Page 131 of Heavy Crown

“Always kiss.”

He smirks, and then his lips brush against mine in a fleeting contact. Before he can draw away, I frame his face and draw him down for a deeper one. My heart can’t quite comprehend what my head knows—we’ve got nothing to fear anymore.

“It’s funny. Ever since you stayed in here, however brief that was, I glance in this door each time I walk past. A quick check as though you’ll miraculously appear.”

I pat the spot beside me, and Alex sheds his suit jacket and climbs into bed. He wraps an arm around my waist and hauls me against his chest. I nestle into him, and I take a deep breath.

“How are you feeling?” Alex asks.

“Overwhelmed and happy. You?”

“Relieved and happy. But we should probably talk about this latest development.”

“The one where you get to become king after all.”

“The king part I’m okay with—in either direction—but I want to make sure you are too. If you don’t want this life, if you don’t want to be queen, then loophole or not, I’ll step down.”

I turn in his arms so I can see his face. Whatever he’s feeling, I need to see it. “I want you to be happy.”

“And I don’t want my happiness to cause you misery.” He gives me a pointed look. “What makes me happiest is you. Full stop. No exceptions. Becoming the king is equivalent to sprinkles on a cupcake. Nice to have but not essential.”

I brush my thumb against the stubble on his cheek, and when I stare into his eyes, I recognize how serious he is. Although he’s already offered twice, even if there was a way for him to have both me and the crown, he’d still choose me. “But I’d be working with you, not for you, right? We’d be partners.”

He cups the back of my head and kisses my forehead. “I’ll choose you, Rory. Every time. I’d rather be a poor man than a lonely king.”

“I love you.” I press my lips to his, and when I try to draw back, he deepens the kiss.

“Have I mentioned yet how much I missed you?”

I bury my face in the crook of his neck, and he wraps his arms around me. His familiar sandalwood scent and the firmness of his embrace are the best kind of comfort. Since he came to get me from the farm, my morning sickness has eased as well. Heartbreak and babies were never meant to go together.

“Whatever we do,” I say, “I still want to be able to bake.”

He rubs my back and draws me a fraction closer. “We’ll keep the apartment as our own little weekend hideaway. You can hide out there whenever you need to. Palace Monday to Friday, but Saturday and Sunday are ours unless we have to make an appearance somewhere.”

“Is that—is that work-life balance, I hear?”

“Whether we stay or go, I have no intention of being an absentee father or...” He hesitates. “Husband.”

“That’s weird.” I draw back to stare at my ringless finger. “I don’t remember anyone asking.”

“Hmm.”

Alex isn’t the type to propose without a ring, and we don’t even know what’s going to happen with the succession. Probably a silly thing to bring marriage up right now. There’s no doubt where we’re headed, but after being apart for weeks and believing I’d never get this, the weight of a ring on my finger would make this sharp turn in my life feel solid and not another vivid dream that used to shatter my heart.

“The groundskeeper mentioned you left some things behind in your apartment,” Alex says. “Do you want to come with me to get them?”

“Brownies and my phone.” Snuggling with Alex in this bed is a far better idea. But if he’s leaving, I’d rather go with him. “Why not?”

He takes my hand and leads me out of the room. We weave our way through the palace to a side door. Since we’ve returned, he’s always taken me out the front entrance to help orient me.

“Is this the door you used to visit me?”

“You mean the one I used to sneak out every night?” He raises his eyebrows. “As a matter of fact, it is.”

“Who knew that night would lead to all this.”

Alex squeezes my hand. “I shouldn’t have been there that night. Kane planned to take Lighthouse Street because of the fog. This incredible compulsion or instinct or whatever you want to call it to turn down West Shore Road seized me. Fate. Destiny. Neither of those things are words I could say in the past with a straight face. But how I felt was like”—his other hand stretches across the center of his chest—“we were connected, before I even met you, in a way I’ve never experienced with anyone else.”