Page 51 of Once Upon a Royal Summer
Carrying that sort of image around like a mantle must not be easy. It might even make it harder to move on.
“I can’t get over how beautiful it is here.” Lacey gazed into the distance, where a field of foxgloves danced in the slight summer breeze. “I get now why you call Bella-Moritz a ‘quaint principality,’ although I think you’re underselling it a bit.”
Henry’s mouth curved into a boyish grin, reminding her that even though a glamorous palace loomed behind him, he was still the same man who’d held a hummingbird in his hands for her and had run around after his daughter screaming fee-fi-fo-fum. “You’re seeing us at our best. The rest of the year, we’re not quite this impressive.”
“Somehow I doubt that.”
Their eyes met and held. Lacey couldn’t believe how much she’d missed him over the past few days. Every time she’d swished into Ever After Castle for her tea party this week, her gaze had immediately darted toward the table where she’d first seen him sitting alongside Rose—just the two of them, all alone at that big table. And even though she’d known he wouldn’t be there, her heart sank a little bit all the same. Henry was tangled up with all of her best memories of the park now. She still loved her job, obviously, but it just wasn’t the same anymore. She’d simply been going through the motions, counting the days until she could see him again. Now that she was actually in Bella-Moritz, it was almost too good to be true.
Henry leaned toward her, and she felt warmth coming off him—so deep and lovely that it seemed to reach every part of her. And then a bumble bee rose up from a nearby Shasta daisy, causing them to spring apart.
Lacey let out a squeal, and they both laughed at their overreaction as the bee zipped over toward the foxgloves.
Henry raked a hand through his hair. “So much for bravery. I’d better make an effort to look less frightened next time that happens, or Ian’s going to come over here and wrestle a flying insect to the ground.”
He tipped his head toward Ian and Ava, following at a discreet distance. They’d browsed the pop-up market as a foursome, but as they’d made their way deeper into the park grounds and away from the crowds, Ian had hung back a bit to give Henry privacy. If the protection officer’s broad smile was any indication, he was pleased to have Ava along to keep him company. Every time Lacey looked over at them, they had their heads close together in quiet conversation. She’d never seen Ava so instantly besotted with anyone before.
“What would you like to do next?” Henry asked, glancing at his watch. “Rose has a riding lesson this afternoon, and I really need to check on her progress. But I’m all yours until then.”
All mine.
Wasn’t she supposed to be taking a break from dating? Why was that, again?
And weren’t she and Henry supposed to be just friends?
Lacey didn’t feel like an ordinary friend when he looked at her, though. Every time Henry’s soulful blue eyes turned in her direction, she felt lit up inside, like Once Upon A Time’s dazzling fireworks display. And when they walked side-by-side and his fingertips brushed against hers, she practically turned to mush.
“You know what I’d most like to do?” she said.
Henry peered at her as if trying to read her mind. “Go to the beach? Visit the harbor? There’s a floating restaurant near the dock that serves fresh-steamed lobster with drawn butter and corn on the cob.”
“All of those things sound amazing.” And very, very public. As fond as she was of Ian, Lacey kind of liked the idea of getting to know Henry better without him having to worry about bringing a bodyguard along. “But I want to know more about your regular, everyday life.”
“Really?”
“Really.” She shrugged. “You know, the things you like to do at home or how you spend your time when you’re not busy working.”
Henry went quiet for a moment. “Actually, I work almost all the time. But lately I’ve been making an effort to change that.”
“You mentioned that back at Once Upon A Time. How’s it going so far?”
He blew out a breath. “I had a bit to catch up on after being away, but I managed to make it to Rose’s room in time for bedtime stories every evening—with the notable exception of last night, when my daughter was busy with an important social engagement.” He arched a brow.
“Blanket forts are serious business,” Lacey said in her best mock-stern voice.
“So I’ve heard.” His gaze met hers again, and a warm intimacy percolated between them.
It caught Lacey off-guard. Back at Once Upon A Time, she’d chalked up such moments as a combination of theme park magic and sitting close together in the dark. But here they were, just the two of them—no costumes, no special effects. And still, the air all around them felt different somehow.
Almost enchanted.
“Actually, if you’d like to explore the palace a bit—” Henry’s smile went lopsided, just the way Lacey liked it, “—I might have an idea.”
“That sounds like an offer I can’t refuse.”
Half an hour later, Lacey found herself on the palace balcony overlooking the dancing fountain on the royal square and the wide avenue that stretched through the heart of the town center, all the way to the Grand Flower Park, where they’d just been. The park was a splash of color on the horizon, and the cluster of white-peaked tents in the pop-up market looked almost like a castle itself.
To the left, the mountain struck a rugged pose against a clear sky, the exact shade of blue hydrangeas. To the right, the sea sparkled like a jewel. The cool breeze smelled like sea water and sun-kissed flowers.
