Page 28 of The Royal Engagement

“What do you think of Damek?” I ask.

She takes a trip into my bedroom to drop a load of clothes and I follow behind her. “Damek is a nice boy,” she pauses, the corrects, “man. He’s a very nice man. And he is easy on the eyes.”

My cheeks grow warm. “Yes, Damek is very attractive.”

She pauses in front of me. “He treats you well and he seems to adore you. And I can tell you are very smitten with him.”

Smitten? Yes.

Half way in love? Possibly.

“I came here fully prepared to fight with your father to get you out of an arranged marriage, but when I saw Damek and you together, I knew he was yourone,” Mom says. “The two of you will be very happy together. I can see that.”

My heart feels so full at her words. Sheapproves, which is more than I could’ve ever hoped for.

She turns to head back into the closet, but I stand in my room and breathe for a few more moments.

Everything is working out so perfectly. Sure, Damek’s mom still isn’t warm, but she’s not as cold as she once was. And sinceMom promised not to fight with Queen Rune so much over wedding plans, maybe things won’t be so bad anymore.

This could really work out.

Am I really going to get a happy ever after with Damek? It feels too good to be true.

Mom pokes her head out of the closet. “Are you coming?”

I follow her inside as she makes her way expertly around the space. After being here for only a few minutes, she knows her way around my clothes better than I do. I swear, she moves like she’s skating around a clothing store. A few more minutes and she takes another armload of clothes to my bed. I start to help her fold the clothes, but she shoo’s me off, telling me to sit. I sit crisscross on the bed and watch her as she packs my suitcase.

“Mom, I don’t mind helping,” I say. “I’m not a kid anymore.”

“Let me baby you.” Mom frowns. “It might be one of my last opportunities before you marry. And soon you’ll be having your own children.”

I smirk. “But then you can baby your grandchildren.”

Her lips turn upward, her entire face lighting up. “You are right. And I will babysit anytime you want, Madeline. When they’re older, you can send them to spend the whole summer with me so you can have alone time with Damek.” She claps her hands, excited by the idea. “I am going to spoil them.”

My heart feels so full as she makes plans for my future children. I never allowed myself to dream of a future where I could have children. I never thought anybody would be interested in dating me, let alone marrying me. But Damek is absolutely perfect in ways that I never could’ve dreamt up. And I do want children with him. I know we need at least two since he’s a prince, but we may want more than two children.

Mom pauses her packing as she looks at me. “You’re happy, aren’t you?”

I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “I am so happy, Mom. I never imagined Icouldbe this happy.”

She sits down beside me and takes my hand in hers. “I am so, so sorry.”

I frown when I hear the serious tone in her voice. “What do you have to be sorry for?”

“For keeping you away from your father,” she says. “As much as it kills me to admit it, you belong here. You’re thriving in ways that you never could among the succubi community.”

I shake my head. “No. You don’t have to apologize—”

She cuts me off. “Yes, I do. It was wrong of me to do what I did. You needed your father. And I was selfish. I wanted to keep you all to myself, but by doing that, I hurt you.”

“It’s okay,” I assure her. “Everything is working out exactly how it should. I came here at the perfect time. And who knows if Damek would even like me if I had been here when I went through puberty.”

She chuckles. “Ah, but you were so cute in every stage of growing up. No doubt he would’ve loved you just as much at thirteen as he does now.”

I’m not so sure aboutthat, but I don’t argue the point. Even at twenty three, I’m not sure what Damek sees in me.

“You’ve always been beautiful,” Mom says. “I know you don’t believe that because of the way the others treated you, but it’s the truth.”

---