Page 175 of Time To Learn

“Why the fuck am I even talking toyou?”

I let my hand fall down as he stomps his hooves.

“This is going to be a long afternoon, isn’t it?” I grumble before I take a step away from him and slump back on the stall. Careful to keep a safe distance between myself and the beast, I cross my ankles while I take a moment to get the churning in my gut under control.

Trying to ride a horse isn’t something I’d ever see myself doing, but Ailith was right.

It’s time I learn, especially now that Laura’s dream is comingtrue.

* * *

Half an hour later,I’m rethinking the whole idea. I have no idea what I’m doing, except making every attempt to hang on and not make a complete arse of myself.

“Daddy, you’re not listening to me,” Ailith yells from the centre of thering.

I grit my teeth and try to remember what she told me to do, but my mind’s blank.

“Come on, Thunder,” I whisper and run my knuckles against the stock-still horse. “You’re meant to help me out here, damnit.”

He snorts but miraculously seems to listen for once and starts to walk. I blow out a soft breath and sit up straighter in the saddle. My fists ache from the tight grip on the reins, but I’m not about to relax any timesoon.

I only listen to Ailith’s instructions with half an ear, because when Laura steps into the paddock, my concentration is shut down and all my senses zero in onher.

Damn it, she’s just as beautiful now as she was when I first saw her almost six years ago. Maybe evenmore.

But as she walks towards me, I tense at how pale she looks, and I pull harder on the reins than I should because Thunder starts to toss his head, snorting.

“Whoa, settle down,” I murmur at him before I jump down from his back and pull off my riding helmet. I dry the sweat off my forehead and wrap my arms around Laura when she stumbles into my chest, burrowing deep intome.

“Sweetheart?” I lower my head, trying to catch her eyes, and a hint of panic grabs hold of my heart, squeezing it as if a string is pulled aroundit.

“What’s wrong?”

The tremble that courses through her small frame enhances my anxiety.

“Nothing’s wrong.” Her words are so muffled against my shirt that I can hardly hearher.

“You’re lying.”

“No, Kristian.” At last, I feel her take a shaky breath before she leans her head back to gaze lovingly into my eyes. “According to the doctor, I’ve never been better, actually.”

I frown as my heart skips a beat, hoping against hope that what her eyes are telling me is the truth and not my own wishful thinking. After everything we’ve been through over the years, I’ve stopped hoping for the miracle we seemed to need in order to have a baby. But now…now hope beats again, fluttering madly in my heart.

I frame her face in my hands and wipe away the tears on her cheeks.

“Tell me,” I huff. “Put me out of my misery.”

“I’m pregnant.”

Fuck. Me.

“Come again?” I wet my lips and bend further, staring intently into hereyes.

“It’s true,” she grins as she steps up on her toes, her lips barely meeting mine before she smiles against them and does as I ask. “I’m pregnant, baby.”

The air in my lungs contracts, but the noose around my heart loosens at the sametime.

“I love you,” I murmur softly.