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“You should have spoken with her in private.”

He shrugged, barely listening to me now.

“She’ll be fine. Honestly, Roan, you should be thanking me. This is your responsibility, but I know why you hesitate. I’m helping the two of you get your feet under you.”

I glared at him. “You’ve helped enough.”

For just a moment, surprise flashed in his eyes. It didn’t last long. My old man was nothing if not relentlessly in control.

I turned to leave, the men parting as I made my way to the door, but I heard the words when he spoke them.

“Careful, Roan. You’re starting to sound like a man.”

I slammed the door on my way out. It was foolish and only showed what a child I still was. I knew it, but if I’d had one hundred doors, I would have slammed every last one of them. I wanted to break something. And then I wanted to break the nose of every bastard in that hall who thought embarrassing Fenli was a fine thing to do.

I hauled ass to our hut, hoping she had gone home. When it came into view, I saw her leaning against the door frame, Indi on the threshold.

“Roan,” the woman said as I drew nearer. She came over and pulled me into a hug. I tried to make eye contact with Fenli from over her shoulder, but she wasn’t looking at me. Her eyes were closed, and her jaw was stiff, her hands tucked tightly to her sides with her arms crossed over her chest. “I’ve caught you both, lucky me.”

Indi let me go and smiled. Fenli broke from the moment she was having and tried to look nonchalant, but she wasn’t fooling me.

“I just came by to see my girl,” Indi said, turning back to Fenli, though she kept her arms wound in mine. “Isn’t she beautiful?”

I blanched. When I glanced at Fenli, I found her looking equally horrified. She met my gaze, and we both stood there like idiots for too many moments too long. The sight made Indi laugh.

“Oh, you two are perfect for each other,” she said. At this, Fenli broke her stare-down with me and glared at her mother instead. Indi didn’t notice, or, if she did, didn’t care. She went on. “Married and still so precious about the smallest of things. Of course she’s beautiful. It was an easy question.” She bumped me with her shoulder. “Right?”

I looked between the two of them, then nodded dumbly. She was beautiful. Of course she was. Indi was right, it was an easy question. The hard part was answering it in front of my wife, who would most certainly want to kill me over such a confession.

Fenli looked at her feet.

“Is that all, Ma?”

“No, are you coming to the Wool Moon celebration tomorrow night?”

Fenli shook her head.

“Well, you have to. Everyone goes.”

“No one will miss me.”

“What is it?” I asked, drawing Fenli’s eyes. There was discomfort there, and I wasn’t sure what I’d done to earn it.

“Nothing,” she said. “Just—it’s dumb—the women—we spin the wool and, and…”

She was staring at her feet again, her forehead lined with tension, and I waited for her to regain her words. When it looked like she’d composed herself and she opened her mouth to speak, Indi cut her off.

“We spin wool late into the night, tell stories, eat sweets, and drinkfartoo much mead. It’s to celebrate the wool that’s been sheered, cleaned, and carded, and it’s always a wonderful night. But it’s just us women, Roan. Can’t let you boys have all the fun.”

I looked back at Fenli and tried to catch her eye, but she had turned away again.

“Anyway, think about it?” Indi said. “I’d love to have you there. We could sit together with Esska and be the troublemakers, just like old times.”

At this, Fenli gave a small smile.

“There’s my girl,” Indi said. “I love you, baby. See you tomorrow.”

“See you, Ma.”