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She hates me. She very clearly hates me. She didn’t even want me to know she was pregnant.
Yeah, but maybe he could change her mind.
Eventually, he and his dad and four other orc men all came together and lit their lighting sticks off the same flame and then all went to light the Yule log.
The gathered orcs all cheered and then someone struck up “Deck the Halls” a cappella and he went looking for Hiljd, only to have her appear at his elbow.
“We need to talk,” he said to her.
“Okay,” she said.
“You can come back to my place,” he said. Then he cringed. “Would that make you feel uncomfortable, though? Sorry, maybe a public place, like a restaurant or—”
“I’ll go back to your place,” she said.
v.
HILJD LIKED GUNNAR’Shouse.
It was close by, halfway between Shepherdstown and Kearneysville, down a long, tree-lined driveway. It was a remodeled farmhouse with clean lines and black accents. She couldn’t make out much in the darkness, but it looked very nice in the illumination of her car’s headlights.
She got out of her car and gazed at the place, at the large yard and the two stories and the pergola over the deck off one side. She touched her belly. It was a girl, and she already knew that, because after her history, she was given a test right off to determine if there were any genetic issues. The test also determined gender. If her little girl had to spend some time in this house growing up, it might not be so bad.
The front door of the house opened, and Gunner motioned for her to come inside.
She walked over and stepped into the house. No Christmas decorations. Typical man.
“I, um, what can you drink?” he said. “I thought a glass of wine, and then no. And then coffee. No. Right? No tea either. Can pregnant women drink anything?”
She laughed. “Not really, no. It’s just nine months of joyless beverages.”
He winced. “I’m really sorry.”
“No, it’s…” She smiled at him, the way she’d been smiling since she found out that she was pregnant, the smile that seemed to overtake her entire body, to lift her spirits. “It’s great. I’m… thank you.”
He nodded. “You wanted to be pregnant.”
“So much.”
“Well, that’s good,” he said. “I mean, overall, if a woman’s having your baby, it’s a good thing if she’s pleased about it.” He lifted a finger. “Hot chocolate? Herbal tea?”
“Either, yes, I could do either,” she said. “Herbal tea sounds good.”
“Okay, I have this Christmas sampler stuff.” He gestured with his head for her to follow him, and they went through the house—which was clean but bare, not much in the way of decoration—into the kitchen.
She stopped in the doorway, gaping at it. “This kitchen is…”
“Yeah,” he said, grinning at her as he went over to one of the cabinets. “Sorry, this place, I just moved in, maybe a week ago? I was living in Maryland, actually, near Boonsboro, but my family lives here, and I like this area. It’s good to be five minutes away instead of twenty minutes, you know?”
“Sure,” she said, unsure of what this this had to do with the kitchen.
He kept talking. “It’s been a project I’ve been working on in my spare time, and I was supposed to be further along, but things came up, and I still have, like, the whole upstairs… Anyway, point is, my lease in Maryland was up, forced my hand, had to move in. At least I got the kitchen done, though. I like it, too.”
“Do you cook?” She gazed at the white cabinets with their black handles and the light gray granite countertops and the deep sink. There were modern, sleek appliances and a big island in the middle of the room.
“I’m not great at it.” He shrugged. “But, like, if you eat, you cook, yeah?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I’m not great at it either, honestly. My ex did all the cooking. I was too busy being the breadwinner.”
