Page 11 of The Royal Engagement

“What do you want?” I ask.

He shrugs. “Pink is fine. Red is fine. I don’t care.”

“I wish you would care.” I sigh. “I don’t want our moms fighting over our wedding. I was so excited about wedding planning. I was hoping that Eden and Mom could get to know one another.”

Damek lifts an eyebrow. “You think they’ll get along.”

“I don’t know. Maybe.” I chew on my lip, wondering if I am insane. How could they ever possibly get along? But it would make my life better. I want both of them to be part of my life. And if we don’t get over the awkwardness, every single life event that we celebrate will continue to be awkward. “They are going to spend a lot of time together.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, our wedding is just the beginning. There are holidays and our children’s birthdays…” my voice trails off as I realize I’ve mentioned our future children. Will that scare him off?

Weareengaged, but it’s not like this is a typical engagement. This was thrust on him just as much as it was me. Neither of us had a choice.

“We haven’t discussed children yet in our long phone conversations.” Damek stays relaxed, not at all bothered by the mention of children. “How many children do you want?”

I take a deep breath and slowly exhale. “I don’t know. I do know that it’s lonely to be an only child and meeting Julien is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. He’s annoying, but I love him. So I definitely want more than one.”

He grins. “By law, we have to have at least two—an heir and a spare.”

“How many children do you want?” I ask.

“I don’t know. I guess that is something we can decide together when the time comes,” he says.

I like the sound of that.

But this conversation makes me realize… Damek and I may have had a lot of late morning phone conversations, but we still have a lot to talk about when it comes to the logistics of being married.

Damek pulls the vehicle into a restaurant. He squeezes my hand before letting it go.

“Will you wait here and let me open the door for you?” he asks.

I nod. “Yeah.”

He grins, revealing dimples, and then he gets out of the car. My heart pounds faster as he makes his way around the vehicle.

The more I get to know Damek, the more I like him. He’s sweet and gentle, but he’s also protective of me. He’s exactly the kind of guy that I said I wanted to find, but I never thought I’d be able to.

He doesn’t look down on me for my hybrid blood.

The door opens and Damek holds out a hand to help me out. I accept his hand, putting mine in his. He helps me from the car and leads me inside the restaurant. He gives the hostess our name and we’re led to a table at the back of the restaurant. We’re seated by a large window that overlooks a lake.

“It’s beautiful,” I say, looking at the view.

“I knew you’d like it.” Damek glances from the window toward me. “You can get here from the Rune estate by boat. We come here a lot in the summer months.”

I raise an eyebrow. “But vampires don’t feel the cold. Why not use a boat all year round?”

“Less conspicuous.” He shrugs. “While some humans know about us, we try not to make it obvious. The less humans know about us, the better.”

Ah, of course he’s right. “Summer is better for me anyway. I don’t think I could stand riding in a boat when it’s this cold. But I do look forward to summer. Maybe we can come back then.”

“I would like that.” He grins at me and then glances at his menu.

Once we order our drinks and food, I look at Damek and try to imagine our future together. I can picture us coming here in the summer months on his boat. A future with Damek doesn’tscare me like I thought it would. Instead, I find myself looking forward to the memories we’re going to make.

“What are you thinking?” Damek asks.

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