Like the gentleman he is,Royal opens my door for me and makes sure I’m tucked inside before closing it behind me. Then he goes around the vehicle to his side.
Something’s a little off. It’s like he’s nervous or something. Which seems weird because I don’t think swans should be that intimidating, but his nervousness started before we left the garage and has me on the edge of anxiety by proxy.
We’re only down the road, maybe ten minutes, before we pull off at a pond. It’s not all that small but not quite as large as what I’d consider a lake. Out among the frozen reeds are some ducks and two larger white birds floating in the water.
“Ohhh.” I lean forward, getting a better look at them while unbuckling my seat belt.
Royal tries to come around and open my door, but I beat him to it. I’m too excited to see more of the white puffballs on the water. But I link hands with his and trudge out into the snow. As we get closer, the swans must know we’re there to see them because they start swimming in our direction, their bodies bobbing back and forth as they make their way toward us.
They swim around each other a little bit, and one dives into the water and comes back up.
Royal raises my hand and kisses it, squeezing my fingers. “Did you know theymate for life?”
“I didn’t. That’s so romantic.” I can’t take my eyes off them. They’re so graceful floating along.
I go to take another step toward them, but Royal’s hand wrapped in mine keeps me stationary.Right, probably best not to approach wildlife.
I sigh, starting to feel my nose getting cold. “They’re just so beautiful.”
“Nowhere near as beautiful as you.” Royal beams down at me, eyes focused like I’m the only thing that matters, while he laughs at the easy compliment. “I know you’ve already forgiven me for marrying us on paper, and you’ve agreed to be my mate, but something is still missing.”
He squeezes my hand and brings it up to kiss my knuckles. That’s when something catches my eyes, something sparkling. On my left hand, my ring finger, is a diamond engagement ring.
“Royal,” I gasp, looking between him and the ring in awe.
It’s a princess-cut stone, easily three carats, and it’s sparkling in the early afternoon light, almost glowing.How did he get that on my finger?
“It’s too big? If you don’t like the cut or the size...” Royal flounders, his cheeks turning red, and I don’t think it’s just from the cold. “We can get some —”
I snatch my hand away from him, glancing between him and the ring. Tears threaten to spill from the corner of my eyes, but they freeze against my lashes. “Absolutely not. Do not say that. It’s perfect.”
With everything going on, we never discussed a ring. I guess because we were already married, I didn’t see it as a priority. But our relationship has never been conventional, so this tracks for us.
But Royal knows me better than I know myself, and I couldn’t have picked out something more beautiful.
He pulls me back to him, one hand on my shoulder, the other raising my chin. The kiss is sweet and so sincere, but he breaks it quickly. “You’re freezing.”
“I guess a little.” I downplay the way my toes are going numb. I honestly didn’t even notice until now.
Before I can say anything else, Royal scoops me up into his arms and carries me out of the deep snow and backto the SUV. He tucks me into the passenger seat and covers me with a blanket. The drive back home is enveloped in quiet contentment with my hand clasped in his. Every so often, Royal rolls his finger over the stone decorating my finger.
He blasted the heater at full throttle, trying to warm me back up. The joy radiating through me helps take the edge off the chill, along with the warm air thawing my nose.
“You’re really not cold?” I ask as we pull through the gates.
“Being a wolf shifter has its perks. I’m chilly but not cold and certainly nowhere near as frozen as you are. The pond was a bad idea.” He sighs and shakes his head.
“It was absolutely perfect.” I thwart his attempt to belittle the experience. Picking up his hand off the center console, I squeeze it. “I mean it, Royal.”
He squeezes back before putting the vehicle in park outside of his garage stall. Turning in his seat, he cups my face, stroking my cheeks with his thumbs. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”
“Well, you hacked into my phone, made it easy to be your friend, saved me from a fate possibly worse than death, and managed to get us married without a witness or hell, even a bride.” I laugh and nuzzle into his palm.
He smirks. “And I’d do it all again.”
LETICIA
EPILOGUE
