‘Congratulations! Hey, Gudrun!’ Astrid called her sister over.
Rachel turned around and sipped the water. ‘We’re having a baby,’ she said to Gudrun.
‘No! Are you?’
‘Yes. By spring you’ll be an honorary aunt,’ said Rachel.
‘That’s wonderful, congratulations,’ Gudrun said to Rachel and Jonas, who were beaming.
‘I’d better start looking out for some whales or Isak’s going to be halfway to Canada before we know it,’ said Astrid.
After a successful couple of hours of whale watching, with Isak at the helm, they headed back into port. Leifur joinedAstrid on the stern as she watched the water behind them while everyone else had headed downstairs for drinks and food.
‘It’s like you were never away,’ he said, smiling.
‘I’d forgotten how much I love it. If I see a whale in Greenland, most of the time there’s no one to share it with. Unless we’re on the deck at home.’
The winter had been an amazing experience. One that bonded them and made them realise that if they could live together for two weeks while they were literally snowed into the house, they could live through anything together.
‘I know what you mean. It’s great to have the immediate reactions of everyone around you. I didn’t realise how that was until Isak took the wheel.’
That evening, at the cottage, after Astrid had unpacked her things into the drawers that Leifur had cleared for her, they headed down to the shore with a beer each, for old times’ sake.
‘I can’t believe Rachel’s pregnant,’ said Astrid.
‘They looked so happy.’ Leifur gazed at the water with a smile on his face. ‘Do you want kids?’
‘Yes, do you?’
‘Yes, with you I do.’
‘I used to think that by the time I was ready to have kids, I’d have reached the point in my career where I’d be happy to give it up. And now that I’m with you and we’ve worked out how to be together, I’m scared that wanting kids on top of that is too much to wish for.’
‘You’re thinking of it in the context of what you’re doing now. Think back a year and you’d never have thought we’d be where we are now. Who knows what things will be like in another couple of years when your contract in Greenland finishes.’
‘We have two more winters to discuss this endlessly, Isuppose,’ she said, laughing.
‘And there are other things we could do before we have kids,’ said Leifur.
‘Like what?’
‘Like get married?’
‘Are you proposing?’
‘Yes, very badly.’ He stood up and pulled something out of his pocket. Then he knelt on the damp moss in front of her. Taking her left hand, he pushed a ring onto her finger, keeping his hand over it while he said, ‘Astrid, will you marry me?’
‘Yes.’
He moved his hand to reveal a silver ring with the most perfect piece of blue sea glass in a claw setting.
‘Leifur, this is beautiful.’
‘I found the glass when we were on the beach together. I know we don’t know what will happen after Greenland, but I know we’ll always work something out so we can be together.’
‘Me too.’ She shifted so that she was on her knees too. ‘I love you so much,’ she said, embracing him as hard as she could.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, laughing as they lay down next to each other on top of the tarpaulin. Each of them propped up on an elbow and facing each other. ‘It was more romantic in my head. I didn’t mean to blurt it out tonight. I just —’
