He shut his mouth and waited for her to continue.
Nana leaned in, spoon tapping lightly against the table. "Figure out what you want. Because Rune wants a family. Children. A home to settle in. I know my girl. That's her heart. And you..." She let the pause stretch. "I imagine you have come up with a plan. But you need to think hard about whether you can give her that. Stay here and walk around without the stress of following her around, and think. Is that truly what you want, or just words you're throwing out because you're afraid to lose her?"
Chapter twenty-nine
Chapter 29
Rune – At her parents' place
Rune's mum poked her head into the bathroom. "You're pale, love. You alright?"
"I'm fine," Rune said quickly, though her stomach felt like it was trying to turn itself inside out again.
She was obviously not alright as she was bent over the toilet bowl for the next round of projectile vomiting.
Her mum's brows knit together. "Fine, my arse. You look like you've seen a ghost. Or become one."
"That just makes me feel so much better, Mom..."
The sound of retching had clearly carried down the hallway, there was no use denying it. Rune finally straightened and gripped the sides of the sink while she tried to steady her breathing, exhausted to the point of passing out. Underneath it all, she was also calling Dorian a few choice words in her head.Vasectomy, my foot.
"Ah, I remember this well," her mum said bustling forward. "I did tell you many times there will be payback every time you acted up in school, remember? When I was carrying you, I couldn't keep down so much as a cup of water the first three months. Your dad used to joke he could tell the time by the heaving." She chuckled at the memory, as if the violence of it were nothing more than an old family tale.
"Well, you were asking for it when you decided to have a second child," Rune shot back waspishly. Then she closed her eyes, wishing the nausea would ebb.
"Hold on, love. I'll put the kettle on.", she let her lean on her as she led her into their tiny kitchen. While Rune blearily watched, her mum moved with a practised ease, reaching for the ginger tea she always swore by. "Ginger and dry toast. Saved my life more than once. Might just do the trick for you."
Rune managed a faint smile as her mother slid a slice of bread into the toaster.
"Course, it's twins like your gran is always wishing for," her mum went on cheerfully, "You're in for double the trouble. Twice the retching, twice the sleepless nights. But-" she turned with a twinkle in her eye, setting the kettle to boil, "twice the love, too."
Rune let her head drop against her forearm on the counter, a groan muffled by her sleeve. "Don't even joke about twins, Mum. I still don't believe it. I think the sonographer was drunk and saw double."
"Don't joke, love," Her mum set a steaming cup and the plate of toast in front of her. "Now, sip this before your stomach stages another rebellion." Her dad who had been sitting in the corner frowned over his paper. "First day back to work tomorrow, ain't it?"
"Mm," she replied. She pressed a hand to her belly. "Just... need to get through this."
Guilt pricked like a sharp needle to her finger. She should have told Dorian she was leaving. Should have-
"No," she muttered under her breath. "He doesn't deserve that."
Her phone buzzed.
"Hello?" Rune balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder, palm pressed to her unsettled stomach.
"Hi, it's Kai." The voice was warm, almost tentative. "How have you been?"
"Good," Rune said quickly, as she frantically tried to remember who Kai was. Her stomach lurched again and she added automatically, "And you?"
"Yeah, fine. Better, actually." He gave a little laugh, softer than she expected. "I've been thinking about you."
Rune ran through all the possible Kais she knew, eyes flicking toward the kettle her mum had just set on the hob. Kai ...Kai...she vaguely remembered... Oh, yeah, the party.But what exactly was she meant to do with that?
"Oh?" she managed, deliberately noncommittal.
"Yeah. Just... you crossed my mind," he said, as though trying to make it sound casual.
Rune hummed, hoping it passed for polite interest. In reality, she was mostly wondering if morning sickness would turn into all-day sickness.
