They both laughed out loud and then Pieter said quickly, “Shh. Don’t wake them. We’ll never get them back to sleep again.”
It was true. The twins had been so excited at the rehearsal that it had been nigh on impossible to get them to sleep just a couple of hours earlier. Neither had wanted to take off their good clothes after the rehearsal ended, and they’d looked so adorable — Mila in her long dress, Max in his tiny suit — that Eva and Pieter decided just to let them run around in their formal wear until they were tired out.
Finally, at bedtime, Eva had taken off Mila’s dress. Eyes closed, her face creased with a huge smile, Mila had reached out her chubby little arms and wrapped them around her mother’s neck. Eva’s heart had melted to see her daughter so happy. And, Eva knew, Mila’s energy and happiness levels would be off the charts when her grandparents, aunt and uncle, and nephews arrived. She was sure the same went for little Max — and for Pieter too. Eva still felt shy around Pieter’s family because she barely knew them and felt guilty about taking Pieter away from Laagestein.
This precious time with Pieter’s family would enable Eva to show them some of the best that Alaska had to offer, and to make sure that they got unlimited access to Pieter and the twins. It was the least she could do.
Throughout the wedding day, Pieter’s mother lived up to her son’s expectations, carrying one or both of the twins around at all times. Mila and Max, for their part, squirmed as much as Eva had predicted, but in a way that suggested they didn’t really want their grandmother to put them down. At one point, Eva spotted Pieter’s father on the ground behind the dining gazebo, rolling around in the grass with both of the twins.
She didn’t hear Pieter approach until he was standing right beside her. “I’m telling you, he never didanythinglike that with Jan and me. And he’d have barked at us not to get our suits dirty.”
“The magic spell of grandchildren, I guess,” Eva said proudly.
Pieter pulled her close, and kissed her tenderly. “Are you sure you’re not upset that your parents aren’t here?”
“You know what, I’m okay,” Eva said truthfully. Though she and her parents were on speaking terms, they were not an active part of each other’s lives, which Eva found to be for the best.
The people she wanted at her wedding consisted of Pieter and the twins, her close and trusted colleagues in the military, and Pieter’s family. She was delighted to be spending time with Pieter’s family members, who’d proven themselves to be warm and kind to her and the twins, not to mention completely charming and full of life.
The wedding ceremony itself was small and intimate, with fewer than twenty people in attendance. Pieter’s mother had sobbedquietly into her handkerchief throughout its entirety. As soon as the ceremony was over, she pulled Eva to one side.
“Eva, my darling daughter-in-law, I’m so sorry. I hope you know that my crying was not from sadness.”
“Please don’t apologize,” Eva said sincerely. “Weddings are very emotional affairs.”
“They are indeed, but that wasn’t why I was crying.”
“Oh?”
“It’s just that I was so worried that my dear sweet Pieter was never going to find love. And then you came along, and now he has everything he ever wanted.”
“Oh, well, thank you for saying so. I’m very happy too.”
“I can see that, my darling girl,” Madeleine said, pulling Eva into a tight hug. “Now, why don’t we go and pose for some photographs and then get the party started.”
An hour later, Eva discovered that the queen of Laagestein liked a party. More to the point, she loved dancing. Although the band wasn’t scheduled to start playing until after the wedding dinner, as soon as they arrived to set up, Pieter’s mother marched right over and insisted that they play a few numbers right there and then.
Apparently, seventies disco was the queen’s favorite music to dance to, and Eva had to smile as the royal family of Laagestein cut a rug on the makeshift dance floor. Although she’d never have guessed it from his line dancing the night at the roadhouse, Pieter was agreatdancer — to disco music, at least — and her heart flooded with joy to see him teaching some moves to their highly energetic twins and their cousins.
But Pieter’s parents saved their biggest surprise for the after-dinner speeches. Pieter’s father, the king consort of Laagestein, gave a moving speech about his love for his youngest son and how happy he was to see Pieter settling into his new life in Alaska with such ease.
“Although I wish we all lived under the same roof, all I have to do is look up at the stars and know that we’re not really separated by such a great distance after all. Your mother and I are very impressed that you’ve chosen this beautiful part of the world as your home, the place where you are raising your own family.”
Pieter’s mother stood up quickly and grabbed the microphone from her husband. “Eva, Pieter, we were going to keep this a secret until after your wedding was over, but you know me — I can’t keep secrets.”
“So true,” Pieter’s father said, causing a ripple of laughter among the guests.
“We’re sorry we didn’t arrive until the morning of your wedding, but there was a good reason for that. We wanted to make it all official before telling you the news.”
Eva looked at Pieter, who shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he had no idea what the big news was.
“We’ve fallen in love with this part of the world, too. But more than that, we don’t want to have to wait so long in between visits to see all of you. We’ve bought a house just a few miles up the road. We’re going to be your neighbors!”
“Which might actually be theoppositeof a wedding gift,” Pieter’s brother said, loudly enough that everyone overheard him. But he was smiling, and he joined in with all of the other guests, cheering and clapping at the happy news.
“Does that mean you’ll be spending more time here, too?” Pieter asked Jan.
Jan nodded. “Yes, although the deal is that I’ll keep my eye on things when they’re over here, and then I’ll get my chance to come and stay for a while. Are you sure this is okay with you?” he asked the newlyweds.
