Chapter Seventy

Poppy.

Two Years Later...

“Please. Please. Please be late.”

I’d never wanted someone to be late more than I did at that moment. Irion was on his way to bring Missy through the portal and nothing was right.

The food I prepared looked dry, the house was a wreck and Jeremiah was crying because I wouldn’t let him eat that moldy piece of food he found from God knows where.

The mini castle, as we called it was perched in the back part of what used to be the forest. It’d taken half a year to get the forest cleared so that we could build. It’d been a stressful time to have a newborn, but now that we were settled into our home, things had fallen into place.

Besides the fact that I had no idea what I was doing. Google wasn’t a thing here, and because I had no interest in having kids prior, my learning experience was day by day.

Thankfully, Melinda had a small what I would call a mother-in-law suite at the other end of the house. I couldn’t have done any of this without her help.

Jeremiah tossed his back out as I lugged him over my shoulder and toward his bedroom. He was currently learning the word no and decided to toss it at me every chance he had.

Not that I blamed him. I’d turned into a stick in the mud since having him. Everything scared me. The portal. The woods. I didn’t know who or what would show at any moment to haunt us.

I put Jeremiah down on a plush rug that I’d been able to snag from Earth on our last visit and attempted to get him dressed.

It was past naptime and he currently wasn’t having it.

Irritation slipped into my veins, but I ignored it and stood up with him in my arms.

His red hair was wild like mine had once been, but that face was the most precious thing I’d ever seen in my life. He had his dad’s face, the emerald orbs, and the dimples on each side of his mouth.

“If you weren’t so cute, I’d throw you away,” I smiled.

“No you wouldn’t,” Melinda said coming in with a basket of eggs. “I’ll trade you. Isn’t Missy coming today?”

I sighed heavily and handed Jeremiah over to Melinda. “It’s nap time,” I said, taking the basket of eggs. “I need a shower before they get here, which should be any minute. I’m nervous to see her and excited.”

Missy had been asking to come visit for the last year. We wanted to have everything ready before she came to see us. Melinda put Jeremiah over her shoulder and patted his butt. “You’ll have tons of fun. I’m sure of it. You go get ready and I'll put him down."

I left Melinda to get Jeremiah down while I put the eggs into the fridge. I yearned for a shower. I had a banana smashed onto my T-shirt and my hair needed to be washed three days ago.

I walked down the hallway and slipped into the master suite. Daegal’s scent was still in the room from when he left that morning. I slipped out of my clothes and tossed them into the laundry basket before turning on the shower.

The waterfall faucet that I begged Daegal to get felt like Heaven on Earth—well, whatever this realm was called.

I washed myself from head to toe and scrubbed my head. I felt like a person when I stepped out of the shower and looked at myself in the mirror.

Things were so different from when I first arrived.

I loved this place now. The people—dragons—and the land. Our ability to work together and the lack of petty trivial things like at the newspaper where I worked.

A smile ghosted my lips at the thought of my old boss.

There had been an article declaring he’d seen a winged devil in his room. Missy saved it for me and had it waiting on my bed when we returned.

I did miss Missy and my parents. We planned to go up soon so they could see Jeremiah. We wanted to give it time so we could lie about his age. I knew it would kill my mother not to have been there for his birth, and we’d have so much explaining to do, but I knew it’d be worth it in the end for them to see Jeremiah.

I put on a soft lounge set and dried my hair.

Several minutes into my attempt at a hairdo the portal thundered at someone’s arrival. Missy was here. I swallowed the lump in my throat, put on some shoes, and went to find her.

The new courtyard was modest compared to the previous one but it had a fountain the children liked to play around. I hurried around the castle and toward the portal. My body shimmered with excitement as I passed the giant oak and found Irion standing there with her.

Missy was holding her head and attempting to steady herself when I saw her.

“Missy!” I shouted.

She looked up, smiled, and attempted to take a step toward me but fumbled. Irion grabbed her elbow to steady her. “Good Lord,” she said. “I’m about to pass out—,”

She covered her mouth and turned away to throw up onto the forest floor.

Irion looked over at me and cringed. “You can go, Irion. Thank you for bringing her.”

He reluctantly left as I walked over and patted her back. Missy stood up and wiped her mouth several minutes later. “Yuck. That was the worst ride of my entire life,” she said.

I laughed and attempted to fix her windblown hair. “It doesn’t get better, no matter what they tell you.”

Missy smiled and wrapped her arms around me. I rested my cheek against her shoulder and inhaled her. As odd as it was, I missed so many things about her, including that fruity scent she always wore.

“I’ve missed you,” I said.

Missy pulled back and brought my hands out beside me. “Look at you. You look amazing. You’re smiling. You're glowing. Where is the baby?” she asked, jumping excitedly.

“He’s at home sleeping. Let me show you around and we’ll go see him shortly.”

Missy fell into step with me. “How’s work?” I asked.

She gave me a look. “You know, after I quit the newspaper and started working for the magazine down the street, life has been great. I ran into your mother at the store the other day,” she said. “She misses you.”

I felt a pinch of guilt in my chest. It wasn’t as if we could tell them. It was a stretch to tell Missy, but my parents wouldn’t be as understanding. I could see them calling the police or the FBI, to be honest.

“I miss them too,” I said. “It’s just …”

“Complicated,” she said.

“Yes, very.”

We walked around the several giant oaks we saved from being cut down and toward the courtyard.

Missy’s eyes widened as she noticed the children and the female dragons chasing them. The nearby hills had all of our farm animals that kept us alive. The warriors were training in the distance where the giant hellhounds had cornered Selena and me.

Selena took Daegal’s offer to be a witch doctor and stayed around. She fit in better than I ever thought she would.

“That’s the courtyard,” I pointed toward the fountain. “This is where we stay. You remember me telling you about the battle? We had a castle there but it was burnt down. All of this is new.”

Missy looked around in awe. “Everything is beautiful,” she said. “It’s so peaceful and calm.”

“So unlike the city,” I said. “I never realized I wanted something like this until now. Until …”

“You met that hunky dragon king of yours? I’m sure he would make a cardboard box feel like home.”

I chuckled. She wasn’t wrong. After he got over his pity party, things fell in line for him. For us.

We went through with his plan on reinventing us and did it. It was … perfect, and better, like Jeremiah said it would be.

“Hey, Tobias!” I shouted, cupping my hand at the passing warrior. “Could you please tell Daegal that Missy has made it and it’s almost time for lunch?”

“Sure thing, Poppy.”

He took a few heavy steps and shot into the air.

Missy watched in amazement as he flew clear across the courtyard toward the warrior’s new cabins.

“That is freaking amazing,” she said, shaking her head. “I mean, mesmerizing.”

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and led her into the house. The casserole I had in the oven early that morning had the kitchen smelling wonderful.

Missy gawked at all of the handmade furniture and handcrafted décor from the older dragons. “This is so beautiful, Poppy.”

She turned to face me. “Can I see Jeremiah?”

“Of course you can. Just be quiet when we walk in because he’s hell if he gets woken up early.”

She followed me down toward the nursery and into the room. Jeremiah was asleep on his back with a sippy cup beside him and his belly hanging out of his shirt.

Missy walked over and placed her palm over her mouth. “Precious,” she mouthed.

We backed out into the hallway and she lunged at me. “He’s precious, Poppy. I can’t wait for him to wake up. I can’t believe how perfect he is. Your hair and Daegal’s face. I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you,” I said taking her hands. “I’m so glad you’re getting to see him.”

“Me, too.”

The front door opened and it hit the opposite wall. My spine stiffened at the sound and I walked down the hallway toward the front door.

I expected to see Daegal, not realizing his own strength but it wasn’t.

It was Stetson.

His eyes weren’t on my angry ones.

They were positioned behind me on Missy.

“Mine,” he said and reality hit me in the stomach.

Missy was the love coming Stetson’s way.