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“It was very rushed. He needed to be married to fulfill a certain contract.”

“Okay. Well, you can maybe do a second ceremony for us here. But call him first. Surely, he’s regretting it. Besides, you’re not going to die in childbirth. No one dies in labor these days.”

Yeah. These days.

Holly wished she could call him.

Her parents had accepted half the truth so well. Could she tell them the whole truth? Since today was all about opening up and letting go, she’d tell them.

“I can’t call him. Believe it or not, I did travel back in time. He lives in the past.”

Mom and Dad were both quiet.

“Sweetheart, I don’t get it,” Mom said. “You sound crazy, but I know you aren’t.”

“Yeah. I’m not. I’ll just tell you what happened and hope you believe me. There’s nothing I can do to prove it to you. So either you trust me or you don’t.”

And then she told them. About Ms. Verdandi, who turned out to be the Norn, about the tree and spindle, and about Thorir and Einar and Svanhild and the village. She told them about her wedding and Thorir’s raid. About his kidnapping her and Svanhild, and how Einar saved them. And about her returning to her own time.

When she finished, her parents’ eyes were as big as saucers, and they were looking at each other. Everyone was quiet. Holly gave them time to process the news.

Dad shook his head. “You should write a book, Holly. It would be a good one.” He stood up. “I’ll clean the dishes.”

But Mom stayed. She covered Holly’s hand with hers and looked deep into her eyes. “Is this true?” she asked.

Holly nodded. “Yes.”

Mom nodded back. “As insane as it sounds, I believe you.”

Holly’s chest lightened as though a heavy weight had been lifted. “Really? Why?”

“Because I know you better than anyone else,” Mom said. “And you love him, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“I love your dad. It killed me not to be able to give him a child. If you love Einar and he loves you, you should go back to him, honey. Your life will be a misery without him. You’ll regret it. And there’s nothing worse than a life of regret. I don’t want you to live that way. All I wish is for you to live a full and happy life.”

Holly’s eyes filled with tears again. “Mom, you have no idea what that means to me.”

Mom squeezed her hand. “I never thought you were defective, dear. You’re the most perfect person I know. I’m so proud to be your mother. And since all I want is your happiness, this is my warning—you’ll regret it if you don’t try to find the man you love.”

Holly sucked in a breath. “But my job…”

“Does it make you happy? Do you feel satisfied and fulfilled?”

Holly thought about it. What her job had been for the past couple of months was a drug. A drug to help her forget Einar. But the feelings of loneliness and emptiness were everywhere, and they were only growing. She loved managing and organizing. She loved structuring things to make a profit.

But she loved Einar more.

And she could do all that back in the Orkneys. She could help Einar grow trade, manage his household, and improve things in the Orkneys. She could help him make his lands the most prosperous they’d ever be.

And she could give him his son. If she was the woman destined to give him three sons, the first one was growing inside of her right now.

But what about him abandoning her? Her being faulty and not good enough?

No. She was good enough. She had always been good enough, she realized now. If he did abandon her, it wouldn’t be because she was defective. And she would always have herself. Her own approval was the only thing she had ever been lacking, and the only thing she needed.

“No, Mom, I don’t. And you’re right, I do need to try. I’ll only live a half-life if I don’t. I’m going to find my husband.”