Page 48

Ava

“N ext!”

God, it felt good to be back in the truck.

The middle-aged man, looking especially entitled in his tech bro outfit of jeans and a hoodie, ambled up to the front of the line like he owned the place.

“Good afternoon,” he said. “Now, I know you guys do the crab cake thing, but what’re the odds I can do that keto style? You know, no breadcrumbs or anything like th—”

I leaned forward, tapping on the sign that said, “no alterations or substitutions!”

“You want just crab,” I said. “The ocean’s right over there. Now, if you want the best crab cake sandwich in Seattle, I’m happy to serve you one.”

He looked more than a little disappointed. “I seriously can’t eat more than thirty carbs a day. Isn’t there anything you can do?”

“Well, lucky for you, we’ve also got the best crab cake salad in Seattle. Pretty sure that’s as low carb as it comes. Then again, you can’t spell ‘carb’ without ‘crab’.”

The tech bro pursed his lips. “I’ll take one of those.”

“You hear that, kids?” I called out.

“Heard!” Hailey shouted.

“Heard!” added Sammie, one of the foster kids who Hailey had brought on as part-time help and who was totally kicking ass.

“Next!”

The tech bro thankfully hurried out of the way, making room for the next person in line. As she made her way to the front, I took a moment to appreciate the sights around me. It was lunchtime at Pike Place Fish Market, the place done up with Christmas lights, a bit of snow drifting down from the fluffy clouds above. I loved Christmas and was beyond happy that the season was well underway.

I’d gotten right into the groove when I’d come back to Seattle, feeling like I was finally back in my element. We plowed through the lunch rush, the line dwindling over the course of the next hour until we were out of cakes. By the time we were done, I was more than eager to take a little break with some hot coffee.

Lucky for me, a solid knocking on the back of the truck let me know that break time had officially begun.

“Is that Luc?” Sammie asked, her expression eager.

“It sure is,” I said, making my way over to the doors.

“He better have brought the right coffee this time,” Hailey said with a wink.

I pulled open the doors and, sure enough, there stood Luc. He was looking sharp as ever, dressed in a navy pea coat and matching knit cap, a tray of coffees and a bag of sandwiches in his hands.

“Are you all ready to take a little breather?” he asked. “Lunch rush is over.”

Ten minutes later, we were seated outside by one of the heated tables, warming ourselves with sips of coffee and bites of sandwiches that Luc had brought from one of the nearby joints. Luc was fitting in surprisingly well in Seattle, taking quite a shine to the many coffee shops, “almost as good as the palace library for reading,” he’d said.

“OK, so first stop is here.” Hailey had her phone out to Sammie, showing her all the stops in the big trip she was planning at the beginning of next year. “Hitting Mexico City first, then down the coast. Once I get to Central America, I—”

Sammie, cute and short-haired with a nose ring just like me, appeared worried.

“Wait, are you going to be available if I need to call anyone? I mean, I’m going to be practically running the truck…”

“I’ll be here,” I said. “One phone call away. You’ve got this.”

It was a big deal, letting Sammie and a few of the other foster kids run the truck a few shifts a week. I had faith in the kids, though, and was eager to see them shine.

Hailey went back to giving Sammie the details. I turned to Luc, wrapping my hands around my decaf latte.

“Well,” he said. “It’s been two weeks since we came back. How’re you feeling?”

“God, where to even begin? I mean, I love it here. Seattle will always be my home. But now…”

He smiled, sensing where I was going. “Now you have two homes. And not just you— we have two homes.” He flicked his eyes down to my belly, referring to the little family of ours in the works. “Speaking of which, how was the first prenatal appointment today?”

“So far, so good. Almost two months along, belly getting bigger by the day.” I placed my hand on my stomach over my coat. I was right, my middle was expanding a little bit more with each passing day. “Is it weird that I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I’m going to be a mom?”

He shook his head. “I hope not, because I still can’t believe I’m going to be a dad. You’d better believe that I’m excited, though.” A sly smile spread across his face after he spoke.

“What?”

“Nothing. Just thinking of your dad when we told him the news.”

I knew right away what he was talking about, a smile of my own forming.

“Oh, you mean when he spit out his wine and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head?”

“That’s it.”

“How is the old man doing, anyway?”

Luc sat back, taking a sip of his coffee. “He’s good. Not sure how he’s running the kingdom without me, but he’s making do. He’s been asking about you, of course. And I can tell by the way he asks about the baby that he’s getting more excited about being a grandpa by the day.”

He went on. “And he wants to talk to you soon. Got lots of matters to go over about the naming ceremony.”

The naming ceremony, under the extraordinary circumstances, had been delayed, and was due to take place on December twenty-first. It was coming up so quickly that I could hardly believe it. It was the day I’d officially be named as the heir to the Edorian throne, the day my destiny would be set in stone. Granted, with my father’s most recent physical confirming that he was in perfect health, it wouldn’t be for a good, long while. But still, one day I’d be on that throne.

“I’ll make sure to call him tonight.” I sipped my coffee, watching the snow come down in big flurries, the evening Christmas lights beginning to turn on in the market and downtown in the distance.

“This is going to be a hell of a year, Luc,” I said. “You ready?”

He reached over and took my hand, a warm smile on his face. “Very ready. But let’s make sure to take it one day at a time.”

“We definitely will, by order of the princess.”