Mood: Ho Hey by The Lumineers. It's my daughter's favorite song.

Eva

Sven and I married at the Oslo courthouse on a rainy, summer afternoon on July 31.

He looked dapper and sharp, from head to toe, in a classic dark-gray suit, matching tie, and shiny black Oxford shoes. He was dressed to break hearts, spare mine.

To complement Sven, I rocked up in a midnight black Badgley Mischka minidress, and, of course, my ebony Louboutin pumps.

Did you think that I would wear a traditional white wedding dress? Come on.

Black symbolizes power, sensuality, mystery, authority, and strength. I was the woman in black on our wedding day.

Sven

Hei, hei. It's me again. I've taken the gavel away from Eva—you see, we talk about equal love, equal pay, equal rights...how about a share of the last chapter?

Eva

Fine, Sven.

Carry on, please. Oh, and here's your silly gavel again.

Sven

Thanks, Eva. I laughed at your reference to being the Woman in Black on our wedding day because it's actually a fucking freaky horror movie with the dude who plays Harry Potter.

Nonetheless, I wouldn't want to have you any other way than as you are. To me, we are two people who share the same values, and I love you.

Eva

Can I continue the story? You promised me I can have the last chapter to myself.

Sven

No, I did no such thing. I promised that you'll have your chance to shine in the last chapter.

Eva

Readers, ever since I told Sven that I was writing a book about him, he decided to—

Sven

I decided to contribute.

Eva

Stop grinning, because it's not funny.

Fly on the wall

These two are honestly making me nauseous. I was at the wedding, and followed them home, but I wish I hadn't. Let's just mute them while I finish this story.

So, to recap their wedding, Eva wore a stunningly exquisite obsidian dress, while Sven was Scandinavia's Christian Grey, eagerly dreaming of some light bondage involving handcuffs and a blindfold for his wedding night.

Eva didn't mention that she tripped on her Louboutins on the way up the stairs to the judge's office. We can thank Sven for being there to catch her grip and ensure that she didn't take a tumble down the flight of stairs.

The legendary band, Led Zeppelin, would not rock up to play Stairway to Heaven if Eva fell.

SQUASH!

Eva

That fly was an annoying nuisance, so I had to kill it. I think it followed us from the courthouse, to the hotel room, and home to our tiny IKEA apartment.

Sven went to the supermarket to buy me some pork crackling, so here's my chance to finish this story, uninterrupted.

Jonas and Kaja (yes, Sven corrected me on her name) were our witnesses for this modest and private affair, which somewhat resembled an elopement and was short of an Elvis impersonator.

Instead of Elvis, we faced a salty judge whose merciless, weather-beaten face was feathered with unkempt, gray strands of hair. His stormy, silver-blue eyes flashed thunder and lightning at us, while we stood like convicts in front of him.

This judge reminded me of Hector Barbossa, the calculated pirate from the Pirates of the Caribbean blockbuster films, and I felt as if we were going to prison for life, instead of getting married.

I glanced at a certificate on his wall, which revealed his true name: Victor Strand. However, for the sake of this story, let's call him Hector Barbossa, Judge Barbossa, or just Barbossa.

"We are here today to celebrate the love between Sven Peter Hansen and Eva Juliette King, by joining them in marriage," Barbossa announced.

"There is a special bond that you share with the person you are committed to. This bond transcends normal relationships and becomes so powerful, that your commitment becomes absolute."

Okay, this was going well...

"Unfortunately, approximately half of today's marriages in Norway fail." Barbossa's steely eyes glared at me. Did I see a snarl?

"Wow, what a mood killer," I muttered.

"Let him speak." Sven defended the pirate judge.

"Yes, many marriages fail," Barbossa continued. "These days, getting married is taken too lightly and is as easy as buying milk from a supermarket. Today, we have a young woman coming from a foreign country to marry a Norwegian man—"

Whoa, wait a minute! What the heck? Did Barbossa think I was taking advantage of Sven?

Sven's hand squeezed mine, as a silent signal to remain calm.

However, I couldn't help myself.

"Judge Barbossa, with all due respect, am I here to be judged, convicted, and shipped back to Australia?" I unleashed my sharp kraken tongue, then quickly rolled it back into my mouth.

I heard Jonas and Kaja snicker and giggle behind us, as Barbossa's icy eyes narrowed at me.

"Sir, can I please say something that is quite important?" Sven attempted to save the day.

"Vær så god," Barbossa replied, gesturing his hand at Sven. (Translation in this context: go ahead.)

Sven turned to me, staring with a deep intensity that sent an electric volt to shake up my spine, amping up my alertness level to one hundred and ten percent.

"In Norway, there is a phrase called 'vi bygger stein på stein', which means building stone on stone, or rock on rock. Do you know what that means, Eva?" Sven's ocean eyes stared at me, flooding my feelings with respect and awe for this astute man.

He may as well have come down from Mount Sinai with a stone tablet scripted with words of wisdom from a higher power above.

My eyes widened and I squeezed his hand.

"To build 'stein på stein' means that when you're building something solid and longstanding, you have to put one rock at a time and it's not something that is built overnight."

Sven then turned to Barbossa, the pirate judge, who nodded his head in yielding appreciation.

"Imagine building layers of rocks to create an impenetrable wall. The second layer needs to be supported by the first layer. When you're making something tall and strong, it requires a lot of work." Sven's fierce eyes burned into mine, as he gently stroked the corners of my face.

"This building process—it takes time. You can't jump to the last stones at the top, because you don't have a foundation yet. You need to place the lower rocks first." Sven's eyes brightly flickered at me with true love's spark, then blazed with fire at Judge Barbossa.

"This is the foundation that Eva and I are building together, for life," Sven concluded.

A cloud of silence engulfed the office for the next few seconds, only to be interrupted by clapping sounds coming from Kaja and Jonas.

"Well done, Sven!" Jonas cheered.

"You two are going to rock this marriage," Kaja assured, holding both thumbs up. She looked effortlessly amazing in a simple pair of dark Donna Karan pants and a matching jacket.

Now, it was my turn to speak up.

"Sven," I began.

"I feel that I have known you all my life. This connection that we have, this love that binds our souls is so powerful. I will love you until I take my last breath." I placed my right hand on Sven's heart, to feel its pulse beating confidently and steadily.

"This heart of yours, together with mine, will always beat to the same tune." I smiled a ray of sunshine at Sven.

"Who do you think will die first?" Jonas dared to ask. His usually unkempt blond curls were tied in a man bun that day, to match his trendy Moods of Norway suit.

"Hysj!" Sven scolded our tactless friend.

"Erm, erm." Judge Barbossa cleared his throat to capture our attention.

"Excuse us for the interruptions. Please continue," Sven directed the judge.

"As I was saying, today, we have a young woman coming from a foreign country to marry a Norwegian man. This woman did not make the decision to get married as if she was buying milk," Judge Barbossa announced.

"Eva, I see you standing before Sven today, as an intelligent, strong and may I dare say, beautiful woman who chose to leave everything you had behind to be with this man."

Is my value based on my beauty? I wanted to challenge the pirate judge, but decided to keep that kraken tongue safely in my mouth. There was a time and place to pick my battles and that moment was not the time to unleash a war.

"Your decision to enter a marriage with Sven takes courage." Judge Barbossa glared at me.

"It takes sacrifice," he continued, then paused again.

"Your decision to join Sven is not something that you have invested in lightly."

Judge Barbossa then turned to Sven.

"Sven, you have also made the decision to commit to a woman who will be part of your life as your partner. You are both on the path to building a very strong foundation, I see. Your walls will withstand the storms when they come. And there will be storms."

"No fucking kidding," Kaja cheekily interjected.

"Det er nok!" Jonas scoffed at her. (Translation: That's enough!) I turned to Jonas and saw a tear trickle down his right cheek. Sweet.

"The walls you build will house you, so that your marriage will weather the storms and see the sun in the years to come. What you build with your love will be your fortress, your barricade, and your shield, to protect your love and your family," Judge Barbossa preached.

"As Sven has pointed out, you started 'stein på stein' and you will continue building the rocks that give you a solid foundation. Now, this contract that you are entering is to be taken seriously, and with a deep understanding of its obligations and responsibilities."

Sven's hand squeezed mine as we glanced at each other.

"Sven Peter Hansen, do you take Eva Juliette King to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect her, forsaking all others, and holding only unto her forevermore?"

"I do," Sven replied, smiling with eager confidence.

"Eva Juliette King, do you take Sven Peter Hansen to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect him, forsaking all others, and holding only unto him forevermore?"

"I do," I responded with enthusiasm, exposing my toothy grin.

"I am pleased to hereby affirm Sven and Eva's commitment, love, and care for one another in this lifetime," Judge Barbossa proudly declared.

After an exchange of rings, the deal was sealed with a kiss and the signing of our certificates, witnessed by Kaja and Jonas.

That afternoon we were officially married.

After the wedding.

As we entered the honeymoon suite in our hotel that night, I glanced at my new groom, who closed the door behind him and walked to the glass window that showcased the city of Oslo.

We had just returned from the Grand Café Oslo, where we had afternoon tea with Kaja and Jonas. Our escapade at the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel was about to begin.

Sven's oceanic eyes focused on mine, catching the flutters of my heart like a net. The late afternoon daylight from the window behind him highlighted his strawberry-blond hair and the contour of his high cheekbones. The corners of his delicious pink lips turned into a slight smile.

He reminded me of a slinky jaguar, confidently posing, silently and stealthily waiting to strike on an opportunity. When that opportunity came, he struck fast.

Do you know that jaguars have the strongest bite of any feline and the second-strongest bite of any mammal? Like a jaguar, Sven's bite was lethal and fast. That was the kind of man he was in the real world.

He was smart, enigmatic, assertive, witty, and dangerous. I'd be Pinocchio if I said I wasn't attracted to this side of Sven.

I had married my match.

"You're quiet, darling. Is everything fine," I asked, slyly shifting my body to mirror his, as I moved toward him.

"Everything is fine, baby. Everything is fine," Sven took me with one strong arm, joining his lips with mine and spearing my soul with his love.

There was a time in my life when I didn't believe in love.

Heck, I never imagined I would be the marrying kind.

Now, I'm glad that I met Sven, who opened my eyes to see that love is also a strength, which I always had.

My father showed me no love, but I have a husband who does.

My name is Eva Juliette King Hansen. I am a determined woman with a loving heart, a strong mind, and a powerful personality.

I know exactly who I am.

Nothing will break me. Ever.

A/N: I dedicate this chapter to my husband, who I call "the real Sven" (not his real name). He's the inspiration behind Sven's character. He verbalized the part about "stein på stein", and I wrote it into script.

Don't you just love a happily ever after where an equal, solid partnership of mutual love and respect is being built?

I also dedicate this chapter to my cat, Texas, who threw up a fur ball covered with kitty chow, then pooped in front of my bedroom, breaking my writing flow.