“Always,” she promised.
Lyros kissed her softly then left her to take his shower.
With a smile curving her lips, she closed her eyes and prepared herself for what she knew would be the sweetest dreams she’d ever had.
Epilogue
One Month Later
Lyros looked around the nursery and marveled at how much his mate had accomplished since they’d returned a week ago. He’d requested the staff bring his baby bed and cradle out of storage, had ordered them cleaned, and then placed them in what would be the nursery. Somehow, Roux had managed to have the walls stained, the floors polished, and the rest of the furniture was now in place. He touched a finger to the wind-up mobile over the bed and smiled as the little multi-colored dragons bounced as it spun.
Roux had explained about fairytales. Maidens, dragons, knights… She’d found a baby store in Paris that had everything she needed to make a fairytale bedroom for the baby, and she’d bought every last item. Except the lamp, as it wouldn’t have been able to plug in. Although, he had his technology people working on converting the outlet on Roux’s laptop to something that would function on Tourmalane. By the end of their trip, she’d started writing stories on the little contraption and he wanted her to be able to continue. And hopefully someone could figure out how to extract them when she was finished.
He looked around the room, smiling at the castle shaped rug with a dragon curled around it. There were stuffed toys of all sorts gracing the shelves of a tower shaped bookcase she’d insisted she had to have. There was a dragon toy box that was filled with the appropriate toys for a child up to a year old. Lyros could tell that when the baby outgrew all of these things, another trip to Earth would be in order so Roux could restock.
“Shouldn’t you be at the healer’s right now?” Lucie asked from the doorway. “Isn’t Roux’s exam this morning?”
“She said she wanted to do this part alone. But if there’s anything wrong with the baby, I’m to be notified immediately. Otherwise, Roux said she has an entertaining way to tell me whether we’re having a boy or a girl.”
Lucie smiled. “Sounds like she’s wanting to have a little fun. Can’t say that I blame her. Drexyl was present when we found out we were having a girl, but maybe I should have made him wait.”
Lyros snorted. “Yes, because keeping my brother from your side while you were pregnant was doable. I’m surprised he let you go to the bathroom by yourself.”
Lucie shrugged. “You seem to be more laid back with Roux. Are you excited about the baby?”
“Yes, but I don’t want to smother her either. Roux was very independent on Earth before the abduction. Her free will was taken from her and she was abused. While she’s blossomed since our mating, I’m sure there are wounds that will take time to heal. She puts on a good show of being strong, and I know she is, but you don’t just bounce back from being sold to a brothel.”
“I think she may surprise you. I’ve watched her, and the young woman you brought here that first day is nothing like the Roux who dances down the halls now. You love her and she loves you, and that love has healed her. Maybe just knowing that she was wanted and cared for was enough to heal her.” Lucie smiled. “Just know that she’s happy here, Lyros, and she’s very excited about this baby.”
“I wish I could give her Paris again. She truly loved it there, and I did as well. Perhaps if the trip between our worlds was ever shortened, if there was guaranteed safety when we left Tourmalane, I would consider keeping a home there and going once a year, staying for a month or two with the family.”
Lucie shrugged. “Who knows what the future will bring? Maybe by the time the baby gets here, something like that will be possible. Until then, just show her all the wonders of Tourmalane. It’s an incredible planet and I’m sure she’ll enjoy seeing it through your eyes.”
Lyros walked over to Lucie and gave her a hug. “You always know what to say.”
“Why don’t you go get some work done? I’ll send Roux to your office when she returns. Don’t you have some blueprints or something to look over from the inventors? I heard the Keshpans came up with something new and were really excited about it.”
Lyros nodded and took his leave. His office was a disaster and he knew he needed to organize the mess soon, before everything on the desk ended up on the floor. Already he had several stacks of papers on the floor, and some on the chairs and other flat surfaces in the room. It took a great deal for him to focus on the task at hand, but he eventually made some leeway in the piles on his desk, including the papers from the Keshpan inventors. They had some good ideas, and Lyros was more than happy to fund their research.
Time passed and the sun began to set. He was worried that he hadn’t heard from Roux, but the fact the healer hadn’t contacted him was good news at least. The male had promised to call the moment he discovered there was a problem with the pregnancy, so as that Earth saying went, no news was good news. He’d never understand it quite as well as he did in that moment.
There was a light knock at his door and he looked up, smiling in relief when he saw Roux leaning against the doorframe, a basket in one hand and a blanket in the other. She wasn’t wearing the same clothes as earlier. The dress she had on was molded to her curves and swished around her knees.
“You look beautiful,” he said, coming around the desk and heading toward her.
“I thought we could picnic in a special place. I’ve been assured we won’t be bothered while we’re there.”
He smiled. “And where is this special place?”
“The bank of the crystal lake on the palace grounds, or more specifically, the droopy looking tree beside it.”
“You mean the purple one that looks similar to those Weeping Willows you have on Earth?”
“Yes, that one.” A smile curved her lips. “Are you ready for the sunset and a picnic?”
Lyros took her hand and closed his office door. There was a bounce in Roux’s step as they walked through the palace and across the grounds to the lake. It was a rather large body of water, for his world, and there was a small waterfall nearby. He wasn’t sure she’d seen that part yet, but if she wanted the tree, they would eat by the tree.
When they reached their destination, she spread out the blanket with his help and unloaded the picnic basket. He watched her with interest as they ate, wondering when she was going to tell him how her appointment went with the healer. Several times he wanted to ask, but he refrained, trying to be patient and wait until she was ready to share her news. He searched their meal for any clue as to whether the baby was a boy or girl, but if there was a signal, he’d missed it.
They finished eating and Roux put their leftovers back into the basket. Roux picked up the blanket, parted the branches of the tree, and spread the blanket out near the trunk. Lyros watched her with amusement as she straightened the corners and got everything just the way she wanted it. She finished fussing over the blanket then stood and faced him, her hands twisting the hem of her dress as if she were nervous.
“So, you know I went to the healer today,” she said softly. “He did a lot of tests to make sure everything was fine with the baby, gave me some shots to make sure I’m strong enough to carry a Tourmalane child.”
Lyros frowned. “Shots? Is there something wrong? Is he worried you won’t carry the baby to term?”
“No, everything is fine. He said that because of my upbringing on Earth, and the way I was treated during my abduction, my body is weaker than Lucie’s had been. He just wanted to make sure that everything would go as planned and there wouldn’t be any nasty surprises waiting for us.”
“And he said you’re fine?” Lyros asked.
“Yes, I’m perfectly fine. I need one more set of injections in another month and then he said I should be ready for whatever may come.” Her hands clenched and unclenched. “And he also shared some other news with me. I know what we’re having.”
Lyros felt his heart thump in his chest. “And
? Is it a boy? A girl?”
“You’ll have to undress me to find out.” She gave him a secretive smile. That smile had nearly gotten them in trouble in Paris when she’d wanted to make love at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, and he’d damn near given in. Thankfully, he’d come to his senses at the last moment, and not two minutes later, a policeman had walked by.
Lyros’ fingers itched to remove the dress she’d put on for their meal. She looked fetching in it, but he knew she looked even better out of it. He slowly gathered the material in his hands and lifted it over her head. As he dropped it to the blanket, his brow furrowed. She’d put on one of those strapless things called a bra and some panties she’d purchased on Earth, but he was confused over the colors she’d chosen. The bra was pink and the panties were blue.
“I don’t understand.”
“Pink is generally a girl color on Earth, and blue is for boys.”
His brow furrowed even more. “But you’re wearing both colors.”
She took his hand and knelt on the blanket, drawing him down beside her. Lyros sank onto his knees and stared at the scraps of cloth trying to make sense of what she was saying. If she was a wearing a color for each, then…
“It’s twins,” she said softly. “We’re having both a girl and a boy.”
His eyes widened as he stared at her mostly flat stomach in wonder. He reached out and caressed her softly. “A boy and a girl?”
“Are you happy? The healer said twins weren’t common on your world and I worried that you might not be happy about it.”
Lyros leaned down and kissed her belly before claiming her lips in a searing kiss. His tongue plundered the depths of her sweet mouth as his palm cradled the small bump above her panties. He’d thought that Roux was a gift, a blessing from the gods, but now he was even more blessed than before. Twins! Two babies at once… it was shocking, but he was more than happy with the news.
“My sweet, beautiful mate. I thought you’d given me the world when you consented to be mine, but now I discover you’ve given me an even greater gift. I will cherish our son and daughter, and I know that the kingdom will rejoice in their birth.”
“Then I think we should celebrate before you tell everyone else. This may be the last time we get any alone time for a while.”
Lyros couldn’t have agreed more, and as the suns set and bathed their world in oranges, pinks, and purples, he made love to the woman who completed him, the mother of his children, and the mate of his heart. It had been fate that took him to that floating brothel the day he’d found Roux, and he would be forever grateful that she’d come into his life.
Dedication
For my grandmother, who always called weekly to ask what I was working on now, who cheered me on as rankings rose and fell, and who always believed that one day I’d achieve all of my writing goals. She will be forever missed, and never forgotten.
Jessica Coulter Smith
Award-winning author Jessica Coulter Smith has been in love with the written word since she was a child writing her first stories in crayon. Today she’s a multi-published author of over seventy-five novellas and novels. Romance is an integral part of her world and spills over from her professional life into her personal one. When she went on that first date with her husband, she never expected to hear the words “Marry me” pop out of his mouth -- and judging by the shocked look on his face, he hadn’t meant to say them either. But, being the hopeless romantic that she is, Jessica said yes and they’ve been married since 2000.
Jessica firmly believes that love will find you at the right time, even if Mr. Right is literally out of this world. She’s often gazed at the stars and wondered what, or who, else might be out there. Who’s to say that hunky model on the hottest romance bestseller isn’t really from some far off galaxy? Maybe that blue Martian you saw at Halloween wasn’t really in costume. After all, there’s an awful lot of space out there for us to be the only ones living in it. Jessica loves to hear from her readers! You can follow her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jessicacoultersmithauthor/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/kitcatjms.
Visit her website: http://www.jessicacoultersmith.com. Want to be notified of new releases or special discounts? Sign up for her newsletter! http://eepurl.com/bwPvbT. Find more books by Jessica Coulter Smith at http://www.changelingpress.com/author.php?uid=144.
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