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She took off down the pathway, trying to run despite the fact she was most assuredly not a runner, and loved how, when Blake caught up with her, he snatched her from behind and twirled her a second before putting her down.
As they walked quickly together hand in hand, for once, Dawn merely focused on being happy and pushing her worries aside.
Blake loved catching Dawn and being playful with her. It was something he never would've thought of doing before a human female had shown him how little, pointless games or actions could be so much fun.
Now the question was whether he could do that with Daisy, too, and not have it be weird.
His dragon spoke up. Stop worrying so much. You've seen how parents act with their kids at the various school events you've helped with over the years. Try being less formal, for a start. I don't think Daisy is the type of child to respond well to that.
As if it were as easy as watching kids at a school event. Except this isn't a child we'll see one night and then go home. If she doesn't like us from the beginning, it'll break Dawn's heart.
Then loosen up and win Daisy over.
His dragon had always been the more laidback out of the two of them. No doubt he reveled in the fact he could teach Blake something. You're loving this, aren't you?
His beast snorted. Of course I am. And not just because we have a female of our own now, either. But you might actually have to take advice from me on how to handle Daisy.
He muttered a few words inside his head but didn't get to do more than that because their new home came into view.
It was a two-story cottage with a small garden in the back. While not as isolated as his previous home, it was toward the edge of the main living area. They'd had two choices of houses, but this one was closer to the Atherton place, and he and Dawn had agreed it would be best for Daisy and Freddie.
Dawn squeezed his hand, garnering his attention. "And so our new life begins. Ready for the adventure?"
"More than anything."
Her cheeks flushed, and it made both man and beast happy.
She lightly swatted his side. "Stop with the hyperbole, Blake. Or better yet, save it for your conversations with Daisy. She loves them, and the more over the top, the better. I'm sure before long it'll turn into a contest of sorts between you two."
He wanted to say it wasn't hyperbole but decided to merely nod. After all, he didn't know if Dawn already felt as connected to him as he was to her. "I'm used to giving the facts, but I'll try my best."
She kissed his cheek. "Right, then let's see if Daisy has managed to sweet talk herself into extra cake or if Sasha was able to resist her."
They approached the door, and he noticed the little metal plaque that said, "The Chadwick-Whitbys." Dawn had wanted to keep both names because of her daughter, and he'd hadn't minded.
However, seeing the plaque really made everything real. His new path would start as soon as he stepped inside their home. "Sa
sha must've brought that," he stated.
Dawn bobbed her head. "She did say she had a few surprises for us. It's lovely, isn't it? Now, let's see what else she put together."
They entered the cottage and were instantly greeted with laughter and chatter from the kitchen. Like most homes on Stonefire, they had some soundproofing to keep neighbors and passersby from hearing everything that went on since dragon-shifters had supersensitive hearing.
As soon as they entered the kitchen, Blake smiled at Daisy dancing around the room, performing one of the routines she'd done in the play. When she noticed them, she stopped and grinned. "Mum, there's so much more room here. I can even dance in the kitchen, unlike our place back in Manchester."
He shot Dawn a questioning look, and she shrugged one shoulder. "We've always rented a flat. You'll see when we move everything in a few days."
He'd agreed to visit a city for the very first time to help his new mate and daughter pack and move.
Before meeting Dawn, he would've cringed at the idea. But his mate was human, and his offspring would be half-human, and so he needed to learn more about her world no matter how loud or smelly a big place like Manchester might be for a dragon-shifter.
Daisy jumped in again. "Hey, Mum, can we go see my room now? Mrs. Atherton said we had to wait for you to get here before I could go upstairs. She even hinted that she left a surprise or two inside my room. So can we go now, Mum? Please?"
Dawn smiled. "The three of us will go check it out. If that's okay, Sasha?"
Sasha bobbed her head. "I need Freddie to help me with the sandwiches anyway." She winked. "I'll listen for the squeals."
His dragon spoke up. Okay, now I'm curious, too. Let's hurry. I hope Sasha didn't outdo the gifts we bought for Daisy.
