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Her hand was cold, and I rubbed it against my arms lovingly.
“Everything okay?” I asked softly.
“It didn’t go exactly how I thought,” she admitted. “Although… I’m not sure what I thought was going to happen exactly.”
Leading her toward the pond, I sat her at the gingham blanket laid out by the water’s edge.
She giggled lightly. “What is this?”
“A late dinner,” I informed her.
“Oh…” She sighed deeply. “I’m sorry. I forgot we agreed to meet for dinner.”
“You’re here now. That’s all that matters.” I gestured for her to sit. “Tell me what happened.”
“I’d rather not,” she replied. Quickly, she added, “It’s not that I’m hiding anything. I’d just rather forget the whole thing. You were right: I shouldn’t have gone. They didn’t want to see me. I don’t know why I thought they might.”
I took a seat by her, reaching for her legs to stroke softly through her jeans, and she eyed me sadly.
“They were the closest thing to family that you had for a long time, Miri. It’s not unreasonable that you thought you had some kind of kinship toward them. I’m sorry they weren’t more responsive.”
She shrugged with far too much gusto. “It doesn’t matter. I know where home is now.”
I reached toward the picnic basket and withdrew a bottle of wine. “This ought to help you forget,” I promised.
“Oh, yes, please.”
Digging up two glasses, I poured, and she found the charcuterie board that the chef had put together for me. Small droplets of rain began to fall, but if Mirielle noticed them, she didn’t comment.
She tipped her head back toward the sky. “It’s beautiful out here at night.”
“You make it more so,” I told her admiringly. “You make everything more beautiful.”
“Are you buttering me up for any particular reason?” she teased, lowering her head to meet my eyes again.
“Yes,” I answered honestly.
“Oh?” Her brilliant blue eyes shone in the night. “Do tell.”
“I’m hoping you’ll agree to marry me again.”
Her smile faded as disbelief overtook her face. “R-really?” she stuttered. “You still want to marry me… after everything?”
I frowned, confused. “I want to marry youbecauseof everything,” I replied softly, leaning closer. “I’ve never felt surer of my feelings because of all we’ve been through. You have proven how strong and capable you are, Mirielle, how incredibly resilient. The kingdom will be lucky to have you as their queen.”
My lips brushed against hers, and she returned my embrace, her breathing uneven. When we parted, I stared expectantly at her. “Well? What do you say?”
“I say yes,” she whispered. “Of course I’ll marry you.”
Wrapping my arms around her, I ravished kisses over her neck and face as she squeaked in delight.
“I don’t want to wait,” I told her. “I want it done next week.”
“Next week!” Mirielle laughed, but I wasn’t kidding. I’d seen the danger of waiting too long. Too many things could go wrong. I wanted to make Mirielle my queen, and there would be nothing standing in the way.
“Yes. Next week. You already had most of the planning done already.”
“Yes, for the last wedding,” she agreed.
