He employed good people, and in a community as small as this, people watched each other’s backs. And he didn’t really believe Mikkel to be so far gone that he’d prey on a drunk woman.
Heaving a defeated sigh, he motioned at Nils to resume his report on the restaurant’s finances. It was necessary and it distracted him from doing what he really wanted to do: sniff out where Charlotte lived and go see those kids of hers.
He needed to make sure they were, in fact, his niece and nephew, and if they were, he would decide what to do with that information. Eiric didn’t relish the thought of telling Magnus, as this would only serve to prove to his eldest brother that Mikkel had been an irresponsible, dangerous individual.
There was some truth to that, no doubt about it. But Eiric still grieved his brother. And if Aksel and Elise were really Mikkel’s, he’d make sure they were well cared for. Whatever that meant for dragonlings who also carried human blood.
Three
Lottie
Two days passedbefore the big Viking showed up on her doorstep.
She didn’t ask how Eiric had learned where she lived: in a town as tiny as Brundal, it wasn’t hard to find anyone. And since she’d done some sleuthing of her own in the past forty-eight hours, she couldn’t fault him for researching her.
“Hi,” she said, stepping into her boots. She slipped on her coat and crossed over the threshold, taking the conversation outside. This put her in close proximity to him, and she tried not to notice how large he really was. “The twins are napping, so…” She closed the door behind her and looked up to him.
Eiric stared down at her for a moment, his light brown gaze burning into her, then seemed to collect himself. He retreated to a more respectable distance.
“Hi.”
Lottie motioned expectantly. “So—you found me.”
“Yes.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I, uh, was wondering whether I could see the babies.”
She grinned at him. What a softie! She didn’t say that out loud, but she was delighted with how his pale, freckled cheeks turned pink. Man, he had great cheekbones. Of course, Mikkel’s brother was as handsome as him. It was immediately plain they were related, though Eiric’s mouth wasn’t twisted in that cocky smirk that seemed to have been Mikkel’s trademark expression.
“Lottie?”
She blinked. Oh damn, she’d been staring at his mouth. Lottie cleared her throat and tried to remember what he’d been talking about.
“The babies! Yeah. Um. They’re sleeping now.” She glanced behind her, but there was only the front door.
“I can wait,” he said in a low, deep voice.
The weather wasn’tcold, exactly, not the bitter, skin-numbing cold that she’d grown used to since her first winter in Norway, but a rain shower earlier had cooled the air, and heavy gray clouds still persisted. She couldn’t leave him standing in front of her house.
Pressing a finger to her lips, she inclined her head and let him in. The hallway of her apartment was always cramped, but today, with Eiric’s tall frame taking up more space than it should, Lottie could hardly catch her breath.
A stranger is in my home, that’s all this is.
But he didn’t feel like a stranger to her. He took care that they didn’t bump into each other and seemed wary of crowding her. His warm gaze followed her every movement, but it didn’t make her uncomfortable. She toed off her boots, which prompted him to do the same.
With a smile, she pointed to the bedroom door. She shared the space with her babies for now, but she would soon have to find a different arrangement. The twins would need a room of their own. For now, their calm breathing lulled her to sleep at night and having them close gave her easy access if they needed night feeding.
Eiric moved to the door and pushed it open, all without making a sound. He entered, and Lottie came up behind him, just watching.
He neared the identical IKEA cots standing by her bed and peered down at her babies. Lottie’s heart swelled at the sight of them. Aksel napped on his back, his chubby arms sticking out at right angles, his face peaceful in his sleep. His pacifier lay abandoned beside him, where he must have spit it out earlier. Elise, in the cot next to him, slept on her side, curled up as she usually was, sucking on her thumb. Lottie went over to her and gently pulled the thumb from her mouth. Elise didn’t stir, merely sighed and slept on.
Her brother, however, must have sensed their arrival somehow, even though they were completely silent. He opened his eyes, still that indeterminate gray color, and blinked sleepily at Eiric.
The kids’ uncle glanced over his shoulder at her. He didn’t speak, but his question was plain, so she nodded, letting him pick Aksel up. His big hands were gentle as he scooped up the little guy, cradling him to his chest. Then he turned to her, his eyes wide, as though he wasn’t entirely sure what to do next.
Lottie led him into the living room. Sitting at the small dining table would have been more formal, but she pointed him toward the couch instead.
“Would you like some tea?” she asked. It was a friendly thing to do, offering him something to drink, and it would occupy her so she didn’t stare at him as he got acquainted with her son.
He seemed stunned and didn’t reply—a cup of tea might actually do him some good.
