Page 32 of The Last Knight (The Cursed Kingdom #5)

“ I t took you nearly six months to make good on that gathering you promised,” her mother, Afryea Maguire, said with a teasing glint in her warm brown eyes.

Her voice, laced with its soft African lilt, turned the gentle scolding into music.

“But I understand. With your new studio and your handsome new boyfriend, there’s been little time left for your boring old parents. ”

Aubrey bent down and kissed her mother’s cheek, the familiar softness of her skin making her smile. “I’ve already apologized, twice, I think,” she said with mock guilt. “Besides, Gunther and I have been by a few times. You and Da haven’t been as neglected as you make it sound.”

Across the room, Gunther sat with her father, Andrew Maguire, both deep in conversation. Her father was animatedly explaining the finer points of investment strategies, and Gunther listened attentively, his brow furrowed in concentration.

It had taken time, and more than one awkward dinner, for her parents to fully grasp the truth of Gunther’s origins.

The first time Erin and Padriag joined them to explain the other realm and the knights’ pasts, her parents had exchanged skeptical looks and concerned glances.

But after a visit to Dunimarle Castle, and meeting the other knights in person, something had shifted.

The evidence was undeniable, and they’d come around.

Since then, her father had taken it upon himself to become Gunther’s unofficial mentor. Watching the two of them bond, her dad guiding, Gunther soaking it in with that quiet intensity, was something that filled her heart. It was unexpectedly adorable.

The weather outside was dreary, rain tapping gently against the windows, so they’d all gathered inside Ashcraig House for the gathering. Besides Erin and Padriag, Erin’s mother had joined them too, and the lively conversation and clinking of glasses created a cozy warmth inside.

Padriag’s story had been easier to tell. Erin’s mother already believed in alternate planes of existence. When they shared the truth, she’d clapped her hands and declared she’d bedelightedto visit the other realm one day.

That, of course, wasnevergoing to happen.

“Gunther, would you help me serve dessert?” Aubrey asked with a sly smile. Then she gave the others a playful warning look. “No peeking. It’s a surprise.”

She was excited to unveil her cranachan, a traditional Scottish treat she’d made earlier that afternoon. Raspberries, toasted oats, whipped cream with a hint of whiskey, and just the right drizzle of honey. She’d tucked the delicate glasses in the back of the refrigerator to keep them hidden.

“Here.” She handed a tray to Gunther. “Hold this, please. I’ll just grab the desserts.”

But instead of taking the tray, he set it gently on the counter, confusing her.

Then, without a word, he reached for her hands.

Her breath caught as he looked into her eyes with a softness that made her heart flutter. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips, slow and tender, and when he pulled back, there was something nervous, almost boyish, in his expression.

“Aubrey,” he said quietly, “I wish to ask you something. I don’t know if marriage still exists in this realm…but if it does, will you be my partner for life? Will you be my wife?”

“Oh,” she breathed, blinking as if trying to remember how lungs worked. “You…want to marry me?”

“If you wish to,” he said gently, the tiniest flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.

Her answer was not so much spoken asfelt.

With a happy squeal, Aubrey did a little spin, then launched herself into his arms, looping hers around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder. “Yes! Yes, yes, yes! I want nothing more than to spend my life with you. I love you so much.”

He kissed her again, right there in the soft, golden light spilling from the open fridge. It was awkward, imperfect, and absolutely perfect.

The cranachan could wait.

This moment was sweeter than anything she could have made.

In bed that night, as their breathing slowed, Gunther gathered her into his arms, their bodies still tangled, skin warm and slick from making love. He pressed a kiss to her temple, then whispered against her hair, “You said you loved me.”

“I do,” Aubrey breathed, her heart fluttering. She thought of teasing him for not saying it back, but she didn’t need to. She could feel it in every touch, every look.

“That’s good,” he said simply. She smiled, loving the way his accent curled around each word.

But then he tilted her face up to his, his gaze piercing, filled with something raw and unguarded. “Because I love you,” he said, his voice breaking the silence like a vow. “More than breath. More than life. More than anything I’ve ever known.”

Aubrey’s heart clenched, full to the brim. Then he kissed her deeply, as if sealing a promise neither of them would ever break.