More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
“You asked me if I’d ever been in love. I said no.” He pressed a soft kiss to my mouth. “Ask me again, Princess.”
“I never thought I’d see the day. Rhys Larsen in love.” In love. I’d never been in love. Never wanted to be in love. Hell, I didn’t even know what love was. It was always something I’d heard about, not experienced, until I met a woman who cracked my ironclad defenses like no one had before. Someone who loved the rain and animals and rocky road ice cream on quiet nights. Someone who saw all my scars and ugliness and still found me worthy, and somehow, someway, she’d filled the cracks in a soul I never thought would be whole again.
I might not know what love was, but I knew I was in love with Bridget von Ascheberg, to the point where even I—the man who was so good at denying himself anything good in life—couldn’t deny it.
“Holy shit,” Jules said. “Your life is a Hallmark movie.”
“I’m not leaving you. If you’re in Eldorra, I’m in Eldorra. If you’re in Antarctica, the Sahara, or
the middle of the fucking ocean, I’m there. I’m as much yours as you are mine, Princess, and a law isn’t keeping me away. I don’t care what a piece of paper says. I’ll burn down the entire fucking Parliament if I have to.”
“Have you ever been in love, Mr. Larsen?” “Only once.” I slid my hand up from her neck to the back of her head, cupping it. “And you, Princess. Have you ever been in love?” “Only once,” she whispered.
Bridget’s eyes turned liquid beneath the moonlight, and her hold on me tightened. “I love you.” Another breath rushed out of me. “I love you too,” I said, my voice gruff with long-buried emotion. I kissed her again. Her mouth against mine, her limbs wrapped around my body, our breaths and heartbeats mingling until they were one… I’d lived in hell my whole life, and it wasn’t until now I glimpsed what heaven felt like.
“I’m not the best at flowery language, so I’ll keep it simple.” Fuck, was my voice shaking? I hoped not. “I never believed in love. Never wanted it. I didn’t see the practical value, and to be honest, I was doing just fine without it. But then I met you. Your smile, your strength, your intelligence and compassion. Even your stubbornness and hardheadedness. You filled a part of my soul I always thought would be empty, and you healed scars I never knew existed. And I realized…it’s not that I didn’t believe in love before. It’s that I was saving it all for you.”
I took a deep breath. “Bridget, will you marry me?” The question hadn’t fully left my mouth before Bridget threw her arms around me and kissed me. “Yes. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!” Yes. One word, three letters, and it filled me up so completely I was sure I’d never hunger again. I slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly. “There’s no taking it back,” I said gruffly, hoping she couldn’t hear the hitch in my voice. “You’re really stuck with me now.” Bridget let out another half sob, half laugh. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Mr. Larsen.” She curled her fingers around mine. “You
...more
“You and me.” I cupped her face and brushed my lips over hers. “Always.”
I wasn’t a storybook princess, and Rhys wasn’t Prince Charming. I didn’t want us to be. Because while what we had wasn’t a traditional fairy tale by any means, it was ours. And it was forever.