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He’d changed after his nap on the plane.
Emma was tense on the ride to the palace, though her attention was fixed keenly on the view out the window, as she got her first view of Kon’s homeland.
There were similarities to where she’d grown up outside Seattle. The same towering evergreens and lush deciduous summer vegetation. The mountains in the distance were snow-capped and she knew that there were glaciers on the island.
Kon had been right to warn her that the temperatures were not what they were in New Mexico. Although it was summer, there was a chilly wind that the evening sun could not make up for. Emma shivered, wishing she’d put a jacket on.
Then warm fabric fell around her shoulders and she looked up to find Kon smiling at her. “Better?”
He stood there in his shirtsleeves, which she was sure went against protocol, but didn’t even shiver.
She nodded. “Thank you.”
Emma tried to give him back his suit jacket when they got settled inside the limo, but Kon shook his head. “Keep it on. You still look chilled.”
“Did my blue lips give me away?” she teased. It wasn’t that cold, but it was by no means warm either.
At least outside. The limo was comfortable, but Emma found herself too willing to keep Kon’s jacket, like a security blanket, around her. His delicious scent reminded her that she was here at his invitation and for him and their son.
She might not be a princess, but she belonged here because she was Mickey’s mom and maybe even because she was the woman Kon wanted to marry.
Even if it was for the sake of their son.
“It’s not that cold, Mom. My suit keeps me warm anyway,” Mickey informed her. “Like Dad.”
“A good-quality suit has many uses,” Kon said, like imparting great wisdom.
Emma bit back a smile as their son nodded sagely.
These two.
“They’re going to like me, right, Dad? I’m going to have a grandpa now, right, Mom?”
Emma was surprised it had taken this long for Mickey’s nerves to show up. And a little impressed. His mother had been a nervous wreck for hours. Nevertheless, she gave him her most reassuring smile. “Yes, a grandfather, two uncles and an aunt.”
“They are going to love you just as I do,” Kon assured their worried son.
“They have to, don’t they? I’m their family.”
Emma did not mention that family did not always love as they should. She just nodded.
Their first view of the palace left Emma speechless. She’d seen it in pictures, but up close? It was awe-inspiring.
“Wow, it’s so big!” Mickey was not similarly afflicted. “Did you get lost lots when you were a little boy?” he asked his father.
Kon shook his head. “No. Nikolai took me exploring from my earliest memory, making sure I knew where I could go and shouldn’t go and how to get back to the nursery. He and I did the same for our younger brother, Dima.”
“Don’t only babies live in nurseries?” Mickey asked.
“Not in the palace. The nursery is the room with toys and room for a train set on the floor. I lived in it until I was a teenager and then I got my own suite. I was given an apartment in the palace when I graduated from university.”
“Will I have my own apartment in the palace some day?”
“I do not know. It depends on how much of the year you live in Mirrus. Palace apartments are reserved for adult family that live here year-round.”
“But you don’t. Do you still have an apartment?”
“I do.” Kon didn’t offer to explain why.
