20. Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty
Ali
“Have you seen my blue sweater?” Ali asked. She kneeled to peer under the bed, then looked under a pillow before heading to the kitchen and opening random cabinets.
Nik raised his brows. “I definitely have not seen it in the cupboards. Did you check the laundry basket?”
The beige corded basket was overflowing with clean clothes that neither of them had put away. She flipped through a couple items before spotting the sweater she was hoping to find.
Sliding it over her head, she mumbled, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.
” Her head had been all over the place in the past few weeks.
She couldn’t seem to focus on anything and kept forgetting where she’d placed things.
It was frustrating, but Nik brushed it off, stating it must be “pregnancy brain.”
Since she’d made it past her first trimester, the nausea had subsided for the most part, but now she had the added anxiety of trying to hide her growing belly. Thankfully, a wave of cool weather had rolled into Berland and she could throw on baggy sweaters while out in public.
“Why don’t you just tell Eli?” Nik asked. She wasn’t sure how he’d moved so quickly. One moment he was in the kitchen eating his breakfast and the next he was standing next to her beside the bed with his arms wrapped around her waist.
“I will. Tomorrow.”
He groaned. “Ali…”
“I mean it. I said I’d meet him for lunch tomorrow, so I intend to tell him then.”
“What are you scared of? You don’t think he’ll be upset, do you? It’s not like he’s hung up on you…right?”
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
“Then what it is it like?” His arms fell from her waist, and he took a seat on the edge of the bed. He didn’t look angry, more confused. And honestly, Ali wasn’t sure why she was having such a hard time telling Eli, either.
“Eli has been family to me for as long as I can remember. I don’t know…something about having a baby and starting a family of our own…it feels like he’s being pushed out. Does that make sense? I just don’t want to upset him.”
Nik nodded, though he appeared to be lost in thought. She couldn’t blame him if he didn’t fully understand. He’d been without family for so long; how could he possibly know what she was feeling?
“You look sad,” she said. An ache grew in her chest as she took in his somber face.
“Not sad. I’m just so goddamn happy about this, Ali. But I feel like I can’t celebrate—like we can’t celebrate—until we’ve jumped this hurdle. And it shouldn’t be a hurdle.”
The ache was replaced with the heavy weight of guilt. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I will tell him tomorrow and then we will celebrate however you want. Dinner by the river at that cozy bistro you like?”
His mouth curved into a smile. “I’d like that.”
Wrapping her arms around his neck, Ali stood between his legs and leaned in for a kiss, which he happily accepted. She meant it. She would not chicken out this time. Nik deserved her bravery, and Eli deserved her honesty.
Not to mention she couldn’t keep wearing these sweatshirts once the weather heated up again.
A few moments later, Grace knocked on their door. A group of newcomers was set to arrive today, and Ali had agreed to help get them settled. Since Nik was on guard duty, he was automatically included in their welcome committee, too.
The paths were crowded as people took to the town to enjoy the small reprieve from the scorching summer heat.
Families and friends strolled from shop to shop, stopping for a cup of freshly squeezed juice or a sample of the latest batch of jam.
These were Ali’s favorite days in town—when the whole of Berland seemed to come alive and everyone seemed so happy while they basked in each other’s company. It reminded her of Andus.
As they approached the center of town, two familiar faces caught Ali’s attention. A pair of women, one with dark tan skin and two long braids running down her back, the other with a short wavy bob of hair. The latter held onto the hands of two children, who peered around nervously.
“Genna, Isabel!” Grace called, running toward them. They both smiled, and Isabel waved while Genna’s hands were busy. “It’s so good to see you.”
Ali and Nik both greeted the pair of women who had once shown them the way to Berland.
“Great to see you again,” Genna said, dropping the hands of the two children and patting Nik on the back. Then she turned to Ali and gave her a brief hug. “How has Berland been treating you?”
“Very well,” Ali confessed. “Better than I could’ve hoped.”
Nik echoed the same sentiment.
“Ali is the newest council member,” Grace boasted, and Ali’s cheeks heated. She wasn’t the biggest fan of attention, but Grace continued to gush. “She’s been helping me a lot.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“I’m not. Trust me. Even if it doesn’t seem like you’ve been of much use, just having you there to back me up is more than enough. And you were the only one to volunteer to help today.”
That much was true. Ali wasn’t sure why no one else wanted to help greet the newcomers, but she had nothing better to do.
And it felt like a small way to give back.
It hadn’t been that long ago when she, Nik and Sam had ventured to Berland, and she hadn’t forgotten how anxious she’d felt that day.
Uprooting your life and starting over was a terrifying task.
“How many are with you?” Grace asked, studying a small group of people standing nearby.
“Sixteen,” Isabel said. “Three couples, a family of four, and two single adults. And four children without parents.”
Ali’s face fell. The two children who had been holding Genna’s hands were now picking flowers off the path.
They looked no older than four or five years old.
Beyond them, she studied the rest of the group and tried to determine which were the other two orphans, but she couldn’t discern them from the two who still had their parents.
“What happened?” Grace asked.
“Wildfire. Ripped through their village and destroyed their homes and crops. It happened during the middle of the night and caught them off guard. Most were able to get out of their burning houses, but some died in the flames.”
“This is all that’s left?” Nik asked.
“No. This is about half. After the fire struck, they picked up what they had and began to head south, looking for a new place to settle. But on their trek, several more died from the elements and starvation. They’ve had a pretty rough go of things.
When we stumbled upon them, they were knocking on death’s door. ”
Ali glanced at the group again, paying more attention to their faces. Some of them still looked as though they were seconds from the grave. Was that what she had looked like at one point, too?
“We’ll take good care of them,” Grace said.
“We knew you would.” Genna smiled and waved them forward. “Let’s go meet everyone.”
While Grace introduced herself and answered questions from the newcomers, Ali kept the two youngest children entertained.
The two little girls couldn’t keep their hands off the wildflowers that grew along the side of the path, so Ali sat down with them and plucked a few herself, weaving them into a crown like she’d done so many times as a kid.
When she finished the first, she offered it to the little blonde girl with big brown eyes.
She was so similar to Ali at that age, and Ali silently wondered if her own child would look more like her or more like Nik.
The little girl eagerly placed it on her head and began to dance in circles.
“What’s your name?” Ali asked.
“Julia,” she said, emphasizing the ‘u.’
“That’s a pretty name. Mine is Ali.”
She finished the second crown and held it up for the other little girl, a brunette with freckles all over her cheeks and shoulders. “And what’s your name?”
The second girl was much shyer than the first. She didn’t step forward to accept her crown or answer Ali’s question. Instead, she crossed her arms over her chest like she was giving herself a hug, shrinking inside herself.
“Do you like to play princesses? I used to love it when I was your age. You know the woman over there?” Ali pointed to Grace. “She’s basically a real princess!”
The tension in the girl’s arms eased slightly, and she looked over her shoulder to see Grace smiling and talking with all the adults. “I can promise she won’t mind sharing the title with you for a day, though.”
Ali’s encouragement seemed to do the trick, and the little girl reached for the crown made of daisies and purple bellflowers. The girl spoke in little more than a whisper. “Kaydence.”
“Nice to meet you, Kaydence. I’m Ali.”
Kaydence placed the crown on top of her head, and it tilted a little to the left. It didn’t seem to bother her, though. She rushed toward Julia, and Ali watched as the two of them took turns chasing each other.
“Having fun?” Nik asked, coming to her side.
Ali nodded and wrapped an arm around Nik’s waist, letting her head fall to his shoulder. “One day, those will be our kids playing outside, laughing and running wild.”
“Kids as in multiple?” he asked, his lips curving into a grin.
Ali prodded his side. “Can’t you picture it? The two of us growing old, chasing around half a dozen kids?”
He coughed. “Half a dozen?” His eyes were wide with something between terror and amusement.
Laughing, Ali responded, “Or however many you want.”
Nik recovered quickly and squeezed her shoulder. “I want whatever you want.”
Ali wasn’t sure what she wanted—two kids or eight. All she knew was that she wanted a family with Nik and she’d accept however many fate had in store for them.
While they waited for Grace to finish speaking with the rest of the party, Julia and Kaydence kept them entertained.
Surprisingly, the latter took no time at all to warm up to Nik.
Kaydence brought him one yellow flower. Nik expressed his gratitude, and before they knew it, he had a whole pile of yellow flowers.
Each time she came back with another, Nik put on the biggest show of gratitude and her smile brightened before she set off to pick another.
It was one of the most precious things Ali had ever seen.
If she wasn’t already pregnant, she would’ve taken him back home just to let him impregnate her again.
The sound of raised voices reached Ali’s ears, and she turned around, expecting to find Grace and the newcomers headed their way. It had to be time to go inside the mountain by now. But instead, she found Grace face to face with one of the council members.
Scott, the newest council member aside from Ali, was hovering over Grace with one hand on his hip while the other pointed aggressively at the group of newcomers, who watched with apprehension.
She couldn’t make out the words, but whatever he was saying was enough to cause the newcomers to clutch their loved ones, and Grace to jab a finger into Scott’s chest.
At the sight of the two of them, Nik hopped up, ready to defend Grace. Scott looked ready to throw Grace off the side of the mountain; his cheeks were bright red, and a vein pulsed in his forehead.
“Come here, girls,” Ali called for Julia and Kaydence.
Neither of them was paying attention to the scene, but Grace and Scott were drawing an audience from the civilians of Berland.
Most watched with curiosity, but a few looked like they were ready to take a side.
Ali didn’t want to find out what would happen if this verbal altercation became a physical one.
She moved closer but kept the two girls safely behind her. “What is going on?”
“These people can’t stay here,” Scott said, not taking his eyes off of Grace.
“You’re not in a position to tell me who can and cannot stay,” Grace retorted. She spoke with such authority and self-assuredness that Ali was surprised Scott didn’t crumble in her presence.
“The council didn’t approve this. Where will you even put them?”
Grace looked like he had just slapped her across the face. “We have never needed the council’s approval to bring in newcomers. And we have the space for them. There are multiple units prepped and ready, but if you’re so concerned, we could always give them your home.”
A sound resembling a growl came from Scott. He took a threatening step forward, but Nik positioned himself in front of Grace. He held his hands up and said calmly, “This is not the time nor the place for this conversation. Why don’t we go inside and—”
“And who do you think you are?” Scott interrupted. “Your opinion matters even less to me than hers does.”
Ali flinched, but Nik only stood taller, a few inches above Scott’s head. He pulled back his shoulders and glared at Scott, cracking his knuckles as he readied to throw a punch.
Grace moved around him and spoke directly to Scott. “You’re out of line, Scott. I know you think you’re more important than everyone else, but you can’t speak to people that way. And you definitely cannot speak to me that way.”
Scott sneered but remained quiet. Perhaps he sensed the crowd around them and made an effort to keep his emotions in check.
“Nik is right,” Grace continued. “We should take this conversation inside, preferably in a private council meeting. But you should know that any more outbursts like this will result in your expulsion from the council.”
“You don’t have the power to do that,” Scott said.
“Try me.”