Page 85 of Rogue Royal
“Hello, sweetie. What’s your name?”
“Annie.”
“Hello, Annie. How old are you?”
“I’m seven.”
“Seven! Wow, you’re a big girl now.”
“I want to marry a prince or princess when I’m older.”
Mav’s breath caught at the words, and Douglas appeared stunned for a second before regaining his voice. “I think you would make a wonderful princess, Annie. Wait there for a moment, okay?” He glanced at Annie’s mother, who nodded.
Douglas moved to the assistant and whispered in her ear. She nodded and held the bouquets in front of her. Mav frowned as he watched Douglas choose several flowers from each bouquet, then smiled as he realised he was going to give them to the girl. When he didn’t, Mav tilted his head and watched as Douglas weaved the flowers together. Douglas pivoted back to the girl and kneeled, presenting her with a crown of flowers, much to the girl’s and mother’s delight.
At that moment, Mav knew he’d lost all hope. He was irrevocably in love with Douglas, and nothing could ever come between them. A tear slid down his cheek as Douglas rested the crown on the girl’s head and kissed her cheek.
“This is until you have your princess crown when you marry your prince or princess.”
“Thank you, Prince Douglas.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.” He turned to the girl’s mother, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Thank you for bringing her up, knowing she has choices. Have a wonderful day.”
Douglas turned to him, frowning when he saw Mav’s face. He stepped closer. “What’s wrong?”
“Not—” Mav cleared his throat and tried again, “Nothing. It was…You’re amazing.”
Douglas cupped his face, wiping his tears with his thumbs. “You’re not so bad yourself, my love.” He dropped his head, their lips meeting in a gentle kiss that would be all over the media and across the entire world by midnight. Mav found he couldn’t care less.
They held hands as they entered the building, and Mav noticed there were more cameras and people to greet before they entered the ballroom being used for the event. By the time they were finished with all that, Mav was exhausted.
“How do you do this each time?” he asked when Douglas passed him a glass of bubbly—he assumed it was champagne.
Douglas shrugged. “I’m used to it, I suppose. I’ve grown up in the public eye, and this is normal for me. I forget how overwhelming things can be for someone who has not done it before. Are you okay?”
Mav smiled. “Yeah, I’m good. This place looks fantastic.”
Douglas glanced around. “They have done a brilliant job. If you want to, there’s a child-friendly event happening in a couple of weeks. You’d get to see how the children celebrate.”
“That would be great.”
Douglas leaned down.
“Now, now. Enough of this shit when I’m here.”
Mav turned, Douglas’s lips glancing off his cheek instead of his mouth, where he’d no doubt been aiming. “Katrina! What are you doing here?” He gave her a gentle hug, not wanting to smudge her makeup. She wore a red halter neck, floor-length dress, and she had swept her hair up into an intricate braid. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks, sweetie. Your other half thought you’d be eaten by the wolves if you were left alone, so he asked me to tag along. Free drinks all night? I’m in.”
“It has nothing to do with the fact that you like Mav?”
Katrina pulled a face. “Whatever.” She winked at Mav and gave a small smile. “We can sharpen our claws while everyone gets a view at the new power couple.”
“Power couple?”
Katrina smiled. “I thought you read the news—”
“Well, I work on social media.”
