Orri (Intergalactic Surrogacy Agency #3)

25. Cooking

COOKING

ORRI

A FEW DAYS LATER

T he sun's not even up yet, and I'm bustling around the kitchen making breakfast. Who am I, and what have I done with the old Orri? I smile to myself as I reach into the fridge and pull out the milk and juice.

I never cared much for cooking when it was just me, but now I have someone to cook for. After I got Isabella home and rested, we had her checked out by both the ISA and my clan's doctor. They both confirmed what we knew in our hearts already: she was pregnant. The real shocker was what they told us after the checkup — that they detected not one fetus, but two .

Twins. I can't believe it. As I flip the sizzling bacon and put a few more slices of bread in the toaster, I can't keep the smile from my face. How did I ever get so lucky?

At that thought, I hear movement behind me and turn to find Isabella standing in the doorway, dressed in my robe. It's way too large on her and the belt's only loosely tied, giving me an eyeful of what she has on underneath. Namely — nothing. I nearly drop the frying pan and take in the sight of her.

Messy bed hair, half-open eyes, and my robe draped loosely around her soft, curvy flesh. My mouth waters at the sight. Maybe I'm hungry for something else, after all. She yawns and stretches while rubbing her eyes and taking in the spread of food before her. "What's all this?" She mutters, leaning against the door frame. "Since when are you so into breakfast?"

I look up just long enough to catch the way her eyes light up at the sight. I could get used to that. "Since the doctors told us you need to rest up and eat up. Gotta get your iron levels back to normal, remember? That's why you were having those dizzy spells."

She just yawns again, nodding. "You try carrying two little people inside of you. It gets tiring."

The thought still sends a shiver down my spine. I still can't believe it. Not only did I get the girl, but she's going to have not one, but two babies. I'm nervous, of course — all the military training in the world can't prepare me for looking after a little one, let alone two — but I'm also excited to start this new part of my life.

For so long, I watched other couples and thought I'd never be able to have what they had. That the opportunity had passed for me long ago, and there was nothing left for me but blood and battle. But finding Isabella and opening my heart to her changed all of that. I realized that I still had plenty of life to live. And I realized that continuing to deny myself out of some misguided sense of loyalty was only keeping me stuck in the past.

Now, I have a beautiful woman by my side. An Earth woman, in fact. Definitely never thought I'd end up with a human, but surprisingly, it works. She's soft and sweet in all the right ways, and firm and feisty where it counts.

She's been watching me train every morning since we returned together. I know she wants to participate, but her body's still adapting to the pregnancy. Instead, I let her use a recording device and film each of my workouts.

It serves a double purpose — it will serve as training material for the new recruits, of course, but let's just say we made a couple of private videos for her eyes only. She'll have plenty to keep her occupied while I'm out on patrol, and I even got reassigned to a unit closer to home so I can watch over her.

All in all, things are looking up, and for the first time since Zannah passed away, I find myself actually looking forward to the future.

"I'm just one person, you know." Isabella laughs, joining me at the counter. She wraps her arms around my midsection and hugs me from behind. "How am I supposed to eat all of this?"

"I'm just following the doctor's orders. You've got to get your iron up, plus you're eating for three, remember?" I try to make it sound like that's the only reason. Not because I love taking care of her like this. It's the alpha nature in me coming out, now that we've accepted one another as mates.

Being an alpha isn't all about being a growly sex-crazed animal, after all. Of course, that's a part...a very sexy part, I think with a smile. But even more important than that is the way that alphas treasure and protect their mates.

Being with Isabella like this is more than I ever expected. More than I ever thought I deserved, especially after Zannah. But when I'm with Isabella, she makes me feel like a king. And I'm going to do everything in my power to spoil her like the treasure she is.

Gotta admit, I could get used to this.

She looks past me at the table and sees a full breakfast spread. She nudges me playfully. "For someone who claims not to like cooking, you sure does a good job of it."

Pancakes, fruit, yogurt...I tried to remember all of her favorite Earth foods and put them together for her. It took no small amount of shopping and watching videos on Earth cooking techniques, but I think my efforts are finally paying off.

Bacon sizzles in the pan, letting off the most mouth-watering aroma. Toast dings in the toaster, ready to be spread with the delicious green-colored jam that is a local specialty.

Everything is seemingly...somehow...perfect.

Maybe that's not the right word. If there's one thing I've learned from my trials, it's that life will never be perfect. There will always be things you don't expect, heartbreaks you couldn't see coming, and pains that seem utterly all-consuming. But in the midst of it all, there's joy and hope and community and love .

And that's something worth fighting for.

"Go sit down." I shoo her away with the spatula. "I'm almost done, and then we can eat. Besides, I have a surprise for you."

She perks up. "A surprise? What are you talking about."

"You'll see in a minute. Now shoo." A few more waggles of the spatula later and she relents, stepping around me back into the dining room. I sneak a peek at her backside as she leaves — humans really are just built different. I'm a lucky man.

Speaking of which...

After checking that Isabella's situated at the table, I duck into the pantry and pull out the box I've been saving for this moment. It's the music box I bought at the market that day. I never had a chance to give it to her because when I was on my way, I found out that she'd gone missing.

I may not have a ring, but I have this. And in some way, that makes it even more meaningful. As I hold the box in my hands, my heart starts racing all over again. We're not even in danger this time, but my hands are sweating. My mouth goes dry.

Since when did this human affect me so much more than all the life-or-death battles I've been in? Clearing my throat, I let out a deep breath and step into the dining room.

She's looking up at me, eyes full of life and hope and not a little amount of anticipation. That's one of the things I love about human eyes — they're so expressive. So much more so than Aesirheim women. "So?" She says in that cute, lilting voice of hers. "What's this surprise you're talking about?"

A last minute idea pops into my mind and I run with it. "Close your eyes."

"Wha—"

"Trust me. You'll see what I mean in just a moment. Just close your eyes. I'll tell you when to open them."

"Okay." Her lids flutter closed and she sits there, hands folded in her lap, waiting.

As gently as possible, I pull out the box and place it upon the table. It makes a soft click as I turn the key, and as the first notes spill out, I move to behind her chair and place my hands on her shoulders. "Open your eyes."

And there it is. A tinkling lullaby all the way from Earth, played across the backdrop of a beautiful mechanical music box. She claps a hand over her mouth, eyes widening in shock and recognition.

"Orri..." She gasps, still staring. "Oh my god...you..." Tears well up in her eyes, but they're not tears of pain or fear. Not ever again, if I have anything to say about it. Isabella rips her eyes away from the music box to look up at me, mouth agape and eyes shining with tears. "How did you..."

Thank you, Ulfar, for the tip. Definitely gonna have to buy him a drink after this.

"I found it at the market," I say, rubbing the back of my neck. I had hoped that she would be excited, but I wasn't prepared for this level of reaction. "I remember you talking about a song you grew up with, and when I was doing some shopping the other day I heard it, and it reminded me of you." That's only a half-truth, but she doesn't need to know that.

"It's beautiful," she says, practically sobbing at this point. "Thank you." Isabella turns in the chair and wraps her arms around me, burying her face in my shirt.

While part of me hates to see her crying, I know it's the release from so much stress and trauma in so little time. Perhaps it's the catharsis she needs to move forward with her life. I went through the same thing when I realized that Isabella was it for me.

When Ulfar, Zannah's brother, finally gave me the permission I needed to move on.

So I hold her, stroking a hand through her hair, and think about all that we've been through together. All of the new memories that we can share, and the family we're going to build.

I tip her chin up and press a gentle kiss to her soft lips. I trace the tracks of her tears. I lean in close and whisper through her hair—

"Isabella, will you be mine? Forever?"

She clings even more tightly, and when I meet her eyes again, they're filled with nothing but love. I see reflected in them all of the hurts and all of the struggles, but all of the laughs and joys and dreams. "I would love to," she says, voice breaking at last.

As the last few notes of the music box warble across the room, a different sound catches my attention.

Grrrr.

Oh, right. The food. Sounds like someone's hungry.

We both break into easy laughter, and I rush back into the kitchen to fix her a plate for breakfast. I hope this is the start of many happy mornings to come.