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I t happened. After all this time, he saw her again. He could finally smell her again and her closeness was all that mattered even though there was so much more.

The night. Her. Life.

His senses, dulled by worry, roared back to life. The faint murmurs of people grew lively. The soft breeze cooled the otherwise warm air. He could practically taste the delicate scent of her skin that seemed to linger in the atmosphere. All around.

Her name burned in his throat.

Sera.

Alex inhaled sharply, closing his eyes for the briefest of moments.

When he opened them again, she was still there.

Standing just a few steps away, her pale-blue dress catching the faint glow of the gaslights behind her.

The sight of her hit him with the same force it had earlier, his chest tightening as though the air had evaporated between them.

“You came,” he said, his voice rough, barely steady.

Her gaze didn’t waver, her expression unreadable. “I did. And so did you.”

He hesitated, his feet rooted to the ground despite every instinct telling him to close the distance, to take her in his arms, to assure himself this wasn’t some cruel figment conjured by his frantic mind.

But the weight of everything he’d just broken—his promises, her world, their tangled history—kept him cautious, his confusion and longing warring for control.

“You’re the prince.”

“I am,” he admitted blunt.

“We’re engaged.”

“We are.” Wait. “What? No, I mean, I was engaged. I’m not anymore.”

“You are or were engaged to me.” The words came out certain, deliberate, like an anchor thrown against the storm swirling inside him. “I am Seraphina Lyndon.”

Alex couldn’t process what he was hearing. She… She was his betrothed from the very start? She’d been his all along and he didn’t even know?

A curse flew from his mouth.

“My sentiments, exactly.”

A flicker of panic licked at his composure. He stepped forward, his posture firm, his voice leaving no room for argument. “This is a terrible mess, but first of all, despite what happens, we are still engaged, and we will remain so if you wish.”

“If I don’t?”

Pain. “If you don’t, then nothing needs to be done further. I already spoke to your father.”

“And yet you claim we are still engaged?”

“My heart will always be engaged to you, Sera. No matter what you decide.”

But the truth still burned his mind. He still couldn’t believe that Sera had been his from the start. Only hours ago, he’d been prepared to dissolve this engagement without a second thought. Back then, Seraphina Lyndon had been nothing more than a name—a vague, faceless obligation thrust upon him.

Now, standing before him, she was Sera . The woman whose smile had once lit something inside him. The woman he hadn’t known he’d been searching for until he’d found her. The woman he had almost walked away from, unknowingly.

His heart twisted.

For a prince who claimed to be smart, he surely was a confounded fool! How had they managed to miss each other so entirely?

“I didn’t know,” Alex admitted, his voice quieter now but no less resolute. “I didn’t know it was you, Sera. I didn’t know this—us—was what my future held.” He swallowed hard and stepped closer, his pulse pounding. “If I had known…”

He couldn’t explain it but a flash of Anton struggling in the water rushed back. He should have saved him back then, but it was too late. He didn’t want to be late now and felt utterly at sea.

Sera crossed her arms, her guarded stance betraying the turbulence in her own eyes. “If you had known? What, Alex? Would you have done anything differently? Because from where I stand, it feels like you were ready to end this—until now.”

Her words stung, sharp and direct, but he couldn’t fault her for uttering them.

She wasn’t wrong. And still, he refused to shy away.

He took one more step, leaning closer, his voice low yet steady.

“If I had known it was you, Sera, I would’ve moved heaven and earth to find you sooner.

I would have never wasted a single moment letting you believe otherwise. ”

Her lips parted slightly, and for a moment, her expression softened.

But just as quickly, her shields rose again.

She uncrossed her arms, stepping forward too, matching him in defiance.

“And yet, you didn’t. You didn’t know, Alex.

” Her gaze bore into him, unyielding. “How could we have been so oblivious?”

Alex shook his head, frustration flickering in his eyes. “I don’t know. Somewhere along the way, we lost each other. But I am telling you now, I won’t lose you again.”

She hesitated, her fingers curling loosely into her skirts as she finally looked away, her composure faltering. “You’re the prince,” she murmured, her voice tight. “The very same one engaged to Miss Seraphina Lyndon. You knew about her, didn’t you?”

His stomach twisted as he recalled their first meeting—the teasing glint in her eyes as she’d thrown out that question, ‘Are you a prince, then?’ If he’d just admitted it, if he hadn’t been so careful… He ran a hand over his jaw, exhaling sharply. “I couldn’t have known it was you, Sera.”

“I know,” she said with a heavy sigh. “I didn’t formally introduce myself, after all. Neither did I demand an introduction. Honestly, if you had told me who you were, I’d probably have run.”

“Will you run now?”

She looked at him, truly looked at him, and in her eyes, he saw the battle playing out—the hurt, the uncertainty, and something deeper.

Something unyielding. Finally, her fingers relaxed at her sides, a soft, hesitant whisper escaping her lips.

“How can I? But I don’t know what to do with this. With us.”

He nodded slowly, his heartbeat steadying for the first time all evening. “Then give me a chance to show you,” he said quietly.

“We were meant for each other all along. Even without our parents’ meddling, we fell in love, didn’t we?” she said.

“Yes, we did. I’ll never love another, never have. It was you. Just you and me, Sera.” Even though it had become so complicated, at its core, the matter was so simple.

His gaze fell to the shawl slipping from her shoulders. She looked as beautiful as ever, in a different way than he was used to, but still breathtaking. His eyes met hers again. “It must have been a shock, right? I’m not the smuggler you hoped I’d be.”

A bubble of laughter escaped her. “How silly you must have found me.”

“I never once found you silly, Sera.” Alex’s voice was steady, but his heart pounded like a drum in his chest. She hadn’t cursed him yet. Hope bloomed daringly again. “Perhaps a bit too bold. But never silly. What about me?”

She took another step closer, and he followed suit. Her shawl slipped farther, exposing the delicate curve of her collarbone. She didn’t bother adjusting it, her focus locked entirely on him. “You? I never found you silly.”

“Are you angry?”

Another step. “I don’t know. I’m not sure how I should be feeling right now.” Another step.

“I’m not.”

“I wanted to break our engagement. Are you angry?”

“How can I be?” Alex smiled then. “To be with me.”

“Yes,” she murmured. The final steps brought them before each other. “For two people who don’t find each other silly, we sure were a bit silly.”

“You didn’t want to marry me,” Alex asked, finally voicing the question in his heart. This wasn’t just about her meeting him on the beach; this was before then. “May I ask why?”

“I don’t want to leave England.”

Ah.

“Is that the only reason?”

“There were other small reasons, but that was the biggest one.”

He nodded. “So, do you never want to leave, or do you just not wish to leave permanently?”

“Permanently,” she said without hesitation.

At least that wouldn’t be a hurdle for them, then. He didn’t want to drag anyone across the continent against their will. “Then we won’t.”

“We?”

“I am where you are,” Alex said firmly. There was no other option. Even if she refused to see him, he wouldn’t leave England while she was still there. “Do you not want me anymore?”

She sighed. “We’re standing here, and everything is… different. Everything has changed. A prince who pretended to be a common man. A man who makes me feel things I shouldn’t. Are you truly not upset?”

“First of all, I’m only upset with myself for not paying more attention to my fiancée.

You have just as much right to be upset as well.

And finally, Sera, everything has always been different.

We just didn’t realize it yet. Even if I had turned out to be a pirate and you, the princess, it would still have been different. ”

Her gaze faltered, dipping to the ground before flicking back to meet his. “I told my mother I wanted to break off the engagement.”

“Like I said, I told your father, but it doesn’t matter.

” He closed the small, remaining gap with one decisive step.

He was close enough now to see the faint rise and fall of her chest, to catch the smallest wrinkle between her brows.

“I have no desire to separate from you. Things may be different now, but some things have stayed the same. Like the way I feel about you. Like the fact that we are engaged, no matter what happened in that ballroom. Do you still feel the same?”

“I do, but…” her voice trailed off.

His heart sank.

She inhaled deeply, exhaling slowly before she continued, “The last time we saw each other was before I knew who you really were. Before you knew who I really was. But none of that changes what we are to each other.”

“My heart nearly failed.” He clutched at his chest, his eyes on her, almost moodily. “Couldn’t you just have thrown yourself into my arms?”

Her smile widened. “I could have, but I needed to stay that way then.”

“How about now?” Alex asked, opening his arms. “Can you throw yourself into them now?”

*

Of all the emotions swirling within Sera’s breast at that moment, relief was the strongest. He looked handsome in the dim light—too handsome for a man who had thrown her entire world into momentary chaos. She didn’t hesitate. She stepped into his arms, nearly choking as he enveloped her.

She’d missed his scent.

The warmth of his body.

Him.

Her mind still reeled. Seeing him tonight in all his princely glory, she hadn’t been able to connect him with the man on the beach. But in his arms… He was still the same Alex. And that was everything.

“I never saw this coming.”

“Neither did I,” he admitted.

Sera shivered despite the heavy warmth in the air. She turned her gaze outward toward the darkened line of the garden, where the shapes of trees beckoned couples to trysts. Beyond them, she knew, the city pulsed, especially Lady Ashford’s ball.

They would have to return to reality soon.

“Do you really believe that everything will be okay? We left quite a mess at the ball. My parents are furious.”

“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “I believe it, Sera. I believe in us. I have since the very beginning. Sera and Alex are stronger than their positions in the world. We have something unexpected.”

“Love?” She laughed at the realization because it was either too mad or too perfect, she didn’t know which.

She could just picture her mother’s expression, though she should be pleased.

“You make it sound so simple.” She would never be able to live it down in the future.

Even just thinking about Isabella’s response made her stifle a groan.

“It’s simple,” he said, his tone softening. “The hardest part was waiting here and thinking you weren’t coming.” He kissed her forehead. “You have no idea how happy I am.”

“I’m happy too.”

His arms tightened around her. “I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want you. I want you and everything you desire.”

“But what do you want, Alex?” she asked, her voice breaking slightly. “There must be more than just everything I want.”

He didn’t hesitate. “I don’t know about that. I want you, Sera. All of you. Your boldness, your fire, your fears. Everything, my sweet tigress. All of you! It doesn’t matter where we live. Besides, England has grown on me.”

Sera couldn’t help it. She lifted onto her toes and kissed him.

The moment their lips touched, Sera knew she had come home.

She traced her tongue over his lower lip, prompting him to take charge and deepen the kiss.

He didn’t disappoint. Immediately, their tongues danced together.

It quickly turned playful when Alex grinned against her lips and then chuckled mid-kiss.

“What’s so funny?” she demanded, pulling away just enough to narrow her eyes at him.

“So eager.”

“Of course, I’m eager! Are you telling me you’re not?”

He laughed outright then. “Eager,” he hurriedly said.

Sera reached up, brushing a stray lock of his dark hair from his forehead. “Good.”

Before she could say anything else, he kissed her again. How dangerous. She could lose herself in this man. Correction, she had already lost herself in this man. The kiss was brief, but it still left her reeling. He stepped back. “Come, we need to go.”

“Back to the ball?”

He nodded. “We need to explain to your parents why I made a mistake.”

“Not explain all of it!” Sera groaned. But he was right. And yet, for the first time since the big reveal, Sera felt like everything might just be fine.

A loud crack sounded through the air, and the bark of the tree exploded next to them.

Sera screamed.