34. Addison
Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
~ ~ ~
Six months later….
Addison sat on an insulated waterproof cushion on the beach just out of earshot of the group in camp chairs under the canopy down the way, their photography equipment at the ready. The sky was awash in iridescent waves of color swirling across the expanse overhead.
She hunched her shoulders around her ears, drawing the lower half of her face deeper into the fur-lined hood of her parka. She breathed slowly, trying not to steam things up too much, which would create tiny slivers of ice in the fur that would poke her in the face. She turned to the equally bundled up man at her side and asked, "Isn't it something?"
Only Noel's eyes and nose were visible as he met her gaze, but she could tell he was smiling. "I still can't believe we're doing this."
Addison giggled. "Right? Honeymooning with my parents. There's something wrong with us."
No one seemed to have noticed their withdrawal from the group who'd gathered on the beach to witness the show together, but Addison wasn't fooled. Her parents had gone out of their way to give her and Noel time alone together. The trip was a wedding gift from Carl and Vivian, but it was Addison who'd suggested they all go together right after the holidays, instead of right after their December 15th winter wedding.
"Come with us," Addison had insisted to her parents. "You know all the hot spots, you have all the connections, and you can show us around to make sure we see all the important things."
"We should probably get separate rooms," Carl had suggested.
"Um, yes, Dad." Addison had rolled her eyes at her father.
"Good. Because your mother and I can be very creative when it comes to staying warm—"
"Dad!" Addison had shrieked, at the same time her mother had covered her father's mouth to make him stop.
Noel had laughed good-naturedly, and had assured them all that he was completely on board with her parents joining them.
The timing of the trip had been providential. Addison had gone to Bald Knob with Noel a few times over the last several months. She and Aunt Gigi had become bosom buddies within minutes of meeting each other, and when Noel asked if she'd visit his father with him, she'd insisted on going. Bruno had greeted her politely, but he'd been so sick by then that Addison wasn't sure if he would remember who she was once she left the room. Aunt Gigi came to Autumn Lake for the week of the wedding, staying at The Garden Gate Bed and Breakfast where she had been warmly welcomed by the whole Garden Variety Lovers gang. She'd even promised to think about moving to Autumn Lake one day, although Noel had said he doubted she'd ever leave her beloved home in the hollow.
Bruno had died peacefully a few days after Aunt Gigi returned to Bald Knob to tell him all about his son's wedding. Noel had surprised himself by weeping like a baby when he heard the news, and Addison had cradled him in her arms and murmured wordless comforting sounds to him until he fell into an exhausted sleep against her chest. They'd made the sojourn back to the hollow for Bruno's funeral services, but they hadn't stayed long. Aunt Gigi had taken care of all the details, of course, and she'd insisted that it was time they lay the past to rest and get on with starting their new life together.
Their first Christmas together as a married couple had been precious and peaceful, a light snowfall blanketing the world outside their plant-filled window. Carl and Vivian had been on a photo shoot in Florida over the holidays, a gig that had been booked for over a year that they couldn't gracefully bow out of, but they'd video chatted that morning the way they always did when they couldn't be with Addison on Christmas.
She and Noel had joined several of the Garden Variety Lovers Club and their assorted families out at The Garden Gate for a mid-afternoon Christmas meal together, then the two of them had returned home shortly after dark, the quaint downtown streets aglow with twinkling Christmas lights. Stella, lounging in her cat hammock, had pretended not to be waiting for them, but the moment they changed into their cozy clothes and settled onto the loveseat together, the little minx climbed onto Addison's lap, curled into a ball, and began purring contentedly.
They'd been in Iceland for more than a week already and had experienced far more of the island than Addison ever had on her own. They sampled a variety of traditional Icelandic food on the Reykjavik Food Walk, then shared a delicious meal at the Frieheimar Tomato Restaurant where they served all things tomato themed, from tomato soup, to tomato beer, to tomato ice cream on green tomato pie. They had been to the renown Saga Museum with its wax figures depicting Icelandic history, as well as the iconic Perlan Museum with its rotating glass dome, overlooking the city from atop Oskjuhlid hill. They spent a day at a geothermal hot spring and had come back to their hotel that evening feeling beyond euphoric.
The drive from Reykjavik to Jokulsarlon was a good 235 miles, so they'd opted to book a four-day self-driving tour that included transportation, lodging, and a glacier boat tour once they reached Jokulsarlon. They'd made several stops along the way to take in the breathtaking scenery, including views of the waterfalls at Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss, and a guided tour of the spectacular Vatnajokull Ice Cave. On the boat ride, they encountered a whole herd of grinning seals sunning on chunks of ice adrift in the near-black waters of the deep lagoon.
Now they were hunkered down on the black sands of Diamond Beach, the aurora borealis turning the polished chunks of ice washed up on the shore into glittering gemstones of rainbow colors. Pressed close to Noel's side, Addison barely felt the frigid cold of the January night.
Addison loved witnessing the splendors of this country through the unjaded perspective of her new husband. She cherished the moments his eyes widened in response to what he saw, what he tasted. She reveled in the way he talked about the things they were experiencing, and for the first time, she felt like she truly understood the remarkable gift her parents had given her by taking her to see the wonders of the world with them.
"It's so beautiful," Noel murmured for the fifth or sixth time in the last hour. "Thank you for sharing this with me."
"I wouldn't want to be here without you." Addison rested her head on his shoulder.
Several moments later, Noel spoke again. This time, his voice held a note of longing behind the wonder. "But it's not home."
She straightened slowly and turned to study him. His eyes met hers, and she saw the pinks and greens from the sky reflected in them. She reached up and pushed the fur of his parka hood back a little so she could see more of his face. "It's not home," she echoed, sliding her arm through his.
"This is all so amazing, Addison," Noel continued. He glanced up, only for a moment, then met her eyes again. "And I can hardly believe I'm saying this, sitting here under this kaleidoscope sky, but I miss Autumn Lake."
"I miss Stella," Addison said, laying her head back on his shoulder. The cat had been left in the care of "Auntie Claire," and although Addison had no doubt Stella was being spoiled rotten, she'd had to resist the urge to call daily to check in. Besides, the one time she'd convinced Claire to let her video chat with Stella, the cat was too busy playing with a feather boa to even bother with the phone. "Do you think she misses us?"
"I'm sure she does," Noel said with a low chuckle, then pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She sighed happily and they sat that way for several moments, watching the aerial show overhead.
"I have a gift for you." Noel spoke softly, almost offhandedly. But Addison thought she heard a smile in his voice, and her pulse hitched a little. Noel gave the best gifts, and Addison had stopped insisting that he was too generous toward her. She'd spent her whole life blending into the background, trying not to be a bother or a distraction, holding onto only the essentials so that she wouldn't be a burden to anyone. But Noel made her feel like she was the center of his world, and she was growing accustomed to the spotlight of his love being focused on her.
When he didn't continue, she pulled away a little so she could see his expression. He was, indeed, smiling. A little sheepishly, if she guessed right. "You do?" she prompted, curiosity now dancing with anticipation behind her ribcage.
Noel gently withdrew his arm from her clutches and unzipped his parka enough to reach inside. He withdrew an envelope and held it out to her.
In the iridescent glow, she could easily read her name in Noel's precise handwriting. Mrs. Addison Wedgewood-Stewart. She still marveled at the sight of her name melded into his. "What is it?" she asked, although she knew Noel wouldn't give her any clues. She slipped off one glove so she could open the flap and pull out the document inside.
He surprised her by stopping her with one hand over hers. "This isn't me telling you what to do," he said, and Addison cocked her head, surprised at the sudden hesitance in his tone. "And I'm not setting a precedence of making decisions without your involvement."
"Okay," she said, wondering where this was coming from. For one thing, she trusted Noel to have her best interests at heart. He'd proven as much time and time again.
"I just—I wanted you to know—" He broke off, clearly at a loss for words, then squared his shoulders and started again. "My father made every decision in our household. Every single one and without explanation to my mother or me, even though so many of them directly affected us. Where we lived, what we ate, how we spent our time, who we spent that time with." He tapped the document in her hand. "This is a gift, Addison. Not an expectation or an assertion, and it comes with no strings attached. You are free to do with it what you want."
Addison nodded. "Okay," she said again. "Should I open it now?"
He dipped his chin. "Open it." He pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight feature, directing it at the document she held.
The words 'Quit Claim Deed' were in bold at the top of the page. Addison turned to look at him, her brow furrowed. "A deed? To what?" she asked, then went back to reading. A moment later, she gasped, recognizing the address of their apartment. But it wasn't just the apartment number. It was the deed to the whole building, including The Quill and Ink Shop on the ground floor. "I—I don't understand…." Her voice trailed off as she flipped the page over, as though subconsciously hoping for further explanation on the backside. "My name is on this." It was in her married name, too.
Noel took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and said, "I was in The Quill and Ink Shop last month. A week before Thanksgiving."
She remembered that day. He'd come upstairs to pick her up for a date, his cheeks pink, a satisfied grin lighting up his face. When she'd asked him what he was all smiles about, he'd told her that he was just happy to be spending their first Thanksgiving together. He'd handed her a small gift bag with the shop's logo on it; inside was a glazed ceramic pumpkin that fit in the palm of her hand. When she lifted the stem top, a green-eyed cat popped out, one that looked just like Stella. Addison had been enchanted. "I love my cat-in-a-pumpkin," she said. Her fingers were getting cold, so she slipped her glove back on.
"While I was there, I overheard Rita and Seth talking about moving away from Autumn Lake. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, I swear."
Addison snorted. "Ha. I've heard that before."
Noel smiled wryly. "I really wasn't; not in the Quill and Ink or at The Cracked Spine. I always just seem to be in the wrong place at the right time," he added insistently.
Addison rolled her eyes but waited for him to go on.
"Anyway, I was in there killing time because I was so early picking you up, and I know how much you love it when I'm early," he teased. "And they weren't exactly speaking in hushed tones." He made a wry sound. Addison knew exactly what he meant. The couple was elderly, and although Rita could hear just fine, Seth wore hearing aides that he usually kept turned way down because he didn't actually want to hear everything going on around him. Over the years, Addison supposed, Rita had just gotten accustomed to speaking loudly when conversing with her husband.
"Rita was insisting that they needed to move closer to their daughter up in Indianapolis. She explained to me later that Jo—that's their daughter's name—has some health problems and they want to be there to help her out. Anyway, Seth clearly agreed, but was concerned about selling the building to someone who might not be interested in letting you—us, now—continue living in the apartment upstairs."
"Oh," Addison murmured, her heart skipping a beat at the thought of losing their home. "But they shouldn't be worried about me. I've never met Jo, but they talk about her all the time. If she needs them, they shouldn't be sticking around because of me."
"They care about you, Addison."
"And I think the world of them. They've been such great landlords," she said, trying to process everything she was hearing. Rita had said nothing about them leaving town the last time Addison had spoken with them.
"Well, now you're the landlord," Noel said. "And they no longer have to worry about you getting kicked out."
"I—I can't believe you did this. You bought my building." Addison noticed that her hands trembled a little, but she didn't know if it was from the cold or from being a little overwhelmed by Noel's gift. The rented apartment she called home was suddenly hers. Her own home. Their own home, she amended with a flutter of happiness. She pressed the deed to her chest, then, with some effort, hoisted herself up to her knees, her bulky winter clothing making her less than graceful.
"Where are you going?" Noel asked, grinning at her clumsiness, but giving her a hand up.
Without explanation, Addison hitched the bottom of her parka up high enough that she could straddle him, then she lowered herself to his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you," she said, pushing back his parka hood so she could kiss his forehead. "Thank you," she said again, kissing the tip of his nose this time. Once more, she said, "Thank you," and then pressed her mouth to his.
Noel's arms were around her, holding her close as he returned her kiss with rather ardent fervor. More than a few moments later, they came up for air, the blues and greens and pinks in the sky reflected in their eyes as they drank each other in.
"I love you," Noel whispered, their foreheads almost touching.
Addison sighed amorously. "Oh, Noel." She leaned back and stretched out her arms to the display overhead. "The Northern Lights dim in comparison to how much I love you."
Noel winced, and Addison gasped. "Sorry. Am I crushing you?"
"Hardly," he said with a chuckle. "But maybe don't lean back like that without warning. My knees don't bend that way." His legs were splayed straight out in front of him.
"I'm sorry," she said again, still giggling as she clambered out of his lap and settled back onto her own cushion beside him. She looped her arm through his and pressed in close to him. She let out a sigh of contentment, then after a few moments, said, "I don't even know what questions to ask about this." She held the deed out toward him. "I guess the first would be when are Seth and Rita moving?"
"Well, the sale is now final and the building is yours." Noel took the paper from her and tucked it into the envelope, then back inside his parka. "They can go whenever they want. But I think they're planning to be out of the building by the end of March."
Addison was still trying to wrap her head around the idea of owning the building she lived in. "So what's happening with The Quill and Ink? Did—did you buy that, too?" Surely not. She loved the little shop, but she couldn't imagine herself being a proprietress of a stationery shop, at least not long term. And she had no idea what to do with it if she wasn't going to take it over.
"I didn't," he said quickly, picking up on her tone. "They've sold the business, but the new owner has ties to Carpe Diem and is moving the shop into the resort," he explained. "They have agreed to be out of the building in ninety days."
"Wait. What does that mean? What's going to happen to that space, then?" Did that mean she'd have to be a landlord and try to find someone to rent it to? Did she even want to be a landlord?
Noel wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her even closer. "That space, my beautiful wife, is yours to do with whatever you want."
"Whatever I want?" The possibilities flashing through her imagination were mind-boggling. "Really?"
Noel laughed softly. "You don't have to make any decisions right now, Addison. Take your time and think about it. You can rent it out if you want, or if you don't want to be a landlord, maybe you might want to set up a shop of your own." He gave her shoulders a quick squeeze. "Or maybe when we get around to working on those half-dozen grandchildren your parents have requested, you can convert it into a ground floor of your apartment. I know how much you love your place—"
"Our place," she interrupted him. "It's our place, Noel." Her cheeks warmed at the thought of having Noel's children, and she laid her head on his shoulder. "What's mine is yours, husband."
Noel pressed his cheek to the top of her head. "Our place. Yes. I know how much you love our place."
Addison leaned away from him and asked, "Do you? Love it, I mean?" Just because he'd agreed to live there with her didn't mean he didn't secretly long for something else. Something fancier. Bigger. Newer. It was awfully bijou compared to the poshness of the suite he'd moved out of.
Noel grinned and nodded. "I love our place. Our home." He pulled her back into his side. "I'm glad we came," he said softly. "But I'm really looking forward to going home with you, Mrs. Stewart."
Addison closed her eyes, picturing their cozy, colorful apartment and the gray fluffy cat waiting for them back on Larkspur Lane. "And I can't wait to go home with you, Mr. Stewart."
Isn't it amazing how much forgiveness can change a person's life? I hope you found Noel and Addison's journeys towards the freedom forgiveness brings to be both inspiring and gratifying. I love it when I get to walk with characters through life-altering events and see them through to the other side where hope and love prevail. There are more Autumn Lake Romances coming!
~ ~ ~ Have you met the Gustafson Girls? Allow me to introduce you to Juliette, the eldest of four Gustafson sisters. About Juliette & the Monday ManDates
Juliette is perfectly content with her quiet nights at home, especially when they include Chinese takeout and sappy romcoms.
But her sisters think she’s teetering on the brink of spinsterhood. So they've come up with an intervention plan: weekly blind dates until their Jules finds her knight in shining armor… or until they run out of single guy friends.
They’re calling it The Monday ManDates.
Survival skills kicking in, Juliette secretly names each new Monday man. There’s TheraPaul, Frisky Frank, and TAZ the Rock Star, for starters. Then there’s the Officer Manly Man, the policeman with a penchant for pulling Juliette over when she’s at her very worst.
With a lineup like that, positively identifying her happily-ever-after seems like a long shot.
Then again, maybe, just maybe, she’s looking for love in all the wrong places.
If you like family sagas, women's relationships, and series about sisters, you'll love The Gustafson Girls series. Clean and Wholesome, Christian Contemporary Romance with themes of Forgiveness, Restoration, and all things Family. Keep reading for an excerpt from Juliette & the Monday ManDates.