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They were having an announcement at the palace, followed by a procession through the streets.
And all he could think about was how beautiful his future wife was.
He was distracted by her, in spite of his decision not to be.
And she was… She was glorious, as ever. She had been sharing her bed with him, and there had been no more talk of feelings.
He had been hollowed out since that day.
He supposed he should be grateful.
Stevie had been very apparently pretty since the first moment he had met her. But dressed like a princess, she was resplendent. A great beauty in much the way his mother was.
It was surprising. Because he had imagined she would bring a different image entirely.
And yet…
He pushed that aside. “Are you ready?” he asked as they stood in the antechamber of the palace, waiting to go outside and face the cameras.
She nodded. “I am. Especially because I don’t really have to say anything.”
“Just a couple of lines you were given.”
“What if they don’t like me? Are you going to throw me over for somebody else? Somebody who can give the people what they want?”
She wasn’t being entirely serious, he could see that. But all the same, his stomach tightened with fierce protectiveness. “You are my choice.”
It was that simple to him.
He saw a flash of pleasure on her cheeks, and he wished that he could make her look like that more often.
They were compatible in the bedroom. But he could feel difficulty between them when they weren’t kissing. When they weren’t naked.
Her sisters and her father were also dressed in their finery. They would be following them in the procession afterward.
Stevie had finally met his father last night. It had surprised him how warm his father had been, all things considered. He was often difficult. Stiff. Then he didn’t know how he would react to Stevie, who was so utterly different from any other woman his father would’ve interacted with.
But thankfully, he had taken to her with ease, and would be joining them in the courtyard for the press conference.
His father joined them then, looking severe. As he always did.
He really noticed, though, how much older he was looking.
“Are you ready, Father?”
“Of course I am. These are my people.”
Adonis nodded once.
Then they stepped out the doors and into the spotlight. His father stepped forward. “Greetings,” he said. “I know you have all been waiting for this moment. As you know, my son, Prince Adonis, was meant to marry an American heiress. But fate intervened in an unlikely way on his way to the wedding. He very nearly lost his life, but he was saved. I know that all of the media reports have already suggested this, but his pilot, Stevie Parker, was his savior. And that act changed his very future.”
It was Adonis’s turn.
He took the lead position. “When it comes to the choice of who I am to marry, I know that it is of the utmost importance that I choose someone who is perfect not just for me, but for Olympus. For she will not only preside over my home, but over all of you. I have never met anyone like Stevie. She is selfless. Brave. Utterly and completely lacking in pretense. My time with her gave me a window into an experience that I had never had before. And I knew that there could be no other perfect person to rule alongside me as Queen when the time comes.”
And then it was Stevie’s turn. “I’m Stevie. From Montana, in the USA. And I am honored to marry Prince Adonis. And to be a princess.” That was the end of her script. But she took a breath, and continued on. “I’m in love with him. And I intend to express that love by giving back to all of you in the way that he does. By loving this country the way that he does. Because he is simply the most amazing man I’ve ever met. And… I just think it’s important to say that.”
He looked around, at all of the cameras, all of the people in front of them. They were speechless. What she had said had been so artless and informal, and he could see as the moments went on that they were…captivated by her.