the world?”
My gaze narrows on his face. “It wasn’t a choice. You don’t fall in love because you want to, in my experience. It just happened. And I’m fucking lucky that I fell for Nika.” My lips twitch and my gaze is pulled back to her. “You might not know this, but she’s the best person I know. While you guys weren’t looking, she was growing one hell of a feisty, funny personality.”
Stellan is silent for half a minute. “It’s nice to hear someone stick up for her.”
I slide him a careful look. “I told you. I love Annika.”
He drags in a deep breath, pinning me with that eerie gaze of his. That look wouldn’t have been out of place on Nika’s face.
“I’m not just going to forgive you.”
“Did I ask for your forgiveness?”
He purses his lips. “No.”
Brushing the front of my suit jacket off, I give him a look. “As far as I’m concerned, we aren’t even friends anymore. You called me garbage. Friends don’t do that, especially not when they know that word has been used against me by my father.”
Stellan appears taken aback by that. “Ah.” He scrunches up his face. “I’m sorry. I was angry.”
“You were a douche.”
He gives me a flat look. “You slept with my little sister!”
I roll my eyes. “Your friendship has been very important to me, Stellan. When you kicked me out of your wedding and Nika wouldn’t talk to me, I realized how much my life and yours were intertwined.” I frown a little. “But I think I have to draw a line in the sand. If I have to choose between you or Annika, I choose her. I would choose her a thousand times over.”
One corner of his mouth lifts briefly. “As much as it pains me to say this, I understand. If I were put in the same position, I would choose my wife over you.” He scrunches up his face. “I don’t want to have to choose, though.”
“Well, neither do I.”
We look at each other for a long moment. Then he glances away.
“We have extended our honeymoon for two more weeks. After we get back, maybe we should talk. We can even talk about you coming back to work for the family.”
I hesitate. “I would like to figure things out between us. But… I won’t be returning to the palace as an employee. I’ve devoted my life to you and the royal family. Now it’s time to do something different.”
Stellan gives me a long look. “You’re a part of the royal family now, don’t forget.”
I smirk. “I have better things to focus on.” I nod to the ballroom, where Margot and Annika are making their way over to us. “I have a feeling you do too.”
Stellan stretches, putting his arms over his head. “Yeah. I guess I do.”
He smiles as Annika comes over, hugging me as she looks at him shyly. I slide my arm around her waist and pull her close.
“Congrats, little sister.”
She beams at him. “Thanks, Stellan.”
Margot grabs his hand and looks at Nika and me. “We have a plane to catch. But let me just tell you one more time: I couldn’t be happier for the both of you.”
I look down at Nika, my grip tightening on her waist. “Thanks.”
Leaning down, I kiss her lips and smile. Stellan rolls his eyes. “Okay. We’re late. But… when we get back, we should all celebrate privately.”
I give Annika a squeeze. She smiles at her brother. “That sounds lovely.”
Margot and Stellan say their goodbyes. And I can breathe a little easier, knowing that my biological father might be in the wind, but my adopted family still stands strong.
38
Annika
“Ugh,” I sigh, dropping the final box I’ve packed on top of a stack of boxes. Stretching out my back, I look around the living room area of the room I called my own.
Erik comes in, a little sweaty from moving boxes around in my former bedroom. I bite my lip and eye him. He smiles at me, sipping water from a bottle.
“Can you believe we’re leaving the palace?” he asks.
I shake my head. "No. I really can't. But at the same time, I'm very excited to go. Now that the seasons are changing, I have a wild hair to go up to a little chalet somewhere. It’ll be all cold and snowy. And we can hang out by the fire, just the two of us…"
He arches a brow at me. "Naked, I assume. Because that is how I plan to