EPILOGUE
Six months later...
GLANCING OUT OF the window, Lottie bit her lip. Why was it taking so long? Surely they must nearly be there.
But the scenery scudding beneath the helicopter’s whirling rotor blades was no help at all—mainly because it looked nothing like it had the last time she’d seen it, just over six months ago. Then, it had been covered in snow, but now the snow was gone, and the land was a patchwork of colours and textures—a bit like her sixth form art project, she thought, a bubble of laughter squeezing out of her chest.
‘What’s so funny?’
Meeting her brother’s gaze, she shook her head. ‘Nothing, really. I was just thinking about an art project I did at school.’
‘Okay...’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘You did eat breakfast, didn’t you?’
‘Yes, I did. I had muesli and yoghurt and fresh fruit.’ She poked him gently in the ribs. ‘So, what do you think?’
It was Lucas’s first visit to Iceland, and she was desperate to hear his thoughts—to find out if he felt the same way as she did about this incredible country that was now like a second home to her.
‘Of your breakfast?’ He grinned. ‘Oh, you mean of all this.’ Shaking his head, he blew out a breath. ‘What can I say? It’s right out there... I mean, look at this place!’ He leaned forward, his eyes widening as they flew over a huge vivid green field of moss. As he looked back at her, his face softened. ‘I can see why you love it so much.’
She smiled. ‘It’s just so beautiful and rugged and remote.’
His eyes gleamed. ‘Are you talking about Iceland? Or Ragnar?’ he said softly.
Looking down, she stared at the sapphire ring on her finger. ‘You do like him now, don’t you?’
She thought back to the moment when she and Ragnar had walked into her mother’s garden together, after he’d proposed. Lucas hadn’t liked him at all then, but thankfully Sóley’s babbling open-armed excitement at seeing her father had meant that his disapproval had been limited to a stiffness of posture and a murderous scowl.
Her pulse skipped forward. It had been a shock, seeing her normally easy-going brother like that, but it hadn’t lasted. Ignoring her panicky protests, he and Ragnar had gone for a walk the next day, and when they’d returned they hadn’t been brothers-in-arms, exactly, but Lucas had welcomed him as a brother-in-law.
She felt him shrug beside her.
‘Yeah, he’s not the worst. I mean, I wouldn’t ask him to join the band, but he’s pretty handy with a pool cue.’ As she looked up to meet his gaze, he rolled his eyes. ‘I like him, okay? He knows a lot of stuff but he’s not boring about it, and he’s generous with money but not flash.’ His mouth twitched. ‘Oh, and he’s got some extremely hot sisters.’ He hesitated, his face suddenly serious. ‘But mainly I like him because I can see how much he loves you, and I know that he makes you happy.’
She swallowed against the lump in her throat. ‘He does...he really does.’
Her heart contracted. Ragnar had worked so hard these last six months to turn his life around. He’d started by introducing her and Sóley to his family, and he hadn’t stopped there. He’d talked to each of them in turn, explaining how he’d felt as a child and then as a man. It had been really difficult for him, but he’d been determined to deal with his fear and committed to their future—his and hers and their daughter’s.
She’d been scared of meeting his family, and it had been terrifying. They were all so glamorous and emphatic. But almost immediately she’d realised that beneath all the drama there was a solid core of unbreakable love and, even though they’d been at loggerheads for months, the first time she’d met Ragnar’s mother, her ex-husband Nathan, his new wife Kim and their new baby had been there too.
It had been surreal, but kind of wonderful.
A bit like his family.
The family who had welcomed her into their hearts.
Lucas frowned. ‘Hey, you promised no crying.’
As Lottie swiped at her eyes she felt the helicopter start to slow. ‘We’re here,’ she said softly.
Her heart gave a thump as they landed, and then he was sliding back the door and climbing out, holding up his hand to help her down.
‘Here.’ He took her hand and slid it through his arm. ‘Let’s go find your man.’
Her man. Her Ragnar.
Her chest squeezed tight and, gripping Lucas’s arm to steady the trembling of her heart, she started to walk towards the beach, to find the man she loved without limits.
The man she was going to marry today.