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

“You’re in luck,” Andreas said gently, tugging the arm around his neck lower so he could twist and kiss the wrist. “I like Elena. It’s a beautiful name. And if we have another girl, it’d be the perfect name.”


Erik let go of the pram, and turned on him to crush him into a hug.


“Hey,” Andreas murmured when he felt the hitch. “None of that, now.”


The hitch was followed by another, and another, and Andreas sighed, carding his fingers through the wild mane of red hair that threatened to smother him.


“What’s perfect?” he murmured gently.


Andreas closed his eyes and squeezed back.


“S’all I ever wanted,” Erik croaked thickly. “And now—now—”


“Now you have it,” Andreas whispered softly. “Forever. And nothing can take it away.”


The crying began in earnest then, and Andreas simply held on, deciding to ride it out. He could tease some other time. Right now, he would simply hold on.


“You’re right,” he said. “It’s perfect.”


Chapter 29