“Fair enough,” he said.
Like a Band-aid, I told myself. Just get it over with, and deal with the aftermath. No point prolonging the–
“I’m pregnant,” I blurted out, before I could stop myself. “And she’s yours.”
“She?” he asked, blinking in confusion.
“Stephanie told me we’ll be having a girl.”
“Oh, well then, I certainly know better than to argue with her. And this is great news. I’m so happy to hear that I’ll be a dad soon!”
“I’m so relieved,” I said with a sigh.
“Guess you can’t have any champagne.”
“Probably not a good idea, no. But you’re taking this better than I thought.”
“Well, let’s just say that Stephanie doesn’t only share her secret wisdom with you. She may have given me a heads up that that could be the case, but I was happy about it from the start. Especially because I know something you don’t.”
“What?”
“This.”
He got down on one knee in front of everyone and took my hand, retrieving a small box from his pocket with the other.
“Holly Jones, will you marry me?”
“Yes, of course I will! Yes.”
The entire restaurant burst into applause as we kissed.
“Happy tears?” he asked.
“Happy tears. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too! Always and forever.”
Epilogue – Holly
Norway was beautiful. Seth flew everyone out for our wedding, so that Stig’s parents and brother could be there, as well as the others.
The whole band was there, and I’d done everyone’s hair and makeup. Even Becca and Theo came out. It was possible that Ashe had insisted, but there was no solid evidence.
Rather than a church, we went for a more traditional site, at least around here. Used as a rest stop for longships, the spot had been there for millennia. Some primitive stone buildings were still standing in the unmown grass.
“Ready?” Jonna asked, peeking into the tent that had been set up for me.
“I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life,” I answered her.
The ceremony was beautiful. Most of what was said was repeated in Norwegian for the benefit of older relatives. The vows were an exception. I didn’t want to offend anyone, but I wanted to say them to him in English. Stig assured me that would be fine.
With Jonna and Stephanie as co-Maids of Honor, I walked the makeshift aisle formed by the folding chairs. The soft grass was cool under my bare feet. My belly was really starting to show.
Stig had wanted us to be married before the baby was born, and things were arranged surprisingly fast. I figured it might make the wedding night interesting, but I was game to try.
We got our opportunity sooner than I thought. That was something that could have had to do with my perception, but time moved differently on our wedding day. Most of what happened after the ‘I dos’ was part of a sort of blissful blur.
There was a reception; I remembered the tents. What happened in them, I’d be prone to forget. I know there were also speeches and sandwiches, friends and family.
We were together in an instant, gone in another. Our guests went to the hotel, while Stig and I headed to the resort.
The trees were impassable— a wall of nature on either side, keeping us out while guiding along the guests. So, in that sense they were both hostile and helpful in the same moment.
“Here,” Stig said, helping me out of the car when we reached our destination.
“Thanks.”
“Not a problem.”
We kissed and headed in, cedar filling our senses. Even the lobby looked like a glorified cabin.
After getting me to a recliner, Stig went up to the reception desk to handle the check-in, the Norwegian flowing easily from his mouth, like breath from lungs.
The clerk glanced at me a couple times. I was sure that the incongruity of a pregnant belly stretched around a wedding dress was part of it.
The theme continued in the room, which was done up nice for us, the new married couple. There was a bottle of champagne on ice.
“We’ll save this,” Stig said, putting the bottle in the fridge.
“Good idea.”
“What do you say we get you out of that dress?”
“Yes, please.”
Gentle as a dove, he undid the little pearl buttons on the back of my Victorian wedding dress, causing the whole thing to fall away.
“Not a stitch left, huh?” Stig remarked.
He caressed my back, making me shudder with pleasure.
“I wanted to make things easy for you when I was picking out this dress,” I informed him.
“You did a great job of that.”
“Oh!” I called out in surprise.
Leaving his hand on my ass, Stig squeezed it again. Heat rushed to my face, not from embarrassment but desire.
“You like that?” he asked.
I nodded, not sure what to say. Any regular, rational thought was disrupted, replaced with only pleasure radiating through me.
“Do you want to try a way we’ve never done it before?” I asked him.