Page 61 of Prince Un-Charming

Caesar leans over and kisses me deeply. Every atom of my body ignites with joy. I put both my hands on his face and kiss him, over and over again.

"Say it again," I ask him.

He stares into my eyes and smiles. "Vivienne, I love you."

"I love you, too." I start to well up with happy tears. I kiss him again until I have to stop to breathe. "We're going to need to get everyone else on board, though."

He nods. "I know. Let's go talk to them."

He gets up from the bed and walks toward the tree house entrance. He puts the ladder back down and looks at me with a sly grin. "I wish you could have seen me climb this tree. It was extremely sexy."

I smile back and roll my eyes. "Oh, I'm sure it was."

As we enter the house, I see my parents huddled together on the living room sofa. The sight of me standing alongside Caesar clearly takes them by surprise.

My father is the first to his feet, his eyes darting back and forth between the two of us. "Vivi, what's all this?"

I cut straight to the chase. "Were you blocking Caesar from reaching me?"

My father sheepishly looks away from me. My mom stands up from the couch and touches my dad’s arm. Emboldened by her support, my dad turns back to face us.

"We don't know what you're talking about,” my father says.

I glance at Caesar, who promptly hands over his phone. I navigate to his call log and show them the bulk of outgoing calls to my number, all of which, mysteriously, never went through. They exchange guilty glances.

Finally, my mother breaks the silence, her voice carrying a note of regret. "Vivienne, dear, after seeing how hurt you were, we just thought it was the best way to protect you."

I take a moment to collect my thoughts before I speak.

"I know you did it because you love me and want to keep me safe. But I'm not a little girl anymore. I can handle things myself."

I can see the worry on their faces.

"All I need from you is to love me, to support me, and to trust that I can make my own decisions." I glance at Caesar, who is standing beside me, his hand now intertwined with mine. His tight squeeze tells me he agrees with what I've just said.

"You're right, Vivienne," my mother admits. "We're sorry. It hurts to see your baby in pain. But that's no excuse for what we did."

Both my parents step forward, taking me in a warm, comforting hug. After a moment, they release me and look toward Caesar.

"Can you find it in your heart to forgive us, Caesar?" my father asks, his voice steady.

Caesar smiles warmly at them, and he doesn’t hesitate. "Of course. I understand why you did what you did. I've made my own mistakes trying to guard Vivienne, too. But you've raised a strong, extraordinary woman. She doesn't need protecting. I love her, and I want to take care of her."

My mother eyes Caesar suspiciously. "Well, there's something I need to understand first. Is this going to be a real marriage, or is this still part of your arrangement?"

Caesar looks at me, then at my mother and father, before he begins to speak. "You’re right, Adela. Our current marriage is contractual, and that's not good enough. Not for Vivienne. Not for the woman I love.”

"Vivi, did you tell him what you told me?" she asks. "Did you tell him you love him, too?"

"Of course I did, Mom. I love him with all my heart."

Caesar gently untangles his hand from mine and takes a step forward. "So there is something I'd like to do. Something the right way."

He turns to me. "Vivienne, I want to give you a real wedding. And not one for the throne, but one for us. A wedding made to celebrate the life we'll build together in our own way."

"And if we're going to do this the right way…" He looks back at my father. "Senator Carter, sir, I would like your permission to marry your –"

Before he can finish, I interrupt, my voice ringing clear and confident in the room. "Yes," I say, a wide, genuine smile spreading across my face.

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