Page 93 of Bewitchingly Hers
“Hi.” She smiled at my sister. “Thank you for coming.”
“Of course. I had to come meet my new little nephew,” Freya said, tracing a finger down his little button nose. “He’s so perfect, you two.”
My wife smiled up at me. “I think so, too.” She let out a happy sigh. “But I might be biased.”
“Just a little,” I agreed with her. But we’d had multiple nurses tell us he was one of the cutest newborns they’d ever seen.
Ronan let out a wail of dissatisfaction—like he knew we were talking about him and wanted to be the center of attention. “Let’s go see mommy, huh?” My sister carried him back over to the bed. My chest warmed as she placed our baby back in his mother’s arms, and he immediately stopped crying.
“I’ll let you three be alone,” Freya said, hugging me tight. “I just wanted to come check in. I’ll be in town for a few days before heading back to Walnut Ridge. If you need anything, just let me know.”
I dipped my head. “We appreciate it. And you.”
There was a wistful look in Freya’s eyes as she glanced at the hospital bed. Eryne was lost in her own little world with our son, cooing over him softly, and I walked my sister out, not wanting to interrupt their quiet little bonding moment.
“You’re welcome here whenever, you know,” I said, turning towards her as the door closed behind us. “Pleasant Grove is a great place to live.”
She shook her head. “I love living in Walnut Ridge. My life is there. But I miss you, too.”
“I know.” I wrapped my arms around her again, giving her another hug. “Love you, Freya.”
“Love you, too, B.” She pulled away. “I should let you get back in there. Take care of your mate and pup.”
“I will.” I still couldn’t believe this was my life.
That I was so lucky to have her—as my wife, my mate, the mother of my child. That she wore my mark on her neck and gave me that sweet smile every time she saw me.
I was the luckiest wolf alive to have my witch as mine, and I’d never forget that.
ERYNE
It felt like I was seeing a whole new side of Barrett watching him with our son. Watching him cradle him against his bare chest in the hospital, asleep in the chair next to my bed, made my ovaries want to burst.
And the way he would whisper softly in Ronan’s ear, so tender and sweet, like he was telling him the best kept secrets of the universe? This was everything I’d ever dreamed of, and yet so much more.
Delivery had beenhard.There was no sugarcoating that. I’d cried, and when I didn’t think I could keep going any longer—when all I wanted was to sleep, Barrett had been the one to hold my hand, to whisper in my ear that I was doing so good, that he was so proud of me, to just push one more time—just one more, and then he would be here.
The moment they’d placed him in my arms, it felt like everything had fit into place, like a perfect puzzle. This little life that we’d created, complete with that fuzzy red hair. I felt like my heart was living outside of my body now, watching my husband—my mate—snoring softly with our newborn.
My boys. My perfect valentine’s day gift. What more could I want?
Grabbing my phone, I snapped a photo of them, changing my wallpaper to the photo. Barrett opened his eyes as I put my phone back down, resting back against the pillow.
“Have a good nap?” I asked him, reaching out for the baby. I wanted my own snuggles, to inhale his sweet baby smell. I couldn’t get enough of it.
He stood up, placing Ronan into my arms and then slid into the bed beside me. It was a tight fit with both of us—mostly because he barely fit in the bed—but I snuggled into his body as I let Ronan latch on to my breast. The first time I’d tried to nurse him, he’d had trouble with it, but after the lactation consultant came in, he seemed to be doing better. I ran my hand over his soft red baby hair as he drank my milk.
“Fresh from the tap,” I joked.
“You’re amazing,” Barrett said, rubbing his thumb over my shoulder. “Both of you.”
I hummed. “What do you think he’ll be? A witch, or a shifter?”
My mate gave a thoughtful noise. “Maybe both. We’ll know within a few months, in any case. Most shifters will shift for the first time when they’re only a few months old. They can’t control it at this age. How long does it take for witches to show their abilities?”
“A few years, maybe?” I guessed. I hadn’t really been around that many toddlers to experience their haywire magic. I’d have to ask my parents to tell me more about when I’d been little.
“He’ll be the best of both of us,” Barrett said, reaching down to brush his hand over Ronan’s cheek. “Witch and wolf. The world the way it should be.”
