Poppy’s fingers threaded through my hair and I closed my eyes, loving her touch. “I’m sorry, I—“
“No,” I said forcefully, a little louder than intended. I shifted back. Poppy’s eyes were huge. “Don’t. Don’t ever apologize for this, for stopping me. It’s never something you have to be sorry for.”
Poppy parted her kiss-swollen lips and let out a long sigh. “Thank you,” she whispered. I moved my hand and lowered my fingers to link them through hers.
Shifting to the side, I opened my arm and flicked my head for her to come to me. She laid her head on my chest. I closed my eyes and just worked on breathing.
Eventually, sleep began to take me. Poppy’s finger traced up and down my stomach. I had almost drifted off when Poppy whispered, “You’re my everything, Rune Kristiansen, I hope you know that.”
My eyes snapped open at her words, my chest feeling full. Placing my finger under her chin, I tipped her head upward. Her mouth was waiting for my kiss.
I kissed her gently, softly, and slowly withdrew. Poppy’s eyes remained closed as she smiled. Feeling like my chest would explode at the contented look on her face, I whispered, “For infinity.”
Poppy snuggled back into my chest and whispered back, “Forever always.”
And we both fell asleep.
Rune
“Rune, we need to talk to you,” my pappa said, as we ate our lunch in the restaurant overlooking the beach.
“Are you getting divorced?”
Pappa’s face paled. “God, no, Rune,” he assured me quickly and took hold of my mamma’s hand for emphasis. My mamma smiled at me, but I could see the tears building in her eyes.
“Then what?” I asked. My pappa slowly leaned back in his chair.
“Your mamma has been upset with my job, Rune, not with me.” I was completely confused, until he said, “They’re transferring me back to Oslo, Rune. The company has hit a glitch there and I’m being sent back to fix it.”
“How long for?” I asked. “When will you be back?”
My pappa ran his hand through his thick, short blond hair, just the way I did. “Here’s the thing, Rune,” he said cautiously. “It could be years. It could be months.” He sighed. “Realistically, anything from one to three years.”
My eyes widened. “You’re leaving us here in Georgia for that long?”
My mamma reached out her hand and covered mine with hers. I stared blankly at it. Then the true consequences of what Pappa was saying began seeping into my brain. “No,” I said under my breath, knowing he wouldn’t do this to me.
Couldn’t do this to me.
I looked up. I saw guilt wash all over his face.
I knew it was true.
I understood now. Why we came to the beach. Why he wanted us to be alone. Why he refused Poppy’s company.
My heart was sprinting as my hands fidgeted on the table. My mind span in circles … they wouldn’t … he wouldn’t …
I wouldn’t!
“No,” I spat out, louder, drawing stares from nearby tables. “I’m not going. I’m not leaving her.”
I turned to my mamma for help, but she lowered her head. I snatched back my hand from under hers. “Mamma?” I pleaded, but she slowly shook her head.
“We’re a family, Rune. We’re not being split up for that long. We have to go. We’re a family.”
“No!” I shouted this time, pushing my chair back from the table. I got to my feet, my fists clenched at my sides. “I won’t leave her! You can’t make me! This is our home.
Here! I don’t want to go back to Oslo!”
“Rune,” my pappa said, placatingly, standing up from the table and holding out his hands. But I couldn’t be in this closed space, with him. Turning on my heel, I ran out of the restaurant as fast as I could and headed down onto the beach. The sun had disappeared behind thick clouds, causing a cold wind to whip up the sand. I kept running, heading for the dunes, the coarse grains hitting my face.
As I ran, I tried to fight against the anger ripping through me.
How could they do this to me? They know how much I need Poppy.
I was shaking with anger as I climbed the tallest dune and dropped down to sit on its peak. I lay back, staring at the graying sky, and pictured a life back in Norway without her. I felt sick. Sick at just the thought of not having her by my side, holding my hand, kissing my lips…
I could barely breathe.
My mind raced, searching for ideas of how I could stay. I thought and I thought of every possibility, but I knew my pappa. When he decided on something, nothing would change his mind. I was going; the look on his face had told me clearly that there was no way out. They were taking me from my girl, my soul. And I couldn’t do a damn thing about it.
I heard someone climbing the dune behind me and I knew it was my pappa. He sat down beside me. I looked away, staring out over the sea. I didn’t want to acknowledge his presence.
We were silent, until I eventually cracked and asked, “When do we leave?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.