“Ha, called it,” Spiros crows in triumph, grinning. He flashes us a thumbs-up.
“Well, isn’t this a surprise.” Princess Maria gives a cautious smile, taking the bag from her husband, who continues to stare at us. He’s not blinking. Or breathing, as far as I can tell. Then again, neither am I. “Stef never tells us about who he’s dating.”
“I decided it’s time I did.” Stef beams at me.
I clear my throat, finding air again to speak after I suck a breath down. “I’m very lucky to have Stef as my boyfriend.”
Spiros looks from Stef to me and back again. He looks satisfied.
Prince Stavros’ intense gaze remains fixed on me. He huffs. “Boyfriends!”
“Boyfriends,” Princess Maria confirms, giving her husband a warning look. She turns back to me, smiling. “Thank you, Theo. Stef’s very lucky to have you as his boyfriend.”
“I feel the same way about Stef,” I say instantly.
“Should we all have a drink? For Theodor’s birthday? And to celebrate their news?” Princess Maria asks after pulling out the bottle of brandy to admire it. “Thank you again. Please, everyone, sit. Spiros, do bring us glasses. The short ones.”
As if he’d been waiting for the cue, Spiros hops up and heads to the kitchen.
I sit next to Stef, my heart still going overtime, our fingers interlaced between us as we sit on the sofa opposite his parents. At this point, I swear I’m having an out-of-body experience, adrenaline rushing through me. Stef’s anchoring me right now. It’s all I can do to string together a sentence while my world’s flipped upside down in the best possible way.
“I’m truly sorry about the yacht accident last winter,” I offer.
Moving on from staring, Prince Stavros tsks, tilting his head back, an immediate reaction. To his credit, he answers smoothly. Which, fair, he must be black belt level at this point dealing with awkward situations after a lifetime of being a prince. “I’m very glad both you and Stefanos are safe,” he grumbles at last.
“The most important thing,” Princess Maria agrees. “Everything else can be replaced.”
Spiros returns shortly with a tray of low glasses, and Prince Stavros pours drinks for everyone except Spiros.
“Hey,” Spiros protests. “C’mon.”
“You can have a Coca-Cola,” his father informs him sternly. “You’re fifteen.”
“Welcome, Theo. Happy birthday,” Princess Maria tells me, raising a glass, and they toast me. “Very good to meet you. I’ve heard much about you from Stef. He speaks very highly of you.”
“Happy birthday,” the others echo.
While I glance at Stef, my eyebrows climbing, out of the corner of my eye, I see Prince Stavros peering hard at his wife in question. Stef squeezes my hand again. And winks.
So Stef must have told his mother something about me.
About us.
Because Princess Maria definitely doesn’t seem as shocked as she should be about Stef’s reveal.
“How is it to be the new King?” Prince Stavros asks eventually.
“Good. It’s as you might imagine—a big adjustment and a bigger honor,” I offer. “I’m learning a lot every day, and I have my mother and advisors to guide me.”
“You are very young to become King,” he says gruffly. “It will get easier with time. With more experience.”
“Let’s hope.” I smile.
Stef gives my hand another squeeze. “We’re going to go into town tonight.”
“Be careful, darling.” His mother gives him a concerned look. “With the paparazzi and everything else.”
“We’ll try to keep a low profile,” Stef assures them.
