Page 61 of Her Dragon Daddy Disaster
“I’ve, um …” I stopped, shaking my head, glad Jakub was beyond distracted as he kept looking at the ground far below us.
Levi waited patiently for me to finish.
It was hard. I was supposed to be this badass Secret Service agent type. Not afraid of anything. So, how did I admit to him I was terrified of meeting his family—oranyone’sfamily for that matter?
“Just because they’re dragons doesn’t mean it’s any different than meeting other family,” Levi added when I didn’t speak up.
I ground my teeth together briefly. “You see, that’s just it.”
“Just what?”
Again, I couldn’t put it out there.
“Sarah …”
“I’ve never done this before, okay!” I shouted, starting to throw both arms in the air in frustration, then thinking better of it.
“Never done … what?”
“Met someone’s family before,” I said, moaning uncomfortably, wanting nothing more than to bury my head in the sand and ignore the world around me.
A ripple of surprise ran down Levi’s dragon spine. He took a moment to reply.
“Like, ever?” he pushed. “Not one boyfriend’s family?”
“No. I never really had boyfriends.” Why was it so hard to admit that?
“Well, don’t worry. You’re going to do fine with me,” Levi said. “Just be yourself.”
We were descending by then. I swallowed nervously as a large country house resolved itself ahead. Judging by the straight line we took toward it, I figured that was our destination.
“Did you tell them we were coming?” I asked, noting the gathered crowd. “I thought you said it would be a small thing?!”
“This is small!” Levi said, setting down gently.
“There’s like twenty-five people over there,” I hissed at him. “That is notsmall!”
“Usually, we’re fifty plus,” he said. “Big gatherings are a hundred, easily.”
“A hundred?” I squeaked.
“I have a big family. Now, come on. Off you get.”
Jakub, for his part, was already struggling to worm free and explore. “Come on, Mommy. Let’s go!” he said.
You can do this. You can do this. You can do this.
As it turned out, Levi was right. His mother, Yolandi, was an absolute treasure of a woman. As short as his father, Darhell, was tall, she moved with efficient, bustling grace.
I smiled to myself as we sat and talked about nothing and the world, recalling the way her face lit up at the sight of Jakub. The first of her grandsons.
“You’re very accepting of us,” I said as we sat in chairs, alone for the moment. “Jakub and me, I mean.”
“You brought me a grandson,” Yolandi said, brown eyes glowing as her large mouth curved upward in a giant smile. “My first.”
“I know,” I said. “But that’s not what I mean.”
The tiny woman’s face hardened into something more serious, the carefully sculpted eyebrows furrowing slightly. “You’re talking about being human.”
