Page 51 of Fated Midlife Christmas
“Thank you,” Alva said as she sat down. “Have you had reindeer before?”
Amanda had known she’d encounter some different foods there, but she’d been too busy getting things organized with her practice before she left Salem that she hadn’t really done any research. “Reindeer? As in…reindeer?”
Lars laughed. “They weren’t pulling Santa’s sleigh or anything. Reindeer is a sustainable meat source for us, and that’s something we have to be very conscious of when we’re so remote. I promise, it’s very good.”
Amanda had always been the kind to try a new food at least once. The others politely made small talk, not staring at her as she lifted a spoonful. The tender meat melted in her mouth and exploded with flavor. “Oh, wow!”
“You like it?” Alva asked hopefully.
“I love it! This is amazing. You really know what you’re doing!” Amanda enthused.
Erik put his arm on the back of his mate’s chair. “You’re right. I think I’ll keep her.”
After dinner, Amanda insisted on helping Alva clean up. “I know I’m your guest, but if I’m going to be here for a few weeks, you have to let me pitch in, at least a little.”
“All right. I’ll wash, and you can rinse and dry.” Alva handed her a towel with a smile. “Actually, I wanted to find a moment to talk to you, anyway.”
“Oh?” Amanda’s stomach jumped as Alva handed her a plate. She’d been so nervous about making a good impression on Lars’s family. Everyone seemed so nice, and she wanted them to like her.
“Yes, there’s some talk you just can’t share in front of the men.” Alva glanced over her shoulder and then back at Amanda. “I have never seen Lars this happy!”
Amanda’s face warmed. “Really?”
“Oh, yes! I’ve known him for several years now. He’s always been a good man, and I think of him like my own brother. I wanted to see him find a mate. He deserved it, and I can tell that he’s found her. I’ve never seen him smile so much! You should see the way he looks at you!”
She couldn’t help but blush a little as she rinsed a bowl. “He’s not like anyone I’ve ever met before. Every day I wake up and look at him, wondering if this is for real.”
“Let me tell you, when these Olsen men decide to open their hearts, they love fiercely,” Amanda promised her. “There’s no halfway with them. They make a commitment, and then that’s simply the way it is. We’re very lucky women.”
“Yes, we are.”
The four of them had dessert and coffee in the living room. Amanda lounged with her leg stretched out along the length of Lars’s, happy that she could be so close to him even while visiting with family.
“How do you like Longyearbyen?” Erik asked. He was several years younger than Lars, but the resemblance was impossible to miss.
“It’s great,” Amanda told him honestly. “I don’t know exactly what I expected, but it isn’t this.”
“Not exactly just a row of shanties!” Erik laughed. “Longyearbyen is a very young place, by comparison to the rest of the world, just over a hundred years old. It’s mostly been a mining town, and for much of that time, it was all run by the mining company. It’s changed a lot since then, but of course, some of that was helped along when World War II almost destroyed the place.”
Amanda’s mouth fell open, and she consciously closed it. “I had no idea the war would have an impact all the way up here!”
“Everyone wanted their hands on the coal mines, and we’re rather strategically placed for radio signals. There were only a handful of buildings that survived the bombing,” Erik explained. “We rebuilt, though, and perhaps we’re better for it. This is a good community. It’s the perfect place to raise our family.”
He and Alva exchanged a soft look, and Alva touched her belly.
“Are you serious?” Lars jumped to his feet.
“Yes!” Alva said, her face truly glowing. “We’re expecting a little one!”
“We found out while you were on your trip to America,” Erik explained, “but we wanted to tell you in person.”
“I’m so happy for you both!” Hugs were exchanged back and forth, and Amanda was pulled right into them as part of the family. “I can’t believe it! I’m going to be an uncle!”
“Well, this is part of why we knew we were making the right decision to take over the clan,” Erik told him. “We want to raise our child right here, and this truly means we don’t ever plan to move.”
Later that night, Amanda slipped between the covers and snuggled up close to Lars. “Can you believe Erik and Alva’s news?”
“It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” He kissed the top of her head and put his arms around her. “The timing couldn’t have been better, but I suppose fate has a way of doing things like that, doesn’t it?”
