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“I’ll head over to find Astrid. We’ll meet you over there.”
“Alright. I just need to take a quick shower. I won’t be long.”
I nod and walk out into the sunshine. I glance around, but I don’t see anyone else. Now that all the construction is done, it’s back to being peaceful here. Just the way I like it.
It was an adjustment at first—after getting out of prison, that is. That place was always noisy. Even in the dead of night, you could hear people snoring, talking, praying, or crying. There was no peace, not even a second of it. I’d dream of a place like this when I was there. But when I was released, it took me months to adjust to the quiet.
When I walk into the main house and look around, I spot Salem on the sofa in the den. I head over to ask her if she knows where Astrid and E are when I notice she’s asleep. I tug the throw off the back and lay it gently over her before turning and almost plowing into Zig.
You wouldn’t think a man his size could move so quietly, but he’s like a ghost when he wants to be. He motions for me to follow him, so I do. He walks us into the kitchen, and he offers me a coffee, but I decline.
“Everything okay?”
Zig swallows. For a second, I don’t think he’s going to answer, but then he nods. “Salem’s pregnant.”
“What? Holy fuck, that’s awesome. Congrats, man.”
He smiles, but it’s weak, which makes me frown.
“Something wrong with the baby?”
“It’s not that. It’s Salem. She’s freaked out.”
“What? Why? Did she not want kids?” I find that hard to believe. I’ve seen her with Luna’s kids. She has this whole nurturing thing going on, and it draws everyone to her. Nobody could take better care of us than she does.
“She’s scared it could be a girl. Not because she doesn’t want a daughter, but because of what it could mean for our little girl.”
“Oh, shit.” I forgot about Salem’s gift. It presents in the females in her family. They don’t know why, and they have no idea how strong the gift will be until she uses it. After everything Salem has been through, I can understand her fear.
“We’ll keep her safe—both of them safe.”
“She knows that. She also knows that a little girl won’t get to live a normal life, one that all parents dream of for their children. It’ll be hard for her because she’ll always be different.”
“She’ll be exceptional, just like her mama. I’m not saying it will be easy, but with you and Oz as fathers and with all of us as uncles, the girl won’t know a second of being unloved or unwanted. She won’t go through what Salem did because we’ll be here to shield her from anything and everything that might hurt her.”
A sniff has us turning to the doorway, where Astrid is standing, hugging her laptop to her chest. She has tears running down her face, and her hands are gripping her laptop so tightly that her knuckles are white.
“What’s wrong?” I hurry over to her and pull her into my arms.
“Did something happen to you?” Zig asks her quietly.
She blows out a shaky breath before pulling back and looking up at us. “I’m sorry. I’m fine, I promise. I just walked in and caught the end of your conversation.”
Zig tenses, but Astrid reaches out and touches his arm lightly. “Hearing you speak… Slade is right. This baby will be so loved and protected, and I’m sure Salem knows that in her heart. But in her head…” Astrid blows out a breath.
“Salem is scared because she can only draw on her own experiences. It’s the same for me. But what you have here is different, and the moment she holds that tiny bundle in her arms, she won't give a flying fuck if her daughter is gifted, as long as she's healthy and happy."
Zig tugs her from my arms and presses a kiss on Astrid’s forehead. She looks at me with shocked eyes before smiling softly.
“Thank you. We weren’t trying, so the whole thing came as a shock. A happy one. But then Salem got freaked, and…”
“And you didn’t know how you were supposed to act. How can you be happy when the woman you love is so scared? You’re allowed to be excited, Zig. This is your baby, too. You just have to be there for each other. You’re a team in all of this. And I think that’s what parenting is. Teamwork. It’s also love, hope, fear, worry, and a thousand other emotions that will press down on your shoulders. But when that baby is cradled in your arms, they won’t feel the burden you carry. They’ll only feel the love you blanket them with.”
“Can we keep you?” Salem’s choked-up voice calls out from the sofa.
Zig curses as he lets Astrid go and heads over to Salem, scooping her up into his arms and carrying her over to us.
“I can walk, you know.” She sighs, but she snuggles into him anyway.
