It made cheeks and noses rosy and the night quiet and still, like the world was holding its breath, and she relished the peace.
“You call all this work peace?” Hades had countered.
“It keeps my mind occupied,” she replied.
She didn’t need to explain herself, Hades understood. They were haunted by the same demons and worried about the same things.
So yes, all the work was worth it.
She was excited to see the children react to snow again. It was one of her favorite parts about Christmas.
“You will see snow next year,” she said, smoothing her hand over her belly, speaking to the twins. “And in a few more years, you can play in it too.”
Her last word was breathless as one of them stretched.
She imagined the twins dressed in matching snowsuits, making snowmen and sledding. She could hear their belly-deep laughs and shrieks of sheer joy. It was a sound that made her chest tighten and her eyes well with tears. It was one thing to dream it, another thing to know it would soon be real.
It made her giddy for everything that was to come, maybe that’s why she was particularly invested in this holiday season despite being so pregnant. It felt important to establish traditions now, knowing they would be the foundation of their family for years to come.
Persephone preheated the oven, then went to the refrigerator and took out part of the dough she’d made before bed. She would have to make the cookies in batches so she could keep it from getting too warm. She rolled out the first round of dough and cut gingerbread men until she ran out of room. Once she was finished with her first batch, she returned the cookies to the refrigerator.
She was rolling out the second round of dough when she felt a subtle change in the air, a slight charge that lifted the hair on the back of her neck.
Hades approached, slipping his arms around her waist, resting his hands on either side of her stomach. He kissed her shoulder then her neck.
“Can I help?”
She smiled.
“Do you want to roll or cut?” she asked.
“Is one better than the other?”
“It’s not rock, paper, scissors,” she said. “You really can’t lose.”
The corner of his mouth lifted, dark eyes glinting with amusement.
“You pick. I’ll do whatever you say.”
She handed him the rolling pin.
“Anything is a generous offer, my lord,” she said.
“Generous or fair? You are carrying my offspring.”
One of the babies kicked, or gave it their best effort given their lack of space. Still it didn’t feel great. She took an audible breath and glared at Hades.
“Could you sound any more antiquated?”
He chuckled. “I think it’s funny.”
“It’s good to know your sense of humor has morphed into bad dad jokes ahead of the babies arrival.”
“You think I had a sense of humor before?”
She gave him a wry look as she returned to her task.
“I assume you will play with the children for a little while,” she said.
