He cranks the heat and then we’re off. It’s another hour until we arrive at the meeting point, and we dozed off in each other’s arms for the rest of the drive.
The adrenaline of the adventure, though, jolts me awake.
I get out of the car. We’ve parked down a long road that ends at the base of the mountain. Four ATVs made for snow are parked around the bend of trees, while the other vehicles sit on the side of the road. I see Ottar waiting in one car, and Tom, a bodyguard, waiting in another.
But, standing in the middle of the road, dressed in their warmest gear, are my friends.
King Aksel and Queen Aurora.
Prince Viktor and Princess Maggie.
The only people who have yet to show up are the ones who came the furthest distance, Princess Stella and Prince Orlando, all the way from Monaco, but they should be here pretty soon.
“You made it!” I yelp, and then I run over to them like an overexcited puppy. I pull Aksel and Viktor into big hugs that probably make them borderline uncomfortable (especially Aksel, hugging him is like hugging a wall of ice), then try to act more restrained with Aurora and Maggie. Maggie is actually seven months pregnant and the size of a beluga whale. I’m actually surprised she’s even here, but she’s stubborn like that.
“Good job, Viktor,” I tell my friend, patting him on the back. “She looks ready to blow.”
“I feel ready to blow,” Maggie says. Then quickly adds. “Don’t worry, I won’t. Like hell I was going to let Viktor come to your magical cabin that he always talks about without me.”
“Well, you’re lucky, because with the new addition we had to build a new outhouse. No more spiders the size of your hand.”
“Excuse me, what?” Aurora speaks up.
“Hey, you’re an Aussie, you should be used to it. Anyway, it’s winter, they’re all dead. You all prepared to hike?”
They all stare at me, blank-faced.
“I’m just kidding. We have transportation around the corner.” Normally we hike there in the summer, but not with Maggie being pregnant, and also not in all this snow. We had the trail there cleared the other day when I had some men stock the place with food and drinks, and we’re riding up there on four-wheelers that can handle it.
“Guess we’re just waiting on my sister,” Aksel mutters.
“Look at that, Magnus, someone else is later than you are,” Viktor says with a laugh.
“Very funny,” I say. “J’vla bonde kuktryne.”
Which in Norwegian means fucking farmer dickface.
“Don’t get me started,” Viktor says. “I can have a swearing competition with you any day.”
“I think that’s them,” Aurora says, and we all turn to see a car coming down the road toward us.
Chapter 3
Stella
“We’re the last ones,” I whine as the car pulls off the road, and I can see a bunch of vehicles at the end.
“We had a longer flight,” Orlando reminds me. He gives me a funny look. “Are you nervous or something?”
“What, me?”
He nods. “Yes, my star. You’ve bitten your nails down to nothing.”
I glance down at my hand and wince, the nail polish from the manicure I got a few days ago already coming off. “I don’t know. I guess I just don’t know the rest of them at all. Not the girls, anyway.”
He lets out a wry laugh. “They’re coming to our wedding.”
I sigh. “I know. It’s just…they’re kind of their own group. You know, all Nordic and tucked away up here and we’re all…Monégasque and tucked away down there. I barely get to see Aksel anymore.”
“Because you’re busy. We’re busy. Everyone is busy. It’s life,” he says to me, leaning in and kissing me softly. “And it’s a good life, isn’t it?”
I stare into his blue eyes, my heart skipping a few beats, as it does sometimes when I look at him. I may be a little nervous for feeling like I’m not part of the clique or the group, but at least I have my fiancée by my side, a man that adores me.
And as nervous as I am about not fitting in, I think I’m just nervous being away from the kids. Anya is such an independent child that she’ll be just fine, at least I hope she will. She’s used to me jetting off here and there, though I have barely left the house since Estelle was born. And Estelle…she turns one in March and I have an immense amount of guilt leaving a baby behind. I know that she’s got family looking after her and she probably won’t even notice, but still.
The car comes to a stop, and everyone waves at us as we get out.
“You’re here,” Aurora cries out happily, running across the snow in her stylish parka. She puts her arms around me, giving me a tight squeeze. My god, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen my sister-in-law, and this makes me realize how much I’ve missed her.
“You look great, your hair,” she marvels as she pulls away, reaching up to pat my head.
“You like?” I fluff up the ends with my hands and strike a pose. I was trying to grow out my blonde hair, but recently had it cut into a short bob. I know it’s such a “new mom” thing to do, but it’s made my life so much easier now that I can wash it and forget it.
Aksel comes over to me next, and even though he’s not much of a hugger, I still hold him tight.
“Hey brother,” I tell him, inspecting his face. Even if you didn’t know Aksel was a king, you’d figure it out anyway. He has such a way about him, always has since he was a kid, holding himself with such reverence and importance. Sometimes to a fault. But right now, he looks different. Relaxed. Dare I say, happy? There’s a twinkle in his blue eyes that doesn’t appear all that often.
“Norway looks good on you,” I tell
