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“‘And you, never again make me dress as a woman.’

“But truth be told, even such a mighty warrior as Thor sometimes needs a bit of Loki.”

Svanhild sighed, a happy smile spread on her face, her eyes drifting closed. “Thank you, Father. I loved that story.”

He smiled back at her. He and Holly stood up, and he had just turned to go when Holly nudged him. “Kiss her,” she whispered.

“What?”

“Give her a good-night kiss.”

Einar swallowed. Why was he so rigid and hesitant to show his daughter how much he loved her? But something had changed today, as though the ice had been broken. He took a step to the alcove, leaned down, and kissed his daughter’s head for the first time in eight years. She smelled of lavender, childhood, and something innocent and dear. Something he thought he had lost. But there it was. He had found it again like Thor found his hammer.

He brushed her head once, and her breathing deepened with a sigh before her face softened in sleep.

Einar and Holly quietly walked to his bedchamber. And his heart ached and stretched, feeling as if it just grown to the size of Midgard.

Chapter Sixteen

June 4

The pregnancy test in Holly’s hand shook as she stared at the white window that would show her in one to two minutes if her life would change forever. The day was sunny and bright but still cold. She shivered and huddled into her leather jacket. She was behind the corner of the main house. She couldn’t wait in the outhouse, and she wanted some privacy.

Holly’s nausea hadn’t gone away. Her stomach turned from pretty much any food except for bread. Her nipples had started to ache, and her breasts swelled slightly. She had cramps, but she always got them before her period. And yet, it didn’t come. She wasn’t regular, which was one of the reasons she couldn’t conceive a baby. Through the years, she’d read every article, every forum post, and every book on pregnancy.

And she knew cramps were one of the signs.

Her breath came out in a shudder, her feet icy cold. The one “test” line appeared, which meant the test worked fine. Now the question was, would the second vertical line appear, too, to form a plus.

She couldn’t watch. She couldn’t wait anymore. Her whole body tensed and shook. She closed her eyes and slid down the wall to sit on the sun-warmed grass. Sucking in air, she exhaled shakily.

What if she was pregnant? Would that change the fact that she was leaving tomorrow? How would Einar react? He didn’t want any more children, so he would probably freak out.

Was she ready to see the result? Had a minute passed? It felt like an eternity.

She opened her eyes.

A pale-blue line crossed the first one.

A plus.

Holly gasped and dropped the test to the grass. With trembling fingers, she picked it up. Her eyes burned and blurred, and she wiped them, wanting to make sure she hadn’t hallucinated. She looked closer, then held the test farther away, then turned it so that she could see it in the light of the sun.

It was there, the plus. It didn’t disappear.

She put her hand on her lower belly, tears falling from her eyes, a smile spreading from ear to ear.

She was not alone anymore. She was pregnant.

Her chest expanded as though a balloon were inflating inside of her lungs. Her heart danced, and her whole body felt as though it were about to float into the sky and fly away.

Einar might not want more children, but she needed to tell him anyway. Maybe he’d change his mind.

She ran. She needed to tell Einar. How ironic was it that no amount of medicine could do this for her in Orlando, and yet here, all it had taken was that first time with a Viking.

She knew he was on guard today, on the other side of the village.

“Einar!” she cried. “Einar!”