulders fell as he visibly relaxed. “This looks like a nice house. I like the fact that it’s right across the street from the school. That will be convenient for Kirin.”
I hoped it to be convenient for Ladon, too, but I would tell him about that part later. First, we had a house to tour.
The real estate agent pulled into the driveaway a moment later. I’d had to reschedule my original appointment so I could drive to Saramto to pick up the two others I wanted to live with me and wasn’t sure how long it would take us to get back.
“Mr. Gillinois, it’s good to see you again.” The agent, an omega dragon shifter, met us in the stamped concrete driveway of the house, with his leather crossbody bag over his shoulder. He reached for my hand and shook it. “This must be your family.”
I held my breath, waiting for Ladon to correct him, but he never did.
The omegas shook hands then the agent guided us toward the house.
It was a light-gray brick house with black shutters, white trim, a turquoise front door, and an attached garage.
It stood out to me the first time I drove past it, and I hoped it appealed to Ladon the same way.
Immediately inside was the living room, mostly open to the kitchen at the back.
It had a larger island than the one in Ladon’s apartment, and I couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to take him on its surface the way I had at his place.
“The owner of this house got a job in Torago and already bought a condo there, so he’s looking to sell as fast as possible.”
I swallowed down my ill-timed thoughts as the agent continued to tell us about the house.
“While there is only one full bathroom on the main floor with the three bedrooms, there is a second bathroom down in the finished basement with a separate laundry room and a two-piece bathroom in the garage.” He glanced at his sheet before looking up to gauge our reaction.
“Out back, there’s a stamped concrete patio.
Part of it is covered and the owner is leaving the working hot tub. It was just serviced before he moved.”
Ladon glanced at me with mixed emotions.
I couldn’t tell if he loved it or wanted to leave.
When Kirin raced down the stairs to the basement, we all followed him down to take a look.
Eventually we saw the entire house, Ladon occasionally grabbing my hand in one of the rooms and other times wandering away much the same as his son.
When we went outside, Kirin raced around the large, fenced yard, and I saw Ladon smile for the first time since we arrived.
“Do you like it?” I wrapped my arm around him and pulled him into my side as we stood on the patio. “Can you see us living here?”
“Yes.” His voice caught and I heard him sniffle. “But I don’t want to be dependent on you. I don’t want to be home alone while you’re at work and Kirin’s at school.”
As much I wanted to imagine Ladon settled on a nest of eggs or busy with hatchlings, I predicted he’d want to get settled in Cloudhaven first. “We’re going to meet someone else later that might be able to help you with that, but I wanted you to see the house first.”
He sniffled again and nodded. “Would it be weird if I told you I dreamed about this house?”
I pulled him a little closer. “Maybe it was meant to be. Okay, I need to talk to the agent for a minute then we can head to my apartment to drop your things off.”
Ladon leaned on my shoulder. “Thank you for being you. I just never imagined alphas like you existed after living in Saramto all my life.”
I kissed the top of his head. I knew other good alphas existed, but most of them already had a mate. I hoped I’d finally found mine.
By the time we unloaded their belongings at my apartment, I was starving.
The egg-wich I’d grabbed from the on-route rest stop that morning on the way to Saramto was long digested, and my stomach churned for something else.
I had food at my place, but there was someone I wanted Ladon to meet at the nearby diner.
I hoped she would ease more of the omega’s hesitation in moving here with me.
“Want to go out for lunch?” I asked Kirin, figuring it to be easier to get him on my side before mentioning the idea to his dad.
“Yep.” He scrambled off the cot I’d set up for him in my walk-in closet.
It was a large space, almost big enough to be a bedroom, with its own light switch, but with slatted folding doors.
I figured it was easier setting him up to sleep in there for one night rather than in the living room where he might wander or climb.
I’d tried my best to kid-proof the one-bedroom apartment I was renting until I bought a house, but I didn’t have enough experience with children and still had many of my belongings packed in boxes.
“We’re going out again?” Ladon wrapped his arms around me and leaned on my chest. “I thought we could just spend time together here.”
I clasped his arms and kissed the top of his head. “We can after. Once we get back, I’ll put in a movie for Kirin, and we can cuddle on the couch. How does that sound?”
He sighed against me. “Okay. I am kind of hungry.”
“Me, too!” Kirin stood at the door with his shoes already on as he worked to zip up his jacket.
Ladon chuckled. “If being here encourages him to get ready on his own, I’m all for it.”
On the main floor, both Ladon and Kirin turned toward the back door to the parking lot where my truck was parked.
“Nope,” I called to both of them. “We’re walking.
The diner is only a couple of blocks away.
In this town, everything is really close.
At the same time, we don’t have public transportation.
” Hence why I drove to Saramto to get them.
The train didn’t come this way, and the bus schedule was not convenient at all.
“Okay.” Kirin raced past me and pushed open the door, too short to reach the handle and leaving big handprints on the glass.
“Wait,” Ladon shouted after him.
I wasn’t concerned about traffic, as the apartment was at the end of a quiet street and I could see some of the neighborhood kids out front playing hockey.
Kirin stopped at the end of the walkway and waited for his dad. When Ladon reached for his hand, the boy pulled away. “I want to hold Blaze’s hand.”
“How about you hold both of our hands.” I winked at Ladon. “That way we can swing you as we walk.”
That suggestion was a mistake on my part. We swung him a couple times. Then he wanted to do it all the time, suddenly dropping without warning and yanking on our arms.
“Kirin, enough.”
The boy dropped our hands and froze in place. Ladon’s stern voice even made me pause.
“What did we talk about this morning?”
“Best behavior,” Kirin mumbled.
I smirked as he pouted and his shoulders slumped forward. It wouldn’t last long. “We’re here,” I told them, stepping up to the diner and holding the door open.
“Yay!” Kirin clapped his hands and skipped inside.
“Blaze, it’s good to see you again.” Ben, the mate of one of my new co-workers, met us at the hostess table. “Is this your family?”
My heart raced at the question again, hoping neither of them were offended. “I’m kind of hoping they will be. They’re visiting me for the weekend. This is Ladon and Kirin.”
“Ben.” The omega shook both of their hands. “It’s nice to meet you. My mate works with Blaze. They’re grateful he decided to come here with the way our town is growing. Anyway, let me find you a table.”
“Thank you.” I nodded and we followed him to a curved booth in the back near the washrooms and the kitchen.
Ben set our menus on the table as we settled into our seats. “Nancy will be serving you today. I’ll let her know you’re here.”
“Thank you,” I repeated, suddenly nervous about the two of them meeting. I knew what Nancy would tell Ladon, but it was Ladon’s reaction that I worried about. I wanted him in Cloudhaven with me so badly, and I hoped this would be the tipping point that convinced him.
“See something you like?” I asked Kirin, as he colored the kid’s menu that had been left with a cup of crayons.
“Chicken nuggets,” he yelled with a strained voice.
“Of course.” Ladon glanced up from his menu on the other side of his son. “It’s a good thing that’s on the menu. Did you want apple slices or carrots and cucumbers with it?”
When he wrinkled his nose, I knew I had to help. “Hey, I love carrots. They help me see at night. A very important skill for firefighters if you still want to be one.”
He glanced up at me, squinting as he stared into my eyes. “You can really see in the dark?”
I nodded. “It’s the carrots.” Or maybe just genetics, but I thought I would pass on the fallacy my parents always told me.
With a huff, he went back to coloring. “Okay, I’ll get carrots. But just carrots.”
“Blazy, you’re here!”
I glanced up and saw Nancy in her gray dress with a white apron, holding her notepad and pen.
“Hi, Nancy, yes—”
“And you must be Ladon and Kirin,” she said before I could introduce them. “Blaze has told me so much about you both. I’m Nancy.”
Kirin looked up from his coloring for a moment and waved while Ladon leaned back in his seat with a blank expression.
“Um, nice to meet you. I didn’t realize Blaze talked about us that much.”
Nancy smiled with a wave of her hand. “Of course he does. He recognizes when Fate has worked in his favor. And he listens to his dragon.”
I kept my mouth shut as Nancy shared her wisdom. I didn’t always listen to my dragon, but I’m not sure I would have met Ladon when I did if I hadn’t first been burned by Dennis.
“He mentioned you work at a day care.”
Ladon nodded. “For now.”
Nancy lowered her pad and pen. “Well, my wife is on the schoolboard for the township, and I know they are hiring for multiple positions. The new high school is opening in the fall, and they’re keeping the current school as an elementary school.
Some of the staff are moving to the new one, but there are going to be a lot of spaces to fill. You should send in your résumé.”
Chewing his bottom lip, Ladon nodded. “Okay, I will.”
Nancy handed him a business card. “Here’s her email. I’ll tell her to expect something from you.”
Taking the card, Ladon twitched his lips in a smile. “Thank you.”
“Now, are y’all ready to order?” Nancy got her pen and paper ready again.
“Chicken nuggets!” Kirin set his fists on the table with a crayon in each hand. “And carrots. Just carrots, no cucumbers.”
Nancy chuckled. “I’m sure we can arrange that.”
After Ladon and I ordered, and Nancy had left for the kitchen, he turned to me. “You arranged all this. The house. Meeting her. It all feels too perfect. Like a dream that I’m going to wake up from and realize it wasn’t real.”
“It’s all real.” I reached in front of Kirin to hold Ladon’s hand. “I want you here with me. Both of you. I want you to be my mate.”
He gulped as a tear slid down his cheek. “I have no reason to say no, but I’m so scared. I’ve dreamed of the life you’re offering for so long, but this all seems too good to be true.”
“What do you think, Kirin? Would you like to live here with me? You and your dad?”
“Yes!” The boy twisted in his seat and stared out the window behind our booth. “I always wanted a backyard. And the school here isn’t as big and scary as the other one.”
Ladon rubbed his back. “I didn’t know you were afraid of your school.”
Kirin turned again to face the table. “There were so many kids there when we visited. Plus, I didn’t want to take the bus without you.”
“Maybe everything happened for a reason,” Ladon whispered.
“Does that mean you’ll live here with me?” My dragon and I waited with bated breath.
“Yes.” Ladon nodded as his bottom lip quivered. “I need to give notice and pack up everything, but okay.”
My dragon rejoiced as I tried to hold in my own elation. Even with the curveballs life had thrown at both of us recently, we were going to be together. I couldn’t wait until it all had been finalized and we got to come home to each other, share a bed and a house, and grow our family.