Page 199 of Rose and Shadows
“What on earth?” I queried.
He grinned out at us as he put it down in front of Winter’s crib, then opened the lid with a flick of his magic.
Lazriel burst over there, then started lifting out toys.
Toys upon toys.
Teddy bears, soft unicorns, building blocks, activity mats, puzzles, a mixture of comfort and educational objects.
“Sylas… wow,” Velra spoke, walking over there with Winter.
“He needs it. All of it. It’s educational play. Perfect for his age. And something we can all sit down and do with him as a family,” he explained.
“I see that, yeah,” Velra said. “It’s really sweet.” She held out her hand and drew him to her, then brushed her lips over his. “You’re doing great, you know?”
He tensed. “What?”
“You don’t need to worry so much. You’re an amazing dad, Sylas.” She looked out at Lazriel and me. “You all are. Truly.”
“Well, then that works out perfectly, doesn’t it?” Lazriel spoke, stroking her hair. “Because you’re a fantastic mom to this little boy.”
Sylas relaxed, even releasing a weighty breath, then reached out to Winter, who even though feeding, grasped his finger with an almighty grip. Sylas’ eyes lit up.
I snatched up Ketheron’s bear and joined them, explaining that Ketheron was lending it to Winter. Lazriel started making Maximus speak, earning hearty laughter from us all, and a little spit up from Winter, before he settled back into drinking from his bottle again, his eyes darting to each of us inquisitively.
Such joviality.
Such warmth.
Such love.
None of this had seemed possible to me, nor to any of us.
Yet, here we were.
Happy.
Cherished.
I’d found my family.
We’d built this very special unit that would stand the test of time.
That would stand strong through everything.
That gave us all what we’d always needed.
Belonging.
And it truly was everything.
Forevermore.
THE END
