Page 136 of Party Favors

“Private tour?” I nudged Max. “You really are the best husband ever.”

He grinned at me. “I told you I’d do anything for you.” Then he kissed me breathless. It was over far too quickly because despite his stature, Giacomo was fast and we had to run to catch up with him.

More hallways, up two flights of stairs, and then we were standing in front of another set of massive doors.

“Right in here,” Giacomo said, opening the door for us.

Max let me walk in first.

“Is this ...” The words died in my mouth.

Sitting on a couch, looking at me, were King Dominic and Queen Katerina.

Nico and Kat.

Oh . . . my . . .

Max walked over and shook their hands, and introductions were made. I stayed where I was, not able to process what was happening.

Nico and Kat?

What?

Kat came over to me with a big smile. “You must be Everly.”

“I’m Kat. I mean, you’re Kat and I’m Everly.”

“I’m glad we figured that out,” she said with a wink that put me at ease. She was tall, in her early thirties, with long dark hair that fell in perfect waves past her shoulders.

Okay, I was absolutely going to gush. “You must get this all the time, but I am such a big fan of yours. Right after I met my husband for the first time, I realized I was messing up my life and so I made this list of how to be more like you. I called it What Would Kat Do?”

Why was I saying these things?

And why was Max letting me? He knew better.

Kat was still smiling, so I figured that was good. “I am such a mess you should never pattern your life after me.”

Her handsome husband, who just like Max had black hair and light blue eyes, joined us and put his arms around her shoulders. “Nonsense. You are utter perfection, cuore mio. The world would be a better place if everyone tried to be like you.”

“He’s biased,” she stage-whispered to me, and I laughed. I’d never really seen them be affectionate in pictures or when they were being filmed, and it was both a bit weird and profoundly sweet to see how much they loved each other.

“I’m sorry, but can I get a picture with you?” I asked.

“Of course!” Kat said.

Giacomo materialized, reaching for my camera.

“Max, come here,” I said, beaming at him. He had been standing back, letting me have my moment, taking it all in. It didn’t seem like he cared much about meeting heads of state—he was far more interested in how excited I was.

“How did you do this?” I asked him as he slid his arm around my waist.

“My dad made some phone calls. I knew you would love this.”

“I do. And I love you.”

Kat stood on my right and I realized that I didn’t know if it was okay to touch her. “Should I ...”

She put her arm around me first while also holding on to Nico. “This one can be stiff and formal, but despite his and Giacomo’s best efforts, I’m still a regular person.”

---