by Karen Lynch
Almost an hour passed before I heard our bedroom door open, and Eldeorin appeared at the top of the stairs. His face gave nothing away when his eyes found mine.
“You can come up now.”
I took the stairs two at a time, and ran into our bedroom. Sara stood near the French doors, looking out at the snow, so I couldn’t see her face.
“Sara?”
Seconds passed before she turned to look at me, wearing a slightly dazed expression. Dread churned in my stomach, and I took a step toward her.
“What is it?
“It’s…” The dazed look left her eyes and she smiled. For a moment, her body seemed to be surrounded by a soft white glow.
I shot Eldeorin a questioning look and found him smiling, too.
“It seems congratulations are in order.”
“What?” I asked dumbly.
I swung my gaze back to Sara, and she wordlessly laid a hand over her stomach. It took me a few seconds to register what she was telling me. My knees weakened and I had to grip the post at the foot of the bed to stay on my feet.
My eyes lifted to meet hers again, and she nodded at my unspoken question.
I went to her and cupped her face in my hands. Her green eyes brimmed with happy tears, and I brushed them away as they fell.
“A baby?” I said hoarsely. “We’re having a baby?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
My chest expanded as an indescribable joy filled me, and I reached down to splay my hand across her flat stomach that would soon grow round with our child.
Slipping my other hand behind her head, I pulled her to me and kissed her with a fierce tenderness that left us both breathless. I was about to pick her up and carry her to the bed when a throat cleared behind me, reminding me we weren’t alone.
“I’ll be leaving now,” Eldeorin said, sounding amused. “Sara, I’ll be by in a few days to check on you. But from what I can see, she’s healthy and strong.”
“She?” I turned to him, stunned. “You can already tell it’s a girl?”
“Only a female child would inherit Sara’s magic, and this one’s already a strong little thing. She’s the one who sent them off on their little adventure tonight.”
I stared at him, reeling from the news, and he shot me a devilish grin.
“Rest up, Daddy. You’re going to need it.”
About the Author
When she is not writing, Karen Lynch can be found reading or baking. A native of Newfoundland, Canada, she currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her cats and two crazy lovable German Shepherds: Rudy and Sophie.