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

Blissfully unaware, Beatriz demolished breakfast with single-minded determination, grumbling when the empty bottle was taken away again, and belched loudly enough to make Jo jump and start giggling.


“She’s definitely yours, Erik!” she called into the kitchen, then bit her lip. “Oh my God, can I hold her, or are you still in protective m—papa mode?”


Jo bounced over to the sofa, snagging a blanket from the car seat on the floor on her way. She settled, draping the tea towel over her shoulder and arranging her arms perfectly, and when Andreas carefully slid the warm bundle from his grasp to hers, she grinned as though she were the new parent, not him.


“Hell-o, beautiful,” she whispered as Beatriz blinked up at her. An uncertain noise escaped, a hand rising in a strange, jerky wave. “I’m your Auntie Jo. I’m going to spoil you rotten when your daddy is at work and your papá is being a mean old grump. You’re going to love me.”


Chapter 11