Missing the Present Read online

  She headed in to work on Monday with the edited sample file for Anthony’s authorization, and she flicked her loose braid behind her head and waited for him to come in. She was able to drink hot beverages again and was sitting and catching up on her half-day when Anthony came in.

  Elly stared at him, and he stared back at her. He had horns, a goatee, and broad shoulders. He was some sort of faun. “Morning, Anthony.”

  He smiled slowly. “Morning, Winter Queen. Well, well. So, you had met before.”

  She shrugged. “Apparently. I fell into Underhill, and when I came back up, I didn’t remember a thing.”

  He leaned on the counter around her desk. “I knew something was up when I started to hear about him coming to the mortal realm. So, how is he in bed?”

  She gave him a dark glare, and to her surprise, the counter around her desk frosted over. “Oh, cool.”

  Elly chuckled. “Right. Well, you have the edited sample file. If you like it, we will get to work on the audio for the release date.”

  He nodded and had to breathe on his hand before the counter would release him. He bowed slightly and headed to his office. Sam must have been called in because she headed into Anthony’s office and closed the door. Elly had never noticed the folded pixie wings before.

  Elly was nervous when he came back. Anthony looked at her. “Go home.”

  “What?” She blinked. “I thought it was pretty good.”

  “It is. It is amazing. You two have such chemistry when you read that I had to get Sam in there for a different opinion. She is in my office, crying at the emotion in your voice when you are talking about leaving.”

  “Sam? Sam is crying?” Elly thought he was pulling her leg, but Sam came out sniffling.

  “It’s great, Elly. Finish it. I want to hear more.” Sam’s voice was wobbling.

  “Uh, I will have to ask him if he has time. I think he is writing today, so my going home won’t do any good.”

  Anthony sighed. “Fine. Ask him.”

  Elly brought out her phone and sent her Snowflake a text. Anthony and Sam lurked near her desk, and when the magical sound rang out, they grinned.

  She opened her phone and blushed. “Um. He is willing to work on it this week.”

  A second message came through. Did you take the bus?

  Yes.

  Walk into the paper storage closet. It will bring you home.

  Anthony grinned. “He’s making you a gate, right? Grab your stuff and go. You can do most of your admin stuff from home.”

  She groaned, drank her coffee, and dropped the container in the recycling bin. She got up and grabbed her bag, muttering about insane fey and stupid audio recordings.

  Sam said, “It sounds great; it can’t be that bad.”

  Ellora looked at her with narrowed eyes. “You haven’t seen the cosplay that is involved.”

  Anthony’s eyes went wide, and the two started hooting in laughter. “Whatever it takes. This could be a whole new income stream for you.”

  “I already read audio.”

  “Not like this, you don’t.” He snorted. “Have an interesting week, Hour Highness.”

  She flipped him off and headed to the stationery closet. When had her precisely ordered life gotten so weird?

  She emerged in the front entryway and removed her boots before hanging up her bag and coat. Elly walked to the office, and when she found him at work, she wrapped her arms around him from behind, pressing her boobs into the back of his head. “So, I got sent home from work today.”

  He sighed and leaned back, slowly turning his head from side to side. “I know. Disrupting my writing day. Tsk. Tsk.”

  He moved quickly and pulled her into his lap. “I have missed you.”

  She smiled. “I have been gone for two hours.”

  He nuzzled her cheek with his. “Two hours without breath is eternity.”

  She gasped and clutched her chest. “That was the most painfully sincere thing you have ever said.”

  He hugged her. “You mock my prose.”

  “A little bit. I know better than to get between a writer and his computer, but here I am.”

  He sighed. “We are newlyweds. Traditionally, we would have a week to ourselves.”

  “We will have that time, but first, we need to work on the audiobook. When you have time.” She tried to get out of his lap, and he kissed her again.

  “Where are you going, Ellora?”

  “I was up early, so I was heading back to bed. You can just let me know when you want to head to the recording studio.”

  She got up, and he was tracking her with his cold blue gaze. When she was outside his office, she made a run for it before she heard the roll of his chair and the long strides following her. She was just at the door when he grabbed her and carried her into the bedroom, tossing her on the bed and helping her get more comfortable by removing all impediments to her getting a good nap in. He decided a nap was in his cards as well, and he joined her.

  At one point, he decided that she was insufficiently sleepy and crawled to the edge of the bed to lie between her thighs. His tongue was cool against her skin, and when he was done, she was very, very sleepy.

  It was possibly the best Monday morning at work that she had ever had. Certainly the best-looking co-worker.

  She rubbed her eyes as she sat up, and she felt slippery. She groaned and looked down. The cosplay had begun. The cowl neck of the silk chemise dipped deep in her cleavage. The sides of the gown were slit to the top of her hip. She was completely covered and more naked than she would have been wearing a towel. A very small towel.

  She got out of bed and pattered down the hall to the studio. He was sitting and reading, and his voice came to a strangled stop when he saw her. She held out her arms and did a slow turn.

  He got up from his chair and came out, pouring her a cup of tea with lemon. “Here you go.”

  She smiled. “Thank you.”

  She sipped at the tea. “So, what did you do to my hair?”

  He smiled slowly. “Nothing much. Just a little elf-locking.”

  Elly snorted. “That happened when... well, before.”

  He laughed. “Are you ready to record a bit?”

  She made a face. “You are referring to the sex scene?”

  He put on an innocent face. “How did you know?”

  She took her free hand and gripped her own breast. “There was a clue or two. How much moaning are you after?”

  “Keep it decorous.” He grinned. “The magic of editing is at my disposal.”

  She took a careful sip of the tea, took his hand, and hauled him into the studio. “Let’s do this.”

  They got through two scenes before they called a break. He picked her up and carried her to the kitchen, setting her down on a kitchen stool before he got lunch ready.

  She was a little sensitive from the fingering during her recitation, but the end result had sounded pretty sexy for some reason.

  After the omelette and toast, she sighed. “How many more times did your characters go at it?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe six?”

  She groaned. “Right. Sure. No problem. At least there isn’t a lot of dialogue.”

  He grinned. “Not in this book, but in the next, there will be.”

  “I have never hoped for a dud book this much in my entire life. I think I am going to need a new performance name.”

  He smiled. “What about E.R. Winter?”

  She looked at him and said, “Really? Do you have any idea about the wave of pervs that this performance is going to unleash?”

  “What was your previous performer name?”

  “Abby Rise.”

  “Use that.” He grinned.

  “The other authors might get pissed when they realized that I didn’t give my all.”

  He took her hand and kissed her palm. “Your all is mine as mine is for you.”

  She sighed. “Tha
t is sweet. Back to the studio?”

  He nodded and kissed her palm again. “Back to the studio.”

  “Work. Work. Work.” She chuckled, and they continued on recording.

  Friday morning, she got up and put on a pair of jeans and pulled on a sweatshirt.

  He rolled to his side. “Where are you going?”

  “Doctor’s appointment today. I find out if I am actually pregnant or not.”

  “Have you missed your cycle?”

  She nodded. “I have.”

  “Have you taken one of the tests?”

  “Nope. Terrified.”

  He frowned. “What time is your appointment?”

  “In an hour and a half. It is a ten-minute walk from my house.”

  “I will come with you.” He flipped the sheets back, and some kind of weird magic made the bed before the bedding landed.

  She blushed as she pulled her hair out of the back of her sweatshirt. “It’s fine. You have editing to do today.”

  He got dressed in a wave of magic, wearing black trousers, a black shirt, and a black suit coat. “Come on, we can have coffee now and stop for breakfast when your appointment is done.”

  She sighed and was glad that her doc’s office had an attached lab. He was really good about urgent testing, and she had already updated her reason for the appointment. She had a blood requisition waiting at the front desk.

  “Why don’t we go now, I’ll do my bloodwork, and then, we can have breakfast and head to the doc’s office if that is okay with you?”

  He nodded. “Nervous?”

  “Extremely. This takes it from me being in a strange coma because I fell on some spilled hot chocolate and cracked my head, to holy shit, there is a baby started.”

  “You think that I am a coma dream?” He looked a little offended.

  “The next thing to heaven, Voronwe.” She lifted his hand and kissed the inside of his wrist where their little bracelet was.

  He smiled. “That was quick.”

  “I have been practicing in case this came up.” She winked.

  She put on her coat and boots, and before they had walked through his gateway, her clothing had transformed to match his, but she had black leather gloves. “I want that sweatshirt back later, you pointy-eared bastard.”

  He chuckled as they emerged in her home and left via the front door. The walk in the cold of the morning was fun, and she got to hang onto him, which was one of her many new favourite pastimes.

  The doctor’s office was just opening, and the receptionist handed her the requisition. She got the bloodwork done while the incoming patients stared at Voronwe, and then, she got the dreaded little cup. She had to navigate a few layers of clothing that she hadn’t anticipated, but she got it done. She told the lab tech that she would be back for her appointment in just over an hour. The lab tech nodded and smiled. “The doc marked it a rush.”

  Exhaling slowly, she pulled her gloves on, and they headed to the local breakfast place.

  “So, you are nervous?”

  She nodded. “Getting terrified. Oh, shit. I can’t drink coffee. Oh, this is going to suuuccckk.”

  He chuckled. “I will be with you.”

  “I know. I don’t know if you being with me will make it better or worse. Nothing like inflating with an audience.”

  The server came over, and gritting her teeth, “I will have decaf,” emerged from Elly’s mouth. Such a phrase had never been uttered by her in her life. She hid her face in shame as the server left.

  Voronwe smiled. “I ordered it, too. I am with you on this, though it is going to be a few rough days while we detox. We might need a bit of a distraction.”

  She perked up. “Snowball fight?”

  He laughed, and heads turned. “If you like, but I am very good at it.”

  “Strip snowball fight.” She smiled. “I am also very good at it.”

  After that, she felt a little better. The breakfast was ordered, and she arranged the blueberries on her pancakes in obscene patterns before she ate them, and then, they were walking back to the doc’s office.

  She checked in, and the receptionist told her to have a seat. She sat next to Voronwe and held his hand.

  “Did you want me to go in with you?”

  Elly looked at him. “If you wouldn’t mind. Dr. Ickhart is great, but you have already seen all the bits that he is referring to. Plus, there is kind of a roaring in my ears, so someone else listening wouldn’t hurt.”

  He pressed a kiss to her head and squeezed her hand. Ten minutes later, they were called, and they went in.

  She was ordered into the little gown and shimmied out of her clothing and into the little gown in short order. She sat on the exam table with her feet kicking aimlessly. “This is every woman’s favourite thing.”

  He cocked his head. “You know, women used to be examined under a sheet.”

  “And a lot of them died from ovarian or uterine cancer or breast cancer. Women have been discouraged from touching themselves for so long that we don’t know what we are supposed to feel like. And the internal stuff, forget it. You definitely need someone else checking up on you there.”

  He got a thoughtful look.

  “Don’t you dare consider going into medicine. The last thing the world needs is you staring into an endless wave of lady bits and then getting those poor women to sigh and pine for their gynecologist. That is the next level of creepy.”

  He snickered. “But did the thought distract you?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. I felt... jealousy. Weird. Not a great feeling. Lots of insecurity swelling up around that.”

  There was a knock before the door swung in, and Dr. Ickhart smiled at her before his smile faded.

  Chapter Ten

  Ellora saw him with her enhanced vision and realized that her doctor was a troll. Jutting teeth, grey skin, and all. She smiled brightly. “Hey, doc. You are looking a little grey.”

  His eyes widened, and he laughed. “Just that kind of day.”

  “I have brought along my... fiancé?”

  “Very good, Ellora. Next, we will work on your curtsy.” He winked. “The good doctor and I have met. I did not realize you were familiar with my fiancée, though.”

  The doctor came in and closed the door. “Right. I wasn’t sure that it was the same woman, and I can’t speak about anything that would identify my patient in an outside venue.”

  She grinned. “Yeah, Voronwe. Professional integrity.”

  Dr. Ickhart chuckled. “Right. Well, before we do anything, I am going to take some vitals.”

  She got her blood pressure taken, her eyes were checked, her ears were verified as attached and reasonably clean, and then, he looked down her throat. “Well, aside from some discolouration from breakfast, things are looking good.”

  He sat at his desk and brought up her file. He entered the blood pressure numbers, the findings from the exam, and then, he turned. “So, Ellora, the test is back, and you are pregnant—two to three weeks. How are you feeling?”

  “Terrified and happy. This wasn’t really in the cards.” She nodded. “You have met the father.”

  The doc nodded. “I have, indeed, and he could have chosen no woman more impressive to pursue.”

  “It wasn’t really a pursuit. Puck dropped me right in front of him.”

  “You have met Puck?” The doctor gave a horrified laugh.

  “Oh. Yeah. He’s an annoying shit, and if I ever see him again, I am going to frost his balls onto a chair.”

  The frost started to grow under her and across the paper.

  Dr. Ickhart stared in shock. “So, the tiara...”

  She frowned and touched her head. “What tiara?”

  There was a cold presence there, and she blinked in surprise.

  “I told you that you were the winter queen. Did you think it was just a title?”

  He took her hand and squeezed it, and the doctor saw the little
bands and blinked. “Oh. Wow. So, you did that already. I heard there was a wedding planned.”

  “Invitations will be sent next week. You and the others who helped train me for the modern world are on the list. You may bring a plus one.” Voronwe smiled at him.

  Ickhart smiled and got a handful of pamphlets for Elly before he left. She slid off the bench and into Voronwe’s arms the moment the doctor was gone.

  “Whoa. A baby.” She put her head against his chest.

  “Get dressed, and then, we will head home and figure out what to do next.” He stroked her hair. “Things will be fine.”

  She nodded, and when she was ready, she got her clothing together, and when she finished buttoning up her coat, she looked. “You know, with you making my underwear disappear, it really streamlines getting dressed.” She tossed the gown into the hamper and looked at him. “Let’s go and start working on the logistics of this.”

  “That’s my fiancée.” He grinned.

  He took her hand, and they left the office, walking back to her home with the pregnancy pamphlets clutched in her hand like talismans.

  They walked into her house, locked the door behind them, and walked to her bedroom, where the gateway was. When they stepped into the entryway at his place, she sat with a thud and peeled off her boots. He let her clothing revert to its original state, and she sighed as the feeling of her bra and panties returned.

  It was weird what made her feel secure. The underwear helped.

  Ellora went to the kitchen and was going to reach for some tea, but it all had caffeine. “Damn it!”

  Voronwe made her some hot water with lemon and rubbed her back while making a few calls. They sat and cuddled on the couch, and he held her while her mind spun a thousand miles an hour.

  A light chime rang out over and over, and she finally sat up. “What is that sound?”

  He smiled. “I ordered supplies. They are being delivered.”

  She got up and went to look. A case of decaf coffee, herbal teas for every mood, saltine crackers, prenatal vitamins, supplements, an entire starter kit for a new pregnancy.