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She certainly looked like a princess as she walked towards him up the aisle just a short while later. They couple hadn’t wanted to make a big fuss; it would only alert the media and Emile was doing everything in his power to keep the press out of his life these days. His brother, Henri, had recently gotten married to his childhood sweetheart, and it was a lavish affair which had made headlines across the world. Emile and Kate had sent their regards but stayed well out of the way; he was pretty certain that they would never get involved in the royal circus, although he was pleased for his brother’s happiness.
In contrast, Kate was wearing a simple white gown, her blond hair flowing down around her shoulders and a bouquet of brightly colored flowers clutched in her hands. She took his breath away every day, but he was overcome with emotion as he saw her walking towards him on this, their wedding day, ready to promise herself to him. How had he gotten so lucky?
She gave him a shy smile as she arrived next to him, looking up at him the way she always did. He held out his hand and she took it in hers, feeling her anchoring him. He loved her so deeply and having her by his side was the greatest privilege of his life; nothing he had ever had as a prince had come as close as the simple ways in which she showed her love for him every day.
Emile glanced around the room; they’d only invited a few close friends to the ceremony and all of their friendly faces looked back at him. It wasn’t just Kate that made Miller Springs feel like home. It was all of them, too. And his babies. They were balanced on the knees of Kate’s book club friends, all of them looking like tiny cherubs. His heart swelled with gratitude for everything he had been given, all of it thanks to the woman he was about to marry.
His hands shook as he placed the ring on her finger, and he could feel tears pricking at his eyes. Emile had rarely cried before he met Kate, but now he seemed to at the drop of a hat, all of his feelings were now on the surface. They’d engraved their rings on the inside with the coordinates of the cafe, the very first place that they had called home together. When Kate slipped the ring onto his finger in return, he felt at home in a way he never had before. They would always be home for each other, no matter what life would bring.
“I was so lost when I met you, Kate. I could have ended up anywhere. But something brought me to you. Brought me home. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She gave him a smile and he knew that she was playing their whole story through her mind the same way he was, from their meeting to their reunion, to the birth of their three beautiful children and this moment. There was still so much more to come and he would do it all gladly with her by his side.
“It’s my honor to pronounce you man and wife,” the officiant announced, breaking up their thoughts. “You may now kiss the bride.”
Everyone in the room cheered, but all that Emile could see was his new wife. He tipped her chin up to him, their lips meeting in a kiss for the first time as a married couple. Her arms wound around his neck, pulling him down so she could kiss him properly, their bodies molding together as they sealed their marriage.
Emile was still grinning wildly as they walked into the cafe just a few minutes later, arriving to a round of applause as they made their way into the new community hub, which had been decorated especially for the occasion with rainbow bunting and fairy lights. They had just completed work on Kate’s dream space a few weeks before, and it had seemed fitting to christen it with their wedding before opening it to the public. Standing in the room with all of their friends, he was so proud of everything Kate had accomplished.
They were still making the rounds and greeting everyone when he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. Given that almost everyone he knew was in the room with him, he knew who it would be. Grabbing Kate’s hand, he steered her into the storeroom, flipping open his phone and sliding to accept the call.
“Hey guys,” he answered, positioning the phone so they could see him and Kate.
“We just wanted to extend our congratulations,” his mother said.
“You need to back up a bit, Mother. We can’t see you both.”
His parents hadn’t yet got the hang of video calls, although they had kept up a routine of calling every Sunday ever since the babies had been born. They were very proud grandparents, even from afar, and Emile couldn’t help but be a little bit smug that he’d beaten his otherwise perfect brothers when it came to extending the family line. Not that his children would ever see the throne. Not if he could help it.
“Sorry, sorry.”
Instead of angling the phone, the queen managed to flip it so they were upside down instead, and Emile groaned. Kate put a calming hand on his arm, more than used to the technological ineptitude of the king and queen of Charcieux at this point.
“Thank you so much, it’s been a lovely day. We’ll send you all the photos.” Kate always knew what to say to his parents; it was yet another reason why he loved her, facing them was so much easier with her.
“Where are my grandchildren?” his father’s voice boomed from somewhere offscreen.
“They’re just having a nap right now, but we could call you all together tomorrow?” Again, Kate was there to save the day. The triplets had all mercifully fallen asleep on the walk to the cafe from the ceremony, giving the bride and groom a little break to have some champagne and chat with their friends.
His father’s disgruntled face appeared on the screen. “Yes, yes. Are they all well, though?”
“They’re all great, Father. Don’t worry.”
“We’ll leave you to your party, you two. We just wanted to give you our love and wish you all the best for your marriage. We know you’ll be very happy together.” His mother had appeared back on the screen, framed correctly this time, and the adoring look on her face actually made Emile choke up. Even though his parents were far away, he’d never felt closer to them than he had since making the decision to return to Miller Springs.
“Thank you,” he said. “We’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
They signed off and emerged from the stockroom holding hands, to be greeted by a chorus of cheers and wolf whistles.
“It’s not what you think,” Emile laughed, looking out over the room of all his friends, his babies sleeping peacefully in their prams in the corner and his new wife’s hand in his. To the delight of everyone, he spun Kate around and dipped her, pressing a kiss to her lips as the room erupted in applause.
This really is home.
The End
