Page 115 of Destined for Dreams
Epilogue
Cori
Christmas Day dawned bright and clear. Cori and Bartol had gotten back from London late the night before, but they’d agreed to sleep in their separate homes so they could get unpacked and settled. He was due to come by for a holiday brunch at noon, which gave her the time she needed to prepare her gift for him. That had been one of the hardest parts about her trip—keeping her big secret. Luckily, Bartol had always gotten up early to meet with his father or take care of some other matter or else he would have surely caught her being sick every morning. As it was, he’d grown suspicious of her numerous trips to the bathroom during the day.
“Cori, are you alright?” her mother asked, knocking on the door.
She finished brushing her teeth. “Yeah. Just a second.”
As much as she loved her mom, she couldn’t wait for her to go home. The remodel would take until the first week of January, according to current estimates, which seemed too far away. Still, Cori did appreciate all the efforts her mother went through to make the new cabin a home. She also wondered why there was a “keep out” sign on one of the bedroom doors. That hadn’t been there when she left, and God only knew what Joy had been up to while she’d had the place to herself for a few days.
“I put the things you asked for on your bed,” her mother said, voice muffled through the door. “You’ve got an hour until brunch is ready.”
“Thanks, Mom!”
Her mother moved away. Cori wrapped her towel around her a little tighter, still wet from the shower, and headed into her bedroom. Sure enough, the things she’d need to prepare Bartol’s Christmas gift were laid out waiting for her. She got dressed first, choosing something comfortable since she had no intention of going anywhere until that night when Melena would be holding a late holiday meal—with Micah cooking this time. Caius had even said he’d be there since he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself yet since the demon was gone. Bartol had told her the nephilim counted on dying in the battle with Haagenti because he’d lost his mate. They’d have to do something to keep the poor guy busy, so maybe he could find some peace.
Just as Cori finished wrapping the gift,, her doorbell rang. She rushed downstairs to the living room to place the package under the tree before going to greet Bartol. He stood on her covered porch, looking sexy as ever. He might resent his burn scars, but she accepted them as a part of him and wouldn’t change him in any way. Right next to him, he had a rocking chair with a red bow wrapped around it.
Cori lifted a brow. “What’s that?”
“Your Christmas gift.”
Her eyes widened. He couldn’t have known about the baby already, could he? “You made that last night?”
“No.” He gave her an amused look. “I built it last month. Lucas and Melena were planning which furniture to get you, and I thought it might fit well in your new cabin. Unfortunately, I was away when they moved everything else inside.”
He’d already been in Europe by that point. She breathed a sigh of relief that it was only a coincidence, and he hadn’t figured out her surprise. Then again, something else struck her as odd. “Wait, you weren’t talking to me back then. Why make me a gift if you were mad?”
His gaze turned intense. “I may have been upset, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t thinking of you, Cori.”
She moved closer to him, and when he didn’t pull away, she hugged him. He held her there for a moment before letting go. “We should get inside.”
Even now, he still had a long way to go before he could handle her touching him for more than a few moments. But after all the progress they’d made recently, she had high hopes.
“Yeah, it’s cold.” She stepped back, making way for him to enter the cabin. “And Mom is almost done with brunch.”
Bartol carried the rocking chair inside and set it near the fireplace. Other than a rug, there wasn’t much else around that area, so the new piece of furniture fit well there. Cori ran her fingertips over the chair for a moment before testing it out.
“This is amazing,” she said, rocking back and forth. “It’s so smooth.”
He smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”
“I guess I should go ahead and give you your gift, but I’m going to tell you now I’m really nervous about whether you’ll like it or not.” She stood, barely able to meet his gaze. “It’s um, not something I planned.”
He drew his brows together. “Should I be worried?”
“Well, uh, we’ll see.”
Cori moved over to the Christmas tree and got the package, handing it over to him. She moved to settle on the couch where she could at least be comfortable while waiting for whatever response he gave her. They might be on much better footing now, but this was going to change things in a huge way between them.
Bartol carefully unwrapped the package. Cori dug her nails into her palms as he opened the box and pulled out the framed picture of the baby’s first ultrasound. He stared at it for a moment. “What is this?”
Of course, it was a little hazy and required somewhat of an experienced eye to make out. She’d wondered if he would recognize it or not, especially considering it was a modern invention. “You might understand better after you read the card.”
He drew it from the box next, opening the cream envelope and pulling the stationery out. She held her breath as he read the words she’d carefully written on the paper:
Congratulations! You’re going to be a father.
