Page 105 of I Married Kayog
To her, Kayog and I were the heroes who helped save her from certain death by pairing her with the love of her life. Asmuch as I had wanted to hold Kronos by the horns to repeatedly smash his obnoxious face onto a wall, now I just wanted to hug him.
He had done a complete turnaround where Malaya was concerned. The love—not to say adoration—he lavished on her always melted me from the inside out. My baby was happy, truly happy. And today, she was celebrating the christening of their firstborn child.
When she asked Kayog and I to be little Odessa’s godparents, I wept like an idiot. I had missed my daughter’s wedding, but I would be part of the life of my grandchild in a way I never imagined I could.
Standing here in their stunning mansion on Molvi, I gazed affectionately at the people who had become friends and even family over the past three decades. I had watched Tedrick grow from a little boy to an honorable man, just like his father, Colin. Even now, they were having an animated conversation with Isobel, Amreth, and his lovely wife Ciara. Who would have thought a random encounter during that medical symposium would have allowed my mate to reunite these two beautiful souls and save an entire species from extinction?
Water splashed everywhere as Kaida’s three children chased each other in the giant pool, the future little Shadow Lords and Lady flapping their beautiful golden wings to rise a few meters over the pool before diving back down. Their father, Cedros, had deeply moved Kayog when he first heard of his condition. Like my mate, Cedros had spent most of his life in isolation as the presence of others made him ill until his Ejaya—Kaida—entered his life. And now, he also got to enjoy a normal life, socializing with friends and family. So seeing him and his wife chatting with my mate warmed my heart.
I snorted when I spotted Helio and Maeve chastising their son for using hisveris—the vines that could extend fromtheir feet, arms, and hair—to bind Nero. The shadow dweller companion of Kaida’s children was in no way helpless. In fact, he was a force to be reckoned with and acted as a fearless protector for the young Derakeens. His body was a shadowy sphere with two massive eyes and a terrifying set of teeth filling his oversized mouth. All around him, his shadowy tentacles waved as if rocked by a magical breeze.
I burst out laughing when the little fiend wrapped his tentacles protectively around Maeve’s son and made sad eyes hinting that she shouldn’t chastise him. Clearly, Nero had been on board with the whole thing.
After putting my empty glass down on one of the refreshment tables by the pool, I headed towards one of the seating areas where Malaya’s biological parents and Kronos’s parents were fussing over little Odessa. Kronos and Malaya were proudly watching their daughter being doted on. Saying that I didn’t feel a great deal of jealousy not to be an official grandparent as well would be a lie. And yet, I couldn’t resent her parents.
Over the last couple of years, we had grown quite close. To them, Kayog and I were just a gift from God who helped save their daughter and led her to a happy life. But just as I was closing the distance with them, Malaya took the baby back from her stepfather and started walking away. Her steps faltered when our eyes met. She seemed to hesitate then gestured with her head for me to approach. Curious, I complied.
“My little one seems to be hungry. Do you mind tagging along?” Malaya asked.
“Not at all!” I replied with enthusiasm.
Although she smiled, the strangest mix of relief and worry radiated from her. As we resumed walking towards the tall patio doors leading into the living area of the house, Malaya glanced over her shoulder at Kronos. He nodded and gave her what I could only interpret as an encouraging smile. My stomachimmediately knotted. The ceremony hadn’t taken place yet. Was she going to tell us that Kayog and I would no longer be the godparents?
Don’t be silly…
Filipinos often had multiple godparents for a single child. So it wouldn’t make sense for her to remove us. Did she worry we might be offended if another couple was added?
Offended, no. But maybe a little hurt.
At the same time, Malaya and Ciara—Amreth’s wife—had grown quite close. It would make sense for Malaya to add this couple as a second set of godparents for her baby.
It was stupid, but I wanted to be able to claim something about her as solely mine. We entered the house and followed the hallway to the left of the living area which led to the bedrooms. They had turned one of the guest rooms into a massive nursery that could easily accommodate half a dozen cribs. They still mostly kept Odessa in their master bedroom but would use this one for the changing table, feeding, and various toys to play with.
Malaya placed Odessa on top of the table. The adorable little girl immediately started wiggling her tiny hands and feet. She was her mother’s spitting image, but with her father’s gray complexion, a delicate version of his bat wings, and four baby horns protruding from her head. Contrary to most Obosians, Odessa hadn’t inherited their silver white hair but had the darkest mane instead.
“Can I help with anything?” I offered.
“Would you mind grabbing a towel over there?” Malaya asked, pointing at a shelf to my right. “Knowing her, she’ll likely overindulge and then regurgitate half of it on my shoulder.”
“Sure thing,” I said, amused as I promptly marched towards it.
I was reaching for a towel when a loud noise startled me. Glancing over my shoulder, I observed as Malaya frowned at her daughter with false severity before crouching to pick up the bottle of milk that had fallen off the table. It took me a moment to realize Malaya had brought it there and was reaching for the warmer before the bottle fell. To my shock, no sooner did she put the bottle back on the table than Odessa knocked it off with a decisive swipe of her tail.
I snorted as Malaya put her fists on her hips to look severely at her daughter. Unrepentant, Odessa giggled before giving her a wide, toothless grin.
“Now is not the time to be a diva, young lady! Least of all in front of esteemed guests!” she said.
Unfazed and unbothered, Odessa slowly waved her tail from side to side, as if daring her mother to try to give her the bottle again.
“Maybe she’s not hungry?” I suggested carefully as I approached them.
“Oh no, she’s definitely hungry. But she’s picky. She wants to be breastfed,” Malaya said, rolling her eyes.
Although I didn’t perceive any real aggravation from her, I hesitated before commenting, not wanting to come across as pushy or judgmental.
“Is that something you don’t do?” I asked.
Malaya smiled in a reassuring fashion. “Oh, I do it all the time. But she knows now that I don’t do it when we have guests. Some species can get weird about it.”
