Page 66 of The Accidental Dragon Baby

“Stop snooping around in my things!” Ace yelled.

When there came no more sounds, Ivo sat Mary in her high chair and gave her a small plastic bowl of eggs. Then he gingerly picked up the scroll that Harvey had dropped.

Feeling as though he were committing a crime, Ivo tiptoed to the kitchen window to make sure Ace and Harvey were out of sight. He quietly untied the ribbon, and unraveled the scroll.

Ace’s handwriting was large and heavy, his words written in black ink.

Sweetest meringue heart, one day your soul and my soul will dance to the music of honking fart trumpets and we will step on each other’s toes as we dance in the moonlight.

Scarcely had Ivo finished reading, when Ace swore loudly. “Fuck! Where did you put that scroll?”

“I dropped it!” Harvey sang.

“Holy fucking crabsticks!” Footsteps thumped.

Ivo hurriedly shoved the scroll into the nearest drawer, shutting it right as the backdoor banged open.

Ace looked around wildly. “Where’s the scroll?”

Ivo blinked, but his heart thumped. “What scroll?”

Ace narrowed his eyes. “You know what scroll. It—It was a piece of pink paper.”

Ivo’s cheeks began to burn.

Ace stalked closer, his eyes glowing red.

It shouldn’t have been hot, maybe. But Ace had flashed his eyes at Ivo several times by this point, mostly in bed. Ivo had learned to grow wet at the sight.

“You know where it is,” Ace murmured.

Ivo couldn’t help glancing at the ribbon he’d set aside. Mary giggled and grabbed the ribbon, putting it into her mouth.

“Mary!” Ivo snatched it out of her hands, but it only incriminated him even further.

“Sweetheart,” Ace growled. But his eyes were almost pleading. Was he...worried?

“Why are you worried?” Ivo blurted.

“I wasn’t ready for you to read the scroll!” Ace groaned. “Did you think it was terrible?”

“Kind of,” Ivo admitted. Ace buried his face in his hands. “Wait! Don’t—I mean, yes, it was terrible, but I thought it was really sweet too.”

Ace peeked through a crack in his fingers. “You’re not going to run away?”

“I want to see the nest you’re building for me,” Ivo grumbled.

Ace took several slow breaths. “All right.”

Ivo’s heart leaped. “Really?”

“Yes. C’mon, grab Mary.” Ace waited for Ivo to scoop Mary back into his arms. Then he swept Ivo off his feet and walked out of the kitchen.

Outside, birds fluttered in the tall grass and trees. The shopping cart caught up with them, before getting stuck when it tried to follow them into the grass.

“Here,” Ace rumbled, grabbing the cart with his other arm.

“We should name it,” Ivo said quietly. “It has stuck with us through all the shopping trips.”

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