My eyes are wide as I try to take everything in, but I nod at him all the same. He doesn’t hesitate, pulling me into his arms as we begin to glide around the dance floor.

He tilts his head to speak into my ear. “You always were a fabulous dancer.”

“You were always pretty good yourself.” I’m not sure what’s come over me—I can’t seem to decipher whatever it is that’s going on in my head. My heart is beating nearly out of my chest, though, and my stomach is turning cartwheels.

I close my eyes, allowing him to lead me, following his every move. This was the only place we were ever truly on the same page—following the same rhythm, at any rate. He doesn’t try to throw me off as he’s done so many times in the past, though. He seems to be holding onto me as tightly as I’m holding onto him.

And I am holding on—for dear life, it would seem. I’d like nothing more than for this moment to never end. I’ve missed the feeling of him pressed against my body, the scent of him filling my senses. I’ve missed feeling his breath on my skin, the way he seems to know exactly where to touch me. The way our bodies seem to mold together when we dance.

But like all dances, it’s over all too quickly. I try to pull away when the music ends, but William doesn’t let me go. Instead, he motions at the quartet, and they begin playing a different melody.

“I thought we’d liven things up for the second song. Do you remember this one?”

It’s the traditional Rosvalian folk tune that was playing at the Harvest Festival. I nod at him, and he pulls me into his arms again, swinging me around in time to the music.

I can’t help but smile. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed myself so much—it may very well have been at the festival we attended together all that time ago.

He laughs as he twirls me around, spinning me away before he pulls me back into his arms. And I think I laugh, too—perhaps I did need something like this. Time away from my life to remember that things don’t always have to be so serious.

The music ends again after a few minutes, and we’re still laughing as we stop dancing. We’re both a little out of breath after the folk dance.

William stops laughing a few seconds later, pulling my hands into his as he looks down into my eyes. “Tell me if you know this one.” He motions again at the quartet and they start to play another song.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this isn’t traditional or classical music. The tune is a faintly familiar contemporary piece.

He doesn’t give me long to think about it, pulling me into his arms again. He lifts my hand to his mouth, placing a kiss on the back of it as his other hand slides around my waist. He pulls me as close to him as we would possibly be while still clothed.

He keeps my hand clasped in his, kissing it every few moments. “Justine…”

I shake my head, lowering my voice to a whisper, though there’s no one nearby to overhear us. “Don’t ruin a perfectly good moment with one of your jokes.”

“This is no joke.” He looks down into my eyes, and I can see he’s telling the truth. There’s no hint of playfulness there—no trace of his silly sense of humor. “I’m perfectly serious.”

I search his eyes again, though I can’t say for what.

“I love you, Justine. I never knew it was possible to love someone like this. I never thought I could feel the things I feel for you.”

“William…”

“Before you argue with me…” His lips tick up into the slightest smile. “Just hear what I have to say.”

I wait for the punch line, but it doesn’t come. “Okay.”

“I want to be with you. I want to love you for the rest of my life. I want us to be together. I…I want us to raise our child together.” He stares down into my eyes for a long moment. “You need to understand that I mean every word I say. I didn’t know how else to tell you so that you’d listen.”

“You felt like you had to make a big statement.” I nod a few times. “So you rented out a ballroom?”

He chuckles. “I wasn’t sure what else to do. The only place we seem to be able to pause long enough to understand each other is on the dance floor. And if I have to take you dancing every night for the rest of my life, just so that we can have a civil conversation…” He grins. “Well, I suppose I’m willing to make the sacrifice.”

“I might like that.” I feel myself grinning to match his. “The dancing part, anyway. I always did love dancing with you.”

“Are you…?” He can’t seem to choke out his words. “Are you agreeing…?”

“I didn’t hear you ask me any questions, William.” And I’m not sure what the answer would be even if he did ask me. I haven’t stopped to talk myself out of anything yet, which is probably just as well. The negative voice in my head talks me out of plenty as it stands. I’m not sure I need her trying to talk me out of allowing William to be part of my life again.

“Then allow me to ask.” He releases me from his grasp and drops to one knee.

“William…” My breath catches in my throat. He can’t really be doing this. Not here…not like this.

He grins, and it only widens as he pulls something from his pocket. “I brought this with me from Montovia.” He glances down at his still closed hand. “I did this all wrong before, Justine. We should have made this right from the beginning.” He unfolds his hand and holds out a sparkling platinum band with a huge, light blue jewel affixed to it.

He picks it up with his other hand, holding it up so that I can admire it. “It was my great-great-grandmother’s.” I can hear the tightness in his voice—I’m not sure I’ve ever heard William nervous before. “When we married before, you…you wore one from your family’s collection. But if I’d been able to choose, this is the one I would have chosen for you.”

“William…”

“I know.” He grins up at me, still on one knee. “I still haven’t asked, have I?” He looks down at the ring in his hand. “Princess Justine of Rosvalia, will you marry me? Will you allow me the honor of being your husband again?”

It feels as though all the air has been sucked out of my chest. It isn’t until that moment that I realize the entire room has been decorated in our wedding colors—ivory and violet. When he said he wanted a do-over, he meant it literally.

But then I remember the real reason he’s asking, and I clutch my abdomen. “William, if this is only about my pregnancy—”

“Our baby.” He corrects me again. “But it isn’t.” He smiles as he rises, pulling my hands into his. “This is about me not wanting to spend another moment without you in my life.” He gazes down into my eyes. “Will you marry me?”

My head seems to bob involuntarily—I can’t really believe I’m agreeing to this.

As he slides the ring onto my finger, I look up at him. “William…I should—”

He motions to a corner of the room and a man begins to walk toward us. William grins down at me. “I thought perhaps we could do it now.”

“Do it…now?” I must be parroting him because of the jumble of emotions inside me. Have I really just agreed to marry him again? Now?

I shake my head. “William, I do love you. I…I always will. But I need to be honest with you. Things aren’t as simple as they seem—”

“Of course they are.” He releases one of my hands to touch the side of my face. “There’s you and me. And our child. That’s all that matters. We can figure everything else out later. Everything. There is nothing so complicated in our lives that we can’t solve any problem we might face together.”

“There is, though. There is the very real problem of my family. And when they find out…” I clutch my stomach again with my free hand. “When they find out about this, it will be a different matter altogether.”

William smiles down at me again as the man stops to stand next to us. He’s holding a Bible, and looks between the two of us, also smiling. “Shall we begin?”

I shake my head a few times. “William, I really need to tell you this. You need to know before we…” My gaze slides to the man next to us. “Before we go through with anything.”

“We’ve been through it before, though. This time, we’re doing it voluntarily. This time, there won’t be any contracts for our fathers to sign. This time, it’s only about us—”

I turn to the man. “Will you excuse us? For just a few minutes?”

He bows his head slightly and begins to back away.

“Justine…” William drops his hands and his shoulders sag with them. “I don’t…I don’t know what else I can do for you.”

“I’ll marry you, William. I will. But first, you need to hear what I have to say.”

“Fine.” He runs a hand through his hair. “What is it?”

“I…” I glance over my shoulder to see how far away the quartet is sitting. They’re far too distant to overhear anything. And the officiate has made his way to the other side of the room again, too. “I’m not sure how to say this.”

He frowns at me, but his gaze never leaves mine. “If you’re uncertain, you didn’t have to agree.”

“It…it isn’t that.” My stomach is churning again, and I feel like I might vomit. I clutch at my abdomen again. “William…I was pregnant before.”

His eyebrows rise the slightest bit. “You hinted as much.”

I shake my head at him, my gaze never leaving his. “I didn’t lose the child, though. I…” My chin begins to quiver, and tears fill my eyes. I never let myself near these pent-up emotions—they’re still far too painful.

My voice drops to a whisper. “I didn’t lose the baby.”

“You…” He nods. “I can understand why you would have made a decision like that. You were young, unmarried. And with that bastard of a man—”

“I didn’t have an abortion either, William.” I’m not sure where the strength in my voice comes from. “Not by choice.”

His eyebrows draw together. “I don’t understand—”

“James said all the same things you’ve said to me. He told me he’d stand by my side. He told me he’d support me, love me. But then…” My voice cracks, and all the strength that had been there a moment ago is suddenly gone.

“Then what, Justine?” His mouth hangs slightly open as he gazes down into my eyes. “Then what?”

“Then I woke up. I was alone in a procedure room—I didn’t know how I’d come to be there at all. But I was alone. And I wasn’t pregnant anymore.”