Chapter 31 Forever and Ever
Forever and Ever
Lars
Rose stood quietly before the windows in my uncle’s cabin atop a northern mountain. I knew she was desperate to speak, but neither of us knew where to start. I approached, wrapping my arm around her waist.
“I love you. We will get through this,” I assured. “We need a plan. I can make it right.”
Rose turned to me, tears in her eyes. “It feels like a nightmare. I just want to wake up.”
I kissed her head. “I know. I feel the same way.”
“I never… I never asked you how you felt. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I’m not the one—”
“No, I want to know. What do you think?”
I took a deep breath. “I don’t know how to feel. On one hand, little changes for me. On the other hand, I worry about our kids. I had this view of parenthood that doesn’t align with how we will have to raise a future heir.”
“Sanne told me something. She said they went through this when they assumed Keir would be the heir.”
“Really? I guess I forgot about that.”
“They found a middle ground. They needed Natalie and Ed for insulation, I suppose. But—”
“Cici doesn’t want to hurt you. She adores you, Rose,” I said. “I don’t think that will be a thing you have to worry about.”
“But Norway? All the time? I don’t dislike Norway, but… I am already homesick.”
I pulled her close. “I don’t know how to completely fix that, my love. I can only try. But I promise you that when you want to visit with the children, I will make it possible. They will know both places. Just like we did. Look at Keir and his brothers! They were raised in both places.”
“I know. I guess I didn’t think about it like that.”
“We are going to do well. I don’t have doubts about that,” I said.
“None?”
“Oh, Rosalind, if I did… why would I have said we could try? You don’t understand what that means. Come, sit. I’ll make you a coffee.”
Rose nodded. “I’ll start a fire. That would be… cozy.”
“Sure,” I agreed. “Perfect for a crisp September day up here.”
We shook it off and focused on our tasks, before coming together. I thought through what I’d say. Rose’s worries weren’t irrational. They mirrored my own. The problem was, I trusted we’d get through this. If she didn’t, I’d worry more.
I carried a French press back to the table where she laid out mugs while waiting for the fire to catch. I laid out a blanket. Rose settled by me, her head on my shoulder as we watched the trees sway gently and the fire take shape.
“Rose, I worry about having children. You do not know what it means for me to agree to this.”
She glared, offended.
Get it together, Lars!
“Sorry. It’s got nothing to do with you as well as everything to do with you, too.”
“Go on.”
“My early years were fucked. My mother is a terrible parent. I am already dreading seeing her when we return. I worried I’d be the same.”
“Oh, Lars, darling, that is never a thing I’ve worried about.”
“But that’s it. The fact that you believe in me… it puts that abandonment complex at ease. I know with you I can do it. I know I will love it, somehow.”
“We’re going to have really cute ginger babies. For that, I do apologize.”
I chuckled. “Don’t. It will be interesting to potentially have a ginger king or queen.”
“Oof.”
“I know. It’s a lot.”
“How the hell do you raise a king or queen?”
“I suspect like any other child. The good news is we have a lot of people who can tell us.” I kissed the top of her head. “I love you so much, Rose. The idea of losing you breaks me. When I say I regret nothing, though, I mean it. What I would regret is not doing as much as I could to save this.”
Her eyes met mine, tears running her cheeks. “Oh, Lars, I… I don’t think I could leave you. Not now even. It would destroy me. Frankie reminded me that I’d regret losing you. And Sanne… she said even when her life changed and she thought it was for the worst… she only regretted losing Paul sooner.”
“Fuck cancer,” I muttered.
“Indeed. And drunk drivers. But I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth, Lars. Because what we have? It’s beautiful. It’s purely wonderful. It’s the sweetest thing.”
“Even if it began in the least wholesome way, elskling?”
She grinned. “I wouldn’t change that bit, except for the whole my brother walking in on us thing. But the actual act of my poorly timed seduction? Nah.”
“If you hadn’t seduced me, I never would have risked it,” I admitted.
She kissed me slowly. The immediate feeling of relief rolled over. I couldn’t help but think we were back. She was staying. Lady Rose Ferguson chose me again—for whatever reason.
“You rescued me form a real twat,” Rose giggled. “And for that, I love you, Lars. That and your whole getting-over-being-a-grinch thing.”
“I promise you nothing but joyful Christmases, skatt. And if you want to go back to the UK, I will be glad to do so.”
She beamed and brushed my cheek. “I expect all the holiday cheer. I will sing Christmas songs for an eternity and bake cookies.”
“I’d have it no other way, Rose,” I said. “And I don’t think I could care what you do as long as you’re there with me.”
Rose surprised me, going from kissing me deeply to straddling me. I stared back in surprise.
Her eyes lit up, “Remember that night on the tender?”
“Oh Jesus,” I said. “How the fuck would I ever forget it?”
“I want to do that a million more times before we die,” she giggled.
“I don’t know that I have a million more times left in me. I might die just from trying, Rose.”
“Well, okay, a hundred.”
“You are dangerous, Lady Rose Ferguson.”
“Promise me we won’t thwart an opportunity.”
“You’re a bit of an exhibitionist, aren’t you?” I asked, cupping her ass.
“I am a very good girl.”
“If you were a good girl, you’d never suggest such a thing.”
“Maybe not? But would you want me any other way.”
“I would want you any and every way—always have.”
“If you want me, show me,” she said, pulling on the belt of my jeans.
“Get naked,” I said. “We’re alone for the first time in forever and I want to take full advantage of it.”
Rose, ever the good sport, followed suit. And despite my misgivings about fucking on a couch I did not own, I couldn’t have thought about much beyond Rose’s tits and what it felt like to be inside her.
“Oh, fuck,” she moaned. “I wanted this so bad for the past week. I was starved.”
“Same,” I shivered as she played with my nipple. “Don’t do that unless you want me to explode, Rose.”
She stopped, coming in for a deep kiss. Instead, I played with her nipples, overwhelmed but how soft and perfect she was. How was this real life?
“Take me from behind,” Rose gasped. “Be rough. I want how much you want me.”
She wanted me to spank her. That much was beautifully predictable. Rose positioned herself, holding onto the couch arm for dear life as I slipped back inside her. A low growl emanated from her pretty mouth as she looked back. I smacked her ass hard.
“You deserve to be punished, baby. Because you cannot keep dirty thoughts out of your head.”
“You put them in there.”
I loved that I did, but played along, pulling her hair as I slammed into her.
“Oh, fuck, yes!” Rose screamed. “Fuck yes!”
I was glad she neared the edge because I wouldn’t last much longer.
“Yes, Lars! Oh, fuck!” She screamed. I felt her pulse around me and released her. She held onto the arm limper now, exhausted from her orgasm.
No matter what I did, the feeling of her pussy around me and the view of her ass bouncing brought me to the point of no return. Gripping her hips hard, I came.
“Oh, God, Rose.”
She turned back, biting her lip.
I cracked her on the ass again playful. “Good girl. Good girl, indeed.”