I take a shaky breath. “Nikolai. I’ve loved you since I was fourteen years old.”
There’s a surprised murmur from the crowd. I smile through my tears.
“I had a poster of you on my wall. Which is deeply embarrassing to admit in front of several hundred people, but here we are.”
Laughter. Sebastian whoops from the front row. Viktor actually cracks a small smile.
“I thought you were just a fantasy. A brooding prince in a magazine. I never imagined I’d actually meet you. And I definitely never imagined you’d be even grumpier in person.”
More laughter. Nikolai’s lips twitch.
“But then I saw who you really are. A king who treats everyone with fairness and respect.” I squeeze his hands. “A manwho ran into a blizzard to save me, even though I was trying to save him.”
“Foolish woman,” he murmurs.
I touch his face, my thumb brushing his clean shaven jaw.
“You asked me once if I chose you, knowing everything. The answer is still yes. It will always be yes. I choose you, Nikolai. The fangs, the kingdom, the grumpy mornings, all of it.”
“I’m not grumpy in the mornings.”
“You’re very grumpy in the mornings.”
The crowd laughs again.
The officiant is trying not to smile. “By the power vested in me,” he says, “I now pronounce you bound for life. You may kiss your queen.”
Nikolai pulls me into his arms and kisses me deeply, thoroughly, in front of everyone. His hands cradle my face. My arms wrap around his neck.
Someone whistles — probably Sebastian.
When we finally break apart, the crowd is on its feet, cheering.
“Hello, wife,” he murmurs against my lips.
“Hello, husband.”
He sweeps me up in his arms and spins me in a circle, and I laugh with pure joy.
The receptionon the front grounds of the castle is magnificent. Food, music, dancing, and more champagne than I’ve ever seen in my life. Not that I can drink any of it — baby on board — but I don’t mind. I’m drunk on happiness.
At one point, I find Maxim brooding in a corner watching the crowd with sharp eyes. I really like Nikolai’s cousin, despite his dour exterior. When I approach, he offers me a rare, small smile. “You’ve made my cousin happy,” he says. “That’s not easy to do.”
“He makes me happy too.”
“Good.” He pauses, something flickering in his dark eyes. “The family needed this. Needed hope.”
Before I can respond, I see that Viktor has arrived and he’s brought his daughter with him. I rush over because I adore Lily.
Some think she’s a bit cantankerous, which I’ve never understood because I think she’s darling.
Viktor’s daughter is four years old with dark curly hair, big solemn eyes and wears a miniature formal dress with a poufy skirt. She’s clutching a stuffed rabbit like her life depends on it.
Viktor leads her through the crowd, his massive hand engulfing her tiny one. He looks exhausted, but his grip on her is gentle.
They stop near me and Nikolai. Lily peers up at us from behind her father’s leg, clearly overwhelmed by all the people.
I crouch down to her level, making myself small. “Hi, Lily, it’s nice to see you again.” I point to her rabbit. “I love your bunny. Does she have a name?”
