Page 66 of Yule Know It When You See It
ONE YEAR LATER…
NORWAY
Not only is this the first time I’ve traveled outside of the US in almost a decade it’s also the first time I’m in Norway. And it’s withhim. My Viking. My everything. When he’d mentioned the idea several months ago to spendJulin Norway and meet his family, I couldn’t contain my excitement. And now that we’re here? Postcards do not do this place justice. In any direction, you can see mountains, water, or snow-covered hills. Thefjordswe flew over upon arrival, with waterfalls, glaciers, and lakes literally took my breath away.
Axel booked us a quaint cabin on the lake’s edge, allowing us to experience this beautiful country for ourselves for a couple of days before visiting his family. I’m sitting on the front porch, wrapped in a blanket, the heat from the roaring fire inside at my back from the propped door. We’d been here no more than thirty minutes, and I claimed this spot as my favorite. Not only because of the view of the lake and snow-capped mountains in the distance, but the aurora borealis, which paints the sky every night, morphing the scene into a surreal, animated painting.
The sun has set, and I’m sitting, waiting patiently for the light show to begin, when my phone starts ringing. It’s Desiree asking to FaceTime, and I smile before swiping the screen and holding the phone up.
“Hey, Des,” I say, my voice low, relaxed, and almost a little groggy.
It’s loud wherever she is, pulsating music, chattering murmurs, and flashing lights.
“Hey, you. How’s Viking Land?” Des rocks a shorter haircut now, and it suits her sassy personality, not to mention making her jawline sharp enough to cut glass.
“Amazing, but—” I stand, turning so that the mountain view is behind me and shown on camera. “—where are you?”
Desiree gasps and moves her face closer to the screen. “Look at thatview. And oh, sorry, we’re at Rupert’s fashion show.”
“Hi gorgeous,” Rupert says, his face briefly appearing, and he flashes an exaggerated smile, his hand overenthusiastically waving.
“Hey, Rupy,” I say with a chuckle. “Did you saywe, by the way, Des?”
A mischievous glint forms in Desiree’s eye. “Mmhm. Spence is here too.” She turns the phone screen to a slumping Spencer, who jolts to attention and gives a tiny wave before slapping a hand over his face.
“Axel will never let him live this down.” I bite my lip.
“Or you could not tell him,” Spencer shouts from the background, but Desiree is already turning away, the phone pointed at her again.
“I know you have to, being that’s our family dynamic, but don’t go too harsh. He’s being an absolute doll, keeping me company at this thing.” Desiree’s eyes pan to the left, clearly glancing at Spencer before looking back at me.
“Fair enough. I’m going to let you go now, though, okay? I heard Axel coming back inside from chopping wood.” And it has my heart racing, antsy for his touch and warmth.
“He chops wood, too?” Rupert’s eyes and nose peek from the corner of the screen.
Desiree playfully shoves him away by the face and blows me air kisses. “Have the best time, girly. We’ll see you when you’re stateside again.”
After kissing my palm and holding it to the camera, I end the call in time for Axel to join me on the porch. He wears only a thin blue flannel shirt with rolled sleeves and a wool hat but slides it off and tosses it inside.
“Was that Desiree’s voice I heard?” Axel’s arms encircle me from behind, his chin resting on my shoulder, and he places a light kiss to my cheek.
“Yup. Checking in on me again. I swear, she’s the doting big sister I never had.” I purr against Axel’s chest, leaning against him and wrapping my arms over his. “Spencer is with her and Rupert at afashionshow, by the way.”
“Oh, yeah? He’s never going to live that one down.” His voice is a deep, rumbly, raspy vibration against my temple.
“That’s what I said!”
Axel moves to my side and holds out his hand. “I tried to hurry up so I wouldn’t miss the lights with you. Even started up the fire pit. Come on.” He leads me to several fur-lined chairs surrounding a pile of overlapping wood blazing orange.
We sit next to each other, and I scoot my seat until it’s flush with his, and I’m close enough to rest my head on his shoulder. Dark clouds move across the sky as the night dwindles, and eventually, they melt away, revealing black velvet littered with glittering dots in such massive clumps it lights the area around us in vibrant white. Bright green and blue streaks shimmer and sway as the northern lights greet us. I sit up, not daring to close my eyes for fear of missing even one second of nature’s elaborate display. I can feel Axel’s burning stare on my cheek. The first time he’d done this, I couldn’t imagine why he would rather watch me over the lights, but I soon came to realize watching me become so joyous broughthimjoy.
“I’ll never get tired of watching you continuously mesmerized by the world like discovering it for the first time,” Axel says, his voice low and gritty near my neck.
Still smiling, my eyes glistening from tears over the beauty unfolding in the sky, I turn to him. “It makes me feel alive.”
“And that’s why I wanted to know if you’d like to meet my family with a different title other than my girlfriend.” Axel’s hand slips to my knee, squeezing it.
My heart is in my throat, trying to rationalize what he’s talking about, and I tilt my head to one side. “What other title—” I start to say, but he’s already kneeling on one knee in front of me.
