Page 79 of Once Upon A Royal Christmas
“Why did you wait so long to tell me this?” he finally asked.
“Grandpa asked me not to—not until the time was right. He said I’d know when.” Emilie reached for his hand and squeezed it hard. So hard that Nick’s knuckles turned white. “And that time is now.”
Nick looked away, focusing intently on the village square and its transformation into a smooth sheet of ice. A chill came over him, from the inside out. He didn’t want to end up like the snow maiden in the fairy tale Gracie had told him about. He didn’t want to go through life worrying that love might warm his heart and make him melt. He wanted to once again be the man who’d made his grandfather proud.
He wanted to melt.
For Gracie.
He looked out the window again and let his gaze sweep over the skating rink. It shimmered like a glacier, with the grand Christmas tree rising from its center. A small stage shaped like a snowflake sat near the edge of the ice, ready and waiting for Princess Snowflake to appear alongside her Prince Charming. Not Nick this time, but someone else. An actor playing a part.
And then, all at once, Nick knew what he had to do. He didn’t know if it would work or not, but he had to try. If he didn’t, he’d regret it for the rest of his life.
He turned back toward Emilie, and a slow smile came to his lips. When had his kid sister gotten so wise? “Thank you. This conversation was the Christmas gift I didn’t know I needed.”
She beamed at him. “Happy Christmas Eve.”
He flashed her a wink. “Happy Christmas Eve, kid.”
Mittens’s tail wagged a merry beat as the dog crept toward Nick and pawed at his foot. Nick bent to pick the spaniel up and held his soft, warm body close.
“Happy Christmas Eve to you too, Mittens,” he murmured, pressing his cheek against the dog’s sweet face.
It might just be time for both of them to come down from their tower.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Her Princess Heart
Gracie glanced at Clara as she slid the last bobby pin into her hair, securing her snowflake crown in place for her final appearance in San Glacera. “It doesn’t feel like Christmas Eve.”
Clara looked up from the open suitcase on her bed. “Maybe you should take a look out the window, then. It’s like the North Pole out there. The skating rink is glorious. A sparkling, frozen mirror.”
Gracie couldn’t look. Not yet. If she did, her gaze would be immediately drawn to the castle, and she couldn’t bear to see it knowing that Nick was somewhere inside those palace walls. This would be the first day since her arrival in San Glacera that she wouldn’t be spending by his side. It felt so strange…so wrong.
She missed him. She missed them, even though practically every moment they’d spent together had been orchestrated to look like they were a happy couple enjoying the holidays in the most beautiful place she’d ever seen. Somewhere along the way, she’d forgotten it was an act. In her heart, it had been real. Every single moment. None of the things she’d said to Nick last night could change that.
You did the right thing. Maybe if she kept telling herself that, she’d eventually believe it.
But really, what had she thought would happen? That she might stay here, become Nick’s real princess, and live happily ever after? Impossible.
The ache in her chest told her that it was exactly what she’d wanted, though. And for a bright, shining moment when Nick’s lips touched hers, she’d believed.
“Have you heard from Jaron about changing our flight? I’ve checked my phone a million times and there hasn’t been a single email or text from the palace.” Clara folded her favorite Fair Isle sweater and tucked it neatly into her bag. “If we’re really leaving tonight after the show, we’re going to need an airline reservation.”
“I haven’t heard anything,” Gracie said. She’d looked at her phone more times than she wanted to admit, and…nothing. “Jaron is great, though. I’m sure he’ll get it taken care of.”
“Unless a certain prince is hoping you change your mind?” Clara aimed a questioning glance in Gracie’s direction.
She refocused her gaze on the mirror in front of her, pretending to check over the details of her costume so she wouldn’t have to look her friend in the eye. Gracie had told Clara all about her painful goodbye with Nick after the Advent Night party. There was nothing more to talk about—not if Gracie was going to have to go out there in an hour, paste a smile on her face, and sing in front of the entire kingdom, Nick included.
“I’m sure that’s not the case. Even if he wanted me to change my mind, it’s not going to happen.” She took a deep breath and pressed a hand to the lacy bodice of her princess gown in a lame attempt to somehow hold herself together.
Getting through a song seemed impossible, but so had saying goodbye to Nick. Maybe she was stronger than she thought she was.
“Are you sure about that?” Clara said with a sigh.
And then Gracie was saved from answering by a knock on the door of their bedroom. She and Clara exchanged a glance.
