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Luckily, two of those eyes were going to be Jacob’s. Her plan was if she got too nervous or overwhelmed, she would just look at him and he would ground her. That was the plan, anyway, whether or not she’d be able to execute it was another story. She wasn’t even sure she’d be able to see him from the stage with the lights in her eyes.
What if she couldn’t see him?
What if she passed out?
What if she passed out and it scared Jacob scarring him for life?
What if she threw up?
What if she threw up on Keaton?
Her mental preparation backfired as questions started populating in her head like a computer virus. Before she could close one, another one popped up.
She started breathing quickly. So quickly that she got lightheaded. But then, she saw Keaton in his tux, looking sexier than any man had any right to look, and instantly, she calmed down.
The room stopped spinning. She was able to take a deep breath. She was back in her body. All she had to do was look in his eyes and she was home.
* * *
“Welcome back!” Lance greeted the at-home viewers as he stared into the camera. “If you’re just joining us, shame on you. But seriously, here’s a recap of where we are. Lord Vic and Lady Piper were just crowned the third runner’s up, leaving Lord Keaton and Lady Avery, and Lord Mario and Lady Zara in the running to be crowned the king and queen of Fairytale Love. Let’s look back at both couples' journey to happily ever after.”
A montage began playing on a big screen behind them and Keaton turned and watched their love story, or part of their love story. It started with the first day she arrived. Keaton couldn’t help but smile at his expression when she walked through the ballroom doors. He thought he’d hidden how he felt about her so well, but from day one it was being broadcast on his face.
The next clip was of Avery competing in the Knight in Shining Armor challenge. Keaton was so proud watching again as she kicked its ass. When their kiss came on the screen, Avery hid her face in Keaton’s chest as the crowd erupted in cheers and whistles, which he figured were mostly from his cousins. He wasn’t normally one to get embarrassed about PDA, but damn, he really went for it. He knew what their chemistryfeltlike but seeing it on a big screen was a totally different ball game. It was explosive. And really hot.
There were more clips of the times they shared. The challenges they did. Of them talking in bed while all the other couples slept around them. He loved seeing all of them, but his favorites were the ones from Family Day. He was happy that they didn’t show Blanche giving him the ring, he wanted it to be a surprise to Avery. He loved the clip of Jacob running into his arms. But his favorite was the scene that showed his aunt and Avery walking alone in the garden. There was no audio, but from the look on her face, Keaton could tell that his aunt loved Avery.
When the clip finished playing, Lance announced Zara and Mario’s montage.
Keaton looked up at the screen, but he wasn’t paying attention. All he could think about was the ring in his pocket. He knew he wasn’t going to propose to Avery on camera, she would be mortified. But the first second he got alone with her, he was going to get down on one knee.
The montage ended and Lance looked back at the camera. He reminded the audience of the prizes that the king and queen would receive and then pulled out an envelope. He opened it and read, “Congratulations! Lady Zara and Lord Mario, you are Fairytale Love’s King and Queen!”
The crowd exploded with cheers as Avery and Keaton both clapped with genuine enthusiasm and happiness. He was thrilled, not only for Zara so she could send her sisters to school without debt, but also because the show was over. He could go back to his life.One that he hoped, now, would include Avery and Jacob together.
Avery hugged Mario as Zara hugged Keaton. “Congratulations, Z, you did it,” he whispered beneath his breath. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” She hugged him extra tight. “I’m so happy for you, too. Avery was made for you.”
He might not have had a romantic connection with Zara, but his time on the show would not have been the same without Zara. He was grateful for her candid and straightforward approach the first two weeks before Avery came. And he was grateful for the friend she’d become over the last four weeks. There were two weeks in there that she hadn’t spoken to him, but they’d gotten past that now.
Lance separated the couples and stepped between them. He turned toward Keaton and Avery. “Lord Keaton, Lady Avery, how does it feel to be runners-up? To come so close to walking away with the crowns?” Lance put the mic in front of Keaton’s face first. “Especially you, Lord Keaton, since you started your journey with Lady Zara.”
“Honestly, I believe the right couple won. I couldn’t be happier for them.”
Lance shifted the mic to Avery and she replied, “I feel the same way. Mario and Zara truly have a fairytale love, anyone can see that. I’m so happy for them.”
Lance turned and began to interview Zara and Mario and Keaton saw an opportunity. He knew that once that interview was over, there would be more mics in their faces. They would have to do talking heads and all the other wrap-ups for the show. But after seeing Avery with his family, after watching the footage of him with Jacob and Blanche, he just couldn’t wait a second longer.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her off the stage. Then he ducked behind the screen and went out the back of the ballroom. He speed-walked, dragging her beside him, through the kitchen and into the butler’s pantry where he shut the door behind them.
Avery’s eyes twinkled as she shook her head. “Keaton, we can’t, people will be—”
Keaton dropped down to one knee causing Avery’s words to trail off.
“What are you doing?” she breathed.
He pulled out the ring from his pocket and took her hand in his. “I would have done this on the stage, but I know that you’d rather get a root canal than be subjected to that kind of attention.”
