Page 106 of Royal Reluctance

I'll put her out of her misery as soon as dinner is over.

When the dishes are cleared, I push back my chair a little harder than necessary and it sways back on two legs. Hettie opens her mouth to say something as I drop to one knee beside her chair.

“Oh,” she whispers, her hand over her mouth.

Dad stops talking mid-sentence. Everyone’s eyes are on me.

But after a quick glance at a grinning Tema, I focus only on Hettie. “I thought of proposing again,” I begin, fumbling in my pocket for the little box I’ve kept with me all during dinner. “But I like how I did the first time. That came about out of love. I was honest with you, Hettie, about how I felt, and I wouldn’t doanything differently. This time I have a different type of proposal for you—that we do what we should have done back then, and finally begin our life as a married couple.”

Hettie’s eyes are shining and she wears the biggest smile on her face. Even though she doesn’t say anything, I take that as a sign to keep going. “I love you. I’ve always loved you. I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to fight for either of us back then, but I propose we give it another chance. I want to be your husband, Hettie, and a father for our daughter. I want to give you the life you deserve. I want that so much and I… I just want you,” I finish in a ragged voice. “For forever.”

When Hettie drops to her knees on the floor with me, the cheering begins. And as my lips find hers in a promise of everything I have to give, I feel a pair of small, strong arms clutch me around my waist.

I stop kissing Hettie only to sweep Tema in my arms.

39

Hettie

Ican’t stop staringat my ring.

Bo never gave me an engagement ring the first time. It was only days between the proposal and the wedding, and we kept it a secret anyway, so there was no point in flashing a diamond.

Timothy never officially asked me to marry him. We only talked about him asking me, and deep down, I think I knew he never would. I knew he wanted to marry me—as much as he wanted anything—but it would have been more of a business transaction than a romantic highlight.

When Bo dropped to his knees duringdinnerof all things, that was a highlight. And then when he pulled out the ring box—not until Tema stopped hugging him—and showed me the ring, I was happy not to have another to compare it with, because anything else would have come up lacking.

It was from Queen Selene’s collection.

“I gave her that after Bo was born,” Magnus tells us after he calls for champagne, even letting Tema have the tiniest sip. He gently takes my hand and lifts it to the light. “Sapphire for his eyes. I gave her something when each of them was born, all with sapphires.”

“I didn’t know that,” Odin mutters.

“I haven’t passed yours on yet,” Magnus tells him. “She was in her purple phase for Bo, so it’s a sapphire in the centre, with an amethyst and a purple garnet on either side.” His thumb smooths over the gemstones and I see his throat work.

“It’s beautiful,” I whisper, closing my hand around his. “Thank you.”

“I wanted her to have something pretty to know I was so happy to be blessed with a child. And I wanted Bo to give it to you for the same reason. You’ve given this family another blessing.” He ruffles Tema’s hair with his other hand.

“You’re stealing his thunder, Mag,” Duncan chides with a laugh.

“I can’t help it.” The king takes his hand from mine and wipes his eyes. “I’m so glad to see the two of you finally together, and with our newest princess.”

“Me,” Tema cheers.

“No,” he corrects. “Your mother. Princess Hettie.”

That—I’m not expecting that. I wasn’t expecting any of it, but now that I’m here, as a member of the royal family of Laandia… it feels right.

Finally.

After several bottles of champagne and so many hugs of congratulations, we leave Tema for Mrs. Theissen to put to bed, and head into town.

Bo wants to tell Kalle and Gunnar in person, so Spencer sends the text to the brothers, and Odin joins us in the SUV.

“Usually we don’t have females along for the ride.” Odin grins, looking over his shoulder at where Abigail and I sit in the far back of the SUV.

“If you think I’m missing a second of this you’ve got another thing coming,” I tell him.

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