Pia Does Hollywood (Elder Races, #8.6)

Did that statement carry a hint of loneliness in it? Always hypersensitive to the possibility, Pia’s heart clutched at the thought.

So many things served to isolate him. He had so little in common with other children. He was growing up so fast, he couldn’t make lasting friends, and he was the prince of his people, with both unusual dangers and unusual privilege. And as he said, his nature was not like his father’s; Dragos was, at heart, a solitary creature. Liam loved people.

In the next instant, the feeling melted into another warm glow of happiness. If Liam had felt any kind of loneliness at being an only child with such a unique nature, this new little one had already eased it.

Dragos said quietly, “I think you need to leave. Right now, the temps haven’t dropped below freezing, but I want you safely in the air and well away from here before ice develops on the runway. There’s more than an hour left to the movie—you’ll have to watch the rest of it after the trip after all.”

Even though Liam had responded to the news so much better than she had feared that he might, she still felt reluctant to let go of the moment.

Turning back to Liam to search his dark blue gaze, she said, “You can always change your mind and come too, you know. You sure you want to stay here? It’ll be sunny and warm in L.A. And while I can’t promise, we might be able to sneak away for an afternoon at Disneyland, if you want.”

“No,” he said. “I’d like to go to Disneyland someday, but I’d like to go some time when you know you can make the trip. This week, I really want to stay in school. We have a football game on Friday night. I want to play in it, and besides, you said this is the last trip you’re gonna be making for a while. And you’ll be back by next Monday, right?”

“That’s right,” she replied. “I’ll be home on Monday by the time school lets out.”

He shrugged. “Okay. Do you want to watch the rest of the movie with me when you get back?”

“Of course I do.” She leaned over to poke him in the ribs again. “Unless you want to go ahead and finish it tonight, which is okay too. If you watch the rest of it, we can start a new movie when I get back.”

“Okay.” He laughed and squirmed away from her finger. “And hey, maybe by the time you get back, this peanut won’t be hiding anymore.”

“You never know.” She grinned. “Peanuts do tend to have a mind of their own. But you were ‘Peanut’ when you were little. Do you think we need to come up with another nickname to call this one?”

“Nah,” Liam said. “I outgrew that a long time ago, so we can call this one Peanut too.”

She looked sideways away from him, adopting a shifty expression. “Does that mean I get to have your bunny now?”

“No way!” he exclaimed. “Keep your paws off my stuffed animal!”

Laughing, she told him, “I’ll keep my hands off him for now. That’s all I’m going to promise. If you ever feel the need to get rid of him, you know he’s got a home with me.”

“Yeah, I know.” He grinned.

Behind her, Dragos shifted. “Time to get this trip started. The sooner you leave, the sooner we can put this week behind us and move on with our lives.”

Taking his cue, she rolled onto her knees and stood. Liam stood as well.

Pia called out, “Eva!”

After a few moments, Eva appeared in the doorway. “You bellowed?”

“Pia’s ready to leave for the airstrip,” Dragos told her. “Is the Escalade loaded up?”

“It sure is.” Eva bounced on the balls of her feet. “We’re ready to roll as soon as you are.”

He nodded. “Get the car warmed up and wait for us outside, will you? We’ll be out soon.”

“Sure thing.” Eva disappeared down the hall.

Pia turned to Liam. Good gods, he was almost as tall as she was. She said, “Remember …”

He ducked his head with a self-conscious grin. “I know, I know. No unexpected growth spurts while you’re gone.”

She waited a moment when he stopped speaking, then prompted, “And?”

“We’ll Skype every day after school.” He added quickly, “Except for Friday, because there’s the game. And Hugh’s going to tape it, so you can watch it when you get back.”

“That’s what we’re going to do, first thing after school on Monday,” Dragos told him. “We’ll watch it together.”

“Okay!”

Pia watched as Liam hugged Dragos. When he turned to her, she was ready. She threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek. He whispered to her, “I’m so glad I get to have a Peanut too.”

“Me too, darling.” She kissed him again. “I just know he—or she—is going to look up to you and adore you, and want to play with you all the time.”

“I can’t wait. I’ll even learn how to change diapers!” His brows twitched together, and he added, “As long as they’re not poopy.”

She burst out laughing. “Wow, that is excessively good of you.”

He kissed her cheek quickly and stood back. “Have a good trip!”