“I’m sorry, too,” he said. “I shouldn’t have left like that. I regretted it as soon as I calmed down enough to think again.”
“You seemed calm to me,” Astra said. Not angry, just stating her perspective.
Rune huffed out a laugh devoid of humor. “I thought I was angry at first,” he admitted. “But I realized that the sick feeling in my gut was hurt. I should have called you that night or the next morning, but I was afraid that you wouldn’t want to speak to me.” He cleared his throat and Astra wondered if he had that same tight feeling she did earlier. “Then, Claudia came over to finish the house and Devorah and Sirena came with her.”
Astra’s eyes widened. “How did that go?”
“Once we talked and I explained how I felt, they were surprisingly willing to help me.”
Astra smiled a little. “Did you think they were going to kill you and hide your body in the swamp?”
“Well, the swamp is kinda far, but I figured I’d be taking a trip to a pig farm in the trunk of their car.”
Astra laughed. “My sisters came to see me before Devorah and Sirena stopped by your place. They knew that I wanted to fix things and that I wasn’t sure how.”
“So that was their way of making sure you got what you wanted?”
Astra nodded.
“Huh. I never realized. No wonder they were so willing to help me.”
“As much as we bicker, my sisters and I love each other, and we’d do anything for each other.”
Astra paused, looking down at their joined hands. “I think we should talk about things a little more. Do you want to leave?”
Rune squeezed her hand, bringing her gaze back up to his. “No, I think we should stay. Your parents need a chance to get to know me. But I agree. We do need to talk about what happened this week.”
She nodded. “Then, we should get in there with the rest of them because they won’t save any food for us.”
Rune pulled her into his side, putting his arm around her shoulders. “I don’t know. Your mom loves my books, so she’d probably save me a plate. You, I’m not so sure about.”
Astra elbowed him in the gut, and he grunted. “Dad would save me a plate. I’m his favorite. And I bring him broccoli and rice casserole whenever he asks.”
Rune rubbed his gut. “Okay, so you won’t starve. But we should still get in there.”
Astra bit back a sigh. While she was no longer in the mood to hang out with her family, Rune was right. Her parents needed a chance to get to know him. And Sirena. Of the four of them, Sirena tended to be the most stand-offish. It took her nearly two years to really open up to Claudia after she married Devorah. That was just the way she was.
She leaned her head on Rune’s shoulder. “Sit next to me, okay? Mom will try to put you between her and Dad.”
Rune hugged her closer. “How am I supposed to do that without upsetting your mom?”
“You’ll figure it out,” Astra replied.
He laughed and shrugged. “I guess I have to.”
She smiled and let him lead her toward the back of the house.
ChapterTwenty-One
Despite the rocky start, Rune enjoyed dinner with Astra’s family. It was obvious that Astra was surprised when Hella insisted he sit next to her daughter.
It had been a long time since he experienced a family dinner. When he had before, it had just been his parents, his brother, and him. They talked, but there were no loud voices or bawdy humor. There would be no beer, or in the Falks’ case mead, either as his parents were extremely religious and didn’t believe in drinking alcohol.
Dinner with the Falks’ was a boisterous affair. Sylvie and Sirena were arguing about something that happened at work that week. Devorah was teasing her father about his sparring match with Rune and how he must be getting slower in his old age. Claudia and Hella were discussing recipes and the next family meal.
It was overwhelming, but Rune realized that he liked it. He liked the noise and the chaos. This was Astra’s family, and hopefully, someday, his. Suddenly, he missed his parents and his brother. He wished that they were still alive to meet the woman he loved and her family.
As though she knew the direction his thoughts had taken, Astra reached down and took his hand in hers, resting their joined fingers on her leg.
