The tension he’d been carrying in his shoulders, and the ache twisting his gut relaxed. “Right. Who we should be feeling sorry for are all those people who grew up in normal, functional homes and think love is easy.”
Brown eyes met brown eyes and they both laughed.
“I do love Ava, and you know, when I was with her I never felt that urge to keep looking over the next hill to see if there was something more exciting.”
“Isn’t there someone else you should be saying all this to?”
Ian looked up and met his sister’s serious gaze.
“You’re happy? You really are?” Miriam nodded.
“I’m out of here.”
Miriam reached over and buzzed Rich through the intercom. “Book Ian on a flight to Sweden.”
AVA PULLED ON ANOTHER pair of thermal underwear before sitting cross-legged on her bed. Who knew sleeping on a bed made of snow and ice would actually be comfortable? But it was. Everything about the ice hotel was amazing.
She’d lived all over the world, seen a lot of hotels, motels and patches of dirt on the ground, but she’d never slept in a place like this. A hotel in the village of Jukkasjärvi made entirely from the frozen water of the nearby Torne River. She’d loved this amazing structure the moment she’d stepped out of the cold into the warmer reservation area of the hotel. Warmer, but not warm. She appreciated the snow coat, hat and mittens provided by the hotel, and was glad she’d packed so much thermal underwear.
This clothing was certainly different from the attire worn by the cultures she usually researched. The coat might not show a woman’s form to its best advantage, but the women of the Artic region still kept their beds warmed at night with the presence of a man when desired. She was looking forward to learning the flirting techniques these women utilized while freezing their backsides off and in the bulkiest clothing ever created.
Maybe it had something to do with the saunas. The Swedes took steam to a whole new level, and she never realized how much she’d enjoy the ice sauna in the hotel. Relaxing in the outdoor hot tub while staring up at the designs the Northern Lights created in the night sky was a nice backdrop for a romantic interlude.
She snapped a few pictures of the interior of her room, the large blocks of ice carved in a gothic style. Each room of the hotel was a work of art, the architecture unique, and she’d stayed in four different quarters so far. The clearness of the ice cast a beautiful light blue hue, and the beauty of the ice sculptures made her forget the cold.
Made her forget almost everything but Ian.
Ava pulled the blanket from the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders. The window beckoned her, as it did whenever she was alone in here. She faced to the left. That was the right direction for South America, right?
She sighed heavily. Maybe she’d messed up there that last day with Ian. Maybe she shouldn’t have taken his word for it, as friends. Maybe she should have fought for what she knew he felt for her. He had felt something, she knew it.
Or maybe it was this beautiful, magical place making her get all fanciful about Ian. This hotel that made her feel as if she was living the life of a fairy-tale ice princess waiting for her misguided prince to wise up.
The hotel would be gone soon. Already she heard the faint drip of the melting ice. Spring would come and begin to claim her room, by summer it would all be gone. Only to be reborn in the fall. A new hotel would be carved from the ice. A new vision.
Ava knew there was probably a metaphor about her relationship there. She’d explore it right now but she had a wedding to take part in. No longer was she just an observer: Ava Simms was living life now. She tossed off the blanket and headed for the door.
She found the excited bride, Penny, waiting for her, already dressed in a medieval gown of lace, her hair tied with garland.
“I can’t wait until your book comes out. Can you see what’s in my hair? Gavin liked the story you told last night so much, he tied it himself. The flowers were going to be for my bouquet, but who cares? What’s a few less blooms?”
Take that, Ian Cole. “You look lovely, and I have something for your bouquet.” Ava opened a small plastic bag, and pulled out some greenery.
The bride caught the strong aroma. “That smells.”
“I know, and for good reason. The ancients of this land believed small trolls and evil gnomes would plague young couples. But there was a remedy.”
Penny made a face. “I’m guessing that the remedy is what smells.”
“You guessed right. The bride and her attendants are to carry herbs and stinking weeds, but I think the gnomes and trolls can be successfully chased away with just a bit tucked into your bouquet.”
After a quick hug, they both made their way to the ice church. Ava took a seat and noted the beautifully designed space with arches and an ice altar carved with intricate designs.
The ceremony was beautiful, and it wasn’t the first time she wondered about what Ian’s reactions would be to all she’d found here. What would he think of the ceremony? Which customs would he want to recreate with her?
About every fifteen seconds she thought of something she wanted to tell him. Whenever she spotted something new, she immediately thought of sharing it with him. When had she ever wanted to share her work with anyone before?
Only with Ian.
Now, for the first time she understood her parents’ need to work together.
The happy couple was headed for the ice bar for a celebratory drink, and she was invited. Although the heavy coats were still needed, the large room was a favorite place for all the hotel guests to mingle. The blue lights of the bar reminded Ava of her first experience of a club scene with Ian, although the elegance of the large bar crafted entirely from ice and the drinks served from ice glasses was about as far removed from the experience as Oklahoma was from Sweden.
Which was why she was so surprised to see someone else completely out of place.
“Ian?” she called, unable to hide her shock, her heart pounding from the surprise of seeing him.
She watched him tense as he looked her way. That familiar tight ache she felt in her throat whenever she thought of him slammed into her with a vengeance. A million questions appeared and evaporated in her mind.
He was at her side in five long strides. “What are you doing here?” she asked. “Is there something wrong with the book?”
Ian shook his head. “I came for you.”
She blinked. “But what about those things you said? You’re the risk taker. How you live to be in the danger zone, and there’s no place for—”
He grasped her hands. Were his hands actually shaking? “I don’t need that rush anymore. I’ve discovered a way to feel alive without risking my neck.”
She forced herself to be still. Stay calm. Don’t give in to the hope. “What’s that?”
“Being with you. I love you, Ava.”
She closed her eyes tightly as he spoke, savoring his words.
“I’ve been miserable without you.”
His fingers curled around her chin and her lids opened. His smile wasn’t as bright. His eyes no longer so hopeful. “Do you need help with how a twenty-first-century woman responds to a man who tells her he loves her?”
She shook her head. “No, I think I have that covered. I love you, too.”
He hauled her to his chest, his strong arms surrounding her. Making her feel loved. She glanced up at him. “But where will you work? What will you do?”
“Don’t worry about it. In fact, I think I found the perfect setting for my next assignment.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere you are, if that works for you. This cold, beautiful place is the perfect setting for a project I had in mind. I’ve come to really enjoy exploring cultures and documenting courtship rituals. Together. If you want me.”