“May I hold her now?”
“Yes!” Eagerly, she handed the baby to him and watched with adoration as he pressed his lips to the top of her head.
“She’s perfect,” he sighed. “Just like you.” A smile curved Sage’s lips and filled her eyes.
“You’re a natural,” she murmured. “Fatherhood suits you.”
“You think so?” He chuckled. “Because I have this overwhelming protectiveness enshrouding me right now, like I would rip the face off anyone who looked at her funny.”
“Matin?” Sage asked.
“Matin? No, I mean our… Oh…” Cruz paused and looked at her. “You still want to name her Matin?”
“It’s French for morning, remember? Didn’t we agree that we’re going to have a new beginning with her?”
“But… that was before, wasn’t it? When we thought he was gone?”
Sage met his gaze and shook her head. “If I learned anything over the past few months, it’s that we need to appreciate what we have when we have it. We don’t need to wait to celebrate those we love, do we?”
Understanding flooded Cruz’s face, and he nodded in agreement, his eyes darting back down to his newborn’s pink face.
“You’re absolutely right,” he conceded.
“I usually am,” Sage teased. “You should listen to me more often.”
“Noted,” he laughed, gently kissing her forehead. “I’ll never argue with you again, Sage.” Her smile faded slightly, and she met his eyes lovingly.
“I don’t care if you argue with me every damned day,” she breathed. “As long as you don’t ever leave me again.” Cruz chuckled, and the new family cuddled together.
“Haven’t you heard?” he murmured. “Even demons can’t keep us away.”
Epilogue
The Palace of Ara was alight with candles and lights, lining the docks to greet the endless array of yachts and sailboats which had come to join in the festivities.
“This is surreal,” Sage muttered. “I keep expecting someone to jump out of the bushes and whisk me away with a bag over my head.”
“The sheik is dead, Sage,” Cruz reminded her. “The palace is ours now. You have nothing to fear anymore.”
Matin waved at her parents from the lawn, where she was dancing with several other small children, laughing and squealing in sparkling clothes.
“She looks like a little princess, doesn’t she?” Sage said wistfully.
“It’s in her blood to be one,” Cruz reminded her. “She’ll love it here.”
“You will, too,” Ara murmured in Sage’s ear, and the redhead whirled to stare at her mother-in-law. “You will learn to love it here.”
“Oh…” Sage laughed nervously, unsure of how true that was. “I’m not sure how much I’ll be here. I’ve been thinking about going back to school. The CEO of Northeastern Airlines is going to be hosting some seminars, and I’d like to pick her brain about starting a company of my own.”
Ara touched her arm gently and steered her aside, a serene grin on her face.
“Excuse us, Cruz. Girl chatter,” she said, and Sage looked at him helplessly. “You don’t mind that I borrowed you, do you, Sage?” Ara asked sweetly.
“No,” Sage lied. “Of course not.” While she would never admit it aloud, she found her mother-in-law intimidating, despite her calm demeanor.
“Sage, you are a smart woman,” she began. “A good woman. You make my son happy.”
“He does the same for me, Ara,” Sage said. Was it going to be the lecture where Ara threatened to break her legs if she hurt Cruz?
“You have the world at your fingertips, Sage. You are beautiful, intelligent, and you have all the money you will ever need.”
Sage bristled. “I would still like to work, Ara. I have no intention of teaching my daughter that she should sit around and be waited on hand and foot.”
Ara burst into a round of tinkling laughter which reverberated across the courtyard and bounced back toward her sons, who stared at them curiously.
“You misunderstand me, child,” Ara purred, leaning in, her dark eyes flashing with amusement. “I am telling you precisely the opposite.” Sage blinked uncomprehendingly at her, waiting for Ara to elaborate. “It is us females who rule the world, dear,” she breathed, linking her arm through Sage’s and leading her further into the palace walls. “Whether the men want to admit it or not.”
The conversation was taking a turn toward the bizarre. Ara had married a sheik with two other wives. Who was she to discuss feminism with Sage?
Ara laughed, as if she had read her mind.
“You think that I am not an authority on the subject because of our customs,” she chuckled. “And I understand your reasoning, but I will tell you this one piece of advice, if you’ll take it.”
Sage looked at her expectantly.
“If there ever comes a time when you need to choose between saving your children or saving your husband, you must always choose the former.” Her face hardened, and Sage felt a chill of apprehension as she studied the exotic features. “Do you understand?” she questioned, and Sage nodded, not trusting her own voice.
As quickly as it had come on, the darkness faded from Ara’s face, and she guided Sage back toward her husband, who still stared at them, perplexed.
“Our males are always replaceable, child,” Ara continued in a low voice. “But our children are not.” With that, she left Sage with Cruz and wandered away to join the party guests who had come to celebrate the twins’ birthday.
“What was that about?” Cruz asked, his confusion palpable.
“I-I’m not sure,” Sage replied honestly. “But I think your mother just gave me permission to kill you if need be.”
Cruz howled with laughter, and Sage formed a weak smile. On the inside, though, she was wondering if her mother-in-law had been trying to warn her of what was coming up ahead. She cast Cruz a sidelong look and tried to find some semblance of his father in his dark eyes, but she could see nothing.
He’s no more his father than I am mine, Sage thought, looping her fingers through his and dropping her head against his chest, listening for his heartbeat. Overhead, an airplane flew by and their eyes darted upward to take it in.
“Do you suppose that there are two mates on that plane?” Cruz asked.
“You’re a hopeless romantic,” Sage teased with a laugh, and he kissed her neck.
“You made me into one,” he replied.
“Are you complaining?” He met her eyes intently and shook his head earnestly.
“No. I have absolutely no complaints.”
The sincerity in his face was all she needed to reconfirm her deepest feelings. They were mates, and nothing in the universe would ever come between them.
* * *
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Juniper Hart is a romance writer from the Midwest, who loves telling the insta-love tales of werewolves, dragons, and other paranormal heroes. She specializes in sweet and short alpha romances that always promise a happily ever after.
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