She knew she was going to cry. She used the back of her hand to wipe away a stray tear.
Jonas didn’t miss much. “Those better be happy tears.”
“I can’t stand the thought of you being hurt.”
He pulled her into his arms. “Didn’t you listen to what I said? With you, I have found my safe harbor, Lauren, the one place where I belong.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Calm settled on the Andrews household. With all their guests finally—and in the case of Peter and Sarah, reluctantly—on their way, family prayer had been said and the children tucked in for the night. On this beautiful, balmy evening, the adults gathered on the softly lighted terrace outside.
Jake’s eyes moved from Jonas to Lauren to Allison. They had all, in their own way, played a bigger part in his life than they realized. Jonas had been a tremendous example of friendship and loyalty for many years. Allison, the love of his life, had taught him to love unconditionally. It was she who insisted he share stories of his childhood with their daughters, stories that had taught them to love his parents while they were young.
Then there was Lauren, an extraordinary young woman he was just getting to know. To think Jonas had brought them such a gift. It was because of Lauren that the reunion with his parents had been not only possible but a cherished event. And it was because of Lauren that Jonas exuded that unmistakable, quiet joy.
“You have things to tell us?” he eventually reminded his friend.
“Yes, we do. I know it’s late so we’ll try to keep it short.” He reached for Lauren’s hand and began.
“When Lauren and I first met, I invited her to spend a Saturday on the island so we could get better acquainted in a relaxed and enjoyable environment. Strictly above board,” he assured them, “as we had just met and barely knew each other. We had such a good time together that I suggested she extend her stay till Sunday.” Jonas smiled. “Imagine my surprise when she declined because she wanted to attend church Sunday morning and didn’t have appropriate clothes with her. That’s when I learned she was LDS.”
Jake and Allison listened attentively as he told them about his surprising discovery the Sunday he attended church with Lauren. “After church, a sweet old lady sought me out and told me she knew my grandmother. She said they had been friends for decades and both their families had been baptized when she and my grandmother were young. I was completely stunned.” Jonas related all that Mrs. Gustavsen told him that day and the Sunday she had dinner at his home.
“I had some unanswered questions, so I paid a visit to my mother. From her, I learned that my father had been a practicing member of the Church, and I was blessed in the Church as a baby. My mother said I attended church services regularly with my father until he passed away, but strangely, I have no memory of that. She also said she agreed I could be baptized, but my father died before I turned eight and she didn’t follow through.”
Lauren’s eyes followed Jake and Allison closely as Jonas spoke. Jake was quiet, contemplative. Allison fought back tears as she whispered, “I always knew there was something special about you, Jonas.”
“Is that why you were kind enough to include me in your lives after you and Jake were married?” Jonas asked gently.
“That, and your friendship was important to my husband. In those early days, I told Jake you acted like a member of the Church, that you ought to be a member.”
“And I never felt like a stranger there. Funny how I didn’t connect the dots.”
“That’s why I suggested you find a nice Latter-day Saint girl to date,” Jake said. “I knew she would have the values you were looking for.”
“Single LDS girls aren’t exactly thick on the ground in Norway,” said Jonas. “I wouldn’t have known where to look.”
“Church would have been a good place to start,” Allison suggested with a watery smile.
“Possibly, if I had thought of church as a place to meet women,” said Jonas with dry amusement, “and I had researched the location of the local church. Imagine my surprise when Lauren brought me to a beautiful chapel in a nice residential area.”
“The Church has had a presence in Bergen for a very long time,” said Lauren. “My great-grandfather served as branch president there when my grandmother was young.”
Jake looked at her, “I didn’t realize your Norwegian roots in the Church ran that deep.”
“They do on my maternal great-grandmother’s side. She was only seventeen when she was baptized in 1890. My great-grandfather joined the Church a few years after they were married. They raised six children in the Church in Norway, but most of them found their way to America as adults.”
“That’s why you have so little family in Norway,” said Jonas.
“And why I was so excited to hear about you. Especially because you were connected to my paternal great-great-grandfather’s side of the family.”
“And because she was so determined to meet me, I finally found the nice LDS girl Jake knew I needed!” Jonas finished.
“I’m so glad you found each other, Lauren,” Allison said sincerely. “And that you love Jonas enough to want to marry him.”
“I knew almost right away that we belonged together.”
“You are a lucky man, Jonas,” said Jake with quiet sincerity. “She is one in a million.”
“Yes, she is.” It was said almost reverently.
Silence reigned until Jake finally asked, “What now, Jonas? Where do you go from here?”
“It may surprise you to hear this, but I’m finally reading The Book of Mormon you gave me all those years ago, and I am meeting with the missionaries when I get back. I owe it to my grandmother and my father to find out all I can about the Church. And I want to take Lauren to the temple someday.”
Jake looked at him in silent awe, deeply moved by his words.
“You both appear to be beyond words,” said Jonas mildly. “Hasn’t it occurred to either of you that you are the reason I have come this far. For close to fourteen years, I have observed you and learned from you. If not for that, I doubt Lauren and I would have been ready for each other.”
“Jonas is right,” Lauren added softly. “I realized very quickly that Jonas was no ordinary man. And then I learned about you and your family and all that you had taught him. I knew we would be okay.”
“But that was no guarantee of him joining the Church,” Allison pointed out. “You were taking quite a chance.”
“I didn’t look at it that way. Only Jonas can decide if joining the church is right for him, but I knew almost from the beginning that he was essential to my happiness.”
“You were willing to give up a temple marriage?”
“I was not willing to live my life without him,” Lauren corrected, then looked at all three of them. A tiny smile touched her lips. “I had it all figured out. If Jonas chose not to join the church during his lifetime, I was going to leave a letter in my will instructing my family to make sure we were sealed together after we were gone. No way was I going to spend eternity without him.”
Listening to Lauren, Jonas had never been more moved. She loved him that much. “Oh, Lauren! Is that what you meant when you said you had everything worked out?”
“That’s exactly what I meant. You worried a lot more than I did.”
“Because I knew what I would be depriving you of.”
“And I trusted the Lord to guide us. If He hadn’t meant for us to meet, He wouldn’t have sent me to you.”
“And I would have remained a crusty old bachelor.”
Lauren laughed softly. Crusty was not a word she’d ever associate with Jonas.
Allison cleared her throat. She had been on the verge of both tears and laughter as she listened to them. “Well, I must say this has been the most fascinating dialog I have listened to in a while. I’m going to love having you for a friend, La
uren. When Jonas told me on the phone that he had met someone, I never imagined you’d fit in so perfectly.”
Still feeling emotional, Jake added, “All in all I think we can agree this has been quite a day. And you seem to have played a part in most of it, Lauren. As a family, we are grateful.”
“Thank you, but Jonas deserves equal credit. If not for him the connection between my boss and his best friend would never have been made.”
“I agree. But then, as a friend, Jonas has never failed me.”
“Enough accolades, you two! I think we can all agree that Lauren and I are lucky to have found each other and we are extremely lucky to have you as friends.”
“And very blessed,” Lauren said.
Allison gave a delicate yawn. “Sorry. It’s been a long day.”
“And we’ve been keeping you up,” Lauren apologized.
“We wouldn’t have missed this evening for anything” Jake assured them. He looked at his wife. “Ready to turn in, sweetheart?”
“More than. It feels like we have been going all day. But what a day it has been.” They both stood. Allison looked at her friends. “‘Night, guys. Thanks for a fascinating hour. We’ll leave you to turn out the lights and lock up.”
“We’ll see to it. We’ll just linger a bit. I’m not ready to part from Lauren just yet. See you in the morning.”
Alone, they turned to each other. When their kiss ended, they clung together, reluctant to let go. Eventually, Jonas loosened his hold and looked at her face. Her eyes were brilliant with love for him, her mouth slightly curved. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever known.
“Tired?”
“A little. It’s been quite a day.” Her gaze fell on the swimming pool only yards away. She looked longingly at it. With its underwater illumination, the water looked tempting. She turned to Jonas with a wistful smile. “Want to go for a swim?”
His brow wrinkled. “Now?”
“Yes. The night is warm, and the water looks so inviting. Plus, I could use some exercise.”
Jonas looked at her and said teasingly, “You don’t have skinny dipping in mind, do you?”
Lauren’s face came alive with laughter. “If you are shy, I won’t insist on it,” she teased right back.
Jonas shook with laughter. “Have you ever been?”
“Not personally, but I used to keep watch for my cousin Molly when we were teenagers. She was a wild child.”
“Ah! And what about you?”
“I was boringly well-behaved. I knew how much my parents loved me and didn’t want to disappoint them.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” He kissed her forehead and the tip of her nose. “If you are serious about swimming, there are towels and extra suits in the changing rooms to the left.”
“Will you join me?”
“Against my better judgment.”
“The water is perfect,” Lauren exclaimed as she surfaced after her dive. “Are you coming in?”
“In a minute. It’s a pleasure to watch you. You are such an elegant swimmer.”
“I used to be on my high school swim team, but I dropped out after my sophomore year. Practice was at 6 am, five days a week, and I discovered I liked sleeping in more than I liked training for swim meets.”
“I don’t blame you,” said Jonas as he dove in, then surfaced beside her.
They swam side by side doing long, lazy breaststrokes. “The exercise will give us a terrific night’s sleep,” Lauren insisted.
“You can guarantee that?” Jonas grinned and kissed her through the water.
Lauren giggled. “Behave yourself.”
In the shallow end, they stood. Reaching for her, Jonas lifted her up high. “You are beautiful,” he said before letting her go with a splash.
She emerged with a sputtering laugh. “You’re delusional. Look at me.”
Jonas looked his fill. She reminded him of the way she looked that first day on the boat when she asked him to hold her: hair slicked back, eyelashes spiked with water. He followed his instincts and pulled her close.
“I’ve never kissed a girl in the water before,” he confided. “I didn’t know it could be so romantic.”
Lauren rewarded him with a light kiss of her own.
“Have you?” he asked against her lips.
“No. As I told you, I was a well-behaved teenager, plus keeping Molly out of scrapes was almost a full-time job. What was your excuse?”
He chuckled. “The cold fjord water wasn’t much of an inducement.”
“In that case, you are allowed another kiss. I don’t want kissing in the water to remind you of anyone but me.”
Jonas placed wet hands on her soft, wet cheeks. His deep blue eyes, framed by spiked, wet lashes, gazed into hers. “You are adorable,” he smiled softly.
They emerged from the pool after several minutes of concentrated lap swimming. Lauren shivered slightly as a light breeze off the lake caught them, so Jonas reached for a towel and wrapped it tightly around her.
“Brings back memories,” he said softly. “I remember thinking you were adorable then, too.”
Lauren smiled. “I’m too old to be adorable, but thank you.” She stepped away from him and thought he must be cold too, so she reached for the other towel and started drying him off.
He stilled her hand. “I’m okay.”
The look in his eyes made her want to put her arms around him. Instead, she followed his lead. Handing him the towel she touched his cheek and said quietly, “I’ll get dressed.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Comfortably ensconced in the roomy first-class seats Jonas had booked for them, Lauren looked forward to seeing her family at the end of the flight. She hadn’t been home in a while, Work kept her too busy, but she was eager for them to meet Jonas.
He closed the overhead bin and slid into the seat next to her. “Comfortable?”
She gave him a grateful smile. “Very. You are spoiling me with first class.”
“You have had an unbelievably crazy week. It’s been a revelation to see what you accomplish in a day. I’m only looking after my almost-wife who deserves a little spoiling.”
“I like the sound of that.”
He smiled. “Which part? The spoiling?”
“No. The wife part.”
“Me, too.” He reached for her hand. “Not too much longer now.”
“Too long,” she contradicted softly.
Jonas wisely refrained from commenting.
Their conversation was eventually interrupted by the flight attendant performing the obligatory safety routine. They listened attentively even though each could recite it almost verbatim. When she finished, they resumed their conversation.
“Do you always fly first class?”
“Frequently, but not always.”
“Peter won’t spring for first class for me, but then I’m crisscrossing the U.S. pretty regularly. Do you travel a lot on business?”
“As little as possible. The States a couple of times a year. Asia occasionally. Europe, of course.”
“Do you enjoy it?”
“Traveling for business?”
“Yes.”
“I can do without it. It may sound exciting to some, but I have yet to find anything romantic about international business travel.”
“Maybe you could make it more romantic by taking me along sometimes,” she suggested hopefully.
“You mean you won’t turn me down again?”
Lauren blushed becomingly. “You are never going to let me live that down, are you?”
He shook his head and laughed. “The one and only time I invite a woman along, she turns me down.”
Lauren looked at him and teasingly said, “You should have tried Elisabeth. She wouldn’t have turned you down. She said she ask
ed you to take her abroad in the past, but you refused.”
“Ah, yes, Elisabeth. We go back a long way, but we’ve never had that kind of relationship. We met the summer we were sixteen. Her family rented a vacation home not far from my grandparents’ island, and she became part of our group of summer friends. We liked each other that summer, as teenagers are apt to do, but she lived in Bergen while I lived in Oslo, so when fall came it died a natural death. She married while I was at Harvard.
“When I returned from my year of working in the States, I moved to Bergen permanently to work with my grandfather. I’d run into Elisabeth and her husband from time to time, and it was obvious her marriage was a happy one. Then her husband died, and she fell apart. She sought me out, and we started spending time together. Not in a romantic way by any means. I was more a shoulder to cry on. But as time passed, she came to depend on me more than was good for her.
“When my grandfather died, among the things he left me was their villa in Fana, just south of the city. It was a beautiful home, but far too large and formal for me to want to live there. I made the mistake of taking Elisabeth to see it. She fell in love with the house and envisioned giving the kind of grand parties my grandparents had been famous for. She suggested we move there together.”
Lauren didn’t comment, but her eyes spoke volumes.
“I once told you she was more interested in the inheritance than in me. It was the house she coveted. But she did indicate that she was learning to cope with the loss of her husband and was ready to move on.”
“Into your arms?”
Jonas nodded. “And my bed. The problem was I didn’t think of her that way. She didn’t take my rejection very well at the time. The loss of the house was a huge disappointment to her. But we weathered it and have remained friends.”
“You’re an honorable man, Jonas. You could easily have taken advantage of the situation.”
Because of Lauren: A Love Story Page 26