Rose stood before her with tears glittering in her eyes. A red barrette was hanging askew in her blond hair.
Page knelt down and removed the bow, which had strands of her hair tangled around it. She smoothed out Rose’s hair and then placed the clip above her ear. “There you go, sweetie.”
Rose touched her barrette and glanced in the mirror. “Acceptable,” she said, a miniature version of her father.
Page chuckled and straightened Rose’s red velvet dress. The top half was black with short sleeves, and a bow around her waist accented the red skirt. It was supposed to be her special outfit for tomorrow, but Rose wanted to wear it both days, and Page had agreed. Why not? Rose was going to be four soon and would never be three again. It seemed like just yesterday that she was a baby. Page remembered fondly how she’d sometimes wake up to find Justus sleeping in the nursery by the crib.
Rose mirrored her father in some ways and Page in others. She had Page’s big brown eyes, Justus’s natural blond hair, and a dash of her own uniqueness. Despite Justus spoiling her to no end, Rose had a tender heart and caring soul. She was intelligent, well-spoken for her age, and fascinated by elderly people. Sometimes in public she’d approach them and ask questions. Immortals didn’t grow old, and those Breeds who lived an extended lifespan aged slowly. Rose seemed to grasp these details and had become interested in the aging process.
“Mommy, can I have just one peppermint?”
Page shook her head. “Let’s save the treats for tomorrow. It’ll give you something to look forward to. Tonight your daddy’s going to read you some new stories.”
Rose smiled brightly and dashed into the hallway. “I’m going to watch it snow in the playroom!”
“If you want to go outside later, you’ll have to change out of that dress.”
Page gazed toward the expansive living room windows. Time flew by so quickly. Eventually Rose would stop aging and take on the immortal traits of a Mage. No one else like Rose existed. Page couldn’t explain how she knew the things she did about her daughter; that insight was acquired during pregnancy. Rose would not only inherit the knowledge on her Relic side, but she would also one day have the full power of a Mage. With each passing year her core light grew stronger, and because she was also a Creator, it meant that even though she wouldn’t be able to have children, she could have progeny to pass down her legacy.
A knock sounded at the door, stealing Page away from her thoughts.
On her way to answer, she grabbed a brown sweater jacket from a hook and put it on.
When she opened the door, Levi greeted her with a sheepish grin. “Hey, mind if I hang out here for a while? Logan booted me out so he can ice cakes.”
Page cast a critical eye at Levi, known for his hearty appetite. “Do you like raw vegetables?”
He wrinkled his nose.
“Come on in.”
* * *
Hours later, Levi had fallen asleep on her sofa after talking her ears off about something he saw on the Discovery channel. She covered him with a thin blanket and took the bag of sourdough pretzels out of his hand. When his snoring grew louder, Rose giggled from a nearby room.
Their living room had floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the west side of Cognito. The couch faced the right wall where the television was, something they didn’t turn on very often except for when Rose wanted to watch cartoons.
Page hugged her arms, watching the snow blanketing the city. They lived in a private Breed district that had once been a location for factories and warehouses, so they didn’t have the nuisance of traffic on their street. Being on the third floor didn’t give them the best view, but they also didn’t have any tall buildings in the way.
Justus hadn’t responded to her last text message. He often ignored the phone while driving so he wouldn’t cause an accident. Page couldn’t help but worry. He could still die if the car caught fire, and after having been in a car accident herself recently, the thought of him trapped beneath two tons of crushing steel terrified her. Life didn’t come with guarantees. His being immortal didn’t stop her from worrying about his safety. Justus was her world, and life would stop without him.
She turned her back to the window and looked around. Their living room was an open space with grey couches and basic furniture. Straight ahead was the front door, and to the left was the kitchen in a separate room. Since the elevators were in the center of the building, the house wrapped around like a square donut. To the right was the study, and down the hall was Rose’s room, a bathroom, Justus’s office, Page’s office, a family library, and then their bedroom in the back corner. Left along the back of the house was Rose’s playroom, another bathroom, two spare rooms, and then a sunroom on the northeast corner that ran along the left side of the house. Justus had built a door that connected it to the kitchen so they wouldn’t have to walk around the entire house to get to the front door. For safety reasons, he didn’t want multiple entryways into the apartment.
That was Justus. Always thinking about ways to protect them. They even had fire sprinklers installed and a trap door for emergencies.
A beep sounded at the door from the thumbprint scanner and Page turned around, her heart quickening.
When Justus sauntered in, he still had snow on his hat.
Page blew out a breath and hurried toward him, her arms wide. “I was worried about you.”
The moment his lips met with hers, he turned on his internal heater, melting away her worries. Justus tasted divine, and she kissed him harder. He encircled her waist with his strong arms and growled approvingly when her tongue met his. If Justus was anything, he was a masterful kisser. He had a way of making every kiss feel like the first time.
They broke the kiss when a bright giggle erupted from below.
Rose smiled up at Justus. “Like my dress, Daddy?”
He stepped back, his brows drawn together as he gazed down at his little girl. “She looks too grown-up. She’s just a baby.”
