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I look around the big kitchen. “You aren’t missing much. I only crash here because I don’t have a place of my own yet. Although, it sounds like I’d better get looking.” I hear the girls talking as they come down the stairs. “Or maybe I’ll just pack up my things and ship them to Rotheberg.”
Eva stops just inside the door, Lina skirting her to come to the table. Their white robes bear the palace emblem on the chest. Lina’s blonde hair is still in its elaborate braids, but Eva’s hangs damp around her face and shoulders, curling a little at the ends. With the blue underlayer hidden, the gray frames her face, startling against her smooth, pale skin.
“Are you moving back to Rotheberg?” Eva hovers by the door as if she might run back upstairs at any moment.
“I have to run the shop this season.” I leave my cocoa and cookies and move to her side. “And I can stay there as long as I want.” I watch her still face. “Or maybe I can find a job in Eugene.”
She smiles, but her eyes look tired. “That doesn’t make sense—I’ll only be there until June. And I have a car—I can visit Rotheberg on the weekends.” She leans her head against my chest.
I wrap my arms around her. “What about after? Are you going back?” I think I should be worried about her answer, but I’m not. If there’s one thing tonight’s events have made crystal clear, it’s that I will go wherever Eva goes. I’m not tied to any job or place—or royal position.
She shrugs, then peeks up at me. “Will you be okay with me saying no? I mean, I love my home, but I need to get out and see more. Then go back someday. Maybe.”
I squeeze her tight. “I’m okay with it—if I can go with you.”
The smile that transforms her face lights my heart on fire. She slides her arms around my neck and pulls my head to meet hers. The kiss starts soft and sweet and quickly builds until my whole being is on fire.
“Get a room.” Hans’s joking voice pulls us apart. “Or better, have some cocoa. Don’t you have to leave soon?”
I suck in a breath. “I totally forgot! I have a plane to catch.” I slide my hand reluctantly from Eva’s back to my robe pocket and check my phone. “Yikes! I need to get dressed!”
Eva kisses my cheek and pulls away. “Get moving. I want at least one more kiss before you leave.”
I make it to the airport with just enough time to get through security and reach my gate, texting Eva at each step of the way. After I board the plane, we video chat. She’s sitting against the carved—and uncomfortable—headboard in one of the guest rooms at Rosenhäuschen. I recognize the floral cover of fluffy eiderdown tucked under her chin.
“You should go to sleep.” I check the time—two thirty. “My flight leaves in a few minutes. I’ll call you when I get to Seattle.”
“You can call me from Amsterdam.” She yawns.
“You should be asleep when I get there.” I yawn, too. “I plan to snooze on the plane.”
“I hope you don’t have a cranky toddler kicking your seat.” She slides lower against the pillows.
“I’m flying business class. Not too many kids there.”
“You’re going to miss the perks of being a royal.” Her voice swings up on the end, making the statement sound more like a question.
I chuckle. “That’s a perk of flying for the business, not of being royal. I traveled a lot last year and accumulated plenty of frequent flier miles. And, no, I won’t miss any of the trappings of royalty. And to be honest, I’ll be very surprised if Aunt Karolina doesn’t change her mind about banishing me. I’ve always been her favorite. After Eduard, of course.”
“What about Andi?”
“That might be a tougher sell—if Andela wants back in. I think she’ll be happier as a civilian. She’s a lot like our mutti.” The speaker crackles, and the flight attendant says she’s going to close the door. “I gotta go. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“It is tomorrow.” She smiles sleepily.
I snap a screenshot. “Then I’ll talk to you today.” The words “I love you” are on the tip of my tongue, but I realize although I’ve thought them a million times, I’ve never said them to her. A video call doesn’t seem to be the place for the first time. “I’ll miss you.”
She touches the screen. I can almost feel her caressing my face. “Me, too. Talk to you soon.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
EVA
Leaving Freiberg is bittersweet. I always knew it would be—you can’t live with people for three months and not feel a twinge when you leave. Saying goodbye to Lina is hardest.
“I’ll be back to Freiberg, I’m sure. As long as Teo and I—” I don’t want to jinx our relationship by suggesting we might not be together forever, so I let the words hang. “But you won’t be here.”
She squeezes me in a tight hug. “You can visit me in Belgium. Next time you come to Europe. It’s only a few hours by train. Or borrow the royal jet.”
