Gunnar blinks fast, turning his face toward my palm to kiss it. “I know.” He closes his eyes tight, brows trembling.
The bond between us throbs with all the emotions coursing through Gunnar. Relief. Fear. Guilt and sorrow.
“Come here, love.”
He falls into me, burying his face in my shoulder. I put my arms around him and hold him tight as he sniffs and shudders. He doesn’t cry, but he doesn’t hide what he’s feeling either. The bond, so fresh and new, is wide open. I take all of his feelings in and share in his grief. Slowly it fades, and what blooms inits place is joy and love, warm and bright as sunshine after a rainstorm.
Gunnar breathes in deep, laughing softly against my skin. He lays a hand on my pec, squeezing. “I can’t wait to finally start living again. With you.”
A smile spreads over my face and I tighten my arms around his shoulders. “Neither can I.”
Chapter 23
Gunnar
Gods, I feel asif I’ll be sick.
In the gathering darkness, the barn’s lights shine bright through the windows. Almost there. Loki had better not be in control of my fate tonight. The last thing I want is to make myself look foolish, or to embarrass Arlo, or—
“Gods’ sakes, dear! Relax!” Aunt Helga squeezes my arm. “It can’t be healthy for a heart to race as fast as yours.”
I sigh, worrying my lower lip. “I’m fine. Just nervous, I suppose.”
“Whatever for? That young man is so in love with you, I can almost smell it. He will not run from you.”
“I know.” And I do. I trust Lo with my heart and soul. “But what if I trip? Or forget my vows?”
She laughs softly. “No one will remember. All that matters is celebrating your love for each other.” A smile spreads wide over her cheeks, and her eyes moisten at the corners. “I’d so hoped I would live to see you find love again, Gunnar.”
A lump thickens in my throat. It still feels like yesterday that I was married to Leif. It had been snowing, and thick flakes hadgathered in his hair and short beard. I’d been nervous, but the moment he saw me and his face lit up, nothing else mattered. Only him.
“I’m so proud of you, lad.”
The barn blurs. I duck my head. “Aye?”
“Of course.” She stops and turns me toward her. Her hands are warm where they squeeze my arms. “Not many would have been able to open their hearts again, not after what you went through. But I knew you would.”
I laugh at that. “Before I did? How?”
Helga tips my head up, fingers beneath my chin. “With a heart as big as yours, I knew you would find someone to care for. You boys have been through so much. It’s been my greatest joy to watch you find your way back to happiness. You’re strong. All of you.”
I clear my throat, trying to find a way to voice the one thing I have not been able to stop thinking about since I put on my tuxedo.
“I wish he was here. Father. I wish he could be here to see that we’re all right. I wish he could have met Arlo, Kieran, Jamie—” I can’t continue. If I try, I’ll break.
“Oh, dear,” Helga whispers, voice trembling. She puts her arms around me and holds tight. I let myself slump, forehead against her shoulder. My lungs ache when I take a deep breath and I shudder on the exhale. “I know. So do I. You have made him proud. I know it in my heart.”
So do I. Ever since I accepted Arlo into my life, I’ve changed, and only for the better. He’s helped make me into a man my father would be proud of, a manIcan find pride in. One day.
Helga gives my cheek a pat. “Now. Shall we?”
I take her arm in mine.
We join the line of our friends and family waiting to make their entrance. We decided Arlo and I would walk the aisle together,followed by my brothers, then Arlo’s parents, and then Helga and Nan. Distant voices of our guests drift out the windows and into the night as we approach.
Arlo smiles radiantly when he spots me. He holds out his hands and, with a final squeeze of my aunt’s arm, I go to him. Taking his hands in mine, I pull him close enough to kiss his forehead. “You look…” Words can’t describe how handsome he is in his suit, fitted perfectly to his tapered waist. “Good.”
Behind me, Anders snorts. “Well spoken, brother.”
