Page 41 of Accidental Orc Daddy

“Of course, he does,” Maui scoffs. “Jokes aside, we knew as much back in the Maldives. Thick-headed as he is, it’s just taken him this long to admit it.”

“And now you’ve got the problem of trying to convince her of your sincerity,” Dragan surmises. “Plus, hoping she’s interested in something that’s more than just practical.”

Nodding, I feel a certain amount of peace after confessing to my friends, but I also feel defeated at the same time. “I don’t know what to do. I’ve never been in this position before.”

The phone rings, startling the four of us for a moment. Dragan gets up to answer it while my two remaining friends focus back on me.

“But that’s just it,” Fordan replies simply. “You’ve never been in this position before, because you’ve never been in love before.”

“Yeah, all those other women were just false flags,” Maui concurs. “What is that expression that human women say? You have to kiss a few toads before you can find your prince – or princess, in this case.”

“How does that help me?” I ask in confusion.

“What our esteemed colleague is trying to say is that although what you and Meiko have seems fake, it is actually very real.” Fordan takes another sip of his drink. “You’re really in love, for the first time in your life, and that makes it fate.”

“Take a real chance, Mustaf, and tell her how you feel,” Maui adds earnestly. “She may be needing to hear the words just as much as you do. If this connection you have with Meiko is as strong as you say it is, then she is your true mate, and she feels its pull just as strongly as you do.”

Could they be right? Could the answer be that simple? I’ve been holding back from Meiko because I didn’t want to overwhelm her, but maybe I’ve just been getting in my own way. Dragan strides back over at that moment, a drawn look to his features.

“That was local law enforcement,” he begins without preamble. “There’s been an avalanche nearby, and several groups have been trapped under the drifts. They want all able-bodied hands available for search and rescue.”

All of us spring into action. Maui and Fordan move to the closet to grab extra jackets and equipment, while Dragan orders some of his staff to prepare the snowmobiles he keeps for mountain excursions. I take on the task of heading outside to relay the circumstances to the women.

Meiko is the first to spot me. Running over, her smile slips as she takes in my hardened expression. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“There’s been an avalanche, and local law enforcement needs all hands on deck,” I explain tersely. “We want you all to stay here while we join the search-and-rescue teams.”

“That sounds incredibly dangerous,” Meiko says quietly. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

The rest of the guys are outside now, and I hear the roar of snowmobiles coming up to the drive. But all I have eyes for is Meiko and the pale look of fear she gives me.

“No, I don’t want to, but how could any of us live with ourselves if we stood by and did nothing?” Looking down at her concerned expression, a wave of love comes over me so powerful that I can do nothing except give into it.

Swooping down, I give Meiko a deep and passionate kiss. We’ve touched and held each other since moving in together, but we haven’t seriously kissed since our night in the Maldives. Meiko gives in just as fiercely as she did then, and I can feel her strength empowering me. We kiss for a full minute in front of all our friends before I pull back to rest my forehead against hers.

“I want to go with you and help,” she murmurs against my lips.

“I can’t be safe unless I know you’re safe, and it’s too dangerous out there for you. Think of our baby,” I order, hoping she’ll understand my response.

She nods, although the worry doesn’t lift from her eyes. “Then promise me you’ll come back to us safe.”

“I promise,” I reply with a final kiss, before climbing onto one of the vehicles. It’s a promise I intend to keep, even as I move further away, deeper into the chill of the mountain.

As the physical distance between us grows, the longing in my heart to pick up where we left off swells.

CHAPTER 24

Meiko

“Why isn’t he back yet?” I whisper through the lump of fear crawling its way up my throat.

My initial pride in Mustaf’s bravery, offering himself to join the search party, has been washed away by a gnawing concern.

I stop my pacing to pull the curtains back from the windows, peering outside. Slowly, light is breaching the dark sky, dawn returning to signify the start of another morning. But Mustaf still hasn’t come back.

My hand automatically drops to caress my little baby bump, trying to reassure the both of us that Mustaf is okay. The clock’s relentless ticking is just another cruel reminder of each passing second that he isn’t back.

“He’ll be back any minute, little one,” I say despite the tremble in my voice.

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