Page 70 of Meet Me Under the Northern Lights

THE SECRET LAGOON

The weather outside was frightful, but the secret thermal spa was more than delightful and as Chloe wrapped her naked form around Gunnar’s she let her mind ease and her thoughts drift as he held her close and delivered sensual kisses to her neck.

‘You are OK, krúttio mitt ?’ Gunnar asked her, hands on her waist.

‘I am more than OK,’ she answered, her fingers toying with the hair at his nape. ‘I’m in a hot secret lagoon with a hot man.’

‘Escaping an overexcited old woman and an overtired ten-year-old who ate a whole bucket of chicken to himself.’

‘Our family,’ Chloe stated, smiling.

‘Our family,’ Gunnar agreed.

‘Is there room for one more, do you think?’

‘You want to tell me something?’

It might not be the exact news that she one day had hoped to share with a partner but it was the closest thing to it and she had actually cried after Michelle had asked her.

‘You know I told everyone that Michelle had had her baby,’ Chloe said, arms around his neck.

‘Henry,’ Gunnar stated.

‘Yes,’ Chloe said. She took a deep breath. ‘Well, what I didn’t tell everyone was… Michelle asked me to be Henry’s godmother.’

Even saying the words now made her super emotional and she tried to keep herself in check but failed. There were tears in her eyes again and, as Gunnar pulled her into his body, she knew he understood how she felt so completely.

‘Chloe, tell me, how does that feel?’

‘Wonderful,’ Chloe said, tears spilling from her eyes now, unashamedly overwhelmed with him. ‘Nothing else but wonderful.’

He held her tight as she cried, breathing into his wet hair, delighting in the sweet scent of him, feeling so completely content with life now.

There was really nothing else she wanted other than more of what she now already had.

She took a minute then lifted her head from his shoulders and gazed into his eyes.

‘You know,’ he said, pushing her wet hair back behind her ears. ‘To be a godmother is like being a guardian. It is a big responsibility because someone has chosen you and you have then chosen to accept.’

She hadn’t ever thought of it that deeply before but Gunnar was right. Michelle thought that Chloe was a person she wanted to help bring Henry up, to take care of his physical and emotional well-being. It was the ultimate honour and the only answer Chloe was ever going to give was a yes.

‘The way you feel,’ Gunnar continued. ‘It is the way I feel when I decided to help Magnús. It is special. It is not like when you become a parent. Becoming a parent is obviously a choice, but not always, and then, the rest of that, it comes down to science. Being a guardian or a godmother, it has nothing to do with physical capabilities, it comes from the soul.’

‘I like that,’ Chloe said. ‘So, you’re saying that it’s more spiritual.’

‘I believe in the individuality of people. How they are made that way, who really knows? Some believe it is through God, others think it is evolution, some?—’

‘Think it is the huldufólk pulling all the strings.’

‘Argh! Please, krúttio mitt , do not turn into Hildur. Keep that individuality I love about you.’

Love. He had used the word ‘love’.

She smiled. ‘You love that about me?’

‘I love many things about you.’

‘I love many things about you too.’

‘I mainly love you.’

‘I mainly love you too.’

He was looking at her looking at him and Chloe felt like her soul was on fire, burning brightly, and that Gunnar could see every leaping flame.

And, as he took her in his arms again and captured her mouth with his, the skies above glowed with recognition that this one winter under the Northern Lights was only the very start of their happy-ever-after.