“No, but I have waited a long time to get married, and now that I have found you, the one I love, I do not wish to waste a single moment more of my life without you.”
She smiled again, this time more fully. “I like that reason.”
“Good.” He smiled in return. “Two, as we discussed, I would like to avoid opposition from your family. But I would also like to avoid it from mine as well.”
Her smile fell away. “Will they oppose you marrying me? Of course your father will. If he disapproved of Ava, then he will disapprove of me too.”
He wished he could tell her their relationship would be well received, but that was not the case. “The precedent does not give the king the right to choose my wife, but tradition stipulates he should approve of the woman.”
“And if you elope, he won’t be able to approve.”
“Neither will he be able to disapprove.”
Emberly shook her head, then scrambled to sit up. “Well, we both know he won’t like me, and I don’t want to be the source of conflict between the two of you.”
Max pushed himself up so that he was sitting beside her. He would not let his father ruin his chance with Emberly. Notnow and not ever. He pressed his shoulders back and then took Emberly’s hands in his. “My father lost his right to approve of my wife when he interfered with Ava and bribed her father to find someone else for her.”
“I doubt he would be able to bribe my dad.”
“I concur.” T.W. didn’t seem like the type of man who would be easily swayed away from something once he had made up his mind. At least, Max hoped the man had been serious in his statement that Emberly was perfect for him. “I shall not let him do anything to undermine my relationship with you. If we elope, then he cannot do anything but accept my choice.”
“He can’t make you divorce me or give me an annulment?”
“No, he does not have the authority to dictate what I do.”
Again, Emberly fell silent, and no doubt she was contemplating all he had spoken.
“I hope you know that while I love my father, I long ago stopped living to please him, particularly in matrimonial matters.”
“I think I understand.” She stared at her hands twisting the blanket in her lap. “Even so, I don’t want your father to hate me.”
“I also do not wish for your brothers to hate me.” He spoke gently but firmly. “I do hope that eventually they will accept me. However, I shall not let their view influence my decision to marry you.”
She turned her big brown eyes upon him. Every time she looked at him so openly and without any pretense, he fell more in love with her for accepting him as a regular person and not fixating on his being a prince.
“Can you do the same with my father? Can you keep him from influencing your decision to marry me?”
“I think I can.” She reached for his hand.
Her fingers were cold, and he took both of her hands and pressed them between his to offer her warmth.
She didn’t resist and instead shifted closer to him. “I try not to worry about what people think about me for the most part. But this is your father we’re talking about. The king of your country.”
“I have the feeling he will learn to love you, especially once he gets to know you the same way I have.”
“And your mother?”
“My mother is a very strong woman, not unlike you. She is also very reasonable, and I do think she will accept you and be happy for me, for us.”
He situated himself more comfortably and pulled Emberly into the crook of his arm, making sure the blanket was tucked around her. They talked until dawn light began to fill the cabin, more about their future together, where they would live, and what they would do.
“I should like to cut my hours back at the bank,” he said as he rose to add more fuel to the fire. “I shall delegate more responsibility to other capable workers.” The more he’d done so on this trip, the more he’d been able to let go of the feeling that so much rested on his shoulders. It really didn’t. The bank operations had gone on just fine without him.
Besides, was it possible he’d turned to his work at the bank in an effort to fill the loneliness in his life? That he had been using work to meet a need that could only truly be met by people he loved? ’Twas a possibility he needed to ponder.
“If you work less”—she stood and stretched—“then you’ll have time to be my personal tour guide there the same way I was for you here.”
“Yes, I shall be your personal guide, just as you were for me. I shall show you Karltenberg and everything about it and my country.” They could visit all his family’s estates and experience the things he loved about each place.
