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“You don’t have to say anything more, Dad. I’m ready to step up.”
His father frowns. “Never interrupt your king.”
The king’s words, and Dan’s grin, break the tension.
“When it became clear that Rex was ready to take my place, that he wanted to, we were so proud. And when we lost him, in our grief, we clung to the idea.”
Henrik raises a finger when Dan opens his mouth to speak.
“Shush. You were right when you told us that being king wasn’t you. And Rex’s death, well, it hasn’t changed that, as much as we may have wanted it to. Or as much as we thought we wanted it to. But Danon, what we really want most, is for you to be happy.”
“What are you saying?” Dan’s face drains of color and he looks as if he’s barely breathing. I reject the impulse to grab his wrist and check for a pulse.
“I’m saying… tell us no. Say no, and your cousin Helle can take your place. She’s more the political type than you’ve ever been, and I’m sure she’ll drool over the opportunity.”
“But—”
“You’re in love, son. It’s as plain as the nose on my face, and unless I’m mistaken, this young lady, the daughter of my dear friend, loves you too. But she doesn’t want the life of a queen any more than you want to be king.” He sighs, and reaches for me, grabbing my hand and placing it into Dan’s, still speaking to his son. “I can’t change your lineage. You will always be royalty no matter what position you take, but whether you’re on the throne or on the ice, we’re proud you’re our son and we’re happy to support you in any way we can. I’m releasing you from your obligation.”
“What?” Dan gasps. “Are you serious?”
“I’m the king. I’m stubborn and used to getting my way. So it took me a little longer to see what’s important,” his dad replies. “Love, family and happiness. I don’t want you to resent us, or miss out on something special. So you won’t be king.” He shrugs. “Who cares? I hope I’ll be so busy playing with my grandchildren I won’t even notice.”
I look at Elle, my eyes wide. She only smirks, shrugging. A sign that kids aren’t out of the question.
“Can we even do this?” I ask my father, feeling more excitement for my future than I’ve felt since my brother died.
“I’m king. I can do whatever I want.” He holds up a hand. “Within reason, I know. But I can easily do this.”
“Mom’s not going to be happy.”
“Oh, my boy.” His dad chuckles. “You let me worry about your mother, hmmm? Maybe a pair of those glass shoes will appease her.” The king winks at me. “I know the designer.”
Dan’s only response is a jerky nod and I’m not sure if any of it has sunk in.
His dad pats his cheek once more, and steps away, squeezing back out the door and leaving the two of us alone again.
Barely breathing, with a dozen unspoken questions between us, we stare at each other.
“Would you?” Dan whispers. “If… ” He squeezes my hand. “We could stay here. Visit Denmark in the summers.”
“What about your Hockey career?”
“I met the owner of the Washington Capitals last week. Seems like a good guy. I know they’re moving the team to Virginia but he’s got connections and he’s followed my career. I’m sure I’ll find something. I can coach.”
I bite my lip, looking up to think. “If I go back to designing, I can work from anywhere. “Can we really make this work?”
“I think we can.”
“Excellent!” I hear his father exclaim from behind the door, clapping his hands together.
Dan’s eyes are locked on mine as he hitches the tail of his tuxedo jacket, bending to lower himself to one knee again.
“Wait!” the King cries. “Not in here! For goodness sake, Danon, this is the woman of your dreams, do it right.”
The next thing I know the door is off the hinges again and we’re being dragged out of the closet.
“Move, please, coming through!” Henrik hollers as he shoves through the crowd of paparazzi and nosy onlookers, pulling us back to the ballroom where the orchestra is playing happily.
