Page 78 of The Seducer
Laura lifted her shoulders in a small shrug. “Probably not, but he tousled my hair and called me a sweet kid, and that’s all I remember from that day.”
“But he did wait for you.”
She smiled. “Yes, he did, but I had no idea that it was related to that episode.” Shaking her head, she lowered her voice. “You make him sound like he’s a romantic, Finn, but we both know that isn’t true.”
“Define romantic,” I said.
“Well, for one he doesn’t express his love to me, and he’s always bossing me around, warning me about this or that.”
“There are many ways of saying I love you,” I pointed out. “Being protective is one.”
Laura looked thoughtful. “I guess you have a point, but coming here has opened my eyes to how limited my life was in the Northlands. I’m happy here, Finn, and I get to train in martial arts.”
“Laura, tell me you don’t miss the Northlands at all?”
She drew her eyebrows close together. “Of course I miss home. I miss my friends, my sister, and…” She swallowed and exhaled with force. “And I miss Magni too.”
“So, come back with me,” I exclaimed, pushing to the edge of my seat. “At least for a while. If you can’t make it work then you can always come back here. Just give Magni a chance to talk to you.”
“He’s mad at me,” she said and fidgeted with a blue bracelet. “I know he is.”
“True. But that’s because you left without a goodbye.” I softened my voice. “Laura, he worries about you and he misses you.”
Biting her lip, she sat quiet for a while, deep in thought. “I’ll think about it.” She raised her chin in a defiant way. “But you’d better tell Magni that I’m not the same woman as when I left. I won’t allow him to boss me around anymore.”
Shit.I could only imagine how Magni would react to getting a rebellious wife back to replace the sweet one that had left him.
“Maybe it’s better if you tell him yourself,” I advised.
Laura tapped her foot with nervous energy. “The reason I agreed to meet with you is that I’ve been thinking about the Northlands a lot these past months. I feel guilty for leaving the way I did. Maybe it would be good for Magni and me to talk about our marriage.”
“You’re not thinking about divorce, are you?”
“All I know is that I’m not willing to go back to what we had, and with Magni…” She sighed. “Let’s just say he’s not the most flexible person in the world.”
“No, but he’s probably one of the most loyal,” I argued, my heart racing from fear that Laura would be cruel enough to divorce Magni. His pride and honor had already suffered a great deal when she left him. If she insisted on a divorce, it would be even worse.
“Yeah, I guess that’s true. He is very loyal.” She gave a small nod and looked down, taking a little time before she spoke. “Finn, what time are you leaving tomorrow?”
“There’s an official ceremony by the border at noon. After that the five of us are returning.”
“I’ll let you know what I decide before then,” Laura said and stood up. “If I’m not at the border when you go back, don’t wait for me.”
CHAPTER 25
Calling
Athena
My favorite book couldn’t keep my interest. With a sigh of resignation, I lowered it onto my lap. Everything in my small house, seemed too quiet and empty.
When Finn and Hans had been here, I had often found myself longing for some of the peace and quiet that was my custom. Now that I had it back, I missed their company.
Memories assaulted me of Finn’s silly jokes and failed attempts of teaching Hans the art of irony. I smiled when I thought about his skeptical approach to my food in the beginning and how he had ended up liking much of it anyway.
I missed him!
Closing my eyes, I leaned back on the couch and thought about our last night together, just like I had so many times these past five days since he left.
