It took a year to save up enough for my flights, to pay my parents and Caleb back, and to apply for my working holiday visa, plus a little surplus in case finding work wasn't instantaneous when I got to Australia.

In that time, Caleb had started therapy to help him through Lily's recovery and was far more confident in himself and her situation. That led to more honesty and communication between us, unlike that first month. Lily had come home from the hospital and had spent several months adjusting to her life in a wheelchair. She wasn't sure when she'd return to work, but had plans to teach again one day.

Caleb was enjoying his job on the coast and in the past month had started sending me apartment rental ads from the area even if I hadn't completed the working holiday visa forms yet or booked my flight. But my imagination loved every second of it as I gushed to him about all the features I adored, like the ocean-facing balconies, cute gardens, and fun decor. My departure was coming soon because Alicia would need her position back, and one nostalgic Canadian winter was enough for me. Plus the unignorable fact that I needed to be with the man I loved even more now than when he flew home.

To celebrate our last season living together, Claire had asked me to book time off for an adventure with her, Vince, Shayne, Minji, Hannah and Kate. In the spirit of last summer, we were taking a trip to Churchill so they could experience the magic of the belugas and bears too.

"We have one more surprise before we go," Claire said with a glint in her eye.

I raised an eyebrow. Was part of this trip a pregnancy announcement?

The click of the front door opening dispelled that thought.

It wouldn't be Trevor. His life was already complicated enough without throwing our history into the mix. Not that we were on bad terms. Working together had helped both of us and repaired our friendship. But we would not be sharing the guest room.

Everyone's eyes widened as they took in something behind me. I reminded myself this was real-life and the odds of it being a three-headed giant lizard were low.

"Audrey?"

The way those vowels stretched out in his accent caught my breath in my throat.

My heart beat like a downpour pounding on a tin roof. A digital version of that voice had complimented, consoled, and supported me for a year. But he was here in Claire's home.

My socked feet scrambled on the hardwood floor, finding just enough purchase to run toward the love of my life.

Even though we'd seen each other plenty through video chats, it didn't capture how much his emerald eyes sparkled when they met mine, or the adorable semi-awkward stance he had as he took me in.

I threw myself into his arms and grasped at him like he might fly off again. His warmth, his cedar smell, and his embrace all melted into a reality my dreams could never replicate.

"God, I've missed this," he sighed into my hair.

His touch washed away the year's worth of stress, tears, and loneliness that even the best of friends couldn't banish, although they came close. While our time apart had shown our compatibility from our love of nature, silly sitcoms, and taking virtual animal safaris together, my comfort around him convinced me he was my person for life.

Someone cleared their throat beside us. A beautiful brunette in a purple blouse smirked at Caleb and rocked her wheelchair back and forth.

"Lily." I bent down to hug her. Someone had added a temporary ramp at the front door. "It's so wonderful to see you in person."

She wrapped her arms around me with a bit of stiffness that likely was still from her recovery. "Likewise, not that you don't make a striking floating head at our family meals."

"I do have admirable floating head qualities," I joked.

Caleb's parents stood behind them, and I embraced them both. Melissa and Caleb had the same gorgeous shade of eyes, while his pensive look and cheekbones came from his dad's side.

She had predicted correctly that as Lily recovered, their dad mostly returned to his regular friendly demeanour with Caleb and me. Though Caleb noted with chagrin that his dad wasn't as upbeat as he had been. I didn't hold it against him though. It didn't make him mean or rude, just unable to appreciate the world the way he used to before the accident changed his daughter's life forever. He still did his best to welcome me and be gentle with his kids.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why are you all here? I thought I was coming to you soon."

"Lily got the all-clear to travel, and given that we missed a chance to celebrate Vince and Claire together and take the journey to Churchill, we wanted to visit for their anniversary. Plus, I missed you terribly."

He kissed my cheek, which made my skin burn, given that everyone was staring with wide grins.

"Me too. So how many of us are coming on this trip to Churchill?"

"Everyone in this room."

My eyes widened, and I grinned so wide my cheeks strained. "Really? That's amazing. Lily, you're going to love it!"

"That's what I've been told, but you two do have pretty rose-coloured glasses."

We couldn't help but beam at each other. My boyfriend was here in Canada again, we'd survived a year of long-distance, and soon, I'd be moving out to join him and his sweet family who flew here to meet me.

Later that evening, Caleb and I were alone outside in Claire's yard on a bench that had witnessed several steps of our relationship. He held my hand as we sat under a blanket of stars.

"It feels amazing to be together again." He kissed me deeply now that we were alone. For months, I'd dreamed of him, but nothing beat how my body was suspended in a warm tropical bay. I was almost lightheaded by the time we were both ready to pull away.

"How does it feel to be back?" I asked.

"Good, and strange. I've gotten used to our distance dates, and this almost feels like a dream, the best one, of course. As long as I don't wake up."

I smiled and leaned into his chest. "Soon distance will just be a memory."

"You're still feeling good about the move?"

Good didn't capture the magnitude of my emotions. My calendar was full of X's and I flew around like I was on a sugar and caffeine high most days, especially if Caleb took me on a virtual morning beach walk or sent real estate photos. Just imagining being there in person in our own space made me dance around the house and run up and down the stairs like a kid, to Vince's amusement. My boss had teased that he'd fly me back for a month once a year and pay me handsomely so my infectious energy would brighten up the office in the summer.

"I'm so excited. The apartment pictures you sent look amazing! I don't know which one we should get and hopefully, they'll still be available when I book my flight."

"At least chatting about them tells what to search for when it is time." He took my hands in his. "And you're not having any second thoughts?"

Why was he asking twice? His relaxed expression didn't have me worried.

"No, are you?"

He didn't hesitate. "Not at all."

"Distance has been different, but it's made me love you in a bunch of new ways. I adore hearing all your work stories or watching movies together."

"Our nature walks are my favourite, though you'll likely distract me when we take them together. I forgot how intoxicating it is to be around you."

He pulled me into a close hug that I just melted into. I couldn't wait to hold him anytime I wanted and start and end our days with tender embraces.

"I love you so much," I whispered into his ear.

He fiddled with his pocket. "Audrey, I... I have something to ask you, and you can say no. It won't change a single thing about us or how much I love and adore you, I promise. We'll have an amazing life together in whatever apartment or rental we can find, no matter what. And someday, something bigger. But I had this impulsive idea and bought this ring."

He pulled a purple velvet box out of his pocket. My stomach clenched and my palms grew sweaty in the summer's heat.

"And I was wondering if you, Audrey Clarke, would like to have a sham wedding with me to expedite your visa and begin our life with less tedious paperwork and applications."

A grin spread across my face. There were very few proposals out there that appealed to me, but a fake wedding to the very real man I loved to beat the system? I could get on board with that.

He kept looking into my eyes. "I won't make you any romantic promises or proclamations right now, because I know you prefer them to exist independent of official ceremonies, but I would fake the hell out of that marriage ceremony for you to fool the officials and because I'm madly in love with you. Okay, I lied, just one proclamation. So what do you think?"

If he went to the trouble to get a ring, he must have done the research to support his words, or it was something he wanted, which I was also okay with. This year apart had proven to me that our relationship was nothing like my parents and that we could plan a life we'd both love together.

"If it's a mutually beneficial arrangement, I might be inclined to say yes."

An adorable smile blossomed on his lips.

"And I know you hate planning, so I asked Vince to get ordained online. We can keep it simple, short and sweet, under the northern lights with my family and your friends, and if you want, your parents. No big speeches aside from the ones we'll have to ham up to submit as proof with our visa application. But I don't imagine it'll be hard after this time apart. You could always use this."

He pulled my polar bear journal from his pocket and handed it to me. Its pages were very dog-eared.

"I hope you don't mind that I filled the back half."

My fingers flipped through the pages, reaching a list fifteen pages long that brought tears to my eyes as I spotted so many moments of our time together and apart through his eyes.

"Caleb, I..." No words matched how my heart swirled like a warm early summer breeze banishing any thought of winter. "I have some catching up to do." I tucked the journal in my purse and would fill it before the train pulled into the Churchill station.

"So if you're not put off by the wedding, we could all celebrate with belugas or polar bears the next day. But only if you want to." 

His eyes searched mine again, and I adored how he was still checking in about this.

"Otherwise, it'll just be a regular trip still full of wildlife. You can get the working holiday visa, and we'll find you some Northern work postings to keep renewing it and then figure it out in three years if that's where we want to be. The only person I shared this plan with was Vince, and he kept the secret this time. My family came out to see him and meet you, so there is no pressure to agree."

I had considered an immigration-based marriage last year when I was falling for Caleb, and a small celebration he'd already organized with the people I loved in the place we fell in love was perfect. Especially if it meant we would jump into the life we wanted with fewer headaches. Of course, there'd still be forms and interviews to get my visa and in time citizenship, but few things in the world were more real than my love for this man.

"It worked out rather well the last time I agreed to one of your plans, and coincidentally, I'm madly in love with you too. So, let's do it."

***

Audrey

I love you more than I can ever put into words, but seeing as you created something that has helped me get through this miserable separation (and lonely plane ride), I figured I would try too.

I love

That I can hear your gentle voice and cute accent in every heartfelt line of this book

How much you adore the world and your passion in sharing it all with me

That you'll be ready to answer my video calls at each layover

Your support for my family even though you've only met Mum through video chats (and she adores you)

Your fearlessness in the face of life's challenges. You stand at the edge of the storm, never afraid, almost eager, I imagine, to get soaked

How the moment I bring you to any of our Aussie lakes or rivers, you'll leap into them without a second thought (though you may need to mind the crocodiles in a few)

How I can sense the thoughtful questions you'll have about all the amazing places I want to tour you around

That you cheered me up despite knowing how much this distance hurts us both

That your voice makes the most miserable days bearable even if we missed each other and you've left me a heartfelt video message about your day

That I'll get to spend the rest of my life with you

As a gentle breeze kicked sand against my skin, whose ghostly Canadian glow finally melted into a tan, I flipped through our polar love journal. I passed the initial pages to find our entries had met in the middle. We'd need to buy ourselves a new journal. My fingers traced the latest entry that must have appeared after I noticed when the book vanished from our coffee table last night.

When I'm with you, I'm home

I added a purple heart beside Caleb's words and couldn't agree more. Then I stashed it in a dry bag and tucked it in our hiding spot in the banksia bushes. His voice carried from his kayak as he chatted about a wallaby species he had been observing this week.

"Audrey, you coming?" Lily called from the new adaptive kayak Caleb had found. It took us a little while to figure it out, but it seemed promising. "I could use a break from your husband's far too detailed wildlife yarns."

His gaze met mine from the water, reminding me of our many kisses and promises in the tundra months ago. While the words 'husband' and 'wife' took some getting used to, the marriage made settling into Australia easier and turned us into a team when facing immigration. Even his family had helped with interviews, not that they knew our marriage was for permanent residency—that was a secret between the bride and groom. Having a group of people advocating that I was a genuine and wanted member of their family soothed my soul.

Caleb turned to Lily with a raised eyebrow.

"What, too embarrassed to admit we're related?" He shot back at her.

"No, but it's a bloody great way to distract you."

She splashed him with her paddle and stuck out her tongue.

I grinned and set off in my boat with my family to explore the coast to hopefully see turtles or a dugong. With the warm fall sun beaming down on us and a home-cooked Balinese supper awaiting our return compliments of their dad, I couldn't ask for a better day.