Erik has wanted to be a father for as long as he can remember -- but now that the day is finally here, he's terrified. Surely a ham-fisted Viking of a man like Erik shouldn't be allowed to handle things as tiny and delicate as his new baby girl?<br><br>But it's not just his daughter that's come into Erik's world. His partner has finally returned too. After nine months of watching Andreas struggle with the mental and physical toll of being a man and being pregnant at the same time, the birth of their daughter is both a beginning and an ending.<br><br>Erik is a father for the first time -- but not everything that comes next is new.

Erik the Pink

The first whimper was astonishingly loud from something so small, and just like that, Andreas was awake. His head came up off the cushions, his arms tightened around the bundle, and he shifted forward as though he was going to get up. Erik caught his shoulders and slid in behind him, kissing the side of his neck.


“You take her,” Andreas mumbled sleepily—but the whimper had already quieted, and the flailing limbs had tucked themselves back around the chubby body. Daringly, Erik wrapped his arms around his partner, and slid them right under their daughter.


“Is this you still scared to pick her up?”


“I’ll get used to it,” Erik whispered reverently.


Chapter 8