Loved by the Dragon (Stonefire Dragons 4.50)

Evie snuggled into his side. “I’m so happy right now that I might start crying again. Just warning you.”

As Bram sat with his new family, his heart nearly burst with happiness. And, bloody hell, his eyes were misty. “Cry all you want, love. Having you alive along with my two children is making my eyes wet.”

“Bram.”

He merely sat in silence holding his daughter in one arm and his mate and son in the other.

Chapter Six

Two weeks later

Evie adjusted the silky, blue swaddling cloth around Eleanor for the fifteenth time. The bloody thing never seemed to wrap around her daughter as neatly as when Holly or one of the other nurses did it.

Biting her bottom lip, Evie got creative and tied the extra fabric into a bow. “There we go. Mama made you pretty.” Eleanor waved her arms and Evie sighed. “Okay, you look like a poorly wrapped Christmas present, but it’ll have to do. We’ll be late to the celebration if I unwrap you and try again.”

Lifting her daughter into her arms, Evie added another blanket around her baby. The walk to the great hall wasn’t long, but she wasn’t taking any chances.

As soon as she descended the stairs, Bram came to greet her. He wore the traditional dragon-shifter outfit of a solid maroon-colored material held in place around his waist like a kilt and tossed over one shoulder. She spent an extra second studying her handsome mate and Bram chuckled. “I wish I could please my lusty female, but you haven’t healed yet. You’ll just have to undress me with your mind.”

She met his eyes and frowned. “Just because I was admiring your muscled arms doesn’t mean I was thinking about sex. I recently pushed a baby out of my vagina. It’s going to be a short while before I feel in the mood, Bram.”

Bram walked up to her and cupped her cheek. After giving her a gentle kiss, he murmured, “No worries, love. You’re worth the wait.”

Evie blinked back tears and rubbed them away with one arm. “I can’t wait until these bloody hormones are out of my body. You think I would be back in charge of myself by now.”

“I think it’s adorable.” Before Evie could reply, Bram lightly brushed Eleanor’s cheek. “As are you, wee princess.”

She watched Bram coo over their daughter and she let out a contented sigh. “Do we really have to go out tonight? I’m more than happy to stay in with you and our two babies.”

Bram met her gaze again. “Not only do we need to officially present our daughter to the clan, it’s Stonefire’s first combined Christmas and Winter Solstice celebration. Melanie expects you to be there.”

“I had fully intended to be giving birth right about now. Just my luck Eleanor was born two weeks early.”

Bram moved to place an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “Come, love. Presenting a new baby is a big tradition for Stonefire. You don’t have to stay the whole night, but thirty minutes will mean the world to everyone waiting.”

They started walking. “I know. It’s just that I haven’t had a full night’s sleep since we brought Eleanor home. I usually like chatting with the clan members, but I’m crabby and will probably bite their heads off instead.”

Bram paused by the door to pluck Evie’s dark grey cloak off the wall and settled it around her shoulders. “Every parent in attendance will understand.” Bram grinned. “Besides, I know how you love surprises and I have one for you after the ceremony.”

She looked at him askance. “It depends on the surprise.”

“You’ll like this one, I promise.”

Since Bram’s track record with good surprises was about fifty-fifty, Evie wondered what in the world he could’ve done this time. She wasn’t big on presents, as he well knew. There were only a handful of things she truly wanted, and they were mostly people missing from her life.

Then it hit her—there was one person she’d been trying to locate for nearly a year. “Did you find Alice? Is she here?”

Bram nodded toward the door. “Come and find out for yourself.”

Evie hoped it was true. Alice Darby was the only friend she’d had for most of her life. Alice had also been the only one who had understood Evie’s fascination with the dragon-shifters. Yet she’d been unable to get a hold of her friend for far too long. Every day that passed in silence caused Evie’s stomach to twist in fear.

Eleanor snuggled against Evie and it helped to relax her. Looking at her daughter, she whispered, “Okay, I get your hint. You want Daddy to hurry up and tell us about the surprise so you can go back to sleep.”

Bram snorted. “Nice try, Evie.” He pressed against Evie’s lower back. “Come, love. It’s show time.”

With a sigh, Evie tucked Eleanor’s blanket tighter around her tiny body and exited their cottage toward the great hall.

~~~