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Tears filled her eyes and she nodded. He raised one bundle, the yellow one, and said, “This is our daughter,” —he then raised the green bundle— “and this is our son.”
She was too exhausted to attempt picking up either of her children. Instead, she said, “Can you place one in the crook of my arm, Tristan?”
“I can do better than that.”
He rearranged her arm and placed their daughter. Then he gently laid their son on her chest and kept him steady by supporting him with his hand.
At the feel of the warmth of her two children, tears rolled down her cheeks. Happy seemed too tame a word to describe what she felt right now.
As she looked from her son to her daughter and then up to her mate, she decided she felt complete.
Tristan kissed her, lingering a few seconds before pulling away. “Sid told me we only have a few minutes before I need to let you rest. So I wanted to tell you our children’s names first.”
She frowned. “Tell me? Since when do you get to decide?”
He grinned. “I’ll think you like my names.”
She doubted it, but she was too tired to argue. “Fine. What ridiculous names did you decide on? Gerard and Millicent?”
“No.” He nodded toward their son. “This is Jack Ryan.” He then nodded toward their daughter. “And this is Annabel Piper.”
Melanie blinked. “But those are the names I wanted.”
He smiled and caressed her forehead with his free hand. “You more than deserve the privilege of naming them, love. I think I can live with my children being named Jack and Annabel MacLeod.”
Tears started falling again and Mel somehow managed to whisper, “Are you sure?”
“Of course. I already registered their names with the nurse, so it’s a done deal.”
“Oh, Tristan.”
He leaned down and kissed her. Then he laid his forehead on hers. “All that matters to me is that my family is alive and healthy. Our children’s names mean little as long as I have you.”
Love spread throughout her body. “Tristan MacLeod, I love you.”
He smiled. “And I love you too, my little mate.”
As they smiled at each other, their daughter started to fuss so Tristan stood up. “I think the nurse is going to help you feed the baby. And then I’m kicking the nurse out so you can get some sleep.”
“But you’ll stay with me and the babies?”
“Always.”
Melanie was really doing the waterworks today, but given the amount of hormones currently surging through her body, she decided she could cry as much as she wanted.
When the nurse came over, Tristan gingerly picked up their son Jack, moved out of the way, and traced the little man’s cheek. The sight of Tristan MacLeod, alpha dragon-shifter extraordinaire, cooing a baby warmed her heart.
She hugged her daughter close and decided that she and Tristan had come a long way. What had originally started out as an exchange to save her brother’s life had turned into her own happily ever after.
Not that times wouldn’t be tough in the future, especially once she finished her book, but Melanie had her own family now and she would do whatever it took to protect them. She didn’t doubt for a second that Tristan would do the same. Together, they might be able to make the world a better place for their children.
For now, she watched her mate and cuddled her daughter, content to live in the moment because she’d never been as happy as she was right at that moment.
*~*~*~*
