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“What’s wrong?” I left my food and kneeled in front of her.
She took my face in her hands and gave me a swift kiss, “Nothing, nothing at all. I just love you so much.”
“I love you too,” I whispered, kissing her.
“Okay, okay. We need to get a move on. Eat. I’ve seen how much you need to sustain your giant body. We have a busy day,” she said, pushing me back and returning to her breakfast.
We ate in companionable silence. Soon, it was time. We gathered what we had packed from my room, which wasn’t much. I was leaving behind the bedding and towels, knowing we’d have new things once we arrived. We had our clothes and a few other things. If we’d set everything up right, it would be a one-trip move.
It was still early, just as Pip had asked. She didn’t want any fanfare for moving day. She said we’d save that for the day we took leadership. Moving gave her anxiety, so she wanted it to be just us as much as possible. I knew she’d met with Billie, Osif, and Bram multiple times, but she wanted this to be a just-us moment. I was happy to indulge her, knowing all the surprises I had in store. I couldn't hold her hand, given everything we were carrying, but I walked close enough to her that I could inhale her sweet scent. It wasn’t long before we reached the short path off the main thoroughfare that encircled the tribe.
The path to our new home was lined with furutré before opening up to a little clearing with our house sitting in the middle, the forest rising in the back. The outside of the house had been overgrown, the prior owner having passed long ago. The brush had been cleared, and the front of the house scrubbed clean. They even replaced the roof after we went back and forth about how long it would last. Osif had ultimately decided on a new one. From the outside, the house looked brand new. I hurried ahead of Pip to open the door for her. We hadn’t seen the inside in weeks, Billie and Osif keeping it strictly off limits. I ushered Pip in and followed closely behind her.
PIPER
I held my breath as I walked into our new home. I had no idea what to expect. I knew the house's layout but hadn’t been inside since they started working on it. I walked into the great room to find a fire already burning merrily, a brand new mantelpiece above it. I grinned, thinking of the conversation I’d had with Osif. In front of the fireplace was a huge sofa that I had picked out with Bram. To the right of it was a round dining table with intricately carved legs that stood just like the mantlepiece. I brushed my fingers across it before looking back at Agnarr.
“What do you think of the new furniture?”
“It’s beautiful,” Agnarr said as he approached the table.
“It’s your tree—or our tree, rather,” I explained.
“Our tree?” He looked confused.
“Yes, the tree where we met,” I said, beaming at him.
“Oh gods, Pip,” he said, covering his hand with his face, failing to hide the dark green of embarrassment creeping up his neck.
“You don’t like it? It’s where we started our relationship!” I laughed, enjoying teasing him, “It was only appropriate to be in our home.”
Agnarr looked at me, clearly torn between embarrassment and amusement.
“You look at the disastrous tree incident as the beginning of our relationship?” he finally asked.
“Well, it’s how we first met, and though it didn’t start very well, I felt like it ended spectacularly,” I said, smiling.
“Okay, I’ll allow it. But our dining table?”
“And the mantle. And our bed. It seemed only fitting,” still smiling, completely unrepentant.
Agnarr placed the parcels he’d been carrying on the table and pulled me into a fierce hug.
“Oh, Pip, my fiery little mate. Itisfitting,” he murmured before releasing me, “But can it be our secret?”
“Um, only ifourincludes Billie and Osif... and probably the rest of the women?”
“You truly show no mercy, my mate,” he said, resigned.
“Nope. None at all,” I said, kissing him again. “Shall we look around?” I asked.
We looked over the kitchen together. It was basic, as we knew we’d be eating most meals with the tribe, but it had everything we needed should we decide we needed some time away. Looking around the rest of the great room, there were hooks by the front door, and what looked almost like a human shoe rack, if not significantly larger—finally, the first closed door. I knew everything that was inside it, but Agnarr didn’t. I’d watched Osif design and build the desk and chairs, as well as the beginnings of what would become several built-in bookcases. I picked out soft rugs and oil lamps with Bram. I was itching with anticipation to show Agnarr his new office as jarl.
“Let’s see what they decided to do with this room,” I said, pulling the door open and walking in.
Billie, Osif, and Bram did not disappoint. The room was dominated by a giant, beautiful wooden desk with a lit oil lamp sitting on it. I wondered how early Billie and Osif had gotten up to ensure the entire house was lit up. Bookshelves were built into the wall on either side of the desk, and two squishy-looking chairs in opposite corners looked like lovely places to curl up and read.
“Well, do you like your office?” I asked.
