“I…” Leo hesitated. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know how to keep a kingdom safe without my father. I don’t know how to get my mother to stop crying. I don’t know how to please the courts and the army and not lose who I am. But I know that I love you. I know that all I’ve wanted to do for days is hold you.”
She reluctantly opened her eyes.
I don’t want to make Leo’s life harder. I’m not trying to make him feel worse.
He cupped her face before she could turn away. “Please, Princess. You are right about everything. It’s too fast. You don’t know me as Alexander yet, and maybe I don’t know you either. But I can’t do this without you.”
“What do you want me to do?” Evelyn whispered.
“Just be with me. We can figure out everything else as we go. I will give you all of me if you’re at my side.”
His sweet words are like a wine I want to keep drinking. This is my Leo. This is the man who held me the night his father died and barely let go in the morning.
A small smile appeared on her face. “You would make me a queen just so I’ll hold your hand?”
“Is that crazy?” Leo asked.
“Yes!”
He leaned closer. “Will you marry me anyway?”
“You already asked me to marry you.”
“I’m asking again. I surprised you this morning and that wasn’t fair. But now everything is catching up to you and it feels real and you’re scared.”
Evelyn shivered at the accuracy. “You want to propose while I’m scared?”
“I want you to choose medespitebeing scared. I want you to pick marrying me over running away. I want you to trust that tomorrow will be better than yesterday.”
Leo is giving me a choice. He is begging, but he won’t force me to do anything. All Haydn ever did was tell me what to do.
“Promise me something,” Evelyn said.
“Anything.”
“If we get married, we belong to each other. You are mine and I am yours. I won’t just be the girl the king married. I won’t be pushed aside and locked out of meetings. If we do this, we do it together.”
Leo’s eyes were full of hope. “I promise.”
Evelyn took a deep breath. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“I’m scared… but I’m choosing you.”
Leo’s lips found hers before she could blink. The kiss was prayer and promise.
We’ve both spent so much time trying not to feel anything, pretending like we weren’t hurting. We can’t do that anymore.
Leo beamed. “Those were our vows, Evelyn.You are mine and I am yours.The promises we just made are what matters. A wedding will only make it official to everyone else. I love you, and I am yours.”
“I love you, and I am yours,” Evelyn repeated.
He kissed her left hand and admired the ring on her finger. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”
“Right now?”
Leo led her toward the docks. She spotted her father's ship from Carrowmore, as well as Moeller’s ship from Lochmatten. Even while holding Leo’s hand, Evelyn had the urge to board one of them and leave.
