Leo nodded, understanding the significance of what she wasn’t saying. “Kids have good instincts.”
“Yes,” Estelle agreed, her eyes never leaving his face. “They do.”
They climbed the porch steps together, Leo careful not to crowd her space. Inside, Adara was already dancing impatiently at the foot of the stairs.
“This way!” she called, clutching Fizz to her chest.
“I’m coming,” he called after her.
“The yellow room is mine,” Adara announced, pushing open a door to reveal a small bedroom with buttery yellow walls and a window seat overlooking the forest.
Leo set the boxes down carefully where Adara directed, by the small dresser. “Where would you like these, Princess Adara?”
The little girl giggled at the title. “Right there is perfect.” She immediately opened one box and pulled out a small collection of books. “These go on the window seat,” she informed him seriously.
“Ah, for bedtime reading with Fizz?” Leo asked, helping her arrange the books.
“Yes. Fizz loves stories about dragons and princesses.” Adara lowered her voice conspiratorially. “But mostly dragons.”
“Well, dragons are very interesting,” Leo agreed, matching her serious tone.
He glanced up to find Estelle leaning against the doorframe, watching their interaction with a mixture of tenderness and apprehension. When their eyes met, she quickly looked away.
“I should check the kitchen,” she murmured. “See what supplies we need.”
She disappeared down the hallway before Leo could respond. As her footsteps grew fainter, his determination grew stronger.
Estelle might be determined to keep him at a distance, but Leo wasn’t going anywhere. He would wait, and when she let him, he would help shoulder whatever she was carrying.
Chapter Three – Estelle
What are we doing?Estelle asked her dragon as she stood on the porch and watched Leo.
Our mate,her dragon corrected.
Their mate, carrying in the scant remains of their belongings. Of their old life.
Because that was what it was now. Her old life. A life before she’d run. A life before Bear Creek. A life before their mate.
You’re letting someone in,her dragon replied.
And that is dangerous,Estelle retorted, but the argument sounded hollow. If fate had brought her here, if fate had brought them to him, then maybe...
She shook her head and stepped down from the porch. It was not a decision she had to make right here, right now. There would be time later to mull it over, to pull it apart and examine it from every angle.
Like you always do,her dragon said, not unkindly, though there was an edge there.
It’s how I keep us safe,Estelle said.
I know,her dragon replied, her tone softening.But safe hasn’t always meant happy.
Estelle shook her head as she approached the car.
And our mate.Her dragon certainly enjoyed using that word.
Estelle watched him lift the last box from her trunk—the one containing Adara’s winter clothes—and felt something inside her shift. With each trip between car and cottage, each careful placing of their belongings, Leo moved with a natural ease thatmade her throat tighten. His presence seemed to fill spaces she had not realized were empty.
The hollowness she always carried low in her belly felt... smaller. As if part of her had begun to mend.
