“Excuse me, sir? Would you like a hot towel?”
Cole looks up at the flight attendant, irritated. “What would I do with a hot towel?”
The woman gives him a lipsticky smile. “Refresh yourself, sir.”
“What?”
I lean over him. “We’re fine, thanks,” I say politely. She smiles back absently, not even bothering to look at me. Her blue eyes stay fixed to Cole’s face.
This is the sixth time she’s floated over to our seats to offer us something. Blankets, pillows, champagne, tissues, magazines. Every time, she takes the chance to touch Cole’s shoulder, or lean over him to shove her boobs in his face. She’s clearly shooting for a quickie in the aeroplane bathroom.
I’m not jealous; I honestly think it’s pretty funny. Hell, if I were her, I’d be hitting on him, too.
But it’s clearly annoying him, and this situation is stressful enough for him as is, so I step in.
“Would you mind leaving us be?” I ask, as kindly as possible. “My husband’s a bit of a nervous flier, he’s trying to get some sleep.”
Cole grumbles when I say the word husband. I can tell he’s pleased. He loves when I call him that.
“H-husband?” The woman stutters.
“Yep!” I show her my hand. She takes in the three gold wedding bands stacked on my ring finger.
The boys gave them to me just a couple of months ago. They did it one at a time; Eli, on top of a ski slope with the mountains all around us; Cole, on a walk in the woods; and then Riven, kneeling at the side of the bed before I went to sleep that night. Each ring has the man’s name engraved on the inside.
Obviously, we don’t have a piece of paper saying that we’re married. But we have the love, and the commitment, and all the promises. Which seem like the most important part.
The flight attendant pulls herself up, suddenly professional. “Of course, ma’am,” she says smoothly. “We’ll be landing in Arlanda in forty-five minutes. Enjoy the rest of your flight.”
“Great. Thank you!”
She sashays back down the aisle, and I turn to Cole. He looks kind of cute, with his massive body scrunched up into a plane seat. But I know he’s uncomfortable. I tip my head onto his shoulder. “You okay?”
“I fucking hate this.” He looks out of the window at the fluffy white clouds and scowls. “Why the Hell would anybody do this?”
“We’re almost done,” I promise him. “You’ll be hacking down trees and saving moose in no time.”
He snorts. “I’m sure the moose are fine. You’ve been off the roads.”
We’ve spent the last week in London. I had a showing for my paintings at one of the galleries in the city centre. It was incredible; tons of art enthusiasts and critics showed up to see my latest collection. A lot of the paintings got bought, and I had an awesome time meeting so many other artists. I can hardly believe that this is my life, now. Over the last year, I’ve also had shows in Dublin, Edinburgh, Gothenburg and Stockholm. Usually, Eli and Riven take turns accompanying me on the trips, but this time Cole offered to come with. I’m pretty sure he hated almost every single thing about London, but he stood by me the whole time, supporting me.
His eyes flick back out of the window. He scowls at the clouds like they’ve personally offended him.
“Until then,” I put a hand on his thigh, “I can think of a way to pass the time.”
He slides a hand round the back of my neck and tugs me into a rough, deep kiss. It’s been two years, and his lips still make me feel like I’ve been set on fire. If anything, the feeling’s just got stronger.
This time, when the flight attendant passes by, she moves right along.
From Stockholm, we have another two-hour flight up to Kiruna. The flight is delayed, and Cole spends the connection time grumbling and pacing up and down between the brightly lit shops and cafes. Every so often, he goes into a shop, buys something, then brings it back and dumps it onto the little plastic table next to me. So far, I’ve gotten two romance paperbacks, a cup of coffee, a salad, a cinnamon bun, and a pack of bilar. Apparently, trying to keep me happy is the only thing that’s keeping him sane right now.
I sit back in my plastic chair and sip my coffee, watching him.
When he came to me and told me that he wanted to come with me on this trip, I was taken aback. I’d never invited him before—I honestly assumed he wouldn’t want to go. Eli’s right at home in the city, although he misses the slopes. Riven deals with it fine. But Cole just wasn’t made for bustling crowds and queues and chain restaurants.
I watch as he steps out of a Pressbyrån shop and comes back to join me.
“Here.” He puts a plastic bottle of water down by my hand. “You should drink water.”
“Thanks.” He nods and turns to go again, but I catch his hand, pulling him down into the chair next to me. “It means a lot,” I tell him sincerely, “that you came here with me.”
“I wanted to see your work,” he mutters. “You’re incredible.”
“Well, thank you for coming. You’ve been amazing.”
He stares at me for a few seconds, ice-blue eyes piercing into me. Then he wraps an arm around my waist and picks me up. I squeak as I’m lifted onto his lap, right in the middle of the airport. Some people turn and stare, but I don’t care. I don’t care about other people judging me, anymore. It doesn’t matter what other people think of me.
Cole visibly relaxes when we land in Kiruna. The drive back home is pretty much silent. I look out of the window, watching the snow get thicker and the trees get sparser as we climb up into the mountains. My throat tightens every time we pass a little village, or I spot one of the reindeer herders leading their animals home for the night.
I’m home.
It’s dark outside by the time we finally pull up outside our mountain cabin. Cole goes to park the car in the garage, while I trudge through the snow to the front door. My stomach is twisting with excitement. I don’t even have my key in the lock before the door flies open. Eli practically attacks me, throwing his arms around me and pulling me inside, right into his chest. I smile, breathing in the warm smell of pine.
“I missed you, Tink,” he mumbles into my neck, squeezing me tightly. “God. Next time I’m coming with you, okay? I don’t care whose turn it is. Me. My turn. I’m coming.”
“Well, I don’t know. Cole’s such a seasoned flier, now. You might have to fight it out with him.” I hug him tightly back. “I missed you, too. So much.”
He sighs happily, cupping my cheeks and tugging me into a deep kiss. I soften against him as he curls his tongue possessively between my lips.
“Eli,” a cool voice says. “Share.”
Eli grumbles and steps back so Riven can welcome me home. The man holds me at arm’s length for a moment, running his eyes over me. His eyes catch on my slightly swollen breasts, and I wonder if the doctor will work out the secret I’ve been keeping over the trip. Judging by the tiny smile on his lips, he just might have. He pulls me into a warm hug, pressing a firm kiss to my lips. “We’re not whole without you,” he mumbles against my cheek.
Eli takes my hand, tangling our fingers together. I feel Cole come up behind me, his chest up against my back. Any tension left in my body fades away as I’m circled by my mountain men. My husbands.
Sometimes, I can’t believe this is my life. I can’t believe I got this lucky. I’m surrounded by love all the time. It cocoons me. It wraps me up and keeps me safe and warm. Our relationship is unconventional, but it’s the best relationship I can imagine.
And I’ve never been happier.
