Page 54 of Twins for the Secret Prince
“Oh, little brother. You really don’t understand women, do you?”
“Thanks. But I’m looking for some advice, not teasing.”
“Right. Sorry. What is it?”
“I think I made a huge mistake. I mean, you’re right. I shouldn’t have left without saying anything to her. But it’s more than that. I can’t stop thinking about her.”
“You’re in love with her.”
“I think I am.”
“And this is the first time in your life you’ve been in love.”
“Yes, it is.” Pieter sighed.
“So it’s wonderful and scary all at the same time.” A knowing smile appeared on Jan’s face.
“Exactly.”
“And you’ve realized that you want to be with her, whatever it takes.” Jan was nodding now.
“I really do.”
“Well, my first piece of advice is that you need to tell Eva all of this. She needs to hear how you really feel.”
“Okay. I’d rather tell her face-to-face.”
“Then I guess that means a trip to Alaska. Tell her and see what she says.”
“She might reject me.” Pieter’s stomach flipped at the thought of how much that would devastate him.
“She might,” Jan said. “If she does, then you’ll have a broken heart, but at least you’ll have tried. On the other hand, she might not reject you at all. And if she doesn’t, what will happen next?”
“Well, we’ll have to make some decisions about where to live.”
“Alaska, or here in Laagestein.”
“Right — and I don’t think she’d want to leave Alaska.”
“But she might. She might fall in love with Laagestein.”
Pieter’s eyes lit up. “So I’ll need to get her here so she can see for herself.”
“Good idea.”
Pieter brought his hand to his chin, thinking about the possibilities. “But what if she doesn’t want to move here?”
“Are you prepared to live in Alaska?”
“It’s a beautiful place. More than beautiful, actually — it’s breathtaking.”
“But are you prepared to live there?”
Pieter took a moment and thought about how he felt when he was living in Alaska. “I really missed home when I was over there.”
Jan nodded, his expression somber. “Little brother, I don’t envy you the choices you’re going to have to make. All I can say is that love is worth it. Finding a woman who understands how important your military career is — because she feels exactly the same — is so rare I’d guess you might never find that again.”
“Right. That’s what I think.”
