“If the options are losing you because we can’t find a way to be together or losing him and going on the run with you...” Eric looked up. “I choose you. Every time.”
She loved him. It hit her in that moment just how completely she loved this man. She’d loved him for a long time, but there’d always been a part of her she held back, knowing their love was doomed. It wasn’t anymore.
“I love you.”
He frowned, but the line between his brows smoothed out as he studied her expression. “I love you too.”
Something inside her settled. Nikolett cleared her throat. “I think I know what will work.”
“You have a plan.” He grinned in satisfaction.
“Of course I have a plan. Several plans, actually.” Nikolett pushed her plate to Eric, then went and got her computer, opening the file called “If-Eric-stops-being-a-coward.”
Since both the file name and contents were written in Hungarian, he didn’t know what she’d called the document.
He was grinning. “You have a written plan?”
“And you have no plan.”
“I do have a plan. It was to ask you what we should do since you’re smarter than me.”
Nikolett hid her smile with a frown. She wasn’t sure it worked since she could feel the corners of her lips twitching up. “Lazy,” she chided.
“I call it knowing my strengths and weaknesses.”
“Which am I? Your strength or your weakness?”
“Both.” He sat forward. “What’s the plan?”
“Neither of us steps down, at least not right away. Basically,” she said, “we have a one-year power rebalancing and restructuring. We shift more power to the admirals while also making the fleet admiral more present in each territory, in an advisory or support capacity, thereby eliminating any issues around undue influence.”
“Does anyone actually want the fleet admiral to be more present?”
Nikolett shrugged. “When I was having trouble with my security, you sent the Spartan Guard.”
“Against your will.”
“That’s irrelevant. The point is you and the Spartan Guard are an underutilized resource. With this plan, you spend onemonth in each of the territories. While you and the Spartan Guard are in residence, you help the territory with whatever they need.”
“And if they don’t want help?”
“That’s not an option. If they don’t want you there but can’t figure out a way to keep you occupied and out of their way, they don’t deserve the job of admiral.”
“Still, they’re not going to like it.”
“True, which is why we are also going to strip the requirement for the fleet admiral to approve marriages. Instead, the fleet admiral still does the ceremony, but his approval isn’t necessary. He has the right toobjectto marriages, but not flat-out deny them by withholding approval. If the fleet admiral has an objection, it’s brought before all the admirals and discussed.”
“Would I, I mean, the fleet admiral, still be able to assign marriages?”
“Yes and no. You can, but if you’re the one who creates the marriage, the admiral of anyone involved gets the same right to object. If there’s an objection to a fleet admiral-created marriage it’s, once again, brought before all the admirals.”
“How does this help us?”
“If we’re in a trinity but I’m still admiral, the fear is I’ll have undue influence over you, yes?”
“You already have undue influence. You always have. Mostly because you make every damn thing your business.”
Nikolett shot him a look.
