Page 96 of The Heir
“Come.” Linea led me in the same direction.
“Did your parents make a bet about us?”
“Sounds like it. My dad is a child like that. If it’s any consolation it seems that he had his money on you being able to convince me.”
From a flight further down, Finn looked up. “Well, duh. As an Nman, Thor is my home team.”
“I’m your flesh and blood. Doesn’t get more home team than that,” Linea pointed out.
“Yeah, but your mom is always certain that she knows you better than me. Turns out she was wrong. I always knew that the Northlander blood in you would call you back home one day.”
“Mom won’t be happy about it,” Linea said.
“But I will. Now Mom and I will get the house all to ourselves.”
“Dad! Can’t you at least pretend to be sad that your youngest child is moving out?”
Finn’s laughter bounced off every wall in the mill. “Nope. Don’t get me wrong, sweetheart. I love you to pieces but getting your mom to myself for a while sounds bloody fantastic.”
When we made it down the last steps, Athena sat in a yoga position on the floor watching us. “You can stop gloating, Finn.”
“Why? I told you she would fall for his Northlander charm, didn’t I? Like mother like daughter. I’ll take my hour-long massage tonight, thank you.”
Athena’s red hair had no more than a few strands of gray and her skin still had a glow that made her look like she was in her late forties. According to my mother, Athena was the same age as her, but it was impossible to see her as a woman in her mid-sixties.
“I’ll happily give you a massage, but first I wish to speak to you two.” Athena’s sharp glance zoomed in on me and then Linea. “Come sit.”
Finn nudged me forward and whispered in a tone of pity. “You might think I gave you a hard time, but I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes now. Stay strong, my friend, you’ll soon learn that climbing the wall of this mill was the easy part. Don’t let her soft voice fool you. Athena is the savage in our family and whatever you do, don’t swear or lie to her unless you’re willing to pay the price.”
CHAPTER 23
Crucial Detail
Linea
My father’s reaction didn’t surprise me. He had told me since I was a little girl that marrying a strong Nman was the best thing my mother ever did. That I ended up falling in love with Thor was an added bonus in my father’s book. Our families were already friends, after all.
My mother, however, had concerns. She waited for Thor and me to sit down on the floor in front of her before she asked Thor, “Why do you want to marry Linea?”
“Because I love her.”
Unsatisfied with his answer, my mother waited for Thor to dig deeper.
“Linea isn’t like other women. She…” Thor looked at me as if studying my soul for a moment. “She stands on her own. What I mean is that she doesn’t need me to hold her up. Linea is strong, independent, and capable. She has no reason to marry me except that she wants to be near me. Not my status, my money, or my family connection. Me. Just me.”
“You want to marry her because she doesn’t want anything from you?” my mother asked. “Is that because you don’t wish to share yourself?”
“No, it’s not that she doesn’t want anything from me. It’s that what she wants are the right things. My time, my affection, my love.”
“Hmm.” My mother pulled her knees up in front of her. “So, you want Linea because she sees the man and not the heir?”
“Something like that.”
“Hmm. And you, darling, why do you want to marry Thor?”
“I’m not sure I have a rational explanation that you’ll be satisfied with. You’ll have to go back in time and remember why you married Dad. It probably wasn’t a rational decision either. If you felt for Dad like I feel for Thor, then it was a calling from your heart. I have met many people in my life, but no one makes me feel the way Thor does. I think there’s a reason why he and I are so drawn to each other and I want to explore what I can learn from our connection.”
“So, you’re doing it for growth?”
