Page 140 of Loyally, Luke
“As a younger sibling in the royal family, I have more freedom to live a quieter life, which is what I would prefer.” She looked down, focusing on where her hands held his jacket. “But being with me would require certain social and public responsibilities. A sacrifice on your part.”
“You’d move to the U.S. to be withme?” He still couldn’t quite comprehend it.
“Of course I would.”
“Ellie, you’re a princess and I’m just some country carpenter who lives in a really small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. People in my world name theircatsPrincess. They don’t expect to meet one.”
She laughed. “I can handle that.”
“My life is simple.” He needed her to understand so she would straighten out this crazy story he kept hearing, but not believing.
“I like simple whenever I can get it. But the real draw is you.” A flicker lit her eyes and a playful grin tipped her lips. “Don’t forget, Luke—most importantly, I am... just a girl...”
Warning alarms started blaring in his head. “What?”
“Standing in front of a boy...”
He began to recognize the quote from one of Penelope’s ridiculous rom-coms. “Don’t you dare say it.”
“Asking him to—”
He captured her lips before she could finish the disgustingly sweet quote. She tasted of cinnamon and pastry and forever. He’d have groaned at his own thoughts, if he didn’t feel them with such certainty. But thinking them didn’t mean he had to say them out loud, so at least he could hold on to a little pride while he gave his heart completely to this amazing woman in his arms.
She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving with as much thoroughness as he did. He breathed in her scent. All right, maybe he could work up saying the words too. If he had to. And maybe that was why all those silly movies ended up sticking with people. Deep down they communicated something everyone wanted. Everyone hoped to find.
Being worthy of someone’s love just as you were. Being enough.
His chest squeezed. She thought he was worth it, and he’d spendhowever long it took to convince her she’d made the right choice, from one side of the ocean to the other.
He drew back first, his gaze roaming her face. She’d leave her world for him. No one did that. Definitely not a princess. But she would? His thumb skimmed over her chin. “You don’t have to ask me to love you, Ellie.” Emotion pressed his words into a rasp. “I already do. I think I have since the first moment I saw you.”
She laughed and cupped his face with her palms, her smile so close. “I’m so glad, because it would be horribly inconvenient for this to be one-sided.”
“No, ma’am. I’m all in. On both sides of the sea.” He snuck a kiss. “You can be my country girl princess.”
She chuckled. “And you can be my flannel-wearing knight?”
He groaned. “Naw, let’s stop right there. It’s starting to sound way too much like a really bad country music song.”
“Or the makings of a sappy, dramatic, unbelievable, and wonderful happily ever after?”
“I’ll take the unbelievable and wonderful parts, but let’s leave the sap and drama out of the planning, okay?”
She raised a brow and he sighed. “All right, sap and drama are bound to come, but we’ll keep those to a minimum.”
She pulled him into another kiss, leaving him ready to go in search of the preacher to make things official. “All right, a little sap may not be bad either.”
Her expression sobered a little, but the tenderness in her eyes stayed the same. “I love you, Luke. I want you in my future, no matter where that future takes place.”
He kissed her again, because he could. Because she’d not only chosen them but fought for their future when the easy thing would have been to give up. And if she was willing to meet him halfway, merfolk or not, he’d match her.
And they did match.
An unlikely, unusual, unexpected match.
But perfect.
Above them, the sound of church bells rang through the evening air.
