excited. I was starting to think I never would understand.
People stopped me just off the stage. There was a lot of handshaking and smiling. So many names and faces I would never be able to keep up with. Through it all, Alex stayed by my side. He was a living, breathing wall of support. Every person that he spoke to felt at ease; the women swooned and the men felt important. By the time we got back in the car, I felt like I had seen a whole new side to Alex.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” He settled into his seat and raised an eyebrow at me.
“Thinking.”
“About how incredibly sexy I am?” He turned to look at me with a smirk.
“How do you have room in your head for anything other than your ego?” I laughed. “And no, I was thinking that you make a really great prince.”
“Why is that?”
“You put people at ease and they still respect you.” I smiled. “You’re a natural.”
“I’ve had years of practice. You didn’t do so bad yourself.” He pulled at my coat pocket and retrieved the speech Chadwick had written. “Was that really what Chadwick told you to say?”
“I couldn’t remember it.” I winced.
“So you winged that?” Alex whistled in appreciation as he unfolded the paper. “Wow, this wasn’t bad either, but I think you nailed it.” He read over the paper quickly.
“It may have been the shortest speech in history.” I looked out the window as the car finally began to move.
“It was exactly what you needed to say.” He folded the paper and stuck it back in my pocket. “It’s exactly what the crowd wanted.”
“Thanks.” I met his eyes and bit my lip. Would it be wrong to take what I wanted? Would it be worth it if I let myself give in? The more time I spent with him, the harder it was to fight my attraction to him.
“You’re welcome.”
Surprisingly there were no cars following us except for our own detail as we drove through the winding roads. When we came to a thin driveway with a gated entrance, the first car pulled in and the driver punched a code into the small keypad. I craned my neck to try to see the house through the trees, but they were too dense.
I sat up in my seat and leaned forward as we pulled through the gate. Seeing this house in person would clinch the whole deal for me—it was where I thought I’d finally be able to understand my place in this weird direction my life had taken. The trees cleared and I was rewarded with a breathtaking sight. The house wasn’t really a house. With the stone walls it looked more like a castle.
A short burst of laughter exited my mouth. I had seen pictures, but they hadn’t done it justice. There was a large staircase that led up to a massive door with elegant statues and stonework on either side. There was a small garden in the center of the circular driveway, a light frosting of snow sitting on top of the sculpted bushes.
“It’s something out of a fairy tale.”
“Welcome home, Samantha.” Alex’s warm voice drew my attention from the house. His eyes were warm and there was a soft smile pulling at his lips.
“Thank you.” I whispered the words. I meant for everything—for coming with me, for not running away every time I pushed, and for being my friend when I needed one.
He reached out and wrapped his fingers around mine before lifting my hand to his mouth and pressing a soft kiss on my knuckles. There were no words, no explanations, but they weren’t needed. He had said he wouldn’t kiss me until I asked, but this didn’t count. It was less than the kiss I had wanted in the bookstore, but more than I could ask for right now.
He got out of the car and walked around to open my door. I stepped onto my family land for the first time while Alex stood next to me. It felt right for him to be here. A shiver ran over my body as my eyes drank in the surroundings. A long time ago, my ancestors had lived here. Not many people could trace their family as far as the queen had done for me.
The front door opened and a man stood at the top of the stairs. He was tall with a friendly face and silver hair. I took the stairs carefully, Alex