He moves toward me, giving me time to back away if I want to. I don’t. He sits beside me, turning his body toward me fully. “I’m so fucking sorry you had to see that.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Tatiana entered my office and mentioned the blind item, said she knew I was trapped and offered to make things easier. She’s willing to do whatever I want if I give her the crown.”
His finger brushes against my arm, and goose bumps follow. He pauses, and something shifts in his expression. “There are cameras in my office for security purposes. I’ve already turned the footage over to officials and filed a complaint for harassment. Tatiana said she’d be my wife, that we’d be married, that the council had already decided. I want to test that.”
I stare at him.
“What she did is an intolerable offense. I refuse to allow anyone, princess or not, to behave that way toward me without consequences.”
“What will happen to her?” I ask.
“I don’t know. The harder I make it for the council, the better.”
I let out a long breath, feeling guilt for ignoring him rush through me. “No one should have to go through this.”
“I’ve had enough,” he states.
When he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper, I realize it’s the note I wrote on his mother’s stationery. He unfolds it carefully, and my eyes scan over my handwriting.
I’ve fallen in love with you.
“We need to discuss this,” he says, tapping it against his fingers. “I’ve read this a hundred times over the last two days. Every time I started to lose hope, I read it. Because”—his voice breaks—“I’ve fallen in love with you too, Addison.”
I wasn’t expecting this conversation right now.
“I’m so fucking in love with you that I’m willing to risk it all for the chance to be with you,” he confesses.
The crown prince of Montclaire is sitting in front of me, confirming he feels the same, and I can’t make my brain process the words.
“I thought I was broken,” he continues. “I thought I wasn’t capable of feeling like this for another person. And then I met you, and you changed everything.”
Tears stream down my cheeks, and he reaches over to wipe them away.
“I can’t imagine my life without you in it,” he says, like he needs me to believe it. “Not seeing you has been awful.”
I wrap my arms around him, and he holds me tight.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Please don’t apologize,” he says.
All the doubt and walls I’ve been building crumble to nothing.
Our mouths crash together. The kiss is messy, and it tastes like salt from my tears. He pours everything he has into the moment. His hands thread into my hair, and he pulls me closer, like he’s afraid I’ll disappear. I hold on to his shirt, feeling like he might float away if I let go.
When we break apart, we’re both smiling.
“I want to spend forever with you,” he whispers, pressing his forehead to mine.
A laugh escapes me. “I’d like that.”
“Yeah?” His voice is raw and hopeful, all at once.
“Yes.” I grip his shirt tighter. “Without you, I can’t think straight. I keep trying to protect myself. But it’s impossible.”
“I’m aware,” he says, cupping my face. “What hurts the most is knowing you were capable of pushing me away.”
