by Eden Robins
Sabrina now understood they were two souls meant to be together. Their separation had been painful and long, but they had both grown from the experience. And she knew it had made her appreciate the fact that they were now together so much more. She had found her soul mate, her king for her queen, and her true love.
They were together again at last.
As it was meant to be.
Chapter Twenty
Six months later
Eric watched Sabrina sign her book and talk to the long line of readers eagerly waiting for a chance to speak with her. He was so proud of his gatita. She had finished her remaining speaking engagements, expressing to the public how strongly she felt about dragons. When her book finally came out, sales had been phenomenal. She’d made a number of bestseller lists and stayed on there for quite a while. The public loved her take on dragons and couldn’t seem to get enough. Sabrina had started on a new book almost right away. It was entitled Your Neighbor is a Dragon Too.
She’d agreed to do a booksigning tour. Luckily the school year at ASU had cooperated. Her tour started after the spring semester ended in May, so she’d had the whole summer to tour. The only downside of all the publicity was that the general public thought of her book as a fictional tale. She had been upset about this, telling Eric that hadn’t been her intent, but then she expressed satisfaction in the good she was doing. Sabrina had realized that, regardless of the labeling, her book told the truth about dragons. Humans were just being educated without even knowing it while they enjoyed reading her books.
Eric agreed. He felt that her story would make the difference in how people saw dragons. Perhaps one day the discrimination would stop and dragons would be respected for all the good they offered the world. And maybe then they could come out of hiding.
It was amazing how he’d come to respect and like dragons over the last six months. He had met Sabrina’s brothers and they were a rowdy bunch but generally okay guys. They had given him a hard time at first but he had handled them pretty well.
Sabrina’s family had accepted him.
That was a good thing, because if they hadn’t they would have had a problem. Not him or Sabrina, just them. He had already decided that he was spending the rest of his life with his gatita, enjoying rainbows and summer days. He loved her more than life itself. She was his salvation, his queen, his soul mate. She was everything he wanted in a mate and more.
As soon as she had finished her speaking engagements and her case with Sundown had closed, he had asked Sabrina to marry him. She had accepted without hesitation. And not a moment too soon.
The following month, Sabrina had come to his house in tears.
She had seemed sensitive and emotional lately. Eric hadn’t been sure why, and it had left him confused. Now that she had come to him, he’d known they would work it out. He’d held her close while she cried, letting her get it all out while he’d spoken soft, soothing words to her.
“It’s okay, Sabrina. I’m here with you. I’ll help you any way I can, my love. Just talk to me.”
Sabrina had raised her tear-filled eyes to him. She’d looked so vulnerable, so unsure, but at the same time there had been a light in her eyes that shone so bright with happiness, he couldn’t help but feel that energy and smile.
Sabrina had returned his smile with her own excited one.
“I’m pregnant, Eric. I took the pregnancy test this morning and it came back positive. We really did conceive a baby that first night we made love and soared together through the sky.”
Eric had grinned widely. He hadn’t been able to help himself. He’d known why she’d looked so happy. He’d understood the light shining from her eyes. They were going to have a baby.
“I’m glad, Sabrina. I want a child with you. More than one, in fact,” he’d said, kissing her softly on the lips. “I know you’re going to be a fantastic mother.”
Sabrina had smiled widely and kissed him all over the face while she laughed and cried at the same time.
“I’m so happy you feel that way, Eric,” she’d said, hugging him tightly. “I was so excited, bursting to tell you, but I wanted to be sure before I told you.”
“I love you, Sabrina, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” he’d said, holding her face in his hands. He’d met her gaze with his own and stared deeply into her eyes. “The thought of having children with you, sharing in that joy, means a lot to me.”
Sabrina’s parents had taken the news pretty well. They’d moved the wedding up by one month just to satisfy her father. It had been a night wedding, of course. Sabrina had wanted all of Eric’s friends there, especially Vlad. So his motley group of friends and coworkers from After Sundown had attended or participated in the wedding. Malcolm had been his best man and Vlad, Jason and Ruben had been his groomsmen. Despite the fact that they created quite a stir with most of the ladies attending, the rest of the crew had behaved themselves and things had run smoothly. Right after the wedding, he and Sabrina had enjoyed a short but blissful honeymoon in Tahiti before coming back home for her book tour.
Eric’s thoughts came back to the present as Sabrina stood up from the table where she was signing books. Her slightly curved stomach drew his eye, and as was the case lately, he wanted to cover it with his hand. He wasn’t sure if it was just to reassure himself that Sabrina was carrying their baby or just because he found her so beautiful in this state. As her body grew more softly rounded and voluptuous he desired her more and more.
The bookstore owner put up a “break for lunch” sign. Sabrina needed to rest and have something to eat. She smiled and apologized to the readers who approached the table as she left. She walked toward where he stood. Eric met her halfway. His hand covered her stomach before he could stop himself.
“How are you, my love?”
“Hungry,” she said.
“Again?” he asked teasingly. Sabrina had gotten over morning sickness fairly quickly and was now fully on the road to eating well. He was happy to see her regain her appetite, as he knew it was good for both her and the baby.
“Yes, again,” she said, smiling back. “You know I’m hungry all the time, Eric. This baby of ours needs lots of energy, I guess.”
“I know, Sabrina. And I’m glad. Our baby will be strong and healthy, just like his mama.”
“You mean just like her father,” she replied firmly.
He and Sabrina had an ongoing bet on whether they were having a girl or a boy. But they’d both admitted to each other on many occasions that it didn’t matter which. A healthy baby was the all that mattered to them.
“Have I told you today how much I love you, little cat?”
“Yes,” she replied with a soft smile. “But I’m not so little anymore, Eric.”
“I know, and that really, really makes me hot,” he said, waggling his eyebrows up and down and smiling wolfishly at her.
Sabrina laughed.
“Yeah, right,” she said looking doubtfully at him. But when he pulled her into his arms she didn’t resist.
“You are the most beautiful woman in the world to me, Sabrina, even more beautiful now that you carry our child inside you. Never forget that.”
Tears came to Sabrina’s eyes. “I’m so glad we found each other again.”
Eric shrugged and smiled. “Me too. But you know it was meant to be. We’re the stuff of legends, gatita. We were bound to have a happy ending.”
Eric kissed Sabrina. He let her know without words just how glad he was to be with her. And she let him know right back. Wrapping her arms around him and hanging on tight, she told him exactly how happy she was.
They were together at last.
Darkness and rainbows.
Gray clouds and summer days.
Dragon slayer and dragon.
None of their differences mattered now.
Their love was meant to be.
…and they lived happily ever after.
About the Author
Eden Robins hears voices in her head. Her
characters’ voices, that is. She loves creating new worlds and complex characters that always seem to find their way into one sticky predicament or another. She enjoys helping them get untangled from these situations, only to find themselves entangled in love affairs that will last for all time.
Eden welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.cerridwenpress.com.
Also by Eden Robins
After Sundown: Redemption
Cerridwen, the Celtic goddess of wisdom, was the muse who brought inspiration to storytellers and those in the creative arts. Cerridwen Press encompasses the best and most innovative stories in all genres of today’s fiction. Visit our site and discover the newest titles by talented authors who still get inspired—much like the ancient storytellers did, once upon a time.
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