Chapter 27
Hundreds of people lined the edges of Main Street U.S.A. The summer sun shone down on pavement, but the crowd refused to give up their selected spaces along the parade route. Lucy saw the familiar ice cream cones topped with chocolate ears. The sweet treat melted quickly in the Florida heat, but the sugary scent lingered in the air. Children sat on the curb, gazing out at the nearly empty street. Cast members—the Magic Kingdom’s official title for the always smiling staff on crowd control duty—stood in the street and assured the crowd the afternoon parade would pass by them in just a few minutes.
Most of the onlookers were probably wondering why she’d been selected for a stroll through the mostly empty parade route. Lucy turned her attention to the castle up ahead. She could hardly explain the past few hours. And she didn’t have a clue what the future held.
A cast member named Kelli had met her limo at the transit hub, escorted her onto the monorail, and then walked her straight into the Magic Kingdom. Kelli wore a khaki uniform and a smile designed to disarm everyone from a furious father of three who didn’t understand the fast pass system to a child who’d lost his precious ice cream cone.
“This way,” Kelli called. She marched down the empty street. “The parade is still a few minutes out.”
Lucy nodded. She’d walked this path in a ball gown. She’d ridden the same floats that would soon fill the street, waving and smiling for the crowd.
I loved every minute.
But walking the road while wearing a short-sleeve pink sundress that highlighted her long legs? Lucy had been more comfortable in the petticoats and corset. The families lining the street wanted to see magic brought to life.
Me too, she thought.
She tightened her grip on the note and rushed to catch up with her escort. Jared had gone to a lot of trouble for this surprise. A limo. A space at the castle to watch the parade. Of course, he had the resources. But still, her hope soared with each step.
He’d brought her to a place that defied logic. Cinderella’s castle stood on what was once swampland. Now millions of people walked these streets every year. They traveled from all over the world to see this place and witness the magic for themselves.
Kelli stopped at a roped-off area leading to the stage in front of the castle. “This way, Ms. Linden.”
Lucy followed her guide under the rope. And there, standing by the steps to the castle, stood her prince. Jared had traded the jeans and polo he’d worn to their disastrous coffee date for a crisp gray suit with a white button-down shirt. He’d skipped a tie, but she suspected he was roasting under the midafternoon sun. Still, he looked liked a modern-day prince.
She walked over to him. With each step, her heart beat a little faster. She willed it to slow down. She needed to think. If she let the magic weave a spell around her, she’d fall for the picture-perfect tableau.
But the fantasy might fade when he returns to New York, she thought.
Music filled the open-air space, pumped in through the speakers mounted on lampposts. To her right, the parade filled the bridge leading to Fantasyland and the castle. She stepped closer to Jared. “What are you doing here, Jared? Don’t you have a very important product to launch?”
He glanced over at the parade before turning back to her. “I left your brother in charge.”
“I suppose he can’t get into too much trouble on a Sunday afternoon.” The crowd roared their approval for the performers, but she kept her gaze fixed on the man who’d claimed the she was his world.
Perhaps he meant it, she thought, sparing a glance for Snow White’s float as it glided over the bridge. Because he went to a lot of trouble to step into mine.
“Finn will handle the launch,” Jared said firmly. “He’ll stay in New York for the week. Longer if needed.”
The parade faded into the background. Her world narrowed to her pounding heart, which she swore she could hear over the music and the man standing in front of her. “You meant what you wrote? You’re staying?”
“I’m leaving New York for good,” he said firmly. “I will need to go back for meetings, but as of today, Florida is my home.”
“You’re moving,” she repeated. The billionaire bachelor was uprooting his world for her. “Why are you moving?”
He drew closer, until barely an inch remained between them. Staring down at her, his blue eyes sparkling with excitement, he took her hands in his.
This is real, she thought. I can feel him. We’re here. Standing under Cinderella’s castle.
“I believe in magic,” he said firmly. “In the past few weeks, you’ve opened my eyes to the impossible. For years, I’ve tied my life and my future to numbers. I focused on following the path that led to the next big win.”
“You didn’t just win, you conquered,” she pointed out.
He offered a wolfish grin. “I did,” he admitted. “But I forgot to feel.” His smile faded, and his eyes shone with determination. “That’s where the magic exists. It’s not in the perfect date. I feel the fireworks in my heart.”
“Fireworks,” she whispered.
He nodded. “All that explosive love? It’s for you.”
“Jared.” She squeezed his hands as she stared at the castle over his shoulder. The moment threatened to overwhelm her. He was moving to Florida for her. He’d arranged for her to meet him beneath the castle—the symbol of all her childhood hopes and dreams, and most of her adult ones too—to declare his love.
“Do you want me, Lucy?” he asked. His low voice carried over the parade. “In your bed?”
She glanced away from the castle and focused on Jared. This wasn’t a scene from a fairy tale. He was right there.
“Yes,” she said.
Jared’s expression turned to triumph.
“Do you want me in your life, Lucy?” he demanded.
“Yes.”
Behind her, a mechanical dragon raised its head and spit a jet of fire. She felt the heat on her back. But nothing compared to the hotness standing in front of her.
“Lucy,” he growled.
Before the dragon could raise its metal head again, he released her hands. His fingers wove into her hair. His grip tightened ever so slightly. He held her head; her mouth turned upward. Ready. Waiting.
Then he kissed her.
And the dragon roared. She felt the flames threatening to singe her, and she moved closer. She pressed her body against his and lost herself in him. The parade, the crowd, the setting—everything slipped away. Her world narrowed to Jared. His tongue teased her, and he kissed her harder.
With each passing second, the labels slipped away. He was no longer a billionaire, a prince, her brother’s friend—he was hers.
He broke away and allowed his hands to slip through her long, loose hair until his palms rested on her shoulders. She could feel him breathing, his chest rising and falling as it pressed against hers.
“Don’t you ever mistake me for your ex again,” he growled.
“I won’t,” she promised. She saw the difference clear as day now. She felt it in his touch.
He’s moving to be with me. He’s choosing me.
“You can trust me,” he said firmly.
“Yes.”
His gaze drifted to her mouth, and he lowered his head. But this time he merely touched his lips to hers before he pulled back.
“You can love me,” he said.
“Yes.” Power resonated with that simple affirmation. It cast a spell over her—over them. That one word offered magic far more potent than anything the whimsical land around them could ever hope to conquer. “Yes, Jared, I love you.”
His blue eyes burned bright. He took a step back. And slowly, he lowered to one knee. “You can marry me.”
She laughed, feeling the joy of those words. Yes, she’d heard them before. But hearing them from him made all the difference in the world. “Is that a question?” she teased.
“I hope not.” He reached into this pocket and withdrew a small piece of plastic.
She studied the object for a second. It was a pink princess ring from one of the gift shops. She’d seen little girls wearing them when they arrived to have their picture taken with the princesses. They’d wore them hoping that one day they would find the person who would earn their trust, fight for their love, and move mountains to be with them—even if it made more sense to follow a different path.
Lucy laughed and held out her hand. “Yes. I’ll marry you, Jared Mitchell.”