Page 135 of Party Favors

Vella had agreed to be my bridesmaid but only if I let her wear black. Which I was fine with.

Max’s mother? Not so much.

Sunny, however, thought it was a lot of fun to wear black as a bridesmaid and made many funeral jokes throughout the reception.Her little girl was officially our flower girl, even though she couldn’t walk yet.

My mom and Meemaw adored Max and spent more time talking to him on the phone than they did to me. Max’s father and stepmother were friendly, while his mother was more polite but reserved. They were going to be tough nuts to crack, but I figured, given enough time, I could do it.

We’d had to wait more than a year to go on our honeymoon. I had apologized so many times to him, but he said he didn’t care and only wanted me to be happy. My business took off so quickly and there was such a high demand for my services that I was booked solid for months and months. I currently had six full-time employees and was thinking about taking on more.

Aprile’s Showers had succeeded beyond my wildest expectations.

When Max had told me that we could honeymoon anywhere in the world, there was only one place I wanted to go.

Monterra.

And now we were here at the royal palace. It had snowed several days in a row, which was fine by us—we had an excellent hotel suite and lots to keep us busy—but the roads had cleared and Max said that he’d gotten us tickets to do a public tour of the palace.

The palace was just the way I’d imagined it, only better, because it was real. Snow glistened off turrets and slanted roofs. It looked like something out of a book, with its high walls made out of gray, sparkling stone. I reached out to touch one of the stones, just to reassure myself that I wasn’t imagining it.

“This way,” Max said.

“Have I told you lately that you’re the best husband in the whole world?” I asked him, snuggling against his arm. This was so exciting. I knew we would only be in the parts of the palace that were public, but I’d never gone inside an actual castle before.

“You have, and that’s high praise coming from the best wife in the world,” Max replied, kissing the top of my head.

Being married to him was the most incredible thing that had ever happened to me. I felt like I should kneel in prayer every night to thank whatever heavenly being had sent him my way. He was still too good to be true, in every way imaginable.

We walked across a courtyard, past some guards, and over a drawbridge. We passed through twenty-foot-high doors and then down a long hallway that contained actual suits of armor. The ceilings had to be like, thirty feet high, and there were flags and tapestries draped along the walls.

A group had gathered and Max and I joined them. A woman was speaking in Italian and English, welcoming us to the tour and to the palace. “Please stay with the group and follow me!”

While I’d seen every image that the royal family had let be published of the castle, it was even better in person. It was just like I’d pictured. Stately and important while still having a magical charm and family feel to it.

We walked through several receiving rooms and a ballroom where King Dominic and Queen Katerina had had their wedding reception. I took way too many pictures of that room.

We had just entered a parlor when Max tugged on my hand. “Come with me.”

“Where are we going?” I asked, giggling as I followed him. I imagined he’d found some secret alcove and was going to kiss me senseless and then we’d rejoin the tour.

But he didn’t lead me to an alcove. Instead he was walking through rooms and down hallways.

“Max!” I protested. “Is Monterran prison bad? Are we going to be locked up for trespassing? Oh! Or beheaded? What do they do to people who wander through palaces in this country?”

“La mia lei, you don’t need to worry. Have I ever gotten you arrested?”

“It only takes one time,” I said.

“I have something I want to show you.” He was trying to reassure me, but it wasn’t working.

“Just so you know, I am not standing on any glass ledges.”

“You’ll like it.”

We walked into a room decorated in dark reds and gold, and I saw a short, bald man in a very expensive suit waiting for us. Oh no. My stomach dropped down to my feet. Was he the head of security? Was this it?

Max and the man spoke in Italian, too fast for me to understand. I’d been trying to use an app to learn the language, but so far all I knew how to say was “Where is the bathroom?” and “Can I have more pizza?”

The man turned to face me. “Buongiorno. My name is Giacomo Rossi and I’m going to give you a private tour of the palace.”

---