Page 38 of Selkie AU: Beyond the Storm

Rowan:Not tonight.

If Milo really was staying, then I’d have to introduce him to my family eventually, but a video call didn’t seem like the right way to do it, and I wasn’t sure how they’d react to him.

It wasn’t that he was a man. Ruben dated all genders and my family had always been supportive of him, and although I’dnever openly told my family I was bisexual, I knew they’d be supportive of me too. The problem was, anyone who paid any sort of close attention to Milo, as Raina was certainly going to, would very quickly figure out that he was somethingother.

I trusted my family. But there was a difference between telling them, “Oh, by the way, this is my boyfriend,” and “Oh, by the way, this is my boyfriend who I already live with that I’ve known for two weeks and found in the middle of the ocean because he’s a mythical being that can turn into a seal.” Yeah, not exactly a phone-call type situation.

Was he even my boyfriend? Milo called us mates, but I didn’t know exactly what that translated to in human relationships.

Raina:Why not?

Rowan: Busy.

Raina:You don’t get busy?

I’d figure out what to tell my sister later. I tossed my cell phone on the countertop as I gulped down some much-needed coffee and started on breakfast.

I decided I wanted to make something new for Milo, taking out the wheat flour, sugar, eggs, and everything else I needed for Kalaallit Kaagiat. It had been a long time since I’d made it. I hadn’t been bothered to bake just for myself, but for Milo I was more than happy to put in the effort.

He was stirring on his blankets as I finished up.

“Morning, little hurricane,” I greeted as I set it down on the table with the cut rye bread, sliced meats and cheese, and a cereal Milo had taken a particular liking to. Then I went to make him a hot chocolate.

He drifted over, his seal coat wrapped around him along with one of the other blankets. His hair was sticking up at all angles, and his black eyes slow blinked, still heavy with sleep. “Morning.” He smiled. “What’s this?”

“Kalaallit Kaagiat. It’s a type of cake. You can have it with jam,” I explained, sliding the jar of jam to his side of the table.

Milo was generous with the jam before he took a bite, making a delighted sound as he kicked his feet under the table.

I made another coffee and sat down with him to eat.

When I was done, I brushed Milo’s hair into something tamer as he continued to eat until the table was clear, making happy little hums the whole time.

“I’m going to get chunky,” he stated, as he rubbed a hand over his full tummy.

“That doesn’t sound like a complaint.”

“It’s not. I’m gonna be fat and happy here with you. And round before I even get pregnant.”

I chuckled nervously. He spoke about living with me and getting pregnant as if it weren’t a gigantic life decision, just something inevitable and expected in our near future. It was something I was still wrapping my head around, and I honestly didn’t know how long it would take for it to sink in and for me to trust that he was being serious about it all.

“Finished?” I asked.

Milo nodded, and we got ready to go out. I attempted to get him to wear pants, considering there were going to be more people around at the markets, but he refused.

“Can I have the money now?” he asked, pulling at my sleeve as we walked toward town.

I sighed, retrieving my wallet from my pocket. Milo snatched it out of my hands to go through it. He looked through the notes, then abandoned them in favor of the coins, which he quickly transferred to his own pockets.

“If you see something you want, let me know. I’ll make sure you’re trading the right amount,” I told him, knowing he’d get very little with what he’d taken as I took my now coinless wallet back from him.

19

Milo

The markets were fun. There were so many people here. Most of the tables had some sort of food—seafood, birds, and other things I decided to ignore. There were also some breads and cakes, but they didn’t look as good as the ones Rowan made for me.

“Milo.” Rowan stopped me from exploring,again. I sighed and went over to see what he’d found. “Let’s get you some better boots.”