How to Date a Dragon(99)
Are you kidding me? Bliss strolled over to the tree and plucked a crisp hundred-dollar bill from a low branch. With her mouth hanging open, she swiveled toward Gaia. “You can do that?”
“Of course I can. I’m Mother-freakin’-Nature. If I want a tree to grow puppies, I can make one.”
Bliss was too blown away to speak. Drake ambled over to her and put his arm around her waist. “I have some money saved up to buy us a bigger place. We don’t need to rely on Mother Nature to provide for us.”
Her gaze swept over the tree. It was firmly rooted in the floor. The ceiling was high enough to accommodate several branches, and there must have been thousands of dollars on it.
“I reward my muses. The last one wanted her own gallery on Newbury Street. That wasn’t cheap, either. Believe me.”
Thalia chuckled. “Actually, I think the tree is kind of brilliant. Unless there’s something else you want…”
Bliss stared at Drake and thought hard. At last she said, “I can’t think of anything I want that I don’t already have.”
Drake pulled her into a long, warm hug.
“Aw… that’s so sweet. I’d better go before you attract flies.”
“Wait,” Drake said. “Before you go. If Bliss doesn’t want to be a muse, I don’t want to be immortal.”
Gaia’s jaw dropped.
“I can’t imagine facing eternity without her.”
The powerful goddess threw her hands in the air. “You two are impossible to please.”
“Sorry,” Bliss said. “But thank you for the generous offer.”
“We’re happy just the way we are,” Drake added. He wrapped an arm around Bliss’s waist and gave her a side squeeze.
“Your loss.” Mother Nature folded her arms and disappeared.
Thalia stayed behind.
Bliss leaned in and lowered her voice. “Can she hear us?”
“Only if she wants to, and I doubt she does.”
“Whew. I can’t imagine working for her. She seems so…” Bliss couldn’t come up with the right word.
“Cynical? Snarky? Scoffing? Mocking?” Thalia supplied plenty of appropriate options to choose from.
“Yeah. All of that.”
Thalia shrugged. “You get used to it.”
“Well, I’m used to working for myself, and I like it that way.”
“Are you sure you won’t change your mind? There are so many cool things you could do. Do you like Paris?”
“I’ve never been there.”
One finger snap later, Bliss and Thalia were sitting atop the Eiffel Tower. It lit up the night in multiple colors. Bliss panicked and grabbed on to a steel beam. “What the… ? How did you do that?”
“Simple.” Thalia snapped her fingers and they returned to Drake’s apartment.
He was glancing all around as if wondering where they went. “Sheesh. I was afraid I’d lost you.”
“You’ll never lose me.” Bliss walked into Drake’s open arms. Thalia smiled and said, “I guess you really do have what you want.”
“I really do.”
Thalia winked and disappeared.
“Well, that was… enlightening,” Bliss said.
“Once again, you amaze me.”
“How is that?”
“You stuck to your guns. Even the most powerful goddess on earth can’t beg or bribe you out of your integrity.”
Bliss smiled. “And you impressed me too, lover. Giving up your immortality? For me? Are you sure you want to do that?”
He caressed her arms and gazed into her eyes. “Positive.”
They shared a long, languorous kiss. Their lips parted at the same time, and their tongues sought each other and swirled in perfect synchronization. Bliss’s heart was full.
***
“I have to go to my parents’ house tonight,” Bliss said. “If I don’t get there soon, they’ll send out a Saint Bernard to find me.”
“I imagine they already have the red carpet rolled out for you,” Drake said.
“Uh… maybe. But the party might be over as soon as I deliver some bad news.”
“Bad news? What is it, honey? Maybe I can help.”
“No. I’m afraid you are the bad news.”
“Huh?”
“I have to let my mother know I won’t be producing grandchildren.”
“Oh. I can be there to support you. Maybe if she knows how much I love you… and I’d be fine with adoption.”
Bliss held up one hand. “Stop. That’s why I can’t have you there. You might say something to get her hopes up. I’m not sure if I want kids. We haven’t discussed it yet. All I want to do is tell her not to fix up the nursery. I can do that on my own.”