Page 98 of Happily Ever After

Flicka caught his eye and smiled at him. Just seeing him was reassuring in a way that nothing else ever was.

She said, “He’s holding the phone right now so I can stream this.”

That earned her an eyebrow raised in concern and a scowl. He looked over the phone as if he might say something, lowering the phone as he did so.

The whole video must be bobbling like an earthquake was swallowing the castle.

Flicka motioned with her hands,up, up,and Dieter lifted the camera back to his eye-level. He was stillscowling.

Wow, they almost had a serious camera-angle malfunction. Princess Flicka should never be seen with a quadruple chin, eye bags, and snarly bitch face, which is what a low camera angle always does.

However, she was going to have a baby someday soon, if everything went properly, so maybe she shouldn’t care quite so much about her image in photos in the coming years.

She was quite lookingforward to it.

Flicka cleared her throat and continued, “As I said, a man who is a very amateur camera operator but a professional soldier is looking after me, but he’s far more than that. He rescued me from Monaco in a crazy plan that I still can’t believe worked—I wish I could have livestreamed me sprinting across Monaco in high heels and a ball gown—and he helped me get safely to my familyhome, Marienburg Castle.” She flipped her fingers at the ridiculous excess around her.

“After I divorced my cheating ex-husband, I married Dieter Schwarz.” She held up her left hand and waggled her new wedding band. “I want everyone to know. Dieter Schwarz is my husband, and I love him more than my own life. I’m deliriously happy to be Mrs. Dieter Schwarz.

“As a matter of fact, if you look backover old photos of me, you can probably find him scowling in the background, protecting me, because he’s always been there for me. When that sniper shot at me in Paris after my wedding to Pierre, Dieter Schwarz was the man who saved me and took the bullet. He’s always been my protector. He’s always been the one.”

She looked over the phone at Dieter’s gray eyes, which had widened above where heheld the camera. “Okay,Lieblingwächter,my love, you can stop the feed now. We’re done.”

Dieter startled and tapped the screen. “I didn’t know you were going to do that.”

“It’s the truth.”

He shook his head. “Well, if that doesn’t get Pierre’s attention, nothing will.”

“But he’ll leave me alone now, don’t you think?”

Dieter stared at the phone before he looked up at her, but lines stillcreased his face. “I wish I could tell you yes, but some guys never stop.”