Chapter 234 — The Answer She Gives Ren

Nia found Ren at the trade shelter the following morning, standing beside a table crowded with receiving sheets.

His reddish hair was tied loosely at the back, with several strands falling around his face. He had rolled his sleeves above his wrists, and a narrow marking tool rested between his fingers. Across the table, a merchant was counting sealed packets into a wooden tray while Ren compared them against the receiving board.

Nia stopped near the entrance rather than interrupt.

A worker passed carrying a bundle of empty cloth sacks. He greeted her on his way into storage, and Ren looked up at the sound of her answering.

His expression brightened.

“Good morning, Nia.”

The merchant across from him glanced toward her, then continued counting while Ren checked the final mark.

“You have six packets for the first load,” Ren told him. “Keep the remaining four separate until the carrier returns. They still need to be inspected.”

The merchant gathered the completed sheets and carried his tray into the adjoining storage room.

Ren set down his marking tool and came around the table.

“I was coming to see you after the morning work.”

“I know. I thought I'd walk down instead.”

He kissed her, resting one hand at her waist. Nia caught the front of his tunic and stayed close after he drew back.

“Have you eaten?” he asked.

“Yes. Shen made breakfast before going to the care station.”

“Did he come with you?”

“We walked together until the lower passage. He needed to speak with Sera about a medicine preparation.”

Ren glanced toward the worktable. Two of his workers were sorting the next set of receiving boards, and one had already begun carrying the empty trays back into storage.

“I have another count to approve before midday,” he said. “The others can prepare it without me. Would you like to sit somewhere quieter?”

“I would.”

He collected his outer wrap from a peg beside the worktable and led her through a side passage.

A sheltered courtyard lay behind the trade rooms. Its low stone wall separated it from the loading area, and a narrow roof kept the benches shaded during the warmest part of the day. Two workers were checking a cart's bindings at the far end, but the benches nearest the wall were empty.

Ren shook a little dust from one seat before Nia settled there.

She watched him fold his outer wrap over the end of the bench.

“You've been busy already.”

“The first carrier arrived earlier than expected. I was glad he did. The next group will need the loading space.”

“Everything went smoothly?”

“Most of it. One count needs to be checked again, but the goods are here and the men have enough time to correct it.”

He sat beside her and took her hand.

Nia looked down at their joined fingers for a moment.

“I wanted to talk to you about something before you get busy again.”

Ren turned toward her.

“You have my attention.”

“I've been thinking about what you told me before,” she said. “About your traveling.”

His thumb slowed against her hand.

“What part?”

“You said you wouldn't stop because you had a household. I remember that, and I don't want you to.”

“I meant it.”

“I know. But there's a difference between visiting me when you're here and having a home with me. I want to know what you would actually want that to look like.”

Ren regarded her for a moment.

“Are you asking whether I could live in Hearthfang?”

“I'm asking whether you would want to live with me. With Kael and Shen.”

The workers at the far end of the courtyard lifted one side of their cart to examine a worn binding. Ren glanced in their direction when wood scraped against stone, then returned his attention to Nia.

“I would,” he said. “I wouldn't need to keep separate quarters here if I had a place with you. But there would still be nights when I slept along the roads or at another meeting ground. Some journeys take longer than I expect.”

“Would you still enjoy the traveling?”

“Most of it.”

She smiled at his answer.

Ren shifted against the bench, considering his words.

“I like finding unfamiliar goods. I like meeting sellers I've only heard about from other merchants, and there are routes I haven't explored as thoroughly as I'd like. Not every journey is pleasant, but I would miss the work if I stopped.”

“Then I wouldn't want you to stop.”

He looked at her.

“Would you be comfortable with me leaving regularly?”

“I'd miss you.”

“I'd miss you too.”

“I already do when you're away,” Nia said. “Sometimes something happens and I want to tell you, then I remember you're somewhere else.”

Ren's fingers tightened around hers.

“Yesterday you told me you missed me. I thought about that after I left.”

She leaned against his shoulder briefly before sitting upright again.

“I know I wouldn't always be happy about how long you're gone. But I don't want you stuck at home resenting it because you think that's what I expect from you.”

“That wouldn't be good for either of us.”

“No.”

Ren turned their joined hands over, examining the small crease where her palm met her wrist.

“I'd want to know when there was something important happening here,” he said. “If I could change a journey to be present, I would. There will be times when I can't. I need you to understand that.”

“I do. And I need you to tell me when you can't, instead of promising you'll find a way every time.”

He looked up.

“I can do that.”

Nia squeezed his hand.

“Kael and Shen know I've been thinking about you joining our household. I talked to them because they're my husbands, and this would change their lives too.”

Ren listened closely.

“Did they have concerns?”

“Some things to think about. Neither of them has shared a household with a traveling merchant before. We talked about what would happen when you're away and how things might work when you're home.”

“That sounds sensible.”

“They listened. And I wanted to hear what you thought before I told you what I've decided.”

Ren's ears shifted toward her.

“You've decided?”

“Yes.”

A breeze moved along the sheltered courtyard, carrying the scent of warmed wood from the loading area. One of the workers called for a shorter length of cord, and his companion went inside to fetch it.

Nia turned fully toward Ren.

“I want you to be my third husband.”

For several moments, he didn't move.

His blue eyes stayed on hers, and the hand she held became very still.

Nia smiled a little.

“I've thought about it carefully, Ren. I love being with Kael and Shen, and I love our home. I want you to become part of that with us.”

Ren drew a breath, then let it out without speaking.

His usual smirk was gone.

She could feel his fingers beginning to tighten around hers, and she gave them a gentle squeeze.

Ren lowered his gaze to their hands.

“I've imagined having this conversation,” he admitted.

“Have you?”

“More often than I intended.”

He looked up at her again.

“I thought I would know what to say if you ever asked me. I had plenty of time on the road to consider it.”

Nia smiled.

“And now?”

“Now I'd rather look at you for a moment.”

She laughed softly and moved close enough to rest her forehead against his.

Ren closed his eyes.

For a little while, they stayed like that, with their hands between them and the ordinary noise of the trade shelter continuing beyond the courtyard wall.

Then Ren drew back far enough to see her face.

“Yes,” he said. “I want to marry you, Nia.”

She felt her smile widen.

He lifted one of her hands and kissed her palm, keeping it against his cheek afterward.

“I've been welcome in many households,” he said. “People have made places for me at their tables and offered me a bed when the roads were too wet to travel. I've always appreciated it.”

Nia listened.

“But I remember the first time I left your home and found myself thinking about what you would be doing when I wasn't there. I wondered whether Shen had finished the preparation he was working on, and whether Kael had managed to get back before supper. Then I caught myself wondering what you'd eaten.”

She laughed quietly.

“Usually something Shen cooked.”

“Usually.” Ren smiled. “I kept thinking about the household after I'd gone. That had never happened to me in quite the same way.”

Nia touched his cheek.

He turned into her hand, his eyes closing briefly before he opened them again.

She leaned forward and kissed him.

Ren drew her close with both arms. She settled against him, one hand sliding behind his neck while his tail moved along the bench. He kissed her slowly, then held her with his cheek resting against her hair.

She could feel the tension in his shoulders easing as they remained together.

When he finally pulled back, he brushed a loose curl away from her face.

“Does Shen know you came to speak to me today?”

“He knows I wanted to talk to you. I didn't tell him exactly what I was going to say.”

“And Kael?”

“He knew I was still thinking about it. I want to speak to both of them when I go home.”

Ren nodded.

“I'd like to speak to them too. I've known them for years, but this will be different from coming to visit.”

Nia touched his hand.

“They know that.”

He looked at her, then glanced toward the courtyard, where the two workers were gathering the worn binding they had removed from their cart.

“I have a trip already promised,” he said. “There will be some things to arrange before I can stay properly.”

“I understand. You should finish what you've agreed to do.”

Ren smiled and lifted her hand to his mouth.

Nia moved closer against his side. They remained together while the workers tested the cart's new binding. One man pulled firmly on the cord as the other checked the frame, then both began clearing their tools from the ground.

Ren's arm rested around her waist. His hand moved slowly along her back, and when Nia turned toward him, he kissed her again. She slipped her hand beneath the loose fall of hair at his neck, holding him close until the sound of approaching footsteps drew their attention toward the passage.

A worker entered carrying a narrow receiving board.

“Ren, the north-bound carrier is ready for the second count. He asked whether you could check it before they start loading.”

Ren straightened.

“I'll be there shortly. Have them leave the packets on the receiving table.”

The worker nodded and returned through the passage.

Nia sat upright and reached for the edge of the bench to stand. Ren rose with her, taking his outer wrap from where he had folded it.

“I'd better let you get back,” she said.

He slipped the wrap over his arm.

Nia noticed that the tie holding his reddish hair had worked loose. Several longer strands had fallen against the back of his neck.

“Turn around a little. Your hair's coming down.”

Ren lowered his head and turned toward her. She gathered the loose strands, eased them beneath the tie, and tightened it carefully. His hair was soft beneath her fingers, and he stayed still until she had finished.

“There,” she said. “That should hold.”

He straightened and reached back to feel the fastening.

“Thank you.”

She smoothed the collar of his tunic where it had folded beneath his hair.

Ren caught her hand, then drew her close by the waist.

He kissed her with an affection that made her linger against him after their mouths parted. Nia rested her hands on his shoulders while he brushed his thumb along her cheek.

“I'll come to the house after I've finished here,” he said.

“I'll tell Kael and Shen to expect you.”

He nodded and kissed her forehead.

They walked together to the courtyard entrance. A worker carrying an empty tray came through from the loading passage, and they moved aside to give him room.

At the turn toward the upper residential path, Nia stepped away from Ren.

He stayed beside the passage while she started uphill.

When she glanced back, Ren was still there. He lifted his hand, and she returned the gesture before continuing toward home.

A moment later, she heard him answer someone calling from the receiving room, his voice carrying clearly through the open passage.