I wanted to fall asleep like that every night for the rest of my life.
I pulled my knee-length silk robe on to cover myself and tiptoed to Noah’s room. Cracking the door as quietly as possible, my gaze drifted to the crib.
Empty.
Shoving the door open in a rush, I burst into the room, ready to yell for Miranda. I allowed her to help me with Noah during the day, when I was too tired to care for him. But at night, that precious little baby was all mine.
I hurried toward the crib, my heart lodged in my throat.
“What are you doing, mate?” Roark’s low voice stopped me cold.
Whirling, I turned to find him in the rocking chair next to the bay window, our son lying contentedly in his arms, drinking from a bottle. “Roark? What are you doing?”
“Feeding my son.” His face was so relaxed, so serene. I’d never seen that expression on his face before. He looked up at me with a soft smile. “You should be asleep, mate. You need rest, and I know my demands on you were too much. Return to bed. Noah is content, as am I. We are learning one another.”
I watched, shocked, as Noah’s little hands drifted to his father’s chin. Roark dipped his head so Noah could grab his nose, his lips, his beard. Noah’s eyes were wide open and curious as he drank from the bottle. A second bottle sat in the warmer next to the crib, as he was generally a very hungry little boy.
“He’ll drink both bottles,” I told him.
“Greedy, are you?” Roark didn’t lift his head from his son. They were gazing into each other’s eyes in a mutual love-fest that made my heart ache so badly I lifted my hand to my chest and rubbed the area. Tears gathered against my will, slipping silently from my eyes to slide down my cheeks in the darkness.
I used my sleeve to wipe them away and that action caught Roark’s attention. “Are you unwell, Natalie?”
“No. I’m perfect.” I sniffed then, because the tears were starting to back up and making my nose run.
Roark grinned. “Come here.”
I went to them, to my boys, and felt like a kid at Christmas as Roark shifted Noah to the side and made room for me on his lap. I crawled onto him, leaned my head on his chest and listened to his heart beating.
Roark settled Noah half on my lap, half on his chest, his strong arms keeping us both safe and warm.
“I love you, Roark.” The words burst from me and I couldn’t hold them back. This moment was the best of my entire life. And all of it was due to the man who held me, my matched mate. I’d have to thank Warden Egara when I saw her again.
“You are my heart and soul, Natalie. You and our son. A few days ago, I was a tortured, lost man. You are a miracle. You made me whole again.”
Noah finished the bottle in record time, burping like a world-class champion before settling against us and drifting back to sleep. Normally, he wanted both bottles, a few minutes of play, and then, after a couple hours, would finally settle back down for another two or three hours of sleep.
But Roark sang to him, a strange, haunting melody I’d never heard before. The words of the song were about stardust and moonlight, singing birds and sleep. I assumed it was a Trion lullaby, one I would learn.
“When are we going home?” I asked.
Roark stilled and I heard his breath catch. “You are ready to return to Trion?”
Smiling, I lifted my hand to touch Noah’s soft cheek as he slept. “Of course. You can’t stay here. Don’t you run a whole continent or something? Your people need you.”
“Your home is beautiful, Natalie. I wasn’t sure…”
It was my turn to stiffen. “Sure about what? You don’t want us to come home with you?”
“Without question.” When I did not respond, Roark continued. “Look at me.”
Predawn light filtered into the room. It was still dark, in a shadowy gray, but I could see him well enough to know his eyes had gone dark with an emotion I could not name.
“I will not leave Earth without you, mate. You are mine. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” I knew I belonged to him. My body, sore in all the right places, knew it, too.
“But we can take some time, if you prefer. I calculated the time difference as you slept. We can spend weeks here, if that would make you happy and it will only be a day or less on Trion. I left Seton in charge. He is a good and capable leader. We do not need to rush, mate. I want you to be happy, to be ready.”