Chapter 12 #2
Cora and Draevan exchanged a look.
Then he moved closer, and they hugged Meela between them, as they showered her with praise at the same time. The baby glanced from Cora to Draevan with a joyful grin as she kept repeating the phrase.
And Cora felt remarkably blessed to have witnessed Meela learning some new words, the very first words she’d uttered besides Mama and Daddy. She exchanged another look with Draevan, and her heart quickened at the affection that gleamed in his eyes.
Once they got Meela changed and fed her a bottle, Draevan took charge of holding the baby again as he continued leading Cora on a tour of the third floor.
He ushered her into a large room that had a view of the street and the forest, with a balcony overlooking each view.
The bedroom had a distinctly feminine feel, and though Cora thought it was lovely enough, her heart started sinking.
Before Draevan could even say a word, she already understood that this was her room, a room he’d prepared just for her.
A room that was conveniently connected to Meela’s nursery with a door, but it wasn’t connected to any other bedrooms. Like his bedroom, wherever on the third floor that might be.
He didn’t want to share a room with her.
Despite her upset over the situation, she pasted a bright smile on her face, not wanting Draevan to think she wasn’t grateful, especially since he’d obviously spent considerable effort decorating her room.
She hadn’t realized just how much she’d hoped to share a bedroom with him until discovering it wasn’t an option, until learning that he preferred to have his own space away from her.
“As you’ve probably already guessed,” Draevan said, “this is your bedroom, my sweet mate.”
Hearing him call her my sweet mate as he showed her the room that was quite separate from his own was strange indeed. She didn’t know how to respond, or quite what to think, but she kept the bright smile plastered on her face as she gazed around the room.
It was a nice room, and he’d clearly put a lot of thought into the decor.
The bed was large, covered with satin pillows and plush blankets.
A lamp, a stack of books, and a vase filled with exotic flowers rested on a side table next to the bed.
There were several dressers and small tables pushed against the walls, all decorated with knickknacks, more vases filled with flowers, and tiny abstract sculptures that gleamed in the sunlight flooding into the windows.
A sofa and multiple chairs were spread throughout the space, and there was a padded bench pushed against the foot of the bed.
As Cora walked deeper into the room, she found a door that opened to a large bathroom that held a bathtub and a shower, and another door that led to an enormous walk-in closet that was filled with women’s clothing, shoes, and accessories.
There was even a lighted vanity that held makeup and a standing jewelry cabinet filled to the brim with necklaces, rings, and bracelets.
Most of her disappointment over not sharing a room with Draevan dissipated as she took in the full magnitude of her new bedroom and realized the true extent of how much time her mate had spent putting it all together. To think that he’d prepared such a space for her was a bit overwhelming.
There was that word again.
Overwhelming.
Tears burned in her eyes, but she turned away from the alien male so he wouldn’t see them. She was still a little disappointed that they wouldn’t be sharing a room, but maybe his room was next door or across the hall. He hadn’t yet finished showing her all of the third floor.
And maybe he would visit her bedroom at night…
She suddenly felt a tad ridiculous. Lots of married couples had their own bedrooms, particularly among the wealthy. That didn’t necessarily mean they wouldn’t share a close relationship, and it didn’t mean he would never claim her again.
At last, she faced Draevan and nearly melted at the sight of him placing a soft kiss on Meela’s forehead. He truly was a caring parent to the baby. Meela was lucky to have him as her uncle. Just as Cora was lucky to have him as her mate.
“Draevan, this is…” Her voice faded as she struggled to find the words to properly express her gratitude.
“Draevan, I can’t thank you enough. This room is a very thoughtful gesture, and it makes me feel quite welcome.
Everything is perfect. Thank you.” She paused as she tried to remember the Vaxxlian phrase, but at last it came to her.
“Sezt miraax,” she said slowly, wanting to make sure she got it just right.
Draevan rewarded her with a warm smile that helped chase away her lingering doubts about their relationship, her worry that maybe he truly only wanted a mating union of convenience.
“I am glad you like it.” He nodded toward the closet.
“When you have a chance, you can sort through the ready-made clothes and pick out anything that doesn’t fit or doesn’t quite suit you, and we can donate it to Rory’s Closet, an establishment in Starzzia that helps clothe human females who arrive on New Vaxx with few belongings. ”
“What a wonderful idea. Yes, I will do that as soon as time permits.” She glanced at Meela, wondering just how often the baby usually napped every day when she wasn’t traveling on a Vaxxlian cruiser.
But Cora supposed she would soon find out and get her bearings as she became better accustomed to taking care of the child.
Draevan suddenly appeared apologetic. “I’m afraid I did not prepare a music room for you ahead of time, as I didn’t know that was a particular interest of yours.
But you can help me pick out the best space in the house to convert into a music room.
One of the guest rooms, perhaps, or one of the spare living rooms. Whichever room you think has the best lighting and acoustics.
And if there is anything you need to make the room better, I will spare no expense in renovating it to better meet your needs. ”
“If you keep being so nice to me, Draevan, I’m going to start crying again,” she said with a laugh as she brushed away a few tears that quickly spilled down her cheeks. “Seriously, Draevan. Thank you. Sezt miraax, sezt miraax, sezt miraax.”