Page 114 of A Princess for Christmas

“Oh, Leo.” Marie lifted her hand and pressed her palm against his cheek. “What did you really wish for?”

“You,” he said without hesitation, though it came out all raspy. “I wished for you.”

“Not a princess?” she asked. She did that sometimes, sought reassurance about why he was with her. He would gladly give it, as often as she needed.

“No,” he said sharply. But then he gentled his tone. “I wished foryou. Just you.”

And he leaned down to kiss her until she believed it.

Four months later

“Holy...”

Leo shot Dani a look as the car pulled up to the palace, and she finished her thought with “Cow.”

“It’s okay,” Gabby said cheerfully. “I know what you were going to say, and that’s pretty much everyone’s reaction when they first see this place.”

Leo and Gabby had gone to meet Dani’s plane in Zurich. She’d finished her summer teaching and they’d lured her to Eldovia fora visit. He was so excited to see her. He and Gabby were settling in fine. Gabby was passing the summer holidays reading, learning to ride, and having sleepovers with Imogen’s niece. Leo, to his great surprise, seemed to have stumbled onto a little side gig building log cabins with Kai. It seemed his half an architecture degree wasn’t going to go to waste after all. He genuinely liked the work, and it made him feel like less of a kept man.

Still, he’d missed Dani. It was going to be awesome to have someone from home to hang out with for a while.

“You should see it when Marie or her father arrive home after a trip,” he said as the car pulled up. “There’s a lineup of literal servants here.”

Dani snorted. “I guess I only rate a princess.” She waved at Marie. “And who’s that dude?”

It was Leo’s turn to snort. While in theory he understood that Max was Marie’s best friend, and that he was a good guy, he still had trouble with the fact that in another universe he would have been Marie’s husband. Her platonic husband who totally didn’t appreciate her. It boggled the mind. He hadn’t known Max was going to be here. Last he heard, Max was in the Riviera romancing a Hollywood starlet.

“Dani!” Marie exclaimed, and the women embraced. She pulled back and performed introductions. “Daniela Martinez, this is my friend, Maximillian von Hansburg. Max, this is Leo’s good friend Dani.”

“I thought you had a... date,” Leo said as Dani and Max shook hands. He wasn’t sure how to phrase it.I thought you were trying to get with a B-list American celebrity on a yacht off the coast of Monacofelt a little too uncouth, even for him.

“Yes, well, it turned out that the young lady in question had a, ah... prior engagement she’d forgotten about with a gentleman friend of hers who walked in on us... engaging.” He made a face of fake contrition.

“Max is a slut,” Marie said matter-of-factly to Dani.

“A slut and ascholar,” Max said indignantly. He turned his attention to Dani. “As, I understand, you are, too, Dr.Martinez.” Then he suddenly looked genuinely contrite. “A scholar, I mean. Not a slut.”

Dani didn’t have time to process any of this because Canine Max started barking from inside the car. She turned and accepted the travel crate from the driver. “Would it be all right to let him out here?”

“Of course,” Marie said.

Soon, he was yapping and jumping around so excitedly he was practically levitating.

“Max!” Dani said sharply. “Sit.”

Max—the dog—started yapping even louder.

Max—the duke-to-be—said “I beg your pardon?”

Marie laughed. “Max, meet Max.”

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Max narrowed his eyes in mock indignation. “I’m not sure I approve of this. If I’m going to have a dog named after me, I’d much prefer it to be a manly dog. A hound of some sort, perhaps.”

“Can dogsbemanly, though?” Dani asked. “Aren’t they just... dogly? Anyway, I just met you, so he’s not named after you.”

“How long are you here?” Max asked Dani.

“A week.”

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