Emmeline turned to see the baker entering from the front door, his girlfriend tucked into his coat. Lavinia wore a huge scarf wrapped around her face with fluffy pink earmuffs and thick-soled boots, giving some height to her short frame, though her boyfriend still towered over her.
Saphira waved, and the couple came over.
“Ohmygoodness, who is this?” Lavinia asked, crouchingdown to Motu. He looked curiously at her earmuffs, and Lavinia took them off, sticking them on Motu’s head. The baby dragon was displeased, trying to get the earmuffs off.
“Babysitting for my brother,” Emmeline explained, as Lavinia took her earmuffs back.
“Aw, fun!” Lavinia said, standing up. “I miss babysitting.”
“I remember you watched your mom’s friend’s dragon for a bit!” Saphira said.
Lavinia nodded, tucking her straight hair behind her ear. “Biter. I miss that cutie-pie.”
“We just saw her last week,” Theo said, and Lavinia rolled her eyes.
Theo smiled, kissing Lavinia’s temple, eliciting a smile from her as well. Though they had only been dating for a year, they had been best friends since childhood, and Emmeline loved how comfortable they were with one another, as if they were made from the same clay. Her heart ached.
“You’re welcome to take this rascal off my hands,” Emmeline joked. Motu looked up at her with betrayal in his purple eyes. “I’m kidding!” she told him, reaching down to smush his face in her free hand. “You’re my little cutu.”
“Motu was Torch’s egg, wasn’t he?” Saphira asked, and Emmeline nodded.
Lavinia gasped. “That means you’re a grandma,” Lavinia said. “Because Torch is your baby, and Motu is Torch’s.”
Emmeline gave Lavinia a threatening look. “I’m going to pretend like I didn’t hear you just say that, Lavinia,” she said.
“Oops!” Lavinia hid in Theo’s side, and he wrapped his arms around her, hiding her in his coat. Saphira laughed, as another joined their group.
“Having fun without me?” Ginny asked, her baby dragon flying at her side.
“Hey!” Emmeline hugged her youngest cousin hello as Fang went down to knock heads with Motu.
“Motu, share with Fang,” Emmeline said, but the baby dragon gathered his naan chips into his arms, hiding them behind his wings. Fang snarled. Motu jumped, alarmed, then spread his wings open, pushing the chips forward. Fang munched on one.
“Looks like Fang is a little bully just like his mama,” Emmeline joked.
Ginny smiled, taking that as a compliment. “The whole gang is here?” she asked. “Here I was thinking I was special.”
“We’re just missing Aiden,” Saphira replied. She bit back a giggle, and Emmeline raised a brow, suspicious. Saphira was particularly glowing today, lit from within with some sort of happiness that seemed extraordinary.
Saphira caught Emmeline’s expression and, just as Emmeline opened her mouth to ask, Saphira blurted out the news.
“I’m pregnant!” As soon as the words were out, Saphira gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. The rest of them were silent with shock.
Then Aiden came in from the back, snowflakes in his dark hair and on his coat. Saphira’s eyes were wide. Aiden took one look at his wife and started laughing, shaking his head. “She told you, didn’t she?” he asked, brushing the snow off his coat before wrapping an arm around her.
“Oops.” Saphira canoodled into his side, sheepish, but Aiden only grinned. The rest of them erupted incongratulations, giving hugs and kisses. Fang and Motu were unsure what was happening, but they watched with pleased expressions.
“I had a whole set-up outside in the garden,” Aiden said, when the first round of congratulations was over.
“I know, I’m sorry!” Saphira said. “I couldn’t hold it in any longer.”
Aiden snorted, looking over at the group. “Mind you, we found out three days ago,” he told them.
“Three days is a long time to keep a secret!” Saphira argued.
“It’s very early, so we’ve only told my parents and now you guys,” Aiden said. “If you can be discreet. Particularly at family dinner later this week—don’t need the entire extended family to know just yet.”
“You only told Ginny now?” Emmeline asked, offended on her behalf, and Ginny smiled.
