Page 67 of The Wanted Prince

“I know where you were,” he said. “Dom filled me in.”

I looked away, embarrassed. “He squealed on me, eh?”

“At the very last second, the day of your hearing. He wanted to prove to me it couldn’t be you. You hadn’t been hiding. You’d been facing your past.” Father sighed, and he leaned on his old hardwood desk. “I understand why you didn’t think you could tell me. I jumped to conclusions. I was unfair.”

I stopped him. “I know. But I don’t want to dwell on it. What’s done is done, and it’s time to move on.”

“Moving on…” Father sighed. “Yes, it’s high time for that.” He took out the royal amulet and held it up to the light, its milky, flawed moonstone pale in the sun. “It’s an ugly thing, isn’t it?”

I laughed. “It’s old-fashioned.”

“Well, so am I. So will you be one day. We all have our time, then we need to make way. Step aside for the new generation.” He closed his fist on the amulet. “Do you see what I’m saying?”

I did, but the thought only made me feel sad. The light in Father’s study made his hair look thinner, his skin more translucent. He looked frail and old. But I could still see the man he’d once been, and the child I’d once been, playing at his knee. When had he got so old? When had I finished growing?

“It’s time,” he said. “And I think we both know this is yours. This is yours.” He held out the amulet, but I didn’t take it. “We’ll have the ceremony this month, I think, but we’ll delay your coronation. You have Laura to think about, and your baby. I’d like you to have this time, and enjoy your wedding, then after your honeymoon, you’ll take the throne. If you accept, of course.”

I bowed. “I accept.”

Father smiled, a bit sadly. “You should know I’m proud of you. Of how you faced your mistakes. Prouder, I think, than if you’d never made any. It takes a strong man to admit he’s been wrong, and say he’s sorry, and make amends. As a king, your mistakes will be broad and far-reaching. They’ll have consequences you didn’t foresee. This is true for the best, most compassionate ruler, and you’ll soon see that for yourself. But if you keep going as you’ve done lately, if you care, if you course-correct when you’ve done wrong — if you always remember you’re as human as anyone — you’ll be a good king. A great one, maybe.”

My eyes stung and swam. I blinked, overwhelmed. This was the highest praise I’d had from Father, not just since my lost year, but in my whole life.

“Thank you,” I managed.

“You owe me no thanks. This is yours. You’ve earned it.” He held out the amulet again, and I took it.

A month after that, he’d hung it around my neck, in front of the court and a TV audience of millions. Soon, I’d be king, and Laura my queen. But today we were something more wonderful than that: today, we were bride and groom. The happy couple. I couldn’t wait to tell Laura all the things she already knew — how deeply I loved her, how I always would — but this time, in front of all Santaviedo. In front of our families — no. Our one big family. Our family, who’d finally?—

“Hey! You awake?”

“Hey! Open up in there! What are you doing?”

Laura scowled. “What, already?”

“We know you’re in there!”

Emilio giggled and squirmed in my arms. I caught him before he could slide to the floor.

“Fine, Dom, I’m coming. Keep your pants on.”

“Oh, we’re dressed,” said Laura’s mother, barging on in. She strode into the nursery and reached for Emilio, and he dropped his teething ring and grabbed for her bracelets. “Good taste, this one! You like my bracelets? Oh, yes you do. Yes, you do. No, don’t bite those.” She peered over Emilio’s head, pursed her lips at Laura. “It’s almost five thirty, and you aren’t dressed? Come on, you’ve got hair to do, and makeup. Your dress. Time to shake a leg.”

Laura rubbed her tired eyes. “It’s so early, though…”

“And a royal wedding waits for no one. Now come on, snap-snap.”

“And I’m here for you.” Carlo pointed at me. “Come on, come get dressed. We’ll get something to eat.”

“I’ll take him,” said Dom, and took Emilio. Emilio whooped, loving the attention. He grabbed two big handfuls of Dom’s curly hair. Dom winced, but he winked at me. “Don’t worry, I’ve got him. I’ve got a morning of fun planned, then a long N-A-P, so he’ll be rested for the big event.”

“I’ll miss you,” called Laura, as her mother dragged her off. She waved at Emilio, but he was pulling Dom’s hair. I blew her a kiss and she caught it and smiled. I wouldn’t see her again till she walked down the aisle, and I wished I could somehow leap to that moment, skip all the primping and the photo ops, my speech to the nation, all of that fluff. All that mattered today was getting to Laura. Getting to the moment we’d be one, at last.

“So, your big day,” said Carlo, when we were alone at last. “You nervous at all?”

I had to laugh. “Nervous?”

“Some people are, the day of their wedding.”

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