Chapter Six
As much as I didn’t want to move, I knew it was inevitable. We were covered in paint, sweat, and other unmentionable fluids. The day had been long, and we needed to rest while we could if there was going to be a baby on the way.
I reluctantly pulled out of Ellyn’s tightness with a groan. Ellyn whimpered at the lack of heat and pressure, and when I glanced between her legs, I could see my seed spilling out of her.
I instinctively pressed my fingers against her center and pushed the fluid back inside ?her.
My wife gasped, and her head snapped down to look at what I was doing. Despite having a ridiculously intense orgasm, her pupils dilated again, and her lips parted expectantly.
“Not tonight,” I murmured. “I just don’t want any of this to go to waste.”
“I guess you’ll just have to carry me to bed, then,” the pale blonde said with a proud tilt of her chin.
“I guess I will,” I chuckled as I tucked one arm under her legs and the other one under her waist.
I hauled her up against my chest in one fluid movement and then made the short journey back to our bedroom.
“Shower in the morning?” Ellyn asked as I placed her on the bed.
“Yeah, shower in the morning,” I agreed as I slid in next to her. “You need to stay lying down.”
“Even though I’m covered in paint?” my wife giggled.
“Yes.” I huffed out a tired laugh as I pulled the covers over our bodies. “I told you. I don’t want any to go to waste.”
“You’re really set on getting me pregnant, aren’t you?” Ellyn’s smile was like a million bucks, and I pulled her against my chest so I could hold her close.
“You’re damn right I am,” I said as I buried my face in her hair. “Sorry about the paint fight.”
“Don’t apologize,” the pale-haired elf whispered as her fingertips traced soft patterns against my chest. “It was fun.”
“That’s one way to put it,” I snorted and tightened my grip on her. “Do you think we did it?”
“If we didn’t, it won’t take us long to try again,” Ellyn teased, but she wasn’t wrong by any means.
If it wasn’t this time, it would be the next. And if it wasn’t then, there would be plenty more opportunities. It wasn’t a race to have a baby, but I couldn’t help but wish that this time was the one.
Only time would tell, though, and for now, I’d be content trying as many times as it took and then some.
Sleep was tugging at my eyelids, which were already closing on their own accord. I could tell Ellyn was on the brink of falling under its grasp, too, so I pressed one last kiss to her forehead.
“I love you,” I mumbled into her hair. “Always.”
“I love you, too, Noah,” she sighed. “So much.”
As soon as those words left her, I was gone. Darkness consumed my vision, and thankfully the shard didn’t have any shadowy figures to show me tonight.
I woke up well-rested the next morning, with Ellyn still tucked against my chest and snoring softly.
I took a moment to bask in her warmth pressing against me.
Her bare body against mine made it feel like we were two jigsaw pieces fitting together.
There was no better feeling than this, and the thought of there being a little tyke running around the house soon only made it feel all the more perfect.
Ellyn stirred as if she could sense I was awake, and it wasn’t long before her sleepy face was lazily blinking up at me.
“Good morning, sunshine,” I said in a gravelly voice as I brushed a few stray locks of blonde hair from her face.
“Mmm, morning,” she mumbled as she nuzzled into my touch. “What’s the plan for today?”
“We should go to town,” I said as I fought off a yawn. “I need to get Fang before Benni claims him forever. Then I need to talk to Halamar about getting some glass made for the greenhouse.”
“You could ask about selling the goat cheese, too,” Ellyn said. “Maybe Alden can send a pigeon to Midhallow.”
“It saves us a trip, especially in uncertain times,” I agreed, only for Ellyn to giggle in response.
I sat up against the pillows and looked down at the snickering elf, who was covering her mouth with her hand.
“What is it?” I asked defensively, but a grin was already contorting my sleepy face.
“You speak like a Glader sometimes,” my wife revealed between her cute giggles. “It’s endearing.”
“Do I?” I blinked. “I… didn’t realize I did that.”
“We’re clearly rubbing off on you,” she joked. “I’m glad.”
“I suppose I’ve already got you speaking like you’re from the States,” I mused. “It seems only fair.”
“Whatever you do, don’t stop,” Ellyn teased as she shuffled out of my grasp.
I watched in a stupor for a moment as my naked wife walked over to the en suite, and by the time I realized what she was doing, the water was already running.
I jumped out of bed at the speed of sound and scrambled after her like a lost puppy.
The paint from last night’s play fight was still covering various parts of our bodies, and I was surprised we hadn’t left a few smudges on the sheets. I made a silent promise to keep my hands to myself, because otherwise we would never leave the shower, and I had things to do today.
I slid into the shower behind Ellyn and helped her scrub away our decorating attempt. Then she did the same thing to me until we were paint-free and squeaky clean.
After we hopped out and got dressed for the day, we headed into the kitchen and had a quick breakfast. Eggs on toast were a pretty big staple these days, and it always hit the spot.
And a little sprinkle of baked goat cheese on top definitely elevated it to another level.
We fed Nelly her tuna can, as well as a little side of cheese to test if she could actually eat the stuff we seemed to have a surplus of.
I also left a little hand-written note for the farmhands about the difference in milking the goats and pinned it to the barn where they would definitely see it.
After that, I cut off a small sample of the goat cheese and tucked it into my jacket pocket. I grabbed a pouch full of gold to pay Halamar with, too. Then Ellyn and I jumped into the side-by-side, and it was time to head off.
The first stop on my list was the Frostfyre Inn. Fang was probably wondering if I’d abandoned him and left him to Benni. An unfortunate fate, but Ida was there, and Fang’s little crush on the Ostilla would keep him by her side through thick and thin.
As we approached Gladewood, I could hear the distant sound of hammering slowly getting louder and louder. It was still relatively early. The sun was making its slow descent into the sky, and the dark blue of the night was being washed away by a gorgeous burnt orange.
When the gate to Gladewood opened and I drove us through, I was surprised to see a dozen or so dwarves hammering away at the base of a structure.
They paid us no mind as we drove past the square foundation, and they were far too focused on their work to notice us. Thick, hairy arms wielded hammers three times ?the size of any I’d ever seen, while dwarven duos carried large beams of wood to the forming watchtower.
“They’re making quick work, just like the farmhands said,” Ellyn commented. “I suppose you should never underestimate a dwarf and their building capabilities.”
“Do you think they’d help with extending the house?” I asked. “We could have it finished way quicker than with just me doing it.”
“It’s worth asking after they’ve finished the watchtowers,” Ellyn agreed as she toyed with a strand of her pale blonde hair.
As we drove further into town, it was like a completely different place compared to the other day after the battle.
There was no more blood coating the cobbles. All the shattered glass had been swept away, and the broken windows were replaced and fitted. The holes that had ruptured in the ground had been restoned thanks to the foundations the shard had put under them.
Everything almost looked… normal. If you ignored the huge vine wall bordering the town, that is.
The market stall owners were already beginning to set up shop, and it made me happy to know that business was operating as usual. Sure, our borders were essentially cut off, but we’d survived as our own little community for long enough that we didn’t need to depend on outside visitors.
I parked my side-by-side outside of the Frostfyre Inn, and once it was stationary, Ellyn and I hopped out and headed inside.
There were already a few early morning risers sitting around the bar. The tables and chairs had been shoved back into place rather than barricading the windows, and there wasn’t a single cowering mother or child in sight.
Bathilda was behind the bar, as she usually was, and Frederik was wiping down a few of the tables in the corner of the room.
As soon as the bell above the door signaled our entry, both of the elders turned around expectantly and paused in their chores.
Then Frederik’s eyes widened, and a rare grin spread across his wrinkled face as he spotted his daughter.
“Ellyn!” he cried out with his arms raised. “My dear girl!”
“Hello, Father,” Ellyn greeted him with a warm smile. “How are things?”
Frederik hurried over to his daughter and pulled her in for a tight hug. The old man loved her endlessly, and I was glad to know Ellyn had a dad like him.
I hoped to be like Frederik with my own kid one day, whether that be a son or a daughter. We hadn’t told him about our imminent plan of giving him a grandchild just yet, but something told me he would be over the moon about the news.
“Things are as well as they can be,” the elderly elf said as he smoothed loose wisps of his gray hair away from his face. “We’re all sort of just… getting on with it.”
“Which is the best way to be,” Bathilda said from behind the bar. “Are you two staying for a drink?”
“I’m afraid this is just a pet collection today, Bathilda,” I said. “I hope Fang hasn’t been too much trouble for you.”
“Oh, quite the opposite,” the bartender said as she wiped down the spout of one of the kegs holding Tirii’s ale. “He’s been a charmer.”
“He’s had lots of people fussing over him, don’t you worry.” Frederik winked at me. “Spoiled rotten, he is.”
“I bet.” I chuckled. “He probably won’t want to come home.”