Page 24 of A Valiant Prince

I laugh. “Uh, yep,” I say. She’s off running toward it before I finish my answer. I follow her and watch as she sits down on the old wooden swing that’s tied to a tree branch.

“Push me?” she asks as she grips the ropes.

“As you wish,” I say. She grins, and I give her a little push.

“Harder,” she says.

I push her harder, and she goes sailing through the air. In her dress, in the moonlight, she looks magical, like a fairy flying across the night sky. She leans her head back and her hair falls down, blowing in the wind. I can’t help myself. I grab the rope when she comes back and stop the swing. She leans her head back, looking up at me.

“Hey!” she says as the perfect pout forms on her lips. I lean down and kiss her.

“What’s that for?” she murmurs against my lips.

“For being so god damn beautiful,” I say to her before kissing her once more. She puts her head back down and lays it against my chest.

“I can’t believe it’s you,” she whispers. I lean her head back again so I can see her.

“The odds are pretty crazy,” I reply.

“The craziest,” she says as she pulls me down for another kiss. She sighs with contentment and leans back against me.

“What are we going to do?” she ponders.

“We are going to say goodnight to my grandparents, and then head back to the house,” I say.

Chapter Seven

Pops greets us at the back door.

“You found the swing, huh?” he asks, motioning out to the yard with a nod of his head. He smells of pipe smoke and butterscotch candies, and a hint of the aftershave he’s used my entire life.

“Yes. You have a beautiful yard,” Anna says to him.

“I’m glad it’s getting some use,” he replies. “Will you come back again this week for another meal?” he asks us. “You can bring your friends with you,” he adds.

I clap him on the back. “Absolutely, Pops,” I say to him.

“Good, good. Nana will love it,” he says. Anna gives him a kiss and hug, and I swear the old man blushes.

“We’ll be back over soon,” I say to him as I walk to the door. Nana comes down the stairs and gives us both a hug, and then forces Pete, Hendrick, and Lucas to hug her as well. They look a little ridiculous, big burly men leaning over a little old lady, but it makes me actually like them…maybe, a little.

Pete gives me a look as we walk out. I try to talk them into letting me drive separately. Lucas had driven a separate car from the airport.

“We’ll be fine. I know these roads way better than you do,” I point out.

“No way,” he scoffs.

“Fine,” I grumble with a sigh as I open Anna’s door to let her inside the car. I get in and we head out of my grandparents’ tree-lined-street neighborhood.

“It’s very…picturesque here,” Anna comments as we wait at a stoplight. “Very…Americana.”

“I guess,” I say. “It’s a pretty typical suburb here in the States.”

“You’re lucky to have them,” she adds. I place my hand on her leg and give it a squeeze.

“I know,” I answer. Pete drives us through the distantly familiar streets. I recognize some buildings but not others. There’re a few reminders of my childhood. I point out my elementary school. The church my grandparents go to for certain holidays. The seasonal ice cream stand my friends and I would bike to when we were young. The old library where I used to lose myself in comic books. The old main street that looks somewhat the same with a few new stores.

Anna sits quietly and listens to my tales as I take her on a trip down memory lane. “It sounds like the perfect childhood,” she says as we drive past the security gate into the community where we are staying.

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