Don’t wait too long. Don’t assume she knows.
She sighed next to him, rolling into him, waking up. Her eyes opened slowly and she licked her lips, smiling at him.
“God morgon,” he whispered.
“Morning.”
“Katrin.”
“Erik.”
“Min Älskling.”
“Mm-hm. I am your sweetheart.”
“Du tillhör mig.”
“Mm-hm. I belong to you.”
“Jag älskar dig, Katrin.”
“Oh!” She stared at him, wide-eyed, then teary-eyed and he nodded at her, believing in her, but still hoping, still waiting to see if…
“I love you too, Erik.”
His eyes closed against the burn of tears, overcome by requited love, and he reached for her, pulling her into his arms, his beating heart brimming, abounding, replete.
Chapter 17
Leaving Katrin at her apartment to shower and tidy up, Erik turned out of her driveway to drive back up to the Triple Peak.
Katrin had asked that he say goodbye to his father and brothers for her. They’d be off to an early start to make it back to Gardiner by lunchtime. He’d return to her as soon as he’d made his farewells, and promised to bring back some Swedish pastries for her breakfast too. The sun was shining and the sky was bright blue, like Katrin’s eyes.
Erik was happy.
He was relieved to know what really happened between his parents, and he found himself re-writing their history in his head, correcting misconceptions and understanding them more fully. He was relieved to be free, once again, to love and admire his Pappa without reserve. He wasn’t sure if he agreed with his mother’s dying request, but it would take time for him to process the entire story, and a lifetime of living and loving to truly understand it. For now, he was just relieved that his father was recovered to him.
He’d made love to Katrin one last time before he got dressed to go, reveling in the freedom of telling her he loved her over and over again, and hearing the same words on her lips, like a mantra, a prayer. How he had ever lived, breathed, eaten, slept…without her in his life was a mystery.
The thought of being apart now plagued him, as commitment once had. Katrin seemed to know it was bothering him. Before he left her, she had cupped his face and held his eyes, repeating her words from last night, “We’ll figure it out, love. I promise.”
Even with her reassurance, he felt an urgency to settle “what happens next” before they returned north this evening, and it was bewildering, unfamiliar terrain for Erik, who had never wanted “next” in his entire life. He assessed the options, and there were no great ones presenting themselves. Living in her tiny, shared apartment was not a good solution. For one, they’d have no privacy, and moreover, they’d have no room. But, he also didn’t like the idea of her sharing his apartment in Kalispell, which would mean her driving back and forth to Skidoo Bay three hours every day, and living in an unfamiliar place without any friends, which bothered him in light of the irregular hours he often had to work during the week.
We’ll figure it out. He thought of her face, heard her voice telling him that she loved him, and a peace came over him. Of course they would figure things out. They loved each other, and they’d find a way. He simply had to trust that, believe in it. The hard part was over.
With a full heart, he stepped on the gas, anxious to say goodbye to his family so he could return to his love.
***
Katrin pulled on her favorite jeans and a pink short-sleeved polo shirt, inspecting herself in the mirror and slipping her phone into her back pocket. Her wet hair was piled on her head, wrapped in a towel that looked like a turban, and her feet were bare. She felt like she should look different, changed somehow after sleeping with Erik, telling him she loved him, hearing that he loved her back. But it felt even more right that she still looked like herself. The only thing that had changed was her heart, and maybe her smile. Yes, she thought, smiling at herself in the mirror, her smile was definitely different. Her smile was in love.
She pulled the towel off her head, drying the ends of her hair, then hung it on the back of the bathroom door and took out her hairdryer. Right before she plugged it in, she heard a light tapping at her door.
Erik…are you back for one more kiss?
Her phone vibrated in her back pocket as she crossed her apartment and she reached for it, distractedly, as she opened the door.
Ing. She pressed talk on her phone, looking up smiling, ready for one more kiss.
She dropped the phone.
It wasn’t Erik at her door.
***
Erik’s phone buzzed beside him, and he glanced down to see who was calling. Hmm. Kristian. He pressed the Bluetooth button in his car.
“Hello?”
“ERIK!”
“Kristian?”
“Erik, where are you? Where’s Katrin?” Kristian’s voice was urgent, frantic.
“I’m headed up to the Triple Peak. She’s at her place. What’s going on?”
“Is she alone?”
“Y-Yeah.” He could hear the panic in Kristian’s voice, too, and it made his blood run cold.
“Turn around. Turn around now and go back to her place, Erik. NOW!”
Without thinking, Erik jerked the wheel to the left and flipped his car around, almost colliding with oncoming traffic, as he pointed himself back south toward Choteau.
“Kristian, what is going on?”
“Stay calm, Erik, okay? You’ve got to get there in one piece. Just…go to her place.”
“Tell me what the hell is going on!”
“Ingrid got a call a few minutes ago from Wade’s parents. He left the facility at some point early this morning. He wasn’t in his room at wake-up and they searched everywhere
