Forever Wild(24)

“Replacing all the granola bars I had in here. I was hungry the other day, so I pulled one out and it tasted like cardboard.”

I close the distance and rest my cheek against his shoulder. “What happened after I left?”

“You mean after you abandoned me?” He smirks as he tosses two stale bars into the nearby trash bin before pivoting to lean against the table, facing me. “Let’s see … Bj?rn started chirping at me in Norwegian because he knows it pisses me off, so I told him I’d be more than happy to drive him back to the airport. My mother told me to stop being an asshole. I probably deserved that.”

“And what about my mom?”

Jonah chuckles. “Muriel promised her that the plumbing issue in the community center usually doesn’t act up in extremely cold weather, and that everyone would be more than willing to bring food if we held the reception there.”

“Oh my God. A potluck wedding in a community center.” I groan. “So basically my mother’s worst nightmare.”

“Sounds pretty good if you ask me, but that vein on her forehead was pulsing. That’s when I left.”

I fall against Jonah’s broad chest, welcoming his comforting arms around me. “Why did Muriel have to do that?”

“It’s not her fault, and none of this is a surprise. We knew we were going to get the gears about setting a date from both sides, and that your mother would be pushing hard for a wedding in Toronto.”

I inhale the familiar scent of Jonah—spearmint gum and woodsy soap—as I think about Roy’s words. “What do you want to do, Jonah?”

His chest heaves with his sigh. “I’ll do whatever you want—”

“What the hell!” I pull away to stare him down, my annoyance flaring. “You’re never afraid to tell me how it is or how you think it should be, but for some reason, you have no opinion about our wedding? How is that possible?”

His jaw tenses. “Fine. You want to know what I think? I think we should get married now. Today. Or in three days, if that’s when we can get a license. Hell, I was ready to sign those papers the day I put this on your finger.” He reaches for my left hand, his thumb grazing my engagement ring. “Everyone who matters to me is already here, or will be, in a few hours. I don’t want to spend the next year of my life stressing over some big party so a bunch of fucking people I’ve never talked to before and will probably never talk to again can tell me congratulations and hand me an envelope of cash. I don’t want to listen to what other people want us to do. I don’t want to get married in Toronto, or Oslo. I want to get married right here, right now. In Alaska, where I met you, where I fell in love with you, where I’m building a life with you.”

He exhales deeply, as if relieved that he could finally pull the cork on that bottle and let it all out. When he speaks again, it’s in a much slower, calmer tone. “But I get that I’m not the only one in this relationship and that weddings are a big deal for a lot of women, so if you want the big day and the big dress and the hundreds of people, then I’m okay with that, too.”

“I don’t.” The moment I say it, I know it’s true. I thought I did want all that, or that I might want it. But I’d much rather spend the next year living my life with Jonah than planning a single day.

Jonah’s eyebrows arch. “You don’t?”

“I mean, I want something nice and special. Not the community center, with recycled Christmas dinner decorations,” I clarify. “And I want to wear a dress, but it doesn’t have to be something I custom-ordered six months in advance. I want to be able to look back on our wedding day in fifty years from now as one of the best days of my life, but I don’t need the big dog-and-pony show.” I smile at Roy’s words. “All I need is you. And the people who are around us right now.”

Jonah’s breath hitches. He reaches up to tuck a loose strand of hair beneath my knit cap. “So, what are you sayin’, exactly?”

I struggle against the goofy grin that threatens to emerge as my excitement bubbles. “Roy did say I could pull a wedding out of my ass in a week and make it not suck.”

Jonah frowns. “You talked to Roy about this?”

“I wanted an impartial opinion.”

He barks with laughter. “Well, yeah, Roy definitely doesn’t give a fuck about us getting married.” He leans in to press his forehead against mine. “Then, we’re doin’ this? For real?”

I smile, even as nervous flutters stir in my stomach. “For real. If you’re sure.”

“We wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.” He lets out a slow, shaky breath. “Guess we should drive to Wasilla and get that marriage license, then.”

“Yeah. After we drop off the eggs. And gravely disappoint my mother. And my best friend.” A twinge of sadness pricks my chest. My mother won’t be the only one disappointed; I’m about to devastate my best friend. “And I guess I’ll call Muriel and tell her the good news?”

“She’s still up at the house.”

“What? You left her in there with them?”

“She said she was leaving, but she hasn’t yet.” Jonah’s brow furrows. “They should be fine. Simon’s there.”

I groan and, collecting his hands, tug him toward the door.