Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 64571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 323(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 323(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
“What? You clearly want your princess moment, so I’m giving it to you.”
“Climb the tower.” I smile so big it almost hurts as I watch my man make his way up to me.
He pulls himself inside, glass crunching under his boots, and then his hands are on my face, and he’s kissing me like the world is ending and beginning at the same time.
“Don’t ever scare me like that again,” he says.
“Which part?”
“Any of it. All of it.” His thumb traces my jaw. “Stay with me.”
“Where else would I go?”
Nowhere. The answer is nowhere, and we both know it. I’m right where I’m supposed to be; my dad made sure of that for the both of us.
Epilogue
TRISTAN
Iused to be the most powerful man in any room I walked into, right up until three weeks ago when my fiancée found out she was a princess to a European throne and immediately tried to knight the cat.
Now I’m in a whole other country, about to get married to the love of my life, yet I just spent twenty minutes being publicly scolded by a ninety-year-old duke because my tuxedo tie is ‘historically inaccurate,’ according to him.
Nonetheless, there is nowhere else I’d rather be. I only wish that Lily’s dad, Victor, could be here, but I know in a strange way he is. It’s because of him that we’re together at all, and I now see that that had always been his plan. I should have realized that from the start. That man was always a handful of steps ahead when he was planning anything.
Roland stands on the edge of the garden, his suit fitting perfectly. That man can bury a body and still not get a stain on him or have a hair out of place. He catches my eye and raises his glass; I nod back. Lily knighted him too. They honestly should have never told her that was a thing.
Lily appears at the terrace doors, laughing at something Teddy said behind her. She’s wearing a dress the color of sunset that the palace staff insisted on. Lily loves it. She is soaking in all the culture that she can. It’s nice to see her so happy and carefree.
Her eyes find mine, and her whole face softens. It’s an expression that only I get from her. Most of the world thinks I’m a cold-blooded asshole, but she doesn’t. Lily knows and understands me better than anyone. She loves me for who I truly am.
“I’ve been looking for you.” Her smile is coy. I never go far, so her looking for me is really just basically turning around.
“I’ve been hiding from the duke.”
A small laugh leaves her. “He’s still mad about the tie?”
“He’s moved on to my cufflinks.”
She reaches me, sliding her hand into mine like it’s the only place it belongs. “Julian wants to make a toast. I think he might be nervous.”
“Your brother is nervous?”
“He’s been a prince his whole life. Now about to be the king, toasting his new fabulous princess sister is different.” She flicks her hair off her shoulder and pauses, tilting her head. “He likes you, you know. In the way a mob boss likes an undercover cop. He’s polite, but he’s absolutely measuring you for a coffin.”
“High praise,” I chuckle. I’m guessing Lily and Teddy found a stack of mafia romance books in the library. I lean down closer so only she can hear me. “He’d better like me. You two are the only reason his mother is still breathing.” Lily wasn’t sure how to handle the queen. I wanted her dead, but Lily thought that was too easy. She wanted everything taken from her and then put in a cell to rot. That’s what Julian promised to do when we sent her ass packing back to him on a plane.
“You know,” she whispers, “if you’re bored, we could do a secret mission and see if we can make it inside of jail and...” She sticks her tongue out to the side and drops her head back, I think pretending to be dead.
“Maybe we should save that for the honeymoon,” I suggest.
“Good thinking.” She takes my hand, pulling me toward the terrace, past Roland’s nod and the duke’s disapproving sniff. Killian stands by the drinks table with Teddy, arguing about whether the champagne is actually champagne if it’s from this region. I don’t want any part of that argument.
Teddy spots us and waves. “Lily tried to knight the sommelier.”
“He was very knowledgeable about wine.”
“He cried.”
“He was honored.”
“He was terrified.”
“I don’t know who thought I’d be good with power, okay?” Lily throws her hands up like she should have known better. I did, and I’m enjoying the hell out of it because my very soon-to-be wife is.
Julian clears his throat at the head of the long table, candlelight catching the gold champagne glass that he’s holding.