”We’ll make sure it’s as easy as possible for them while we’re away and we’ll fly back and visit whenever I get a break from filming. The first film is shot in Prague and partly in London, so it’s not that far. Maybe they’ll agree to come visit us on the weekends I can’t get off from work?”
”I bet they’d love that,” she said, feeling extremely happy at the picture of their future together that he painted.
”Do you mind quitting your job for me?” he asked after a while.
”No, it’ll break Rashid’s heart, naturally,” she joked, ”but Sasha will make him deal with it. He’ll find someone even better to replace me,” she concluded.
”That’s impossible,” he smiled, ”you’re the very best at everything you do.”
That reminded her.
”Oh, Nate,” she exclaimed and sat up hastily. ”I completely forgot to tell you! I found out yesterday afternoon, and I was dying to Skype with you to tell you all about it, but Sasha showed up before I had the chance to. And then I forgot all about it.”
”What, love? What is it?” he asked, curiosity burning in his voice.
”A publisher bought my novel! They want to publish it, Nate!” she enthused.
”Oh, baby, that’s awesome! I’m so proud of you,” he hugged her fiercely to him. ”When is it coming out?”
”Next fall. The publisher seems to really believe in it, but I’ll be a nervous wreck once the reviews come in.”
”I’ll be there when they do, and if anyone should dare not like your novel, I’ll pay them a visit and talk some sense into them, cowboy-style,” he vowed with a dark grin.
”Oh, Nate, you’re hopeless,” she laughed. ”I’d rather you stay with me in case I need to be scraped up off the floor after reading them.”
”I’ll do that too, baby, though it won’t be necessary, because they’ll love it,” he said, complete confidence in his tone.
”Thank you,” she whispered and kissed him.
After a while she broke away.
”Do you know what the best part of being a writer is, Nate?”
”No, enlighten me, please,” he murmured, kissing her jawline with perfect concentration.
”I can write anywhere in the whole world.”
He looked at her beaming face.
”That really is the best part, at least for me,” he agreed. ”My wife, the novelist,” he said, sounding very content and proud. ”I won’t even have to feel that guilty for dragging you with me on set all of the time, ’cause you’ll be able to take your work with you. I like that, I really like that,” he stated. ”And when you need to do research in the archives, I’ll go on hiatus and be your stay-at-home-husband for as long as you need, having dinner ready for you when you come home at night, like I promised. I’ll even help you clean off all the archival dust each day when you get home, with a tongue-bath,” he smiled wickedly and resumed covering her with kisses.
”That sounds perfect,” she sighed, so content, and settled back into the pillows, allowing her cowboy to continue exploring every secret spot on her body with his tender kisses.
Epilogue
Los Angeles, a little over a year later.
Walking the red carpet still was a nerve-racking ordeal for her, but Nate always took such loving care of her that he made it okay. But tonight she had promised herself to put all of her own self-consciousness aside and concentrate fully on being there for him instead. She knew it was a huge night for him, possibly the biggest of his entire career. It certainly was the biggest so far in his career. He was only twenty-eight years old and already nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award tonight.
Olivia knew he felt sure he wouldn’t win. It was his first nomination so it was unlikely, but it was still a nerve-racking experience to be nominated, of course. She held his hand in hers as they posed for the photographers and she kept caressing it softly. He smiled down at her with love and appreciation.
”Ready to go inside?” he asked.
She nodded and smiled back at him.
* * *
As she was sitting beside Nate in the auditorium, enjoying the spectacle taking place on stage, she found herself reflecting on the enormous changes that had happened in her life in the last year. Before Nate charged into her life like a knight in shining armor, she’d been pretty content; living the life she had built for her and the twins, working at the café and writing in her spare time. But with Nate’s arrival her life had turned 180 degrees. His love had brought her happiness and joy beyond what anyone could ever hope for. She looked at him tenderly as she thought of how blessed she was to belong to him.
They’d gotten married on New Years Eve, only a couple of months after they first met that fateful October Tuesday at the café. The ceremony had taken place at the little church in the country, where Lilian’s grave was. Nate’s whole family attended, even his grandfather had flown in, and her own grandparents had come down from their home in Dalarna. Even her father had flown in from Norway with his new family. Rashid had been there too, with his wife. Apparently not at all upset anymore to lose his employee to the man who had thanked him for the loan of his car by giving him a brand new, fully loaded version of said Mercedes.
It had been a magical three day celebration, with everyone staying together at the castle where she and Nate had had their first date. It was the happiest moment of her life when Nate looked deep into her eyes and said his vows.
She felt Nate’s gaze on her face, and then he whispered in her ear:
”What are you thinking about, love?”
”I’m thinking of you, of course,” she smiled at him. ”About our wedding, actually,” she whispered.
”The happiest day of my life.” He smiled down at her and tenderly placed a hand protectively over her stomach.
She didn’t show yet, only the slightest protrusion visible below her belly button. Her vibrant red chiffon dress was cut to hide the bump, even though it was hardly visible. It was still so early - barely three months into the pregnancy - and they hadn’t told anyone yet. She braided her fingers with his and smiled at him. She longed to share their joy with their loved ones, but she wanted to get past the crucial first twelve weeks first. So far she’d had a very easy pregnancy, only the occasional mild bout of morning sickness. Yes, she was truly blessed in so many ways.
The twins were graduating high school in a few months and were considering spending next year at a college in California, only a couple of hours drive from their house. The boys were living together in an apartment in Stockholm City that Olivia had gotten for them with the proceeds from her first novel that had become an instant success in both the Scandinavian countries and in Germany. Olivia and Nate were spending as much of the summer as they could in the house Nate had bought for her in the Stockholm archipelago as a wedding gift. She loved gathering their friends and family there and just hang out. The Swedish summers no longer held any angst for her. Nate had vanquished all her demons. He had even surprised her for their first anniversary by learning Swedish. He had woken her up that past New Years Eve by reading out loud from the first chapter of her first novel. She got teary-eyed remembering it. Now he was her first reader, and it was more than she could have ever dreamed of.
She was interrupted in her reverie by the host announcing the presenters of the Best Supporting Actor Award. She squeezed Nate’s hand in support. He smiled at her. He didn’t seem nervous at all. Maybe he really did believe he stood no chance of winning. She knew better; she had seen his formidable tour-de-force of a performance in the film several times by now, and she thought he might be in for a big surprise.
So when the presenters opened the envelope and read his name out loud and the room erupted in applause, she wasn’t surprised. Nate, on the other hand, seemed shell-shocked. For a second he was completely frozen and then he grabbed onto her, burying his face in her hair.
”Oh shit, I didn’t write a speech!”
She laughed and kissed him.
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”You don’t need one, Nate, you’ll blow their socks off no matter what you do up there. And no one has ever deserved an Oscar more than you do. Go now,” she encouraged him.
He pressed another kiss on her lips and then he got up and walked to the stage.
When he finally stood up there with the Oscar in his hands, he looked out into the room and exhaled.
”Wow! I don’t know what to say - I’m speechless. Not very good timing on my part, I admit, since the whole point of me being up here right now is to make a speech.”
The room exploded with laughter. He waited for it to die down a little.
”So I guess I’ll just thank everyone I’ve ever met or ever will meet, including the Academy of course,” he smiled. ”Heck, I even want to thank my third grade teacher, Mrs Ormiston, for giving me well-deserved detention so many times that my parents cancelled Christmas for me that year. That very painful experience, especially since my brothers spent a very happy Christmas flaunting their new toys in my face, taught me one of life’s most important lessons: some things just aren’t worth the price you pay for them, so you’d better keep your priorities straight.”
The audience laughed again and Olivia felt such pride in him that she found it hard to breathe.
”I owe this to the director, Ted Hammond, for taking a chance on me, back when nobody really knew if I was just a franchise-phenomenon or if I really could act. I guess the jury came back on that one,” he grinned.
”But I really can’t take credit for my performance in this film, because I was surrounded by such incredible actors and I often felt as if I was just reacting to their stunning performances. They made my work so easy. As did the crew who worked their butts off to make us actors look as good as possible doing our jobs. So I owe this to all of them as well.”
”And I want to thank all the people who help make my life so much easier to navigate, Dan Burke and Andy Piers in particular and of course my family for putting up with me through thick and thin. And Mark, Luke, if you’re still up watching this in Stockholm you’d better go to sleep now ’cause you have school tomorrow.”
He paused and looked out in the direction of where Olivia was seated.
”Most of all I want to thank my amazing wife, Olivia. You make my life so beautiful in every way imaginable and I thank God with every breath that I take for giving you to me. Thank you for loving me and for giving me the precious future awaiting us. Jag älskar dig, älskling.”
Olivia’s eyes overflowed with tears at her husband’s public declaration of love. But she didn’t care if the whole world saw her cry. She truly was the luckiest woman alive.
THE END
About the Author
Teresia Dell lives in Stockholm, Sweden. An avid reader, she loves romances. The steamier the better. She considers herself extremely lucky to get to share her life with her very own romantic hero in the guise of a very tall, very sexy Viking. She spends her days exploring the beautiful playgrounds and parks of Stockholm with her two miniature berserkers, and her nights reading, writing and living the happily-ever-afters she craves.
Teresia loves to hear from her readers. Feel free to drop her a line at [email protected]
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