Page 23 of Royal Valentine

Callum smiled. “I meant beyond today. I thought I wanted a typical life. But I realized that what I want is a life filled with beauty and music and love. I dinnae ken what my future holds, but I do ken that I would like to have you by my side while I figure it out. If you can forgive me, that is. And if you’re interested.”

Of course I could forgive him. I understood the pressure of being royal all too well. I knew why he had said what he did. Why he wanted to walk away from his royal duties.

From me.

I also knew that he was probably the one man on earth that I could seriously date whose life I wouldn’t ruin just by being myself. That he was already well equipped to deal with any negative publicity or paparazzi ambushes. That if I made another headline, it wouldn’t matter to him.

He would understand.

I tapped one finger against my lip. “I’ll have to think about it. Yes.”

He laughed, a glorious sound, and I couldn’t help but grin at him.

“I think that might work better if you actually made me wait,” he teased.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to meet someone like you. I don’t want to wait any longer for the rest of my life to begin,” I confessed.

“Nor do I. Although Rome was not the first time we’ve met.”

“It wasn’t?” I asked in surprise.

“No. We first met fifteen years ago. When the crown princess of Sweden got married. I was eleven, you were ten.”

I didn’t know what he was talking about, and then it came rushing back to me. I gasped in outrage. “You put the frog on my lap during the ceremony and made my dress dirty!”

“Aye, that was me.”

I balled up my fist and lightly punched his shoulder. “So Valentine’s Day wasn’t the first time you’ve made me cry.”

He leaned in, putting his forehead against mine, our breaths mingling. “I dinnae ever want to be the reason for your tears.”

“Don’t be a doaty walloper and we’ll be just fine.”

He smiled and then said, “It might be difficult for us to see one another as often as we’d like. And I ken that at some point I will have to go home and be the dutiful son. But until then I hope we’ll have many more nights filled with pasta and accordion music and Rome.”

“That sounds perfect.”

His lips gently brushed mine, again as if he was afraid that I might reject him, but I put my hand on the back of his neck and pulled his mouth against mine so that we could really kiss.

When we were both breathless, our hearts beating fast, he lifted his head and said, “Have I already told you how beautiful you look tonight?”

“You did. And you’re looking very handsome yourself. I could get used to kilts. You have extremely sexy legs.”

“Oh, aye?” he asked with a wicked glint in his eye.

“Aye,” I told him. “How did you know about the ball? That I’d be here?”

“Your assistant, Anne. You texted her from my phone, and once I’d realized what a terrible mistake I’d made, I rang her and got her on board as a coconspirator.”

I was going to have to ask Lemon to give Anne a raise. “I still can’t believe you came all the way to Monterra for me.”

Callum sweetly pressed his lips to mine. “I’ll always come for you. You’re my princess. It’s my duty to wake you with a kiss every morning. It’s required that I make certain you have your fairy-tale ending.”

This was what I’d been waiting for. A man willing to fight for me, to stand by my side, to accept all of me.

“Promise?” I asked, again fighting off tears.

“I promise. You have my royal, solemn vow,” he said, and then he sealed his words with another kiss.