by Holly Rayner
I brush my fingertips across the velvety petals. “I would never.”
We begin walking again, following a stone path that winds among some trees. Even the wooded part of the garden is perfectly cultivated, with grass and moss covering the ground between each tree.
“Did you play out here as a kid?” I ask.
“Hm. Yes.” The pleasure of a time long gone drips from his voice. “Some of my earliest memories were made here. When I was a boy, this was my favorite place.”
It’s all too easy to imagine Nikos as a child, black hair tousled and knees dirty, running to and fro and swinging from tree limbs.
“How does it feel being back?” I ask. “Especially now that everything is good between you and your dad?”
His walk slows. “It is better than I ever could have predicted. My only wish is that I had returned sooner.”
“Nikos.”
At the sound of his name, he stops walking and turns to face me. Cupping his face, I squint through the dim light to meet his gaze.
“You showed up,” I say, “and that’s what matters. Besides, didn’t you hear Thea in the kitchen earlier? She said that your dad’s zest for life is back. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.”
Nikos places his hand over mine. I feel his smile against my fingers.
“Thank you,” he says. “For making this possible.”
“I only nudged you in a certain direction… and how long are you planning on thanking me for? Because you’ve already done it close to a thousand times.”
“Perhaps I will never stop.”
His hand drops from mine, and my skin aches where he touched me. We start moseying along again. The stone path makes a circle, and up ahead the palace spills forth yellow light.
I don’t want to go back there. Not yet. I want to savor each minute I get in this garden with Nikos. I don’t know if there will ever be a night quite like it again.
“I understand my father’s abrupt change of heart,” Nikos says. “In more ways than one.”
“Oh, yeah? How do you mean?”
“I remember speeding away from Ohio in the dark, my heart racing. I did not know where I was going and I did not have a plan. All I wanted was to escape that which scared me.”
My throat’s all lumpy, and my hands tremble. It’s like that night all over again: when I walked into his house and realized he and Maya had left.
“I was blinded by fear,” he says. “My thought processes did not work properly. It took Maya’s words to show me the way. She pointed out what matters.”
“Your family?”
A stick crunches in the garden. Nikos turns to me, his form backlit by the palace’s light.
“That is part of it, yes. But, honestly… when I turned the car around my family was not on my mind. It was you, Julia. You mattered a great deal to me already. You did the moment I first set eyes on you, hard as that is to explain.”
My heart flutters. “No. I understand it. When I first saw you, I was…” I laugh. “Yeah, it’s hard to find the words, but I was struck dumb, I guess.”
“I feel that we were meant to meet, as if someone guided us together.”
The butterflies outside the window right before we left Ohio for Kalista come to mind. I feel as if I’m filling up with sunshine.
“I know,” I whisper. “It’s crazy.”
“Is it?” Nikos takes my hand in his. Our fingers lace together, and the connection sinks deep into my belly.
“You brought light into my soul,” he says. “And I wish for that to never go away.”
“Nikos,” I murmur.
What else can I say? I’m floating. I could whisper this man’s name for a thousand years and never grow tired of it.
“Will you stay with me along the path and help light the way?” he asks. “Will you be my girlfriend?”
No one’s ever formally asked me to be their girlfriend before. Usually, it’s something that just happens or doesn’t happen. Most of the time, there’s a lot of misunderstanding and confusion involved, the two parties thinking different things are going on.
But not with Nikos and me. We’re on the same page. That couldn’t be clearer.
“Girlfriend?” I ask, well aware that I’m not adding much to the conversation by responding with one-word answers.
I can’t help it. My head’s spinning, and I swear my feet are no longer on the ground.
“Please,” Nikos adds.
A laugh bursts from me, and I throw myself into his arms. My lips hit his cheeks, his chin, the side of his neck. All I know how to do anymore is kiss him.
Nikos stumbles back, laughing along with me. I’m locked in his arms, and we nearly tumble to the ground, but we right ourselves just in time.
Finally, my mouth finds what it’s been looking for: his mouth. The kiss melds us together. Nikos becomes all I taste, all I smell, all I touch.
“Is that an answer?” he asks, breaking his lips from mine.
“Hm? I didn’t answer?”
“Nope.” He grazes his stubbled jaw along my cheek.
“Dad!” Maya calls from the direction of the palace.
“Coming!” Nikos yells over his shoulder.
I step out of our embrace, but I make sure my hand is in his.
“Have you asked Maya about this?” I ask.
He hesitates. “No. Should I have?”
“I think so. I’m curious to know what her response will be.”
We walk down the path. Maya’s standing in a doorway with Thea.
“Where’d you go?” Maya asks as we approach. “We’re gonna watch a… a…” She yawns. “Movie.”
Nikos scoops her up. “You seem awfully tired for a movie.”
“No, I’m not,” Maya protests, even as she’s laying her head on his shoulder.
“Perhaps tomorrow would be better,” Thea suggests.
“No.” Maya turns her face into Nikos’ neck. Her arms are draped over his shoulders, but they’re relaxed. She’s not far from sleep at all.
“What if,” I say, “we all get ready for bed and then get on the couch to watch a movie?”
I wink at Nikos under the porch light, and he smiles his approval. We both know that after the big day she’s had, Maya probably won’t last more than ten minutes after sitting on the couch. She’ll be out like a light.
“Yes, yes, yes,” Maya says. “Julia, you always have the best ideas.”
“I don’t know about that. I think maybe your dad has some good ones, too.”
“Every once in a while,” Nikos says.
Chuckling, Thea runs her hand over Maya’s hair. “I will go prepare the entertainment room. See you all shortly.”
“Speaking of good ideas,” Nikos says as his sister goes into the palace, “what do you think of this one, Maya?”
“What?” She lifts her head from his shoulder to get a better look at him.
“What if I asked Julia to be my girlfriend? Do you think that would be a good idea?”
She’s quiet for a long moment. My heart actually starts to race. Maya and I get along great, but what if she doesn’t like the idea of me being further integrated into their lives? Suppose she feels I might try to usurp her?
“She would be around more,” Nikos says.
“I would move to Ohio,” I add.
Nikos’ smile is gigantic. “You would?”
“Yeah.” I laugh in pleasure. “I would. As of right now, I’m making that decision.”
“What would she be doing?” Maya asks, looking back and forth between us.
“Having dinner with us,” Nikos answers.
“Hanging out,” I say. “I would spend a lot of time with you both together, but I would also want time alone.”
“With my dad?”
“Yes, but with you as well.” I place my hand on her shoulder.
“Yay!” Maya squeals.
I laugh into my hand while Nikos kisses the side of her head.
“I think she approves
,” he says.
“Wonderful.” I wrap my arms around the two of them and we hug each other tight.
“This is the best day ever,” Maya says.
“Yeah,” I say. “I have to agree.”
“I disagree,” Nikos says, turning for the door, Maya still in his arms.
“Why’s that?” I hold the door for them and frown.
“How can it be the best day when life will only continue to get better?”
I can’t stop giggling. “Nikos Galanis, you know what?”
We tread down a carpeted hallway. “What?”
“Nothing. I only like saying your name.”
His dark eyes sparkle. “Then don’t ever stop.”
“Wasn’t planning on it.”
Epilogue
Julia
“Hurry, hurry!” Maya claps her hands, sky-blue eyes beaming bright.
“Patience,” Thea laughs. “I am walking to the closet right now.”
“Walk faster, Aunt Thea.”
Coming up behind Maya from an angle she can’t see, I scoop her into my arms. Her feet clear the ground and she squeals in delight.
“Kiss attack!” I shout, raining kisses on her chubby cheeks.
“No!” She pushes against me, still laughing. In this game, “no” means “keep going.” Maya’s always asking me to sneak up on her and launch a kiss attack.
Something twinges in my back, and I collapse on the bed behind me, bringing Maya with me.
“Either you’re getting big,” I say, “or I’m getting old.”
“You’re getting old,” Maya says, at the same time Thea calls, “She’s getting big,” from inside the walk-in closet.
I prop myself up on my elbow. “It makes more sense that you’re getting big. You are eight today.”
Thea appears in the closet doorway. “Here we are! How do you like it?”
She’s holding a traditional Kalistan dress in Maya’s size. Folds of white cloth trimmed with pink and gold move like water in Thea’s hands as she stretches the dress for us to get a better look at it.
Maya gasps and leaps from the bed. “Can I put it on now?”
“Absolutely. I was thinking you could wear it to your party.”
Maya yanks off her shirt, and Thea helps her finish changing. There’s a shout from somewhere outside, which draws my attention to the windows of Maya’s palace bedroom.
Leaving the bed, I peer through the glass at the grounds below. The birthday party Maya’s grandfather has arranged for her is beyond extravagant. He’s had a carousel carted in, and there’s a stage set up for some famous kid’s puppeteer. Caterers arrange the tables covered with lemonade in half a dozen flavors and colors and a miniature rendition of the palace made completely from candy.
The cake, which has been kept a surprise from Maya, will be in the shape of an actual horse. And not just any horse. The brown mare that Kostas bought Maya several months ago and that she named Mocha.
It’s quite the party. I’d be worried about it spoiling Maya if her life wasn’t so balanced.
After visiting Kalista for the first time six months ago, a lot has changed. Luckily, it’s all been for the better.
I made the move from New York to Ohio permanent. It’s like the universe was expecting me to do it, because as soon as I started looking for a rental in Sterling something opened up a few streets away from Nikos’.
Ever since then, things have been great. I’m back to working, though I keep at it part-time. Not only is life in Sterling far cheaper than life in New York, the hectic lifestyle I was enmeshed in has fallen away. I’m more than okay with a slower life now. In fact, I love it.
“Julia, look,” Maya says.
Turning from the window, I find Thea tying the sash on Maya’s dress. The little girl does a spin, and all three of us laugh.
“Lovely,” I tell her.
“I’m really excited for the party,” she says. “But I also can’t wait for the party back home, because Clara and Emily will be there.”
My heart nearly bursts. For a princess, this girl has a good head on her shoulders—and it’s no coincidence. It’s all thanks to Nikos and how he’s chosen to raise her.
Because I never can hug Maya enough, I draw her tight to me and nuzzle my face into the top of her head.
“That’ll be a fun day,” I tell her.
For her second party, back in Ohio, we have planned a laser-tag party with her buddies from school.
“I’m going to show Dad my dress.” Maya withdraws from my hold and zooms from the room.
“She loves it,” I tell Thea. “You know, if you couldn’t already tell.”
“I thought as much.” Thea peeks past me, at the window that drew my attention earlier. “It appears they’re about ready to begin the festivities.”
“Yep.” I nod. “I should get down there and check on things. Nikos seemed a little stressed this morning.”
“Julia.” Thea stops me before I can take a step.
“Yeah?”
“I wanted to say…” She presses her palms together and looks down. She seems to be collecting herself.
It’s not a version of her I’m familiar with.
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
“Oh, yes. Certainly. No, I…” With one finger, she delicately dabs at the corner of her eye, where a tear sparkles. “I only wanted to tell you thank you.”
“What for?”
“For loving Nikos and Maya.”
I don’t mean to, but I laugh out loud.
“I’m sorry.” Pressing my hand to my lips, I stifle the laughter. “I just… you don’t have to thank me for that, Thea.”
She smiles. “I understand it is not a chore, but still, thank you. Obviously, you did not know Nikos before he came into your life. Even though I had not seen him in person for many years, his anxieties came through in his letters. He was, I believe, not a happy man. He lived for Maya, yes, but also in fear. You awoke something in him, and for that I will always be grateful.”
“They’ve brought as much into my life as I have into theirs,” I say. “Maybe more.”
Thea nods. She knows about my mother, though we’ve never had a detailed conversation on the matter.
“I have something for you,” she says.
“Really?”
“Yes. You seem surprised.”
“It’s not my birthday,” I say.
“Yes, well, that is no excuse for not receiving a gift. Right this way, please.”
I follow Thea down the third-floor hallway that all the family’s bedrooms are on. Even though Nikos, Maya, and I only spend about a quarter of our time here, there are permanent bedrooms set up for us.
“I hope you do not mind,” Thea says over her shoulder as she walks. “I took the liberty of having it delivered to your room.”
“How can I mind when I don’t know what it is?” I ask playfully.
Of course I don’t care. It would be silly to complain about a surprise. Especially if it’s coming from Thea, who I decided months ago is one of the sweetest and most levelheaded people in the world.
In my bedroom, a dress hangs from a hook on the four-poster bed. I gasp, nearly tripping over my feet as I set eyes on another traditional Kalistan gown. It’s just as gorgeous as Maya’s, except this one is sky blue with silver trim.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathe.
Thea looks relieved. “I’m so happy you like it. Will you try it on? No pressure, of course, I only—”
“Oh, I’m definitely trying it on,” I tell her. “I’ll wear it to the party.”
She claps her hands, and it’s the most she’s ever reminded me of Maya.
“Excellent,” Thea says. “I need to go to the kitchen to check on the caterers, but I will see you down there, yes?”
“Absolutely. Thank you so much.”
I throw my arms around her, and she gives me a tight hug before leaving the room.
The dress is soft to the touch, and it feels am
azing on my skin. There isn’t a sash to tie like on Maya’s, so all I have to do is step into it and do the clasps in the back.
Standing in front of the full-length mirror, I feel like royalty myself. Thea must have gotten ahold of my measurements somehow, because the dress hugs and flows in all the right places.
There’s only one thing to do in a situation such as this.
It’s selfie time.
Unplugging my phone from where it’s charging, I snap a few pictures from different angles until I get a good one. I could post it to social media, like I would have done months ago, but that doesn’t feel right.
Adjusting to life as a public figure has been one of the biggest adjustments these past months. There was a flurry of media interest in the weeks after Nikos embraced his true identity, and since then people have been coming up to both of us in the street and either asking questions about royal life or wanting to take selfies.
He indulges them, as do I, but it’s definitely contributed to me becoming more private about things that I previously would have posted online. I guess that’s not exactly a bad thing. It’s just different.
This party and everything happening around it, even though it’s for a princess, is still private. I don’t need the whole world knowing about it.
So instead of posting the best picture to social media, I add it to the group text thread I have going with Magnolia and Laura.
The thought of my oldest closest friend and my newest closest friend meeting each other was nerve-racking, but it turned out I didn’t need to be worried at all. The two of them hit it off like they were twins separated at birth. Laura has come to visit Ohio a couple times since then, and I took Magnolia to New York for a weekend.
“What do you think?” I type under the picture.
There’s a ping as Magnolia’s response comes in almost immediately.
“Amazing! So beautiful! Hope you’re having fun.”
I’m putting the phone down when there’s another text, this time from Laura.
“You look gorgeous,” she says. “I’ve never seen you looking so happy.”
I’m about to tell her I have every intention of staying that way, but there’s a knock at the door.
“Yes?” I ask.
