The Snow Prince - Raleigh Ruebins Page 0,65
up in the air. “Everything but you. Would you still love me if I was impoverished in ten years?”
He rolled his eyes. “I’d still love you if you were impoverished today.”
I bit my lower lip, letting out a sigh.
“Hey,” Henry said, squeezing my shoulder. “The worst that can happen is they think you’re silly for not wanting to marry Prince Nathaniel of Teralia.”
I couldn’t hold back a laugh. “I’m sure I’m missing out on so much, not proposing to him, huh?”
Henry grinned. “I’m gonna wake up tomorrow and find you eloping with him, aren’t I?”
“You know he sent me an email? Complete with pictures of his ten different horses?”
“He showed you his horses, huh?” Henry said. “Wow. All I’ve showed you is my scotch.”
“And your cock,” I whispered near his ear.
“Of course. That too.”
I pulled Henry into a hug. “And you gave me the good side of the bed.”
“I did,” he said.
He kissed me and then we said our goodbyes to the crew, Mallory, and David. The house felt so still and quiet after all of the commotion was over. But it felt like the calm before a storm.
“Do you want roast beef and swiss with horseradish, or should we make tomato grilled cheeses?” Henry asked, peering in his fridge.
“That is an impossible choice.”
“Then we’re going to do the roast beef,” Henry said. “Can you grab the bread from the pantry?”
I got the sourdough loaf and took out four slices, popping them into the toaster oven. It took me a minute to find the correct dials, but I got it started as Henry took out all of the other ingredients from the fridge, laying them out onto the counter.
We’d been in the kitchen a while now. My TV interview had aired earlier tonight and even though my stomach had felt like it was gnawing at itself, everything had gone well. The story was presented compassionately. I didn’t feel like I was misrepresented or misunderstood. It was strange feeling like something had finally gone my way for the first time.
Henry and I had ended up here in the kitchen afterward. Genoveve had gone to bed early, but I was starving after a day of barely eating anything.
Now we were making sandwiches together, under the wan, fluorescent overhead light in the dingy old kitchen.
And it was miraculous.
I couldn’t remember the last time I had been able to assist with any cooking process, even if it was just assembling sandwiches. A crew of three people would make me a sandwich in the castle, even if I’d tried to ask to do it myself.
Instead I was here, bumping arms with Henry, getting my hands dirty. He reached over to steal the lettuce from me, and his dimples appeared as he smiled.
It was overwhelming how good it was. It was the simplest thing in the world, and yet it was perfect. This simplicity was what I wanted. Why did I need ten thousand dollar coats when I could have this? Grocery store roast beef sandwiches with a man I loved this much?
After we sat at the small, yellow wooden table in the kitchen and ate our sandwiches, I finally told Henry what had been tumbling around my mind all night.
“I think I’m going to go talk to her tomorrow,” I said softly. “And I’m… going to ask her to remove me from the royal succession.”
Henry furrowed his brow. “You’re kidding,” he whispered.
“I’m not kidding,” I said.
Henry started shaking his head, slowly at first and then more vigorously. “Don’t do this just for me.”
“It’s not just for you.”
Henry’s dimples were long gone now. He looked plagued with worry.
“I know you want to be the king one day,” Henry said. “And I don’t care what I have to do, I will never take that away from you. Marry some prince, for all I care. You can have a fake marriage, just to satisfy the royal requirements. He can… I don’t know, he can sleep in guest quarters or in his own wing of the castle. I’ll still be the one in your bed at night.”
I shook my head. “You’re sweet,” I said. “But I know you don’t want that.”
“Not really. But I mean it,” he said. “Fuck the rules. As long as I can have you.”
“No,” I whispered. “No more secrets. I’m done with them. I want you to be my husband. My real husband, one day. And I don’t want to have you as a dirty secret for the rest of my life.”
He was still for