He shakes the box experimentally. Nothing rattles. "A puzzle?"
"Just open it."
Ursak carefully removes the wrapping paper, always methodical even with presents. He lifts the lid, peers inside, and goes completely still.
"Maya."
"Surprise?"
He lifts out the pregnancy test, staring at those two pink lines like they might disappear. "You're certain?"
"I took three tests. All positive."
"Three tests." He sets the box aside and reaches for me, pulling me onto his lap. "We're having a baby."
"We're having a baby."
"When?"
"End of summer, I think. I'll call the doctor tomorrow to confirm."
Nimmy, oblivious to the magnitude of this moment, crashes his new train into a tower of blocks. "Boom! Train crash!"
"Boom indeed," Ursak murmurs against my hair. "This is the best Christmas gift I've ever received."
"Even better than the Beowulf?"
"Infinitely better."
"Train! Mama Maya! Train!" Nimmy holds up his locomotive, demanding attention.
"I see your train, sweetie. It's very fast."
"Baby train?"
I exchange glances with Ursak. "Actually, about that. You're going to be a big brother soon."
Nimmy processes this information with typical toddler seriousness. "Brother baby?"
"Sister or brother. We won't know for a while."
"Mine baby?"
"Our baby," Ursak corrects gently. "The whole family's baby."
This seems to satisfy Nimmy's territorial instincts. He returns to his trains, now providing sound effects for both the locomotive and the mysterious future baby.
"Are you scared?" I ask Ursak quietly.
"Terrified," he admits. "But also amazed. A child who's part of both of us."
"Half-orc, half-human. She's going to face challenges we can't even imagine."
"She?"
"Gut feeling. Could be wrong."
"She'll be strong," Ursak says with certainty. "With your determination and orc resilience, she'll handle whatever the world throws at her."
