Page 10 of Snapped
Those precious blue eyes went wide, little cherub lips opening. Pol shook his head and whispered, “No, Papa.”
“That’s my boy.” Raven stood and kissed Tanis as soon as he was close enough. “Take him on in, I’ll be right behind you. Rian, Mia, do you want to meet your grandson?”
The delivery room was far too small for everyone, so Rian and Mia went in for long enough to see the tiny bundle in their daughter’s arms, head full of white-blond hair like his mother. “Oh, my baby, he’s perfect.” Mia spoke softly. She and Rian both kissed the baby, then Aiya before leaving them and promising to return later with Cirian and Maya.
Aiya sat in the middle of the bed, leaning back against the headboard holding Ian. Sawyer was on her left, Maeve on her right, and young Pol was sitting tentatively at the foot of the bed, staring at the bundle in Aiya’s arms with awe. “You want to meet Ian, Pol?” Aiya asked, nodding her consent when Pol asked if she was sure.
Raven watched as the tiny human being God had placed in the care of him and his husband slowly crawled up the bed. Since the day they brought Apollo to House Gaeland, he’d been a bundle of pent-up energy—like a tiny tsunami waiting for a body of water to wreak havoc on. Now that his future husband was finally here, Pol seemed almost tame in his presence. Maeve slid off the bed so Apollo could sit beside Aiya. As soon as he reached up and cupped Ian’s cheek, his eyes blinked open. Tiny emerald-green orbs watched Apollo’s every move.
Raven jumped when Tanis spoke from beside him, not realizing he’d stood and walked over. “Oh wow, he has your eyes Sawyer, but…brighter.” Raven could hear the wonder in Tanis’s tone. Ian did indeed have a very vibrant shade of green eyes that matched his father’s, but the brilliance of Ian’s was more obvious. Apollo moved around, trying to get comfortable, and Ian followed his every move with those dazzling green eyes.
They all watched as Pol leaned in and kissed Ian on the forehead then proceeded to hold a conversation with the newborn. “I’m so happy you are here, Ian; we’ve been waiting forever for you to finish cooking.” Everyone chuckled. Once, when Apollo asked Sawyer why Ian couldn’t come right then, unable to wrap his young mind around the concept of waiting, Sawyer told him they had to wait for Ian to finish cooking.
A soft knock on the door drew their attention, Maya peeking in as she pushed it open. “May we come in?”
“Of course.” Raven waved her and Cirian into the room. “Pol, sweetie, why don’t you and I and Daddy go see if we can find something for Aiya and Sawyer to eat while Ian visits with his grandparents?” Surprisingly, he didn’t put up a fight, kissing Ian on the cheek and promising to return before hopping off the bed and following Raven out of the room.
“My angel, he is precious.” Cirian beamed. Maya bent and took her grandson from her daughter, the first grandparent to hold him. In a rare show of emotion, Aiya watched as the strictest of her parents oohed and aahed over her baby.
Cradling her grandson in her arms, Maya turned so Cirian could look over her shoulder. “Well, hello there Ian; I’m your grandma and I’m so happy to finally meet you. My word Cirian, he looks so much like Aiyan when he was a baby, don’t you think?”
Cirian nodded, smiling. “Indeed he does.” He touched the tip of Ian’s nose, the baby reaching up and wrapping his grandda’s finger in a small but firm grip. “Oh, would you look at that, Maya, the wee lad has a strong grip.”
Aiya leaned against Sawyer, her head on his shoulder, her hand held by her wife, the three of them watching her parents get acquainted with Ian. Maya’s eyes were misty with unshed tears, though they didn’t dare leave the confines of her eyelids. Cirian’s crystal blue eyes lit up like stars as he smiled down at Ian. Although both were happy, Aiya could see the faintest hint of sadness in her mother’s eyes. She knew how badly Maya had wanted to conceive. The fact that she and Cirian had tried several times unsuccessfully had always been a sore spot for the usually tough-as-nails leader of the ruling House.
Becoming grandparents seemed to have softened both Maya and Cirian though, and for that Aiya was ecstatic. The birth had exhausted her—with a yawn, she snuggled closer to Sawyer and drifted off to sleep. Aiyan, Kaden, Gabriel, and Gabry all came to meet the newest member of the family, but Aiya slept right through until Ian decided it was time to eat which led to a lesson in breastfeeding.
“And on that note, we’re out of here,” Aiyan joked, kissing his nephew on the cheek before leading his husband out of the room.
