Chapter 31
Milo
“Whose bright idea was this?” Ethel asked as she closed the menu and rubbed her temple with her fingers.
“I asked my mother to book the place,” Rowan mumbled, looking sheepishly around the table.
Milo scowled and reached out, claws springing from his fingertips as naturally as breathing now. He gripped Rowan by the forearm, one claw digging into the mating mark on his skin.
“And I can see why you insisted on coming here again.” He glared at the woman at the other end of the table, currently writing down their orders on a little pad. She was just as…there as last time.
Doing things. Saying stuff. Being.
Right in front of his salad.
Infuriating.
“When I asked her to book a place, I didn’t mean this place, Mi…” Rowan said.
“Don’t Mi me, Rowan,” Milo said, hind brain refusing to be reasoned with. “There are plenty of restaurants in this city we could have gone to. The only reason you picked this place is that they have a waitress.”
“Literally every restaurant on earth has a waitress or a waiter,” Ruben said from where he was squished between Ray and Conrad.
“Ray, muzzle your pet,” Milo said, pointing at Ruben. “He’s making noise again.”
“Behave.” Ray’s voice was steady and soft, as usual.
“Thank you!” Milo said.
“I was talking to you,” Ray said.
“TREASON!” Milo exclaimed.
“EVERYBODY, DOWN!” Conrad shouted, ducking his head under the flap of the crisp white tablecloth.
“Are we playing hide and seek?” Glenn asked, standing up. “That’s a terrible spot he chose. You can see his bald spot.”
He turned to walk away, presumably to find a better hiding spot. Rowan’s mother wrapped her hand gently around his elbow and stopped him.
“How about we wait for round two to join?” she suggested, patting his hand and leading him back. He sat down with a nod, still looking at Conrad under the tablecloth and shaking his head in disapproval.
Riley looked over the top of her tablet, expression as unmoving as always. Milo was legit terrified of her. He hadn’t even realized she’d come to dinner with them. She usually just flat-out refused to be seen in larger groups.
Rowan said she glared out of love.
Milo thought she was probably on a most-wanted list but nobody wanted to say it out loud.
“You know, love,” Shelly said to Riley, reaching out and putting the tip of her finger on her tablet. She pushed it down to reveal Riley’s face and Riley went completely still, staring at Shelly like she’d just seen a ghost. “Your aura is so clogged.”
“Right?” Raina said with a clap, leaning over Troy to get to Shelly. “I’ve been telling her that for years.”
“It must weigh on her terribly,” Shelly agreed with a nod to Raina. “I could help you cleanse?”
Riley looked at her for a second, stone cold and silent, then said “No” before lifting her tablet up again.
“Lost cause, that one,” Raina said loudly.
“Leave your sister alone,” Rupert told his eldest across the table.
“But, Dad, her aura…”
“Is none of your business,” Rupert said.
“It literally is if she’s sitting this close to me,” Raina said. “What if it clogs mine too? I don’t want a clogged aura.”
“Do you even know what a clogged aura is?” Ruben asked.
“I for sure don’t want to find out.”
“Oh, all three of you are safe,” Shelly said. “Your auras are bright and beautiful.”
“Three?” Troy asked, suddenly tuned in to the conversation.
“Yes,” Shelly nodded. “Raina and the lovely babies she’s carrying.”
The table went silent. Milo could almost hear the record scratch sound in the air. Conversations stopped midsentence, jaws went slack, Troy’s fork clattered to the floor.
“B-babies?” he asked, and Shelly nodded.
“Were you unaware?” she asked, and Raina gave the slowest nod known to human and dragonkind. “Ah, my apologies, then. Maybe I should have kept it to myself.”
“Oh my god!” Rowan’s mom put her hand over her mouth, the other one clutching her husband’s hand. “Babies!”
“Blessed be the fruit!” Clarence pulled out his spray bottle of holy water and misted it across a frozen Raina.
“I don’t like fruit,” Conrad said. “Is there no cake?”
“There was a cake on fire here last time,” Glenn said.
Rowan turned the color of his scales and half the table started snickering at him.
“It’s okay, Snugglescales. I explained on the phone when I booked the reservation. They understand that it was because of extenuating circumstances. They said congratulations on finding your mate and even offered free champagne!” Rowan’s mother reached over and pinched his cheek.
Milo’s brain snagged. “Snugglescales?”
“Please don’t,” Rowan said, but Milo’s brain was already well down the road of no return.
“That’s so cute!” he screeched, leaning forward eagerly. “Did you always call him that? Was he chubby and cute and the sweetest thing ever with his little scowly dragon face?”
Rowan’s mother matched his energy, leaning in with maternal glee. “He was the most darling little dragon. Always attached to my leg. He also had a bad case of ash-id reflux, so he needed to be snuggled and soothed a lot.”
“My god,” Rowan groaned, head in his hands.
“Did you call all of them Snugglescales or just him? It was just him, right? Ruben isn’t remotely snuggleable.”
“Hey!”
“No offense or whatever. Rowan is simply superior to you,” Milo said, not even looking his way.
“We called him The Scourge,” Rupert said, releasing a small flame to toast some bread before buttering it.
Ruben rolled his eyes and Riley snorted. Troy looked a little green around the gills. “Can we please stop talking about baby dragons.”
Which snapped Raina out of her stupor. “Wait…are you not excited?”
“Of course I am…it’s just…” He looked at Shelly desperately. “Did you get the number wrong? Check again.”
Shelly took Raina’s hand and began reading her palm. She whipped an incense stick from her messy hair and held it out to Rowan. “Light this, please.”
Rowan looked around them surreptitiously before blowing the teeniest spark ever. The scent of strong botanicals filled the air.
Ethel cackled and pointed her knitting needles. “Look over there. There’s three people on standby with fire extinguishers.”
Her voice carried and the staff in question quickly ran into the back. Rowan sank lower in his chair.
Milo cooed and threaded a hand into his hair.
“Is Rohan joining in the game?” Glenn asked. “Why do they keep using the same awful hiding spot?”
“I’m going to head to the restroom,” Rowan said, slithering his way up.
Milo perked up and wiggled his eyebrows. “Shall I come with you? For old times’ sake?”
Rowan finally smiled before he glanced at the table. “I think someone needs to make sure the geriatric and dragon relations go smoothly?”
“But—”
Rowan leaned in and pressed a kiss to his mouth.
Milo rolled with it and stuck his tongue in Rowan’s because he was adaptable.
Clarence sprayed them in the face.
“Not before marriage, sinners.”
They sputtered over the holy water.
“We’re mated!” Milo exclaimed, wiping his eyes. “That’s far more permanent than marriage.”
“Not in the eyes of our lord. Now leave room for Jesus.” Clarence spritzed them again and pulled out his rosary.
Milo fumed and Rowan stepped away from the table. “I just need five minutes.”
Milo saw the plea in his eye and held his protests. Sometimes Rowan just needed a reset. A breather. And Milo had no trouble creating a distraction to give Rowan that much-needed room.
“Take your time, Snugglescales. I’ll hold down the fort.”
Rowan gave him a halfhearted glare, but his eyes were soft at the unspoken comfort and protection.
He padded away, keeping his head low, and Milo watched that waitress like a hawk to make sure she didn’t get any funny ideas.
“And this is TikTok,” Riley said.
“Blick Block?” Conrad yelled. “What kind of name is that?”
Milo was distracted enough to look over.
Riley had her tablet up in front of Conrad, willingly leaning into him. “A better one than they came up with. They have videos though. Look.”
“The Devil’s work,” Clarence muttered.
“Just don’t spray that tablet,” Ethel said, eyes on the knitting project she had whipped out of her bag. “The devil will be the least of the evil you have seen if you unleash that beast upon the world.”
“She’s always been attached to her devices,” Rupert said mournfully. “I promise she wasn’t a tablet baby! We limited her! But she always found a way around it. She even stole from her friends at school. I’ve never seen her share before though…”
They all watched in fascination as Riley willingly chatted with Conrad, even cracking a smile or two at what he was saying as they watched videos together.
Rowan’s mother burst out crying. “This is the best dinner ever. My babies!”
Rupert patted her on the back.
“Milo’s brought so much happiness to this family.” She kept sniffling, and Milo balked because…as far as he was aware he mostly brought chaos and endless questions wherever he went. Happiness? That was a new one.
“Rowan finally found his real calling.” She kept going, tears streaming down her face.
They were drawing attention from other people in the restaurant now.
Milo wasn’t sure he liked it. “Troy and Raina are taking the company to new heights, Riley is…well she’s doing her own thing as usual, and even Ruben is falling in love. ”
“Whoa there,” Ruben said. “What the hell?”
“What?” his mother asked.
“Who said anything about love?” Ruben asked.
“Don’t push him,” Ray said. “He’s fragile.”
“I’m not fragile!”
“No, you’re strong and capable and powerful,” Ray said gently.
“See?” Raina smacked Troy on the shoulder. “Gentle parenting. That’s what it is! I told you we should have tried it! We’ll have to do it for these new ones.”
“You have never done anything gently in your entire life!” Troy said.
“I had a wife!” Conrad said.
“Was it me?” Glenn asked.
“I don’t think you were someone’s wife, Glenn,” Shelly said.
“I think I would have made a wonderful wife,” Glenn said.
“You absolutely would.” Rowan’s mother smiled softly.
“And Rowan has brought a lot of joy to us as well,” Ethel said, speaking for all the oldies. “We’ve made new friends. We have a home without having to worry. And Milo has never been happier.”
“That is true!” Milo said, his heart warming as he looked around the table at this odd collection of people. “I love all of you! AND I’m a dragon now. And, like…I’m a good dragon. The peeps at the center said they’ve never seen anyone fly like me!”
“I don’t think they meant that as a compliment,” Ethel said.
“Yes, they did!”
“You crashed and got stuck in a tree,” Ruben said.
“How do you know?” Milo asked.
“Ray told me.” Ruben smiled.
“RAY!” Milo screeched.
“What is it with you and trees?” Raina asked.
“We have a bond!”
“He has the same bond with poles. He smashed into one just this morning,” Ethel said, taking a sip of her scotch.
Milo glared at her. “I need Rowan to come back so he can cradle me in his bountiful bosom. You all are being mean.”
“Isn’t that him over there talking to a woman?” Shelly said.
“WHICH WOMAN?!” Milo yelled, rocketing to his feet and scanning the area. Tiny flecks of ice flew everywhere.
He found Rowan standing next to THE waitress, leaning down to get his face closer to hers as she pointed to something she was holding in her hands.
Milo couldn’t see what it was; Rowan’s back was covering it.
Or was it Milo’s blinding rage? Either way, the mysterious thing had Rowan breathing the same air as the woman, and Milo felt himself expanding from inside out.
His back bowed and he could feel his wings itching to burst free. Pale blue scales slithered over his skin and climbed up his neck to his face. His vision changed from sharp, multicolored images to something cool, silver, and glittering along the edges.
“Milo…” He heard Ray call out to him but he shook his head, clawed hands gripping the edge of the table, piercing tiny holes in the tablecloth.
Rowan and the woman moved before Milo could take a step. They headed toward their table, Rowan first, a bright smile on his face until he caught Milo’s eye.
No, he mouthed, speeding up and weaving through the chairs to get to him.
Stupidly, the woman behind him took his dash as a prompt and sped up too, practically jogging to catch up. Milo could work with that. The sooner she got there the sooner he could turn her into an icicle.
“Settle down,” Rowan said the moment he reached him, reaching for Milo’s shoulder.
He swatted Rowan’s hand away and leaned around him to look at the woman, who skidded to a halt just before slamming into his back.
She was holding a baked Alaska.
She looked up when she realized Milo was watching and with a beaming smile, held the cake up toward him.
“This is for…”
Milo inhaled. His chest expanded, his lungs filling with air that his dragon turned to pure ice. He pressed his lips together to let it build. He needed enough to cover her from head to toe.
He’d just opened his mouth to exhale onto her when a pair of fire-warm lips caught his own. Their breath mingled, fire slipping around ice, twining and braiding until it meshed into a tendril of warmth that escaped their kiss and rushed toward the cake.
It caught the top of it.
Singed the white meringue tips until they were caramel-gold and warm to the touch.
“A show!!” Milo heard Glenn clapping.
“We are so getting banned from this place.” Raina sighed.
“Is it too late to pretend I’m not related to any of you?” Ruben asked.
“I didn’t have relations with any of you either,” Conrad added helpfully.
Milo closed his eyes and kissed Rowan harder.
He’d deal with the fallout of his little pissing contest later.
The contest he’d won, by the way. Just to be clear.
He opened his eyes mid-kiss just to send the waitress one last glare, but she was already gone.
Sore loser.