Max paced the floor in front of the staircase as he waited for Lily to come downstairs, glancing every few moments to see if she was ready. He had a special evening planned for them and couldn’t wait to see her reaction to all the surprises.

On his fifth round of walking back and forth, he saw Lily come into view at the top landing. 

She was wearing a brown silk blouse and a pair of cream slacks along with a pair of beige pumps. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, causing her curls to bounce as she moved.

“You look great,” Max said with a grin. 

“Do I look all right for where you are taking me?”

“You sure do.”

Glancing at his outfit, she noted, “You’re wearing slacks and a button-up shirt. Your outfit isn’t any help in letting me know what you’ve got planned.”

“And try as you might to get it out of me, I won’t tell you. It will ruin the surprise.”

Max reached out and took Lily’s hand as he escorted her out of the palace.

Patrick climbed into the front passenger seat while Harry opened the car’s back door for Lily and Max. They both slid into the leather seats of the limo. Once inside, Max took the open bottle of sparkling cider and poured them both a glass. He handed one to Lily.

“No smuggled-in champagne?” she mused.

“I know you’re not a drinker, so I opted for something we both could enjoy.”

Her cheeks tinged pink as she said, “That was sweet of you to remember.”

“It’s been that way since we were kids. When all the rest of us were sneaking off and drinking behind our parents’ backs, you didn’t. Was it a religious or taste thing?” Max asked with curiosity.

“A little bit of both. I’ve never gained a taste for it, and I think people can make stupid decisions when they drink too much. It never appealed to me.” She took a sip of the cider, then glanced out of the corner of her eyes at him. “I noticed you haven’t been drinking much yourself.”

“I’ve come to realize I’m one of those people who doesn’t do well when I drink. When my father first forced sobriety on me, I was pretty angry, but the longer I went without it, the more I realized I was better off. Now, I don’t really see a need to drink.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Lily said with a smile. “You keep making wiser and wiser decisions.”

“Well, it helps I have a good influence around me lately,” he said, scooting closer to her. “I never thought I would say this, but I’m glad you’re back in my life, Lily.”

“I know, it’s odd hearing you say that. It’s even more peculiar I feel the same way. I’ve become so used to being around you, I can’t imagine that changing.”

“According to our parents, it doesn’t have to. For once, I’m glad my parents meddled in my life.”

“I feel the same,” she said in agreement. Glancing out the window, she asked, “So, you’re really not going to tell me where you’re taking me?”

Max shook his head. “I told you, you won’t get it out of me. You’ll just have to wait to find out.”

A few minutes later, they arrived at a private airport. They entered the gates and made their way over to the royal jet which was fueled and ready to go. 

Lily’s eyes grew round with surprise. “We’re going on that?” she asked, turning to Max.

“You travel a lot, so I’m guessing you’re not afraid of flying,” Max stated, trying to hide his amusement at her reaction. “What’s wrong?”

She pressed her lips together as she whispered, “I traveled on lot bigger planes than that.”

Max shrugged. “Once you’re on it, you won’t feel the difference. Plus, you don’t have to worry about crying kids or annoying people. I promise you, once you go private, you won’t want to go back.”

A few minutes later, Max, Lily, and Patrick were on board the plane and taking off to Max’s surprise destination. He knew the plane ride would be long, so he had the servants stock the plane with several board games, books, and various electronics. 

Lily glanced at the stack of supplies and raised an eyebrow. “How long is this trip?”

“Long,” he said with a grin, “but worth it.”

Gesturing to the items nearby, he asked, “Up for a game?”

“Sure,” she said, running her finger down the stack. “I haven’t played a game in years.”

“I have to admit, I haven’t either, but I used to love them when I was a kid.”

“Let’s play Monopoly. It’s a time-suck, but you said it will be a long flight, so it shouldn’t matter.”

“Right, let’s set it up. You should know though; I tend to be great at board games.”

“I’m surprised we never played any together when we were little,” Lily noted.

“I think it was the whole boy—girl thing. I wanted nothing to do with girls until I hit my teens.”

Lily let out a laugh. “And then you couldn’t keep away from them.”

At first, Max was slightly offended at the comment, but realizing it was accurate, he joined in and laughed with Lily.

They spent the next couple of hours playing the game, with Lily winning at the end by bankrupting Max.

“Your winning seems about right,” Max joked. “You’ve always made way better decisions than me.”

“That might have been the case, but not lately,” Lily corrected. “Lately, you’ve done a great job with your decisions.” Giving him a playful smile she added, “Like taking me on this date for instance.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Max said, returning her smile. “Let me go check with the pilots and see if we are on schedule to arrive at our destination.”

“I can take care of that for you, your Royal Highness,” Patrick offered.

“That’s all right. I got it,” Max said as he stood up and made his way over to the cockpit. He opened the door and stepped inside. “How is it looking?”

“We’re right on time, your Royal Highness,” the head pilot said. “We should arrive in Karamay, China, in three hours.”

“Thank you,” Max said, shutting the door behind him as he exited.

Max sat back in his seat across from Lily.

“How’s everything going?” she asked, placing a card down as she played solitaire. “Are we going to arrive at your private island soon?”

Max let out a chuckle. “Nice try, Lily, but I’m not that easy to trick.”

“Can’t blame me for trying.”

Max picked up a book, trying to distract himself from how gorgeous Lily looked as she concentrated on the cards in front of her. No matter what he did though, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her pretty lips and how enticing they looked.

Unable to stop himself, Max leaned across and cupped Lily’s face with his hand. He stared into her eyes for several seconds before his mouth claimed hers. Rather than pull away, Lily leaned into him as he deepened the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair.

Breathlessly, Lily finally tilted her head back and whispered, “That was a surprise.”

“It won’t be the last,” he promised.

They spent the rest of the flight watching a movie before the plane touched down. As they disembarked, Lily must have noticed the writing on the outer part of the terminal because she quickly asked, “Are we in China?”

Max nodded, enjoying the fact she was trying to figure out why, but hadn’t quite landed on the reason yet.

“Why did you bring me here?”

“Just a little while longer, and you’ll have your answer.”

As they reached the bottom of the tarmac, the wind blew Lily’s hair across her face. Max reached out and pushed the locks out of her eyes. She smiled, revealing her incredibly cute dimple, which was Max’s undoing. He pulled her towards him and placed a passionate kiss upon her lips.

“What was that for?” she asked, slightly out of breath.

“It seems I can’t keep from doing that lately.”

“That’s okay, you’re welcome to kiss me any time.”

They made their way into a waiting car which drove through the streets of Karamay. Lily was looking out the window. Her eyes grew wide as she recognized familiar buildings and landmarks. “Are you taking me to the orphanage?” Lily gasped. 

As they pulled down the dirt road that led to it, Max could feel joy bubbling up in him as he watched Lily get excited. She clasped her hands together as she said, “I can’t believe you brought me here, and today of all days. I didn’t think I would get to be a part of the groundbreaking ceremony because of our arrangement.”

Max reached out and took her hand. “What’s important to you, is important to me. I know how much work you put into this. I didn’t want you to miss out on this monumental moment.”

“This means so much; more than you will ever know,” she whispered, squeezing his hand with gratitude. “Thank you.”

The car pulled to stop at the front of the orphanage. As Lily and Max got out, Sue, along with the other orphanage staff and a couple of the older children, were present. There was also the board of trustees, several news reporters, and Lord Rogers. 

Max wasn’t happy Rogers was there, but Max knew that Rogers had been a huge supporter of the project. He couldn’t control the guest list, but it didn’t mean he had to like who was on it.

Lily and Max made their way over to the group. The other people greeted them, telling them how pleased they were that they were able to attend.

Rogers picked up the shovel and handed it to Lily. “You said you wanted to shovel the first load of dirt. Now’s your chance.”

They turned to face the gathered local townspeople who were there to watch the ceremony as Sue addressed everyone. “We are so glad that everyone could make it here today. This is a big moment for all of us. We have been working to make this happen for a long time.” Gesturing behind her, she added, “And we couldn’t have done any of this without Lady Liliana. We are so glad she is here with us.” Looking back out at the crowd, Sue ended with, “It’s time to move that dirt.”

Lily moved forward, along with the chairman of the board and Sue. They each took a shovel, pushed it into the dirt on the far side of the orphanage, and lifted it up. The cameras snapped away, catching every moment. 

Afterward, Lily and Max talked with everyone for another half hour before they went inside and greeted the children. They spent an hour reading to them and playing a couple of games. 

As they climbed into the car, Lily let out a yawn as she leaned her head back. “That was wonderful, but I’m exhausted.”

“Does that mean you’re not up for anything more?”

Lily turned her head to Max and asked, “What did you have in mind?”

“I was hoping you would want to go to dinner with me before we head back to Triola.”

“I think I can spare the energy for that,” she said with a smile. “But we probably shouldn’t go anywhere too fancy. I’m pretty dirty from today’s activities.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ve got it covered.”

They headed to a luxurious downtown hotel where Max escorted Lily inside. The hotel manager was waiting anxiously by the door, with two key cards in his hand. “Here you are, your Royal Highness. We have both your suites ready for you.”

“Thank you,” he said, taking the key cards. “Have the items for tonight been delivered to both rooms?”

“They have, your Royal Highness,” the manager said with a nod.

Max turned to Lily and handed her a card. “Meet me down here in an hour?”

Lily nodded and made her way towards the elevators. Though the first part of the day was wonderful, Max couldn’t wait for the second part of the night where he would get to spend alone time with his future wife.

Even though she shouldn’t have been, Lily was surprised to find a beautiful formal, red dress waiting for her in her room, complete with all the accessories. 

After taking a quick shower, she slipped the dress on, pulled on the red heels, and added the jewelry. She took a final look in the mirror and decided she was ready.

Max was waiting in the lobby. As she moved towards him, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. 

When she reached his side, Max extended his hand to her, which she took.

“You look amazing tonight,” he stated with awe.

“Thank you. It rather surprised me when I found all of this waiting for me in the room.” Then glancing at him, she smiled, “but seeing how handsome you look in that tuxedo again, I have to say, I’m rather glad you did all of this.”

“It should tell you how special you are to me,” he said with a smirk as he guided her from the hotel lobby into the waiting limo. “I don’t go around wearing one of these things for just anyone.”

They made their way into the elegant restaurant that was on the top floor of the multi-level building. As the waiter seated them by the window in a private room, Lily looked out at the glittering lights of the city. 

“The view is breathtaking,” Lily said in awe. “I knew this hotel had a wonderful restaurant, but I never had a chance to try it out.”

“Well, now you get to,” Max said with a grin. “I’m glad I picked the right place.”

The server came and took their orders. Once he was gone, Lily turned her attention to Max. “I want to thank you again for today. I can’t tell you how grateful I am. Today was one of the best days I’ve had in a long time.”

“You don’t have to keep thanking me. You’ve been so supportive and encouraging to me, that was the least I could do.” 

The waiter arrived with their appetizers—a salad for Lily and crab cakes for Max. They ate them while conversing about the day. Next, their main course came. Both of them ordered the steak and lobster, which was exquisite. The final course was dessert in which they shared the restaurant’s famous custard tart. 

As they stood from the table, Lily said, “This has been a wonderful night.”

“It’s not over yet,” Max corrected. “I still have one more surprise before we retire to our separate rooms for the evening.

“What’s that?” Lily asked with excitement. “I can’t believe there’s more.”

Max led Lily up to the top of the hotel where there was a roof deck with a view of the whole city. 

“I’m surprised there isn’t anyone else up here right now,” Lily noted as she looked around.

“I reserved the whole place for us this evening.” He pulled her over to the edge of the building and pointed out over the mountains. “Wait for it,” he whispered, before pulling her close to his side. 

Suddenly, fireworks burst into the air, lighting up the night sky. The pops of color were brilliant. Lily felt like she was a kid again, celebrating Triola’s independence, but this time, she was standing next to the man she was falling in love with all over again.

After a few moments of watching the fireworks, Max turned to Lily and bent down on one knee. He pulled out a ring box, opened it, and held it out to her. “I know we already have an agreement, but I want this to be more than just a relationship on paper. I love you, Lady Liliana Lockhart, and I want to be your husband in every way possible. Will you marry me?”

Lily nodded, tears in her eyes, as she gave him her hand. He slipped the emerald and diamond engagement ring on her finger. “I’m glad it fits. It was my grandmother’s ring.”

She looked down at it with appreciation. “It’s gorgeous. I love it.” Then her eyes flickered up to meet his as she added, “And I love you.”

“You don’t know how happy it makes me to hear you say that,” Max said, as he pulled her into his arms. He placed a kiss upon her lips before spinning her around, the fireworks still glowing around them.

Max placed her back on the ground, as he said, “I know, given our history and how we ended up together again wasn’t the best of circumstances. It’s why I pulled out all the stops to make tonight extra special.”

“I can see that. It’s not every day a prince takes a knee for you,” Lily said with a smile. “I should keep that locked away in my vault of secret memories.”

“You can tell the entire world for all I care. I would go down on one knee for you a million times to keep you happy.”

“It will never come to that. Just being with you is all I need,” Lily said as she placed her hands on his chest, knowing she was exactly where she should be with the man she loved.

Lily’s phone dinged in her purse, disrupting the perfect moment. She pulled out her phone and looked at the screen. It was a Google alert that Max was in the news, but what was more interesting was the fact she was in the news as well. She clicked the button that took her to a link where a video only moments before had been posted.

“What is that?” Max asked.

“I think it’s a video about us,” Lily said, clicking the button to play it.

“This just in, the Crown Prince of Triola, Maxwell Gerard Beaumont, was in Karamay, China, today,” a gray-haired man in a suit stated. “What most would assume was a standard goodwill trip, was anything but, when pictures surfaced that the prince was accompanied by Lady Liliana Lockhart. The two have been rumored to be seen socializing together several times over the past couple of months, but nothing surfaced to substantiate that it was more than royal duties. At least, until today, when it was confirmed they flew in together on his private jet. How did we confirm this? There is the old saying, a picture is worth a thousand words. Here is an exclusive photo of the two of them kissing just as they disembarked from his plane.”

Lily gasped as she saw a picture of them kissing earlier in the day pop up. It remained on the screen while the news reporter continued to speak in the background.

“With this new information, we wonder is this the reason for the sudden change in Prince Maxwell? His patterns of partying and womanizing have taken a sudden decline over the past couple months, and just recently, we were sent these two videos showing the prince in a new light.”

First, the video Lily recorded of Max at the children’s wing dedication and then again at the war memorial played on the screen. 

“Does that mean playboy Crown Prince Maxwell is gone for good? Or is Lady Liliana just a passing fancy like Starla Stone was a couple months back? Only time will tell, so if you want to be the first to know, make sure to watch our show daily for your royal updates.”

As soon as the video ended, Lily’s eyes snapped up to meet Max’s. “I promise I didn’t leak those videos. I have no idea how they got out.”

Max nodded. “I believe you.” Pointing to the comments, he added, “At least the responses are positive. People seem to approve of you and I as a couple and they think the videos show I’ve changed for the better.”

“Well, I guess we should be grateful for that.” Clicking through her phone, she went to the videos to see if they were gone. They were still there. Next, she looked in her messages and didn’t find them sent to anyone. Her last idea was to check her email. She went to her "sent” folder, and about five messages down, she saw an outgoing message to her mother with both videos attached. 

“Mystery solved,” Lily said, showing the email to Max. “I’m sorry she did this.” Then realizing it was too odd it all came out at the same time, she stated, “I think she arranged for that photographer to snap the photo. I wouldn’t put it past my mother to have one follow me, waiting for the chance to snap a photo to release with these videos.”

He shrugged. “It sounds about right. The countess is a formidable woman.”

“You could have her banished from the royal court for this,” Lily said, “and part of me wouldn’t blame you.”

“That won’t be necessary. I’m not about to do that to the mother of the woman I love. I don’t like how it happened, but honestly, I’m glad everyone finally knows we are together. I love you, Lily, and I don’t want to hide it anymore.”

He reached out and kissed her firmly on the lips, pushing out any worries that still remained in Lily’s mind. For now, all that mattered was that they were together openly for the first time.