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“Uh, I think someone’s going to say a few words about the end of the light and the coming of the darkness of winter and togetherness and blah-blah-blah,” said his father. “Patriarchy, my ass.”
Gunnar shrugged. “Well, if I stopped calling it patriarchy, would it still upset you?”
“I’m just saying that I’m not a bad guy,” said his father. “You’re not a bad guy. If women want to get all up in arms—”
“It’s a systemic problem, Dad, it’s not about people,” he said. “Anyway, I told you, yeah, when people get all whiny about it, I’m not into it. And when they blame everyone else, like men are evil, that’s dumb. But seriously, there’s some—”
Wait a minute, there she was.
“You done, then?” said his father. “Good, because I’m about sick of it.”
“Uh, I’ll be back,” said Gunnar. He went straight for her, walking with a purpose. Shit, after all this time! He’d talked to Tom about her, but Tom hadn’t been able to get in touch with her. He didn’t have a phone number for her or anything. He’d been convinced her last name was Thalt.
That’s definitely her ex-husband’s last name,said Tom.And they had a mating bond, so I don’t see how she wouldn’t’ve taken his name.
Except he couldn’t find her on social media with that last name. He found three other Hiljd Thalts, but none of them were her.
Mating bond? How do you have an ex if you have a mating bond?
No one knows about that. Neither of them like to talk about it.
Gunnar stepped right up to her. “Hey, long time.”
She turned to him. She was wearing a big puffy purple coat, and her long brown hair was braided into two braids. She had a knitted headband around her head, over her ears. She looked, well, adorable. Her lips parted. “Fuck me, it’s you.”
“I’ve been trying to find you,” he said. “I didn’t know your last name, and Tom didn’t know your last name, and I even tried to find that Lucy woman who was there. Tom said she worked at the Meck in Shepherdstown, so I’ve been there maybe five times, but she’s never working, and—” He broke off. “I’m just being a creepy stalker, huh?”
“Um…” Hiljd shook her head. “Um, you were looking for me?”
“I can go away,” he said. What was wrong with him, anyway? When she’d run off from him at that party, he should have gotten the hint that she really didn’t ever want to see him again. He’d just sort of convinced himself that maybe she wanted to see him again, too, because he really wanted to see her again.
“You don’t have to go away.” She gave him a smile. “Why were you looking for me?”
“Uh…” He let out a laugh and looked off into the distance. “Well, if you have to ask that, I reallyshouldgo away.”
“Because, like, you wanted to… date or something?”
“Hey, the way you make that sound—”
“Really?” she said. “Shit.”
He turned to look at her. “Okay, look, I’m sorry that I ran into you again. Let’s pretend that I didn’t, okay?” He offered her his hand. “We’ll shake again, and that’ll be the end of it.”
“I feel horrible now,” she said. “Fuck.” She gave him a very pained look.
“Well, don’t feel horrible,” he said. “You don’t feel the same way, which is now really obvious considering the way you left, and I—”
“I’m pregnant.”
His body turned alternately hot and then cold. His tongue swelled up and stuck to the bottom of his mouth. He let out noisy breaths that whistled against his tusks.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, putting a hand to her forehead. “I felt so guilty when I ran off like that. So guilty, but I just… I didn’t think… and you’ve beenlookingfor me. I’m an awful, awful person.”
He tried to speak. Nothing came out. He licked his lips. He put a hand against his chest. “Mine?” he said, his voice barely there. “You’re saying it’s…”
She nodded.
Shit.
