Emmaline just stared at him as he stood. “Could you possibly explain to me what just happened?”
“For the rest of my life.”
She blinked, and a renewed rush of emotions swept over her face. She didn’t believe him, he realized. She thought this was another stunt, another step in the process needed to extricate herself from Garronia. But her expression when he’d proposed—her eyes… There had been no mistaking her reaction to him then. Her mind might not be willing to believe what had taken place between them, but her heart had.
Still, Emmaline clutched his hands, turning her face resolutely forward to the crowd with a smile before he leaned into her. “We’ll need to go greet my parents. And I almost certainly need to apologize to yours.”
“My—oh—” Emmaline blinked at him. “My parents are never going to believe this.”
“Then we should start explaining it to them.”
He turned and called an order, and it was Dimitri, of course, who took it. Dimitri who grinned fiercely at him, then turned away to commandeer the Crown’s communications tech. Then Kristos glanced back to Emmaline’s wide eyes, wanting more than anything to kiss her again. She was his. Or at least, she had the promise to be his. It was enough for the moment. There would be time for them to discuss the reality of what he had just proposed. The requirements of the Crown, Emmaline’s own true desires. There would be time for them to learn more about each other as people from two very different worlds. For now, he had only his heart to trust. And that was more than enough.
Emmaline’s natural caution surged to the fore, of course. As he knew it would, though he loved her all the more for it. “Kristos, even if you did finally read that dossier on me, you don’t know me at all. We just met this week.” She sounded like the words were being yanked out of her with pliers, but she pushed forward doggedly. “I am honored—truly honored—if this is what you want, but how can you know that? You didn’t know I existed before you ran into me on the beach.”
“I’m thinking of renaming that beach.”
“That is not the point!” She brought her head up, desperation and confusion and that same deep well of sadness behind her determined eyes. “This isn’t a decision you can rush into, you more than anyone. It’s a decision that will affect your entire life! Your future—your people… You’ve known me three days!”
“Five, technically,” he said. “I understand your confusion. I have often been told that time seems to pass more swiftly when I’m around.”
Emmaline blinked at him, apparently shocked that he could joke at such a momentous time. And in truth, he should be as startled as she was, should be as nervous and unsure.
But he wasn’t. Not in the slightest.
“I kept coming back to you, koukla mou. I couldn’t stay away. From the first time I met you, you seemed to draw me into your sway. I could no more stop touching you than I could stop breathing. I want to share your life with you, to listen to your music—and for you to pursue that music, however you wish to pursue it …whether that’s back in your American university, or in any concert hall in the world, as long as you always return to me. At this point, I don’t think I could bear this life without you.”
“But that’s… You’re not considering everything. I need to make a list.”
He smiled. “Then put this on it. When I saw you in the sea, fighting against the current, it was not my obligation to go and retrieve you—it was my right. When I saw you in the Visitors’ Palace, it was not my job to find you, to pull you into my arms once more—it was my duty. Not to my country, but to myself. If I hadn’t taken you away from your hotel and into the mountains, I would never have forgiven myself. I would have snuffed out the one light that has ever shone brightly for me. I would have lost my guiding star.”
“But, Kristos.”
“Emmaline.” His words were firm enough that she glanced up to meet his gaze, her face seemingly transfixed for a moment, the two of them caught in time. “You said it once, but I need to hear again, before we take another step. Do you love me?”
Her eyes widened, but she nodded without hesitation. “Yes, I love you. I do.”
“And when did you start loving me?” Somehow, he’d managed to edge closer to her, the tide of photographers forgotten, the shouted questions, their urgent cries merely part of the backdrop now, falling away.
“I—I don’t know,” Emmaline said, biting her lip. “You weren’t there, and then you were. In front of me, in the center of my mind. Like you’d been there all the time.” She waved a hand nervously. “When you talked about your love for your country. Your dedication to your fellow soldiers, I loved you then. And I loved you when you laughed and raced down that mountain in that ridiculous—that ridiculous jeep…” She tried to laugh, but it sounded more like a sob. “And when I saw you for the first time, when you practically knocked me over. I probably fell in love with you then too.”
“So many times you have fallen in love with me, and we have only just met.”
“I know, but—” Emmaline sighed, and tears did slip down her face now, though her smile was tremulous, vulnerable. “That’s different. I’ve been making up impossible stories for most of my life.”
He leaned forward to kiss her in earnest, ignoring the renewed cheer that sounded around the courtyard. “And I have been waiting for you just as long.”
Emmaline allowed Kristos to steer her toward the side, and suddenly there was a man in front of her with an enormous headset, smiling kindly as he slipped it over her hair, then adjusted the mouthpiece in both hands. “Your father!” he shouted as she stared at him, and Emmaline blinked at him.
How is that possible? “Dad?”
“We can hear you!” Her father spoke but he was shouting, and Emmaline heard the sound of clapping, and knew her mother must also be on the line. She couldn’t stop her tears from falling then. Someone pushed a soft white cloth in her hand, and she nodded, the only action she could manage for a moment when no words would come. Her father shouted again into her continued silence. “Are you okay?”
“Yes—Yes!” Emmaline said quickly. “Ah…did they tell you? Do you know what just happened?”
“You just got proposed to is all I could make out,” her father said gruffly. “Some woman who said her name was Catherine told us.” He hesitated. “Those people over there are hard to understand, Em.”
“I know.” She half choked on the words, caught between laughter and tears. “You get used to it.”
“Well, your mother heard the word ‘wedding,’ and she hasn’t stopped smiling.” His voice broke a little, and Em felt another surge of waterworks threaten. “So I guess we’ll figure everything out eventually. But I understand from whoever that woman is who just spoke to us, your young man loves you very much, and that…” He sighed again. “Well, that’s really all any of us needs.”
They spoke a few moments more, then said their good-byes, Em promising to call again as soon as she could, and it was only with great effort she pulled the headset from her hair, her hands spasming on it as if she could touch her mother’s hand across all those miles.
“Emmaline.” The word was rich and full of joy, and Em turned in Kristos’s embrace to see Queen Catherine before her now, holding out her hands. Em stepped out of Kristos’s arms and placed her own hands into the queen’s, reassured by their strong grip.
“I—I guess I don’t really know what to say.”
“Kristos was never one to wait when there was the opportunity to rush in full tilt. But in this case, I couldn’t be happier for his haste—though perhaps his sense of decorum could use some work. It was clear to everyone that you didn’t see this coming.”
Em’s eyes widened a little, her stomach tightening in concern. “Was that bad?”
“Bad?” Catherine shook her head. “It was probably the best reality TV stunt never scripted. If only we’d lined up advertisers beforehand, we could have made enough money to fund Garronia into the next century.” She fro
wned at Kristos. “Still, I hope you don’t plan on making such a public spectacle of your life going forward.”
“Not even remotely.” Kristos looked at Em. “Unless you would like to start a new series? She’s right. It could be a windfall for Garronia.”
At Em’s scowl, Kristos’s laughter rang out over the open air, which seemed to be some sort of signal. “Em!” Nicki came bursting down the path still in her running gear, Lauren and Frannie right behind her. They enveloped her in a monster group hug. “Oh my God, girl! What is going on?”
“You’re getting married!” Lauren’s eyes were wide, her brows climbing up her forehead. “How is it I didn’t know this!”
“I didn’t know it either!” Em gasped, as Frannie shook her head.
“Well, I knew it. You people are idiots.”
“Shut up!” Nicki pounded Fran’s shoulder, then they all seemed to turn as one to Kristos. Em immediately saw the problem.
“But what does this mean? Our trip, our plans—”
“It would give me the greatest honor if you would—all of you—agree to remain in Garronia as our honored guests for at least one more week.” Kristos looked at Lauren. “I know you were planning on a European tour on your own, but we would be delighted to take you anywhere you would like to go while Emmaline and I ah…see where this road might take us. We can show you places that I guarantee are like nothing you’ve ever experienced.”
Lauren looked at him with narrowed eyes for a moment before she nodded, unable to stifle her grin. “Deal. But this better be good.”
“It will be.” Kristos laughed. “I stake my reputation and my country’s honor on it.”
Laughter rose up all around them, and Em found herself watching the scene as if it really was a fairy tale, and she—finally—was seeing it all the way to its perfect ending. The friends she loved so dearly, the brilliant sunlight of a city that seemed created to make dreams come true…and the man who even now was turning toward her, his eyes intent upon her, a smile on his lips, holding his hand out as if to welcome her into a future that was filled with hope, with possibility—and with love.
Princess Emmaline Aurora Grace placed her fingers into the outstretched palm of the prince of the magical kingdom…and stepped into her life.
A Note from Jennifer Chance…
If you enjoyed Emmaline’s story, please consider leaving a review to help more readers discover these books! I’m also delighted to share that the next book in the Gowns & Crowns series is Lauren’s tale, CAPTURED—about a headstrong socialite threatened by the dark side of fame, and the bodyguard determined to keep her safe from everyone… except himself.
CAPTURED
Launching January, 2016!
Lauren Grant is a hard-partying celebutante dedicated to avoiding anything that might tie her down. Dimitri Korba, the impossibly arrogant, impossibly gorgeous captain of the GNSF – and her unwanted bodyguard – just might change her mind.
Which makes him the most dangerous man she’s ever met.
Learn more, sign up for my newsletter, and read about the rest of the books in the Gowns & Crowns series at http://www.jenniferchance.com/!
Acknowledgments
The Gowns & Crowns series would not have been possible without both my friends and fellow authors (who are often one and the same!) Special thanks to my editor, Linda Ingmanson, who took on this romantic tale with enthusiasm and immense skill, and Toni Lee, who is a ninja proofreader. To Liz Bemis of Bemis Promotions, huge thanks for creating a lovely set of covers and your endless patience and skills in helping my books look their best. You deserve every good thing. To Kristine Krantz, thank you for your ideas, insights, and invaluable critiques…even when you didn’t realize it, I was storing up your every comment. To Danielle Barclay and Cameron Yeager of Barclay Publicity, thank you for continuing this crazy journey with me! To Cathy, Laurie, Fran and Sandy… thank you for the laughter and your friendship (and for being great romance heroine models!)
And to every reader who thought—just maybe—that ridiculously romantic dream might somehow come true… keep believing. Sooner or later, in ways you can’t now imagine, it will.
About Jennifer Chance
Jennifer Chance is the award-winning author of the new adult Rule Breakers series. A lover of books, romance, and happily-ever-afters, she lives and writes in Ohio.
You can find her online at http://www.jenniferchance.com/, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/authorJenniferChance and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Jenn_Chance.
Courted: Gowns & Crowns, Book 1 Page 25
