Percy leaned against Bronx’s side, their son in her arms, as she watched Violet play with her cousins on the grass.

It’d become a tradition for the Wells family to all gather at least twice a month for either a big dinner or a picnic. The weather was warm again, and it felt good to have the sun on her face, even if she was exhausted. Phoenix was teething, and that meant Mr. Fussypants kept her up at all hours.

Her dragon sighed. And he used to be such a well-behaved baby.

Her son had slept through the night earlier than most, according to Bronx. And in a way, she’d been glad of it.

Motherhood had been both amazing and hard. When she’d first held Phoenix, she’d burst into tears—because she’d finally met her little one and because she couldn’t imagine ever giving him up, like her mother had done with her.

Thank goodness for Bronx and his steady presence. Most of the time, she barely had nightmares or bad memories take over. But if they did, her mate was always there, her rock, never complaining about how she was still a little bit damaged.

Her dragon huffed. We’re not. We’re bloody brilliant.

You always say that.

Because it’s true.

Bronx nuzzled the top of her head as he fixed the blanket around Phoenix. “Penny for your thoughts?”

“I’m just hoping Phoenix will start sleeping like a rock again.”

“This won’t last long, love. Enjoy it. Because once he starts running around, that’s when the true exhaustion begins.”

She eyed her mate. “That sound ominous.”

“Well, given how old and decrepit I am, you’ll be the one running after him.”

He winked, and she laughed. They often teased each other about their ages, but she knew in truth it didn’t matter. Bronx was her true mate and best friend; no one else would ever come close.

She tilted her head. “Hm, well, if you’re too tired for that, then I doubt you’ll have the energy for me to ride you until you groan.”

He nipped her ear. “Minx.”

She grinned. “And you love me anyway.”

He cupped her cheek, and she leaned into his touch. “Always.”

“And I love you, even when you have to go away and help other clans with rescue plans.”

Bronx had grown more and more comfortable in his teaching and strategic role with fire and emergency rescues. All of the dragon clans in the UK, and even Ireland, wanted his help, when possible.

Although Percy was greedy and would always miss him when he was gone, no matter how much good he was doing.

He kissed her slowly and carefully, so as to not wake their son, and she finally pulled back to say, “But you promised to help with the next camp for human and dragon children. Are you still able to?”

He nodded. “Barring any major emergency, I’ll be there.”

It was to be her first time as the head camp organizer. Percy had found that she worked well with children and liked planning activities for them, almost as if she could relive her missed childhood through watching their joy and experiences.

She was about to kiss her mate again when Violet ran up to them. She sighed dramatically. “I swear, you two are never going to stop kissing all the time, are you?”

Bronx put an arm around Percy’s shoulders and grinned. “Nope.”

Violet rolled her eyes and looked at Percy. “Can I tear you away from my dad long enough to convince my cousins that badminton is just as brilliant as football?”

Mark—her sister-in-law Sarah’s son from her first marriage—ate, breathed, and dreamed football. She wondered if he also slept with the black-and-white ball in his arms at night.

Percy was one of the few adults he listened to without too much grumbling, probably because she’d roped in his help with the last few human-dragon camps. The boy liked being busy and in charge.

She gently maneuvered Phoenix into Bronx’s arms and held her breath a second. But their son merely snuggled against his father’s chest and conked out again.

After kissing her mate and then her son, she stood and threaded her arm through Violet’s. “Right, let’s see what I can do.”

Soon Percy was playing badminton as Violet’s partner against Mark and his stepdad, Hudson. The boy forgot all about his protests and played as if his life depended on it.

When she and Violet won—just barely—they all headed toward the picnic laid out on a large blanket.

As she approached, her son stirred and put his arms out toward her. She picked him up, kissed his cheek, and balanced him on her hip.

And as everyone settled down and battled for the food—the Wells family apparently always battled for food when all together—Percy laughed, ate, and played with her son, stepdaughter, and nephews. She couldn’t wait until her niece, Hudson and Sarah’s daughter, would finally be able to play and even the ratio of females to males a little bit.

When Percy finally leaned against her mate’s side again, her son in her lap and her stepdaughter at her side, she recognized how lucky she was. The female who’d once been alone, so very alone, was now surrounded by more love than she knew what to do with.