Page 121 of Golden Burn

“Good. Saves me from doing it later.”

Seconds later, free from any more obstacles, he puts me down in what I assume is the living room. The scent of my favorite pine candles and animal fur permeate the air. Add in Odin’s cologne and it’s utterly divine.

Gingerly, he takes off the blindfold. I have to blink several times before my brain registers what I’m saying.

A dining experience for two is set up in the center of the room. All other furniture has been set to the outskirts, some of it stacked to clearthe space for a dance floor. Fairy lights cover every inch of the ceiling, burning candles litter the floor. ‘Golden Hour’ plays on a loop from a retro record player, smooth and nostalgic.

I’m so stunned I can’t breathe.

He takes my hand and leads me toward the open space. My white floor length satin dress swishes along the floorboards. The straps are thin and the back sags to reveal my spine. Odin trails his fingers down every square inch of my exposed skin, leaving goosebumps in his wake.

Slowly, he pulls my body against him, placing a gentle hand on my lower back and taking the other in his grip. He sways, pulling me into a delicate dance for two. The lights sparkle above his head, covering his crown in a yellow aura. He kisses me as we continue to dance to the rhythm of Kacey Musgraves’ guitar.

“We didn’t get a first dance, or a last dance, or get to cut the cake,” he finally says. “But we should have.” I start to cry and thank goodness I had enough foresight to wear waterproof mascara. He kisses away my tears. “We didn’t get a chance to say proper vows, either.”

Letting me go so he can take my hands, he trains his single, glorious eye on mine, pining me in place.

“Harriet, I’ve said so often that I don’t deserve you. Even to this day, I still sometimes think that statement is true.” I open my mouth to argue, and he leans forward to silence me with a kiss. We pull apart, my heart bursting. “If it wasn’t for you, I would still be tired, angry, heartbroken. And although those feelings will never truly leave me, I know with you that I get to see the sun and smile. I know, with you, that every second I appreciate the little things, the special moments. With you, I believe I am worthy of love again and I am able to have it without fear. I am bound to you, body and soul, and I will spend the rest of my days making sureyou know how kind you are, how special and how loved. And if it’s just us at the end of the road and a sanctuary of animals, it’ll be perfect.”

“Odin…” I moan, cutting him off with another kiss that can barely make a dent on conveying the level of devotion I have for this man.

He grips my jaw, holding me tight. “I love you, Etta,” he breathes against my mouth.

Smiling, I rest my forehead on his. The scars on our eyes line up. “I love you, too.”

And we do. We never stop loving, and Kacey never stops singing.

Epilogue

Odin

‘Golden Hour’- Kacey Musgraves

REPEAT

FIVE YEARS LATER

Ican hear giggles from inside the house. Three girls and one very annoying male.

The weather is brisk, so cold that my hands shake as I put the key into the lock and twist. Snow spills into the open doorway as I step inside. Dom’s and Ford’s house in London is charming and quaint, but never this quiet. Or this dark.

“Hello?” I call, taking off my coat to hang it by the door. A quick giggle and a shh erupts as I step deeper into the warm house. My lips curl, my heart leaps out ofmy chest.

The tension reaches boiling point and snaps with the sound of a loud, “Daddy!”

The lights flicker on, and several adults and small children jump up from behind the couch and scream. “Surprise!”

My daughter—Hazel Gen Lewis—comes racing around, her two black pigtails bouncing, and leaps into my outstretched arms. “Hi, my little love. I missed you,” I say, scooping her against my chest and giving her a tight squeeze. She giggles and writhes, wanting to lean back so she can poke me in the eye. I let her try for a second and then swallow her finger in my mouth. She shrieks and pulls away. Then she spins back to me and places the same finger on my lips. “Shh.”

“Is the baby asleep?” She nods and burrows her head into the crook of my neck, wrapping her tiny arms around me. Content to carry her around all night, I walk over to my wife and kiss her like we’ve been separated for years, not weeks. Our newest addition is asleep in her arms, sucking on his pacifier. She smiles against my lips. I breathe in her blueberry scent, loving how it soothes every part of me.

“Did you have fun? Did they name a new dinosaur after you?” Etta asks. Her blue eyes twinkle so bright it’s like two polished sapphires, or maybe their intensity is more obvious because I’ve been away for three weeks and haven’t seen them. The photos on my phone never do her beauty justice.

“Not yet.” I smile. “But I need a break from digging in the dirt. I’m glad to be home again.”

“We’re glad to have you,” Ford says, coming to wrap me in a hug. Hazel squirms in my arms, reaching for her friend. I don’t want to let her go just yet, but she’s got a set of lungs, and she’s figured out if she uses them correctly, she’ll most likely get her way. Taylor—Ford and Dom’s adopted daughter, one year older than Hazel—squeals withdelight when they are both reunited. They toddle together over to the Christmas tree and start to pick up the perfectly wrapped presents. Juniper and Romeo are currently napping by the fire, and if I had to guess, the girls have exhausted them both.

Dom comes up to me and hands me a glass of whiskey as he hugs me. “The girls are dying to open their presents. I said to wait till after dinner, but we decided it’s your call since you’ve been traveling.”

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