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“I’ll bet.” The king blew out a heavy breath. “So you tried to resist her falling for you?”
“More the other way around, sir. Tried and failed not to fall for her. Honestly, I fell the second I saw her. She was like the sun to me …” He trailed off at the general’s arched brows.
“The sun?” General Ray grunted out.
Mason held eye contact with the king, whose brows were raised. It was rough. “I could’ve done better at keeping my distance. It was difficult with our task of pretending to be a couple.”
“I can understand that.” The king drummed his fingers on the desk. “You understand Kiera has had a crush on you for a while now?”
“I never recognized it before. Kiera’s always been friendly and fun with everyone around her, but the general told me about the crush.”
“We didn’t want her falling for you and you breaking her heart. The ‘Serial Dater’ and all of that business, you understand,” the king said.
“I do understand, sir. I don’t know how to convince you, besides the proof of my actions in the future, but …” He swallowed hard. Was he really going to do this? Taking a deep breath, he prayed for help and then rushed out, “I am head over heels in love with your daughter, and I promise you I would never hurt her, break her heart, or walk away from her. She is the most incredible woman on earth to me, truly the light I don’t know how I’ll survive without, and I love her deeply.”
They both stared at him, hardly blinking. The silence in the room was heavy.
The king looked at the general. “We need to talk to Kiera.”
General August nodded.
They both looked back at Mason. The king appraised him and then said, “Captain Henson, you have been above reproach as a royal guard for over eleven years. We trust you and we like you, but this is my little girl. I would ask that you give this some time to settle and see where both of your feelings are. If you are the right one for her, I will welcome you wholeheartedly into the family. Let her be with the family for Christmas and you’ll both have some time to think and pray and make the right decision.”
The king studied him, his blue eyes piercing. It wasn’t an awful request. Let everything settle. Let Kiera figure out what she was feeling without him right there. Let her family have some time with her this Christmas. Mason had imagined a much harsher request, if he were being honest.
Yet … How could he not find Kiera as soon as he walked out of this office, tell her he loved her, and that he’d laid it all out for her dad and brother—his king and general?
He stared at these two powerful men. His next words could make or break his career. More importantly, they could make or break his entire future with the woman he loved, and her family.
ChapterSeventeen
Scaling the castle wall,then climbing down the cliff below the castle was almost too easy for Kiera, even with the ice and snow. She slipped a couple times but recovered.
The feeling of having her fate back in her hands softened the sting of the evening’s other events.
No. If Mason had only been playing her … She couldn’t even think about it.
When she reached the valley floor, she put on her winter coat and gloves, socks and shoes. Her toes were numb with cold, but she didn’t care.
Kiera wasn’t certain where she wanted to go, just away from her family worrying about her, and from the horrific vision of Mason having a girlfriend. Ugh! If she stopped for too long, she let herself think about that and it was devastating. All the beautiful words he said to her, their out-of-this world kisses, their connection, their love … Gone? She couldn’t believe it.
It was almost two in the morning. The country road leading into Greenville was deserted. Stars sparkled in the sky and reflected off the snow. It was beautiful.
At least there was no danger with the kidnappers all apprehended. She supposed she still had a stupid stalker out there, but she’d only had two messages since the one she’d shown to Mason. She almost smiled, thinking of Mason’s reaction. He was so protective of her, considerate of her feelings. Incredible.
Her smile turned to a frown. Until he neglected to tell her he had a girlfriend. How was that even possible? Captain Mason Henson didn’t have girlfriends, not in the many years he’d guarded their family. Besides, he loved Kiera. Right?
She shook her head and started walking toward Greenville. She should be rebellious and head for Traverse, find a nightclub and go dancing, but she didn’t have it in her.
Maybe she’d walk around the lake, if the path wasn’t impassable by the snow, and then go to the guard station and give some poor guard duo a conniption fit. As she walked, she stared at the stars and the snow and tried to stomp feeling back into her frozen toes.
Approaching the beautiful village, set next to the lake and below her towering castle, she looked around at the picture straight out of a winter wonderland. The moon reflecting off snow-covered boughs and the lake an ice skater’s dream. The nearby shops decorated and twinkling softly in the night sky. She had one year left in school, then she’d graduate with a degree in exercise physiology and move back to Augustine.
But if Mason was here, and he didn’t love her but was dating Dr. Miriam…
Bosh! She couldn’t be here and watch him love someone else.
Kiera sighed. Her phone buzzed in her bag. Stopping, she pulled it out and glanced at it. It was on ‘do not disturb’ this late at night, but there were dozens of texts and missed calls from Mason. There were also missed calls from Ray, Macey, her mum, and her dad.
