Page 97 of My Trojan Horse Majesty

Leonid throws his hands up in the air. “I should have known I had no clue.”

“He’s one step closer to getting it,” Steve says.

Everyone laughs.

“What about me and Ethan?” My youngest brother, Nathan, asks. “What do we get?”

Leonid’s brow furrows. “What do you want?”

“I want to come to Russia.” Nathan nods. “I like the idea of telling people what to do, and saying, ‘you have to listen. My sister’s married to the czar.’”

Mom freezes, clearly uncomfortable about themarrybit.

Leonid doesn’t even blink. “Do you speak Russian?”

Nathan frowns. “No.”

“You learn Russian, and you’re welcome to come visit and order people around.”

“But you have to get marriedthere, right?” Nathan’s still scowling. “I mean, if you don’t, won’t your people get mad? I would, if the president didn’t get married here. Notherehere, like in Birch Creek, but like, in America. Mom gets weird about buying things that aren’t made in America.”

Leonid laughs, and then he pulls out his phone. He taps on the screen, and he taps his foot.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

Finally, my cobra comes roaring around the corner.

“Whoa,” Gabe says. “I really hope that’s my car.”

Leonid smiles. “Mikhail finally caught up.”

But when he climbs out of the car, he’s holding a small box. He hands it to Leonid, who drops to one knee.

“The jeweler wasnotvery fast,” Leonid says. “Even though I know all of this has been a whirlwind.” The wind whips through my hair then, and I can’t help wondering whether it’s him causing it.

“I know your family isn’t sure about me, and I know that you may not be either, but?—”

I grab his shoulders, and I pull him up, and then I kiss him right on the lips.

Gabe may cheer the loudest, but he’s not the only one cheering.

“I love you,” I say. “And I worried, for a bit, that my family might not accept my judgment, what with the speed of all this, and with the way I liked Tim the loser.” I can’t help grimacing. “But I don’t just like you. I don’t just adore you. Iloveyou, and I trust you to change into someone even better with me at your side.”

“So you’ll marry me?” He’s grinning.

Uncle Eddy and Uncle Will, Great Uncle Tommy, and Ethan all whoop. Then everyone else cheers.

“I will,” I say. “And as Nathan pointed out, it’ll probably have to be in Russia.”

“You might want to take a look over my ticker one more time,” Mandy says. “I hear it’s a long trip. And while we’re at it, Tommy could use a tune-up as well. He’s been limping.”

Leonid slides a ring on my finger then, a ring that’s far too big, and somehow shrinks down as he’s putting it on. It’s a white gold band, but set in the center, there’s one of the brightest, sparkliest blue rocks I’ve ever seen.

“It turns out blue berylisa valuable stone,” Leonid says. “I told Mikhail to get this one made into something spectacular, so the rock that split open the mountain can be the one you carry around with you.” He leans closer, pressing his mouth to my ear. “If you don’t like this one, though, I can crack open a dozen more mountains.”

“Maybe we keep all the mountains intact,” I say. “And if I want something different, we can justbuyit.”

“Do you want something else?” he asks.

---