Mary smiled. “I know you’re not crying because you’re upset, but if you don’t stop crying, I will keep crying.”
I giggled. “I’m sorry. I’m just so overwhelmed.”
“I know. Everything that could have gone wrong… did. And more.”
“But we’re still here,” Betty said. “Despite all the bad things, it worked out.”
She squeezed my knee. “More than worked out.”
“Yeah. You’re afinalist.”
Mary shook her head. “It’s not even that. I’m proud of myself for standing up to Max and still coming out on top. Älskling, what means so much, is that I get to do what I love, but also that I get to do it with you there beside me.”
I melted, dabbing my eyes. “Shit. Sorry. I am a mess, butthat’s so sweet. And you deserve it, Mary. I know how much you put your life on hold for others. But you shine now. Don’t feel bad doing that. I love watching it.”
She blushed and looked down, but I knew Mary appreciated it. I needed to give her that nod. I longed to encourage her to take the time to appreciate her well-earned accolades. She rarely took anything for herself.
“Now, should we get down to brass tacks and let Mary know what we’re planning to do?” Uncle Olav pulled it back around.
Our ears perked and pulled from our magical little romantic world.
“I’m sorry?” Mary asked, again confused.
“We want to release a statement,” Cici said. “And we’d love your publicist to vet it, too.”
Mary burst into laughter. “Oh, you assume I have a publicist?”
“You really should get one,” I said.
“You sound like my manager,” Mary said. “I should, but I am not at all media savvy. I should probably ask Leah.”
“Well,youcould vet it, but we’d like to at least confirm that the two of youaredating and that you’re a private citizen, and we’d ask everyone to please respect your privacy,” Cici said. “I could run it by you sometime?—”
“Cici, can you run it by her say… in the morning?” I winced. “If I reallyamthe birthday girl who gets what she wants, what I am actually desperate for is a few minutes to just decompress and we’d both love to be in much more comfortable clothes.”
“Sure,” Cici said. “But does that seem okay at like, a high level, Mary?”
“Sure,” Mary agreed. “Honestly, it will be a relief.”
“We can’t make the press go away,” Uncle Olav said apologetically.
“Understood, sir. But they aren’t even the people I careabout. You’ve got a massive party of people in pride gear setting up on your front lawn. It’s probably good to give them some confirmation all is well.”
“Is that concerning? Isn’t that just… people celebrating?” King Olav asked.
“They are. But it’s confirmation we’re all happy.” Mary confirmed she was at peace with an earnest smile.
“There’s a group of people out there?” I asked.
“A crush of them,” Mary chuckled. “It should give me a fright, but they’re happy. They just want to celebrate our joy. Even my stiff upper lip is no match for a queer love story.”
I sighed in relief. She was on board. We were doing this. I’d feared being outed. I braced for the crash, but the turbulence was over. I could love Mary Jensson in the light. There was nothing stopping us.
“It’s great,” I said. “Let them be happy we’re happy.”
Chapter 52
Royal Treatment
