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She chuckled. “Me too. Well, what can we do? Stay inside, read, knit... think about baby names.”
My ears perked. “Baby names?”
She shrugged, but I could tell she was acting nonchalantly on purpose. “Better start early.”
I moved away from the window and came to sit next to her. The couch dipped under my weight, and Aura giggled when she inevitably rolled toward me.
“What are you saying?” I asked.
“I’m saying that... mmm... hm. What am I saying?”
“You’re such a tease.”
She laughed and set her knitting needles aside. She looked me in the eye. She was beaming.
“What I’m saying is that I am pregnant.”
I held my breath for a moment, then exhaled. I was so tense I couldn’t move. I didn’t want her to get the wrong impression, but I genuinely didn’t know how to react. I knew this day would come, but that didn’t mean I was prepared for it.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
She rolled her eyes. “When I last visited Mina, I did a pregnancy test. Yes, I’m sure.” She touched her stomach lightly.
“This is... This is...”
I had no words, so I pulled her in my arms and held her there.
“Krampus,” she mumbled against my chest. “Can’t... breathe...”
“Oh, I’m sorry...” I let her go, and she took a few deep breaths before beaming at me again. “This is... incredible. A dream come true. A dream I hadn’t dared to dream for a long, long time. For most of my life.”
“I know.”
She was happy, but I was somber. Because she didn’t know what it meant to me.
“Aura, do you understand?” I touched her belly with reverence. “A tiny Krampus is growing inside you, and when he or she is here, I won’t be the only one in the world anymore.”
Her smile faded and her eyes turned gentle. She cupped my face with her hands.
“I understand,” she said. “I am sure the baby will look just like you.”
“It won’t bother you?”
“Not at all. Our baby will be perfect.”
I smiled. “I hope he or she has your eyes.”
“I hope he or she has your hair.”
She laughed, and I joined her. We spent the rest of the evening throwing around baby names and making plans for the future. A few months ago, I wouldn’t have dared to think that I would ever experience such joy. Now here I was, my heart full of it, realizing for the first time that it was only going to get better and better.
It was all because of Aura. She’d changed my life and my entire world, and to show her how grateful I was, I was going to work hard to make myself worthy of her.
This was my purpose.
THE END
