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She let out a frustrated breath and opened the door. She got out of the truck. “Come inside with me,” she ordered. “We’re finishing this conversation.”
“What?” He leaned forward. “Seriously?”
She slammed the car door shut.
Moments passed. He got out.
“Finally,” she muttered. She turned on her heel and stalked over to the door. They went in together. She led them to her living room.
He was looking all over. “Whoa, this is a Christmas wonderland.”
“I have three throw pillows and a couple blankets.”
“And a tree, and those candles, and look at the little village of snow people. That’s so cute.” He stood over it, looking at the little mirror pond and the snowy houses and the array of different snowmen and women and children.
“That’s up all winter,” she said. “Valdemar hated it. Everyone else buys me snowmen figurines for Christmas, and he just grumbled about it.”
“Valdemar’s your ex.”
“Didn’t I tell you his name?”
“I just… didn’t register it, if so.” He took in her Christmas tree, which was covered in sparkling ornaments. “Tree’s nice. I thought I had ornaments, but then… maybe Venna took them. I haven’t bothered with a tree in years, but at my new house, I thought…”
She sighed. “I would love to decorate that house of yours,” she said in a tiny voice. “But, Gunnar, come on. We don’t fit together. We disagree about very fundamental things.”
He came over and sat down on the couch. “What do we disagree about?”
“I bet we vote for different political parties.”
“Let’s not talk about politics,” he muttered. “I think I have PTSD about politics.”
“It colors everything,” she said.
“Doesn’t have to,” he said.
She yawned again.
“We can talk another time,” he said. “You’re tired.”
“You won’t admit it,” she said.
“Admit what?”
“It was the first conversation we had,” she said. “You said, ‘What power?’”
He groaned. “This? Seriously? Come on, Hiljd, I don’t have any power.”
“Privilege. You have privilege, and you can’t admit it. And why not? Because then you’ll have to admit that some of those things you think you earned, you didn’t earn. You got them because things were easier for you.”
“Things have never been easy for me,” he said, running a hand through his beard.
“Well, things haven’t been easy for me, and it’s been harder because I’m a woman. And if you can’t just own up to that basic fact, then I can’t do this with you.”
He let out a breath. “Well, shit.”
She hunched up her shoulders. “And we’re having a girl, you know.”
“I didn’t know,” he breathed. “Really?” His expression was so vulnerable and hopeful, it cut her.
