Page 40 of Lily and the Billionaire Prince

Things packed, Ethan dropped Lily and Henrik off at the airport. Henrik had brought all of his luggage and did not need to return to Florida for anything. Apparently, he was done with his wife-hunt in a little over a week, which meant the pressure of his offer weighed on Lily.

She hugged her brother fiercely. “Thanks for everything,” she said.

“What’s that for?” Ethan asked.

“Because I’m about to do something profoundly stupid, and I don’t know when I’ll see you again.” She didn’t yet know which category of stupid her decision was. That was yet to be determined when she finally decided whether she was going to Einvar or Florida.

“Lily,” Ethan reprimanded. “Does this have to do with that secret you’re always hinting at?”

“I’m hoping this will fix it,” she said, hoping it was enough. She should tell her brother the truth about Damon and the threats he’d been making for the past few years. She’d always wanted to run away to Europe. If this went as she hoped, this was her chance.

She still wasn’t sure what she was going to do, whether she’d go back to Florida to truly close her life in such a final way, or if she would accept Henrik’s offer and go to his home instead. In some small way, that felt like she was taking advantage of the Prince, and Lily couldn’t bear that.

Lily had made up with her parents. Would they care if the emails portraying the truth of what had happened with Patrick Billingsworth surfaced now? Perhaps if she stopped responding to Damon’s threats and no longer gave in, he would stop attempting to blackmail her.

That didn’t change the fact that he could leak the email and Henrik might discover the worst of her past at King Toothpaste. She had the feeling if Damon couldn’t get ahold of her, every email he had would be leaked to every source out there. Then Henrik would realize she wasn’t worth his time. She was trapped. Constantly, truly, every-turn trapped.

Maybe someday she’d be able to explain everything to Ethan. Until then, this goodbye had to be enough. This was the last time she’d see her brother, and they both had to accept that fact, whether Ethan knew it now or not.

Face plastered into concern, Ethan said goodbye to Henrik as well and watched as they made it through security.

Anticipation built the longer she and Henrik stepped together in such silence. They meandered through the line, removing all metal from their pockets, placing their shoes into plastic, gray tubs, and setting their valuables on a conveyor belt. Arms raised, the computers full-body scanned, and then one by one they made it through to the open airport where people meandered in much less of a rush.

Lily noted the smoothie shop, the pizza parlor and hamburger places, the bookstore, and the token airport gift shop. A small part of her wanted to meander through just because there was something fulfilling about browsing little shops. Instead, they strolled to a central area in the Vermont airport where skylights allowed bucketfuls of sunlight to spill over them.

Lily could feel Henrik watching her with every step she took. She knew why. She still hadn’t told him her decision. Truth be told, she still wasn’t sure of it herself.

* * *

“It’s so empty today.”Henrik gazed at the bare seats where people usually gathered to wait for their flights. Lily was quiet beside him. She’d been too quiet during their traipse through security, and she pulled her suitcase now absentmindedly, staring at her ticket.

She still hadn’t told him what her decision was. He hoped, regardless of whatever this secret she held, that she would choose him. He’d already purchased an additional seat beside him on the plane—first class this time—for her.

People were always stronger together than they were apart, and if she were going to be his wife, Henrik could use his substantial resources as heir to the Einvarian throne to help her with whatever troubled her.

An intersection at the airport awaited them, marked by a larger sign overhead indicating the various directions of the gates. Henrik didn’t need to check his ticket to know that his direct flight to Sweden, which neighbored Einvar, was to the left, or that Lily’s ticket to Florida was at Gate 9 in the opposite direction.

Wordlessly, they paused beneath the large sign. Lily’s beautiful brow knitted above her exquisite eyes. She’d pulled her thick, voluptuous hair into a cluster of wavy curls at the nape of her neck. Henrik’s heart panged with longing for her, longing he couldn’t fully explain. Maybe it was the shape of her face or the luster in her tea-leaf eyes, the pout of her full lips, or the fact that if she parted from him now, he would never taste their shape against his again.

He would miss all of that about her, but more than that, he would miss her inquisitive mind, her unpredictability, her strong ideas, and the flurry of her laughter.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked. Based on her smile, she was pleased by his inspection.

“You still haven’t told me what you’ve decided.”

Her brow quirked. “That’s because I haven’t decided yet.”

“You are running out of time.”

“I’m always running out of something.”

“Why won’t you come?” he pleaded. “What can I do to ease your mind about it?” He considered telling her of the conversation he’d had with her father, but she’d only just reconciled with her family, and Henrik wasn’t certain her father’s approval would be as convincing as he wanted.

“I have an apartment full of animals who’ve kept me better company than people have lately,” she said. “It doesn’t seem fair to abandon them now.”

“Your friend is feeding them, no?”

“Yes, but—”

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