“As you know, I need physical touch. And as I know, you are quite adverse to it. So I have to ask, if we married, will we be able to… you know? Make love?”
Her eyes grow wide while the remnant of the last blush deepens. “I, um, well…” she stutters. I give her the time to process and formulate, and she finally says, “I believe so. But it might take some easing into.”
My cheeks hurt from smiling so big. “Practice makes perfect, sweetheart.” I wink, and she shoves away from me with a laugh of disbelief.
“Finley Folke Andersson, you will be the death of me.”
I pull her close again, engaging her in my arms and discreetly sniffing her hair. “I pray to be the life of you.”
She chuckles. “Sorry. God is the life of me. But you can come second.”
“That is the only spot I’d aim to be in,” I affirm, sending a prayerful thank you to Him for this blessing in my arms.
We stand in silence for a moment before Lorelei pulls back from the embrace. A panic runs through me as our eyes meet. She looks worried and hesitant. “What’s going through your mind?” I ask.
She swallows, her eyes shifting away from me for a millisecond before snapping back. “I think I’m ready to try.”
“Try what?”
“Kissing you.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Lorelei
My boyfriend looks shell-shocked.
Boyfriend.
Huh.
Weird how that little word no longer makes my brain squirm. In fact, I quite enjoy it.
But Finley Andersson is so much more to me than a mere boyfriend.
Something snapped in my weirdly wired brain today when I sat at a table of admittedly delicious-smelling food and watched him interact with his mother and father, saw Korsa with my own eyes, and noticed that this manly, strong, capable prince is stepping up to the throne to protect his siblings all the while fulfilling a duty assigned to him at birth.
When he told his mother all he wanted from her was her trust and faith, my heart shattered into pieces. I saw Finley. For the first time, I saw a part of him that I’m certain no one else has seen. He was vulnerable. Hurt. Insecure. And in need of love.
We will give him all the love,my brain shouted. And I knew. It’s as if God allowed the walls to fall. Being with Finley makes sense. He makes sense. He loves me for me. He believes in me.
And he needs someone to believe in him. I do. I believe he means it when he tells me that I would be a great queen. He isn't new to this royal life. He knows what it takes. And if he says I have it, then I have to believe him. He needs me in his corner the same way he has been in my corner. Heck, the man wanted me before he knew I was actually me. I see it all now. Very clearly.
But I think I broke him…
“Finley? If you’re not ready, then okay. That’s fine. I just thought—”
“I’m ready!” he interrupts in a high-pitched voice, then he coughs a few times. His next words come out in his normal, deeper voice. “Sorry, I mean, yes. I am ready to try if you are absolutely sure.”
My lips twitch, amusement washing over me. “But first, let’s eat this lovely food your mother has prepared for us. I would like to be in my room when we try. Just in case it doesn’t go… well.”
Finley swallows and nods a little too eagerly. I settle into my cushioned seat and call Lucy to come down. Minutes later, she arrives with Gabriel and Anders flanking her sides, a look of whimsical awe in her every movement. She wears a navy dress with a hemline that rests above her knees, her feet donned with matching shoes. Golden buttons run from the top to the bottom of her fitted dress. Her strawberry blonde hair is curled in big waves that cascade down her shoulders, her bangs swooped to the side.
My twin is immaculate.
Gabriel’s constant gaze on her says that he thinks the same thing.
Part of me secretly wishes the two of them would have continued on and Lucy could move here with me, but she was adamant that Gabriel’s career was too high-risk for her sanity.
