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

He wanted to wear his trunks. They were long and loose, and it was easy to swim in them without the shape contracting too much when he got out and showing off what he didn’t have. He wanted to get his shirt off, and get a good tan on every inch of skin between his hips and his scalp. A perfectly even tan was like giving Erik a shot of Viagra straight to the veins—and Jo had promised to take Beatriz for the night so they could have a bit of time to themselves.


He looked better than he had ever since the pregnancy had started to show—but he still didn’t look as good as he had before getting pregnant at all. And worse, he didn’t feel any better. He still felt oddly loose, like he was being held together by string and tape. Like his skin was holding him in, but only barely.


And he didn’t want to put the shorts on.


Chapter 48