Chapter Eleven – Aria
She still felt sore even though it had been a couple weeks since the baby had been born. Aria sat on the couch, her feet propped up as she watched Sonya gently rocking little Elizabeth back and forth. She had been big baby: ten pounds, but perfectly healthy. Aria smiled and shifted slightly to relieve the pressure on her lower region.
"She's beautiful," Sonya said, smiling up at her.
"Yes, she is."
Her father, who was making tea for her, grunted. "Speaking of the vampire king, where is he? After you were born, I didn't leave your mother's side for a month."
Aria couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that. "He'll be here soon, Papa. He just had to deal with some things with Monique's kingdom. Getting a suitable replacement for her wasn't easy, you know. And it's not like he could just appoint the ruler himself. He has to get cooperation from the other kingdoms. But things are finally starting to calm down there."
"Good," Sonya said. She shivered. "I can't even watch the news anymore because it's all about her and what she did. I don't like thinking about it. I still have nightmares if I don't have Laura right by me."
Aria nodded. For the first few months after the humans were brought back home from Monique's 'program', Sonya had stayed at the palace, too distraught to go to her empty house. She had recently returned home, but not alone. During her time at the palace, she had gotten quite close to a vampire by the name of Laura, and sparks were flying between the two of them.
"And what about you?" Aria's father handed her a cup of tea. "Are you happy here?"
"Yes. Gavin and I are figuring everything out. We're still not entirely certain why I was able to get pregnant by him, though. The nearest we can figure is that his drinking my blood actually stimulated some of the dead, for lack of a better term, systems in his body."
Gavin came through the door. He smiled at Aria, then gave a small bow towards her father. "Mr. Taylor. Sonya. It's good to see you both again. And you, beautiful one. How are you feeling?"
"Sore, and I'm feeling a little cooped up. I thought that you and I should go for a little ride while Sonya and my dad were here to watch Elizabeth…"
She rose her eyebrows and gave him a sexy grin. He couldn't drink from her until she was fully healed, but that didn't mean she wasn't craving some snuggling and kissing. She'd heard that most women lost their libido after having a baby. Not her. While she certainly wasn't interested in sex right now, that didn't mean she didn’t crave physical intimacy.
Gavin grinned back at her. He went over to Sonya and gently took Elizabeth. "It's been hours since I saw this little cupcake here. I can have fifteen minutes with her first, right?"
"Of course."
A grin crossed her face as she watched Gavin rocking Elizabeth. The smile on his face made love swell in her chest like a hot air balloon, making her whole body feel lighter. If she had any doubts about Gavin, they all disappeared the moment she first saw him hold their baby. He was so gentle with her, so cautious and caring. She knew he'd do anything for Elizabeth. And her.
The baby fell to sleep quickly in Gavin's arms, and he settled her into his crib. "Are you sure that you two can stay with her?"
"Of course." Sonya smiled. "Go. Have fun."
Gavin scooped up Aria and headed for the door. Aria laughed, throwing her arms around his neck. She thought about telling him she could walk, but decided she liked being carried. The air was fresh and clean outside. Aria pulled in deep breaths, enjoying the feel of the sun on her face. Gavin nuzzled into her neck as he crossed to the garage.
He settled her into the limo, then called for a driver. Aria curled herself under his arm as they headed out. The last few days had been very sleep-deprived, and she found herself drifting off, rather than embracing him. Gavin carded his fingers through her hair, further relaxing her.
"Are you awake?"
"Barely."
"I wanted to give you something."
Aria pulled herself up and yawned. "What?"
Gavin grinned at her. He kissed her gently, grasping her hips. "You know, this is the same car that Elizabeth was conceived in. Who would have thought that pure animal lust would have turned itself into something so beautiful?"
"Animal lust?" She laughed. "Come on, really? Is that you trying to be romantic? Because I have to tell you it's not working."
"Not even the beautiful part?"
Aria shrugged. "Okay," she admitted. "Maybe that part."
"Good. Because I wanted this to be romantic. I know that it's traditional to have it in a bit more of a splashy setting, but considering this is the first place that you and I… Well." Gavin reached into his pocket, pulled out a small velvet box and pressed it into her hands. "Open it."
Aria's heart jumped around erratically. She was almost afraid to open the box. If it was what she thought it was… but what if it was disappointing? And if it wasn't what she thought it was? She swallowed hard and cracked it open a smidge. The sparkle inside had her opening it all the way. She gasped.
The ring was made of white gold with two pearls in its center. One was black, the other white. An 'S' of tiny diamonds separated them, and a cluster of three gems lined either side.
"This… this is beautiful."
Gavin grinned. "Aria Taylor. I love you. Will you marry me?"
"Yes. Yes, of course!" Aria kissed him hard, then grinned as he slipped the ring on. Of course, it fit perfectly. Gavin never missed anything.
Her eyes welled as she looked at her ring and then up at her king.
Gavin saw the tears and jumped, startled. "Are you okay?"
"Yes." Aria kissed him again. "It's just… it's everything I wanted. And we almost didn't have it. If we hadn't found a way past our differences…"
"Shhhh." The king pressed a finger to her lips. "We did. And nothing will ever come between us again. I promise."
*****
THE END