Three Swedish Mountain Men: Chapter 23

The next ten days pass in a blur. The sky stays clear of storms, and Cole, Eli and I go about our routines like normal. Eli drives down to the ski slopes to give his private lessons. I head into the nearby settlements to visit patients. Cole spends his days chopping wood and performing his duties as a ranger. Every night, we eat together, hang out for a few hours, then go to bed. It’s a familiar routine.

But everything is different now, with her. All the boring shit I used to hate, like shovelling snow and doing the dishes, is suddenly exciting just because she’s nearby. When I’m signing off prescriptions or doing paperwork, she’s curled up at the end of the sofa, or humming to herself in the hallways. Every night, instead of lying in a cold bed alone, she sleeps between me and Eli, exhausted and glowing with a post-orgasm flush.

We’ve had her in every possible position, all over the house. She’s screamed our names in every room of the cabin. We’ve touched every inch of her body. Sometimes Cole joins in, sometimes he doesn’t. There’s a sizzling tension between him and Daisy that seems to get stronger every day. He’s still refusing to kiss her, and only ever fucks her when Eli or I are also there. I was worried it would piss her off, but I think Daisy sees his aloofness as a challenge; she’s been trying harder and harder to pin him down and get him alone. He’s resisting, but it’s only a matter of time before he breaks down. Any idiot can see he’s dying to touch her.

It’s not just sex, though. I’ve never seen the other two so happy. Eli especially. He’s clearly falling for her. The first thing he does when he gets home from work is track her down and snuggle her. He’s always bringing her things, little soaps and chocolates and gifts he’s picked up from the resort shops. The two of them can spend hours together, laughing and joking and flirting.

Cole is harder to read, but he’s more relaxed now than I’ve seen him in years. He’s been spending a lot of time in the barn, building more canvases for her. He’s currently working on a new set of drawers for her to store all of her paints. I’m not really sure why he’s bothering. It’s not like she’ll stay long enough to use it. All of us are ignoring the fact that this is all temporary. She’ll be gone soon, and we’ll be alone again.

We finally end up discussing it on Thursday evening. After a couple of hours of getting bent over the bed by each of us in turn, Daisy falls asleep, exhausted. It’s only eight PM, so we leave her cuddled up in Eli’s room, and relocate to mine so we don’t disturb her. Eli sprawls himself across my bed, bouncing a rubber ball against the wall. Cole’s pacing up and down, wearing a hole in my rug. I’m trying to focus on my copy of Treasure Island.

It’s a comfortable routine. I can’t begin to guess how many times we’ve hung out in each other’s rooms like this, ever since we were children. But today, the mood is tense. As we were all collapsed in Eli’s bed, trying to catch our breath, Daisy sleepily announced that her commissions were finished and dry, ready to be shipped tomorrow. She’s just waiting on the final payments.

We all know what that means. And none of us like it.

Cole stops pacing abruptly by the window, staring out at the snow, and growls something.

“Use human words, Nalle,” Eli mumbles. “We’ve been over this. We don’t speak bear.”

He raises his voice. “She could stay.”

I glance up from my book. “What?”

“She could stay here,” Cole repeats.

“Like… officially?” Eli asks. “We ask her to move in and date us?”

Cole gives the tiniest of nods. They both look at me.

My gut twists. “I don’t think that would be a good idea,” I say slowly.

Eli snorts. “Of course, you don’t. But I seriously doubt she’s a Johanna 2.0. Unless we have literally the worst luck on the planet.”

I pull off my glasses and rub my eyes. “It’s not just that. Think about it. She’s got a job. Students. She has a life she needs to go back to. We can’t ask her to leave London and live in the fucking Arctic Circle.”

Eli sits up. He looks a mess. His t-shirt is crumpled, his hair is practically standing on end from when Daisy wrapped her fingers into it, and there’s hickeys all over his neck. “Of course we can ask.”

I shake my head, my temples aching. “Even if she said yes, she’d be miserable. She’s enjoying herself now, because she’s on holiday. But she doesn’t know the language. She wouldn’t be able to work. She’d have no friends. She’d be completely isolated from society. She’d just be stuck up here with us three, all day, every day. She’d feel trapped. And she’d start to hate us.”

“But—”

“We knew from the beginning that this was only ever going to be temporary,” I say as gently as I can. “You promised her that.”

Eli looks down. A muscle tics in Cole’s jaw. Once. Twice.

He turns on his heel and leaves, letting the door slam shut behind him.

The next day, the forecast says we’re due another storm. I spend the day in town, shipping Daisy’s parcels, checking in on people, and picking up some fresh food to tide us over. By the time I’m parked back at the cabin, the snow has started up again, and it’s already getting worryingly thick. I heave the shopping out of the boot and head to the house, but I’m only halfway there when my phone buzzes in my pocket. The old stone shack is nearby, so I duck inside to take the call.

“Hello?”

“Hej,” a man says in Swedish. “This is Ulf.”

The mechanic. “Ulf,” I greet. “Why are you calling me? You’re not sick, are you?”

“No, no, I was calling about the girl’s car. I know she is staying with you, and she has not been answering her phone the last few hours.”

I’ve noticed that about Daisy. Even when we have signal, she’s terrible at answering her phone. Most of the time, she just leaves it switched off, letting all her texts and emails build up. “I think she must be busy.”

“Well, her car is ready to pick up. It will have to be after the next storm has cleared, though. Looks like it already started.”

I look out at the white sky. “It’s not so bad here.”

“It will be,” he warns. “My mother lives further north, the storm’s already hit her. She says it’s the worst one we’ve had all winter. You guys should stay safe. Get all your supplies ready now.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks. And thanks for the work on Daisy’s car.”

“No problem. Goodbye.”

“Stay safe.” I hang up, then shove the phone back in my pocket. My heart is thudding.

Her car is ready. She can go.

She’s going to leave.

I traipse back inside. I need to find her and tell her. Eli texted me a while back, saying he and Cole were going to the village to sell some skins. I assume they didn’t take Daisy in the truck. I doubt she would’ve enjoyed sharing the backseat with a bunch of animal hide.

The first room I check is her painting room, but she’s not there. I take a quick look around the room, marvelling at the amount of work she’s managed to do in just a few weeks. I don’t know much about art, but her work still takes my breath away. The painting balanced on her easel shows the mountains at dawn; big swathes of stippled blue, silver and white, with gold sunlight trickling down over the crevices in the rock and snow.

I’m about to leave, when I notice the portrait balanced against the wall in the corner of the room. My heart stops.

It’s of me.

Actually, it’s of all of us. Me, Eli, and Cole, all sitting around the table in the living room, laughing over our snaps glasses. Our faces are lit up orange in the firelight, and the window behind our heads shows a white blizzard of snow. The detail is incredible. She’s got the colour of Eli’s eyes exactly right, and the sardonic twist of Cole’s mouth. There’s a little piece of paper pinned to the bottom of the canvas. I lean in for a closer look. In faint pencil, she’s written the word Home, with today’s date. My throat squeezes so hard I can barely swallow.

She thinks of this place as her home?

My lungs feel too small. I wipe a hand over my mouth. If that’s true, then maybe Cole and Eli are right. Maybe she does want to stay here. Maybe, if I ask, she won’t say no.

Giving the painting one last look, I head back into the hallway.

I finally find her in Eli’s room. She’s in his bed, curled up, scrolling through her phone. She glances up at me. “Riv! How was work? You look frozen.”

“Just got in. Work was fine.” I run my eyes over her. “Why are you lying down? Do you feel okay?”

She groans. “Eli cooked so much food. I think I need to hibernate to digest it all.”

My lips twitch. “He thinks that fattening you up will increase your chances of surviving up here.”

“Will it?”

“Probably.”

“I thought he just wanted me to have a bigger ass,” she mumbles. “Whatever. I’m not complaining.” She yawns, stretching delicately, then curls up in a tiny ball. Her hair is down, and it’s spread over the pillows in loose, chocolate-covered waves. I stand in the doorframe and just watch her. I can’t move.

I really, really don’t want to tell her about the car.

I don’t want to lose her, I realise. I can’t stand the thought of never seeing her again.

“It’s kinda hard to sleep when you’re being creepily watched,” she mumbles into the pillow.

I clear my throat. “Sorry. Can I warm up with you?”

Her smile brightens her whole face. She holds out her arms. “Please.”

I strip off my jumper and socks, sliding into the bed next to her. She cuddles up to my chest, and I wrap my arms around her, drawing her close.

“You’re so cold,” she whispers, tipping her face up to kiss my neck. She presses tiny, fluttery kisses up and down my throat, her lips barely brushing the skin. They feel good, but I don’t reciprocate.

She frowns, pulling back. “Wait. Was that not a come on?”

“I’m just…” I close my eyes. “I just want to hold you.”

“Oh,” she whispers. “Okay, then.” She tucks her face into my neck. “Hold away.”

Fuck, she’s cute. “Baby.”

“Baby.” She snugs closer. “I like that.”

I steel myself. “I have something to tell you.”

“Hm?”

“I got a call from the mechanic. Your car’s ready.” She tenses. I keep talking through the lump in my throat. “As soon as the snow clears, you’ll be free to go. You got the money for your commissions, right?”

She nods slowly. “Came into my account this morning.”

“Well, then. What are you going to do?” I stroke through her hair, pulling it away from her face.

She’s quiet for a bit, thinking. “I don’t know. I’m not ready to go home, yet. I guess I’ll just book into the Airbnb down in Kiruna. Maybe I’ll get lucky and finally get a glimpse of the lights.”

“You could go to Eli’s ski resort,” I offer. “Have him give you some lessons. I know he’s dying to get you on the slopes.”

She shakes her head. “No. No. I… can’t stay anywhere near here.”

My heart contracts. “Why not?”

“I just can’t.”

I take a deep breath, cupping her cheeks to make her look at me. “I saw your painting of us all.”

She groans. “Riv! It was meant to be a surprise!”

“Sorry.” I’m not sorry. “It’s beautiful. But… why did you paint it?”

“I thought it would be something to remember me by, when I’m gone. And a thank you for all of you, for helping me out for so long.”

“You called it ‘Home’.”

She squirms a bit. “Mm. I thought about something a bit more descriptive. Like Three Swedish Mountain Men, or Snowed In, or something. But ‘Home’ felt better.”

I lick my lips. “You could stay here. Right here.”

She smiles sadly. “I can’t,” she whispers. “I’m sorry.”

“Why not?” I’m getting kind of desperate. “Eli wants you to stay. Cole, too, even though he’d never tell you. You could stay here as long as you like.”

“Riven—”

“Obviously, we won’t charge you rent, but if it bothers you that much, you can pay it,” I try. “After the Northern Lights end, there are other things you can paint. The midnight sun is pretty incredible, too.” It’s not, it’s actually bloody annoying, but I’ll say anything to make her stay right now.

She shakes her head, putting a hand over my mouth to stop me. “I can’t, Riv. I’m sorry.”

I nod, my stomach sinking. “Right. Of course.” I was right, last night. She has a life she needs to go back to. This could never work.

“I can’t just stay here,” she continues. “Like I’m on some extended holiday, shagging you all until you get bored of me.”

I frown. “Daisy—”

“This has been so fun for me,” she pushes on. “Really. It’s been an incredible experience. But… I don’t know how much longer I can have sex with you all, and not develop feelings. It would kind of break my heart to stay here, having ‘casual’ sex, while I slowly fall for all of you.”

“Daisy, you don’t understand. I’m asking you to stay here for a relationship. As a romantic partner. As a girlfriend.”

She sits up. Rumpled curls fall around her face. “What?”

I rewind what I just said in my head. “I… don’t know how to say that any more clearly.”

Her eyes are wide. “It’s not clear at all! You want me to date you?”

“Not just me. All of us.”

She just stares at me blankly.

“It’s really not that hard to understand,” I say gently.

She glares. “Okay, pro tip, maybe don’t call a girl stupid when you’re asking her out?”

“I’m not calling you stupid. I just mean—we’d be doing the exact same thing we’ve been doing these past few weeks.”

“But instead of it being casual,” she says slowly, “I’d be your girlfriend.”

“Yes.”

“We’d be exclusive.”

“God, yes.”

“I would have three boyfriends.”

“Yes, baby.” She presses her little pink lips together, her eyes roaming my face. I wish to Hell I could read her better. “It’s unconventional, but we’ve done it before. It works for us. The question is just whether it works for you.”

“What about the others?” She demands. “How do you know they want to date me?”

“We talked about it last night. They both agreed.”

“Even Cole?”

“Cole was the one who brought it up.” I rub my throat. “I’m not up to date on the law, but you’re an EU citizen, so I think you can stay here for six months before finding a job, or starting studies. Depending on how much your paintings make, that could be enough for you to get residency. Or, we have sambo visas for couples in relationships, you don’t need to get married to get a visa, here.” She doesn’t say anything, her brown eyes glistening. I swallow. “So, what do you think?”

She throws herself at me, and I choke as she pushes me flat on my back, knocking all the air out of my lungs. “Yes! Of course! I would love to!”

Relief floods me. I catch her hips and pull her more firmly into my body, moulding her against me. She cups my face and kisses me deeply.

“You’re happy?” I check, after we gasp apart.

“So so so happy,” she breathes.

Warmth spills through me, filling my veins. “That’s all I ever want,” I tell her quietly.

She grins and wriggles on top of me, her ass rubbing against my crotch. “But I have so much more to offer. And I want celebratory boyfriend sex.”

I growl, pulling her closer.

We’re just getting handsy when we’re interrupted by loud fizzing static coming from the lounge. I pause, listening, but the sound melts away again. Shrugging, I turn my attention back to her neck. She sighs, shuddering against me, and I feel my cock twitch in my pants. Shit. I have to have her. I slide my hands down the waistband of her sweatpants, grabbing her ass and kneading her soft cheeks.

Suddenly, the radio squawks again. This time, a voice makes it through.

Dr Nilsson. Can you hear me? Come in, Dr Nilsson.

I swear. Daisy gives my cheek a quick kiss, then pushes me off the bed. “Go get it,” she says. “Go save lives.”

“I hope it’s not as serious as all that,” I mutter, grabbing my shirt and padding barefoot to the living room. Heading to the desk, I pick up the radio. “This is Dr Riven Nilsson. Over.”

“Oh, thank God,” the man’s voice gushes. “I’ve been trying to get through for hours. Do you have Jenny with you?”

“Jenny? I’m sorry. I don’t know anyone with that name. Over.”

“Jenny Adams. I tracked her up here. I’m up in a settlement north of Kiruna. I showed her picture to some of the people in the village, and multiple people said that they saw her with you.”

“I guess you must have gotten the wrong information. Sorry. Over.”

“Please!” He half-shouts. “The mechanic said he saw her. And a woman in a pub. Charlotte Lundquist?”

I frown. Charlotte wouldn’t get me mixed up with someone else. I’ve probably been in her restaurant a hundred times. “If you give me her description, and your phone number, I can keep an eye out for her. But I seriously doubt I will have seen her. We keep to ourselves up here.”

“She’s English. Very, very short, long brown hair, brown eyes. She drives a beat-up old orange car. She’s got a little tattoo of a fairy behind her ear.”

I’m silent for a moment. “I’m sorry, what did you call her?”

“Jenny Adams? Jennifer? Please, if you know where she is, tell me. She just disappeared a few weeks ago, I’ve been going fucking mad, worrying about her.”

“Who are you?” I demand.

“I’m her boyfriend.”

I feel like I’ve been slammed into by a truck.

There’s a footstep in the corridor outside. Daisy sticks her head in the doorway. “Sorry to interrupt,” she whispers, her dark eyes shining. “Can I call the others and tell them?”

I turn to her slowly. She frowns. “Baby? Are you okay?” She steps into the room. “God, it’s not bad news, is it?”

“Who’s Jenny Adams?” I ask. All of the blood rushes out of her face.