She pulled back, catching her breath, and he rested his forehead against hers, his heart hammering against his chest.
He looked into her eyes, brushing away the tears on her cheeks with his thumbs. “I know I’m not perfect, but I’m going to try to be better about not letting my insecurities get the better of me,” he told her.
“Theo, you are perfect,” she said, “you’re perfect for me. You’re my favorite person in the whole world. I can’t live without you.”
“I can’t live without you either,” he said. “I know you believe in fairy tales, and you deserve a prince or a knight in shining armor, and I’ll be that for you because our storyisa fairy tale. We’ve always been written for each other, since the very beginning, first as friends and now as something more.” He kissed her again. “Lavinia, I love you completely and totally, in every way that a person can love. You’re my best friend and my lover and my partner and my soul mate and my match—you’re the reason I live!”
“Really?” she asked, eyes wide. She reached for his hands, entwining their fingers as she smiled. He smiled back at her.
“Really. Even when I was uncertain about the future, there was one thing I was always certain of when I thought of what was to come, and that was you,” he said. She released a long breath, stepping forward to hug him. All the tension left his body as he held her against him, one hand in her hair and the other on her back as her hands slid up his shoulder blades.
“I’m sorry for being scared and running away,” she said,pulling back to look up at him again. “You’re everything to me. If I don’t have you, I don’t have anything. I love you so much. And you’re wrong—I don’t need a prince, or a knight in shining armor, or a lord. I just need you, my best friend, Theo, exactly as you are, exactly as you’ve always been. To me, you’re enough. You’re more than enough, and you always have been.”
Then it was his turn to get teary-eyed, though they were both smiling as well as crying. He pulled her in for another kiss, then scooped her up princess-style.
She giggled against his mouth, and he carried her to his room, gently setting her down on the bed. It had only been two days, but he had missed her keenly.
She looked up at him from under dark lashes, pulling him on top of her, and the feel of her body beneath his was a wondrous relief, like finally he was back where he belonged.
Desire spread through him, and he kissed her harder. She made a desperate sound and opened her mouth against his, her hands tugging at his clothes. They undressed each other until they were both bare.
He slipped his tongue into her mouth as they kissed, his hands moving across her skin, feeling every soft curve and contour, tasting every shudder and gasp. She twined her hands into his hair, wrapping the locks around his fingers, their lips fused as he settled over her.
They moved together, holding on as if they would never let each other go again.
Epilogue
The 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 aglass 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.
