Standing outside the brothel a few days later, with Elshar and Miriam having gone back to Dallton, Orelia pondered how andwhen she was going to tell Vade. She stood in his embrace looking up at the sign he had commissioned for her.
Orelia twisted in his arms and kissed his cheek. “The sign is perfect. Thank you.”
Back in the garden behind their house, Orelia watered the tomato plants that had sprouted generously-sized fruits since her return. A full bucket of potatoes sat next to her plumrose bushes that had favored well in the warm weather.
With Rae running the brothel during the day, it left Orelia plenty of time to follow her true passion. Her garden.
Everything in the garden was healthy and thriving and she picked a few more ripe tomatoes to add to the stack she’d be selling at market. She’d recently purchased a cart and couldn’t stop jabbering about how excited she was to attend her first market.
Vade hammered away at the new bed frame he’d been working on for two days. Their claiming had started sweet, then quickly turned pleasurably rough, and they’d broken the frame in the process. Content with just a mattress on the ground, Orelia hadn’t complained, but Vade insisted on building them a bigger, better frame. One that could withstand their rigorous activities.
Orelia stood barefoot in a jade shift dress that stopped just above her knees. The fabric hung loose off her body but showed off her toned legs and the dip in the front revealed more of her chest than she’d ever showed in her previous years in Minro. Since their return,she’d drifted to more revealing outfits, enjoying her newfound femininity. Her skin had turned even more golden in the time she’d spent working in the garden, but it was Vade’s skin she was focused on. Orelia twirled her auburn hair around her finger as she watched his bronze muscles move with ease as he swung the axe over and over against the lumber he’d bought.
Most days, he forewent a shirt and wore only his pants and boots. Orelia didn’t complain. She ogled him, tugging on her bottom lip with her teeth as she watched his sweaty, chiseled body work.
Vade panted and tossed one of the split pieces of wood aside. His hair hung in a loose knot at the base of his neck, a few strands falling free around his face. Her favorite look.
When his eyes met hers, he gave her a devilish grin. “Stop gawking, witch.”
“I can’t when you look that good. It’s not my fault I have the most handsome man in all of Nivinia.”
Vade dropped the axe and prowled toward her. He wrapped his sweaty arms around her waist. “I am, aren’t I?”
She shoved his shoulder. “You’re supposed to say, ‘and I have the most beautiful woman in all the world.’”
“Well, that’s a given.” He pressed his mouth to hers, lingering a while before deepening the kiss. Orelia dropped her bucket of tomatoes and wrapped her arms around his neck.
His hands slid down her back and she squealed when he grabbed her ass. “I need to hurry up and finish this bed frame so we can break it in properly.” Vade grinneddown at her.
Orelia stepped back and her hand fell to her navel. She’d been bracing to tell him, unsure of how he was going to react, but he loved her, and she trusted it would be enough.
With only slight hesitation, Orelia locked her eyes on his. “Maybe you can make another frame while you’re at it. One a bit . . . smaller.”
His brows pulled together.
She grabbed his hand and put his palm on her stomach. “You’re going to be a father.”
Vade’s eyes blew wide and she swore he wasn’t breathing.
Her eyes bounced between his, anxiously awaiting his response. He hadn’t explicitly said he wanted to start a family with her, but she knew his protective nature would make him a good father should the situation arise. They hadn’t been trying to have a child, it had just . . .happened. When he didn’t move or say anything, her heart began racing.
“A baby?” he finally whispered. He’d been taking the elixirs since the cabin in Ravere, but sometimes these things happened.
She nodded. “I had Morton confirm it for me. I’m only a few weeks along, but it’s a boy.” She rubbed her stomach, unable to contain her smile. “I can feel him, like he’s already a part of me. Like I already know him.”
Vade’s mouth hung open as he stared at their joined hands on her stomach.
“And he has wings.”
Onyx eyes snapped to hers. “He’s fae?”
Another nod.
A smile erupted across his face, hands flying to his hair. “A boy? A fae?”
Orelia giggled at his reaction. “Just like you.”
“Oh, gods,” Vade’s eyes darted everywhere. “I need to make a crib, and a bassinet, and a bed. I wonder how much wood that will take.” He began pacing. “And he’s going to need plenty of blankets and toys. Does someone here make toys?”
