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“The two princesses had to leave their castle to live in a small cottage with their grandmother, but soon she, too, died. A dark cloud hung over the town.
“One day, an evil troll came to town and tricked the princesses. Princess Charlotte was able to run away, but Princess Madelyn was thrown into a dark dungeon. Every day she hoped and prayed that someone would set her free.
“Finally, the day came when her fairy godmother found her and brought a wizard, and they were able to break the spell that held the princess captive.
“Meanwhile, in another kingdom, lived a very handsome Prince named Holten. He’d been living under a spell that made him very sad.”
I snickered and poked him in the ribs at the way he emphasized the
word ‘very.’
He tickled me back. “Shh. You know it’s true. Now listen to the rest of the story.”
I resumed my position.
“But then one day, he met Princess Madelyn, and she was able to break the curse. Prince Holten had never been happier, and he fell in love with the princess.”
He stopped reading, so I nuzzled Holt’s neck near his ear. “That’s a wonderful story, baby. How does it end?”
He turned his head sideways and kissed me. “Let’s find out.” He turned to the next page.
I sat bolt upright when I saw the drawing of the prince kneeling before the princess.
Holt’s deep voice continued, “Prince Holten loved Princess Madelyn so much, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.”
I looked up from the book. Holt was gazing back at me, the love in his eyes so strong I could feel it. “Madelyn Stone, you came into my life when I was least expecting it. You challenged and pushed me, but mostly you showed me a kind of love I didn’t understand until you. You give and give and give, never thinking about the cost to you. You’ve been that way your whole life and I hate that it’s cost you so dearly. But I’m selfish, and I’m going to ask one more thing of you. I want it all, Madelyn. I want the entire fairytale with you. I don’t know the rest of the story after this, but I know I want it to always read Holt and Maddy. Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
“Yes,” I cried as I flung my arms around his neck. “A million times, ‘yes.’”
I kissed him with all the love I had. Breathing hard, he finally pulled back.
“Maybe you should turn the page, then.”
Excitedly, I followed his instruction. The page opened to show a picture of a jewelry box, designed so that the lid popped up as the page unfolded. A diamond ring was tied with a ribbon to the box.
Holt untied the ribbon and took the ring. “I believe this belongs to you.”
He slid a beautiful solitaire diamond on my left ring finger. “You’ve had quite a story so far, Maddy. A tragedy, an adventure, and a love story all woven together. Now you deserve your fairytale ending.”
I stared first at my sparkling ring, then at him. And like the picture in the book, I wrapped my arms around my prince’s neck. “It’s so much better than that, Holt. It’s real. But it still ends with a happily ever after as long as I have you.”
Epilogue
Holt
5 years later
A ‘woof’ and the scamper of claws on the hardwood floors alerted me that Maddy was home. The one-year-old Black lab pup, Delilah, was the first to reach the door. Buddy followed at a more dignified pace. I heard Maddy greet each dog. Before she could get any further in the foyer, the joyful cry of ‘Mommy’ echoed in the entranceway.
“How’s my big boy?” she exclaimed. I didn’t need to see her to know she had swept our almost three-year-old son Matthew up in her arms in a huge hug. “Where’s Daddy?” she asked.
“He in da wiving woom,” he answered. “He made a big mess.”
Maddy laughed. “Oh, he did, huh? Well, let’s go find him.”
I heard her heels click as they headed toward us. My heart still raced every time she entered a room. I stood from the table where I had papers and books spread everywhere, the mess Matthew had referred to.
“Hi, baby,” she greeted. “How’s the research going?”
