The prince looked at me for a moment, his face turning a bit red in passing.
“Hard not to. I guess I really appreciated your company all this time and your incredibly sharp wit. Then it was those other things I liked too.” He rambled on.
“But…I’m going to shut up now.”
I reached out for him then, touching him on the arm. “It wasn’t your imagination. I really do love you.” I told him in a small rush. “I just didn’t know that you felt the same about me.”
“You just…I mean…you have all these qualities that I admire in a person. In a woman I mean.” He ventured sagely.
“Like what?”
“Everything? I didn‘t exactly find the time to write things down. On a list I mean.”
“But is there anything that does come to mind?” I pressed gently.
Bart looked at me for a second.
“You have such beautiful eyes.” He confessed.
“I think that’s a common asset with all the girls, sweetie. You have to choose something else more endearing if you want to keep my attention riveted.” I teased out in the open. But inside, I was feeling pretty happy about this turn of events. And giddy.
“Well, your cooking hasn’t killed me yet. That‘s for sure.”
“I should hope not.” I laughed. “My mom taught me a lot growing up. And one of those things was having the ability to feed myself and cook for others when the situation called for it.”
Then I got a little serious after that.
“So what else caught your immediate interest? What about me did you find the most attractive?”
Bart hesitated for a second and then blurted out: “You looked really pretty back at the bar—when I came out to find you just standing there in the hallway—dressed the way you were.”
A minute of silence separated the two of us as I digested what had been said to my face. Revealed even.
I pursed my lips in quiet amazement.
“Ahh…so you looked after all.” I confirmed with a nod of my head. Then smiled. “So you liked what you saw then?”
Bart nodded sheepishly with noticeable embarrassment.
“Yes. I did. But only for a fraction of a second before you came over and thumped me on the head with your fist. I thought you were going to kill me.”
“I’m sorry. I was just in a vulnerable state with my friend and I didn’t need any more added complications.”
“I know. That’s why I didn’t say anything.”
“Thank you.” I said, before leaning over to kiss him on the top of the head. “For being honest with me.”
Bart blushed and didn’t say anything for a second. But when he did, his next words surprised even me.
“But I don’t think this will work.”
“What won‘t work?”
“This. Us.” He elaborated with some simple hand gestures. “I’m not quite twenty for one, and two…there’s a matter of the long-distance relationship issues to be had.”
“I can overcome that problem. We can Skype if you want. Or we can arrange for a visit either here and there in the States or home at your choosing. Although, I will have to say, I haven’t had to visit Great Britain in about six months since my last run. So I may be a little rusty—as far as tourists go.”
Bart smiled then—liking that idea even more. “I’ll be sure to give you a grand tour personally for when you come over for a visit.”
“I would welcome it.” I said, kissing him again on the cheek in passing.
“But I am also a prince.” Bart reminded me then after I turned around for a second. “Wouldn’t that complicate things much?”
“I didn’t fall in love with you because you are a prince, Your Highness. I fell in love with you for the very same reasons why you fell for me.”
“And what would that be?”
I looked back at him then—surprised by the fact that he didn’t even know. How could he not?
But I realized then that maybe he did need some more growing up in life and I was just the person to help him in that regard.
“You have such an amazing personality, you’re a great talker, a good listener even when you pretend otherwise, you have a quirky sense of humor, and you treat people with the utmost respect. And you rarely ask of anything from anyone in return.”
“That’s just the way I was raised.” He deflected rather easily.
I shook my head in firm disagreement. “No. That’s not true, Bart.”
“It’s not?” He said, surprised by my statement.
“No. You are who you are because you have a kind and gentle soul. You are also quite the poet and a hopeless romantic. Plus…you had my back while we were engaged up there and you have shown me things about myself that I don’t get in touch with very often on a personal level. It made me feel like a very lucky woman indeed. And I want to thank you publicly for that experience.”
Bart went silent then. “Oh. I was sure that there are other guys out there that did the same thing—?” He threw out with some uncertainty.
I sighed patiently. “There had been a few guys in my life who I thought were special. Then there was one that cheated on me—”
“I know. Lisa told me about him. I’m so sorry.”
“—but that doesn’t change how I feel about you. You are the one I fell in love with from the start. But over the past month, I needed space and time to myself to sort things out. The fact you got hurt kinda sped things up a bit and it forced me to confront some ugly truths about life and about myself. Things that will most likely aid me in this new relationship of ours.”
“Will I get a say in anything?” He ventured jokingly.
I smiled again.
“Of course, silly. You’ll always have a say in things. But because I am much older than you and the wiser, I am going to pretty much rule the roost—until the day comes when you can hold your own.”
“I don’t have a problem with that. If some of my girl friends can be bossy towards me, I can handle you in a heartbeat.”
I took that as a personal challenge towards myself.
“Oh, you think so, do you?” I said, having a Cheshire grin of my own in play. “You think you can really handle me?”
“After what’s happened, I think I can finally admit that I can handle pretty much anything.” He said in ways of a challenge of youth.
I laughed before touching his arm. “I think you’re sweet. And silly. But I’ll hold you to that when we go on our first real date together.”
Bart looked at me for a second and then sighed.
“I promise you I won’t treat you any differently than—” and was silenced when I kissed him for the very first time.
I looked at him then. “I don’t want you to put up a front because you are royalty, Your Highness. I want the guy I had been spending the last month with whom filled me with such warmth and energy and a reason to go on living. That‘s you.”
Bart looked at me in surprise after we had kissed. It was something he wasn’t expecting from me, but in a moment, he nodded just the same.
“Okay.” He promised.
“And I still want to read your stuff.” I told him flat out. “When I get you home, that’s the first thing I want to see.”
“Deal.” He said with a more renewed vigor and courage.
I smiled triumphantly. “Good. Now, let’s eat and we’ll figure out how you’re going to get home.”
“Okay.” My beloved prince said in that space of a moment, and began the process of laying out his biscuits on the plate—on the tray table in rows of two. I helped him out with the sausage gravy part and tried my best to not get any on him in turn.
Of course, I was laughing a bit while I was doing this, but I guess it’s because we finally broke the ice between us and now it was just a matter of starting a new and potentially wonderful relationship.
Wherever that may lead.
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The Peacemaker Page 23
