Page 71 of Destined for Eternity
“You’re welcome,” Cori said, gently taking the child from him. “I’m glad you could be here to see her.”
“As am I.”
He moved to Bartol next. “I will speak with Remiel about transforming the guardian. Hopefully, they will agree, and we can arrange something soon.”
“Good.” He nodded. “Keep me informed.”
After seeing the guests out, Bartol headed up the stairs to find Cori sitting on the bed, breastfeeding Sybil. She stared at the child with her warm, hazel eyes. “She’s so beautiful. I keep thinking this is a dream that I’ll wake up from any moment, and she’ll be gone.”
“No.” Bartol sat at the edge of the bed next to her. “Our daughter is real and you’re an amazing mother.”
“You think so?” she asked, cocking her head.
“Of course.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Kerbasi.” Cori rubbed a gentle hand over Sybil’s tufts of brown hair. “But I knew how you’d react.”
“I’d prefer if you not keep things like that from me in the future.” It bothered him that she’d try hiding something of that nature from him when he had a right to know, yet he also recognized he wasn’t an easy man to handle. There was enough stress with a new baby without adding more.
“I promise.”
The baby was dozing off in Cori’s lap and unlatched from her breast. Bartol leaned over and gently took Sybil into his arms. As carefully as possible, he carried her over to the bassinet he’d made for her by hand. It was constructed of walnut with cutouts of stars in the headboard, and he’d carved her name on the footboard in a flowing script. For a minute, he rocked her until she fell into a deep sleep. It made him proud that she enjoyed her new bed.
When he and Tormod had gone shopping for baby items, he’d gotten the idea to craft it. With his woodworking skills, he could make one himself that was more luxurious than any he’d found in the stores—and for much less money. It had taken a few late nights, but he’d finished in time. Before Cori returned to their home with Sybil, he had transferred it from his workshop to the master bedroom. She’d cried when she’d found it there.
Bartol smiled down at the sleeping infant. “I may be biased, but she truly is beautiful.”
“You won’t get any argument from me there,” Cori said softly.
Once he was certain the baby would not wake, he moved back over to the bed. The doctor said his mate would need a week or so to heal from pregnancy and childbirth, but that her recovery time would be swifter than that of a human. For now, he could at least hold Cori. They’d developed a routine since the day she’d agreed to marry him. She would lay on her side, and he would press his chest against her back and wrap an arm around her. It wasn’t easy at first, but Bartol was starting to find comfort in their closeness. He had his mate in his arms, and that meant the world to him.
