Elle has made me happier than I ever thought I could be.

Even a week ago, my life looked so bleak. I wasn’t sure I’d ever see her again, let alone that she’d agree to marry me. That she’d be carrying my child.

Without breaking our kiss, I let my hand slide down her body. She doesn’t feel different, not yet. But now I get to be here for all of it, get to watch her body change as our baby grows inside of her. Get to be next to her and support her every step of the way.

I finally tear my lips away from hers.

“I love you,” I murmur to her again.

Her eyes shine as they look up at me. “I love you, too.”

I bring my hand up to her hair. “I know I did this all wrong, and I have a lot to make up for—”

“You have plenty of time to make up for it.”

“I’m counting on it.” I kiss her again, losing myself in the taste of her.

I don’t know how long we stand there kissing, but finally I pull back once more.

“Will you wear the ring?” I ask her. “I promise you, Elle, this was never meant for anyone but you. I never could give it back to my mother because part of me always hoped…” I take her hand. “Part of me always knew my life would never be complete without you.”

Her hand feels so soft in mine. I gently slide the ring onto her finger, then close my hand around hers.

“You’re everything to me, Elle,” I tell her. “You have been since the day I met you. And you will be for the rest of my life. I only hope I can be the man you deserve.”

She responds by pulling me back into another kiss, and I’m only too happy to indulge her.

A few moments later, breathless, we break apart again.

“Perhaps we should go back to the palace,” I say. “As much as I enjoy what we’re doing, perhaps we should move somewhere a little more private. There might not be any paparazzi out here, but even a picture from someone’s mobile might end up on the internet.”

She frowns, then glances over her shoulder. “I forgot about that.”

“Don’t worry,” I tell her. “My family will do everything in our power to mitigate any press—”

“But you can’t make it completely go away, can you?” she asks. “I mean, you said yourself that part of the reason you stayed with Karina was to help control the story because the press would have run with it anyway. What are they going to think when they find out you became engaged to someone else the night your supposed baby was born?”

“Perhaps I should just tell them the truth,” I say. “That I stayed by Karina’s side because I thought it was the right thing to do, but that my heart lay elsewhere.”

She doesn’t look convinced. “It’s still going to look like you abandoned Karina. And…” Her eyes fall. “As much as I dislike that woman right now for the situation she put you in, she just had a baby. I know you said your agreement only lasted until the baby was born—”

“And she’s already made arrangements for where she can raise the child discreetly. Believe me, Elle, she never intended for me to raise the child with her. In fact… Though she and I rarely talked openly between us about personal matters, I got the distinct impression that perhaps the child’s true father is not completely out of the picture after all. Or at least that she might still bear some attachment to him, whether she wants to or not.”

Elle frowns, apparently considering this.

“Frankly, I don’t give a damn what the world thinks about any of this,” I continue. “I love you. And believe me—I’ve learned my lesson about letting things come between us. If we have to spend the next year holed up here, away from the press, so be it.” I squeeze her hand. “Though if you’d prefer to spend it on some remote island, far away, I could arrange that instead. I won’t lie, Elle—it might not be easy. But I promise I’ll do everything in my power to—”

“I know,” she says. “And for better or worse, I think I’m prepared to face whatever happens.”

I smile. “I’ll be with you every step of the way. And I swear, it gets easier with time—dealing with the press, I mean.”

“I know,” she says. “Victoria’s taught me a lot about it.”

I frown. “Victoria?”

“Victoria Simpson. The reporter who helped me get my story out there. She’s actually my date tonight.”

“Your…” It hadn’t occurred to me that Elle might have brought a date to the state dinner. But the tightening in my stomach is quickly relieved when I realize that Victoria has only ever been a woman’s name. And then another thought occurs to me. “You brought a reporter to the state dinner?” That makes things infinitely more complicated.

“It’s not like she had a camera with her or anything,” Elle says. “And she’s a good person. I trust her.” The corner of her mouth tilts up. “Besides, I honestly believe she’s far more interested in Andrew than she is in you or me or even Karina.”

“Andrew?”

She nods. “She went on and on about how mysterious he is.”

“Ah, poor fellow,” I say, grinning in spite of myself. “He never really liked the press. Never really liked attention much in general. Sounds like he’s in for quite a night.”

Elle laughs. “Maybe.”

“I’d like to think that we’re in for quite a night, too,” I say, pulling her close again.

She melts against me. “I’d like that. Now let’s get back to the palace. You have no idea what these pregnancy hormones are doing to me.”

My chest swells with emotion as I help her into the car. I still can’t believe how much everything has changed in one night. Sure, we still have some things to figure out—managing the press, dealing with my family, finding a way for Elle to continue working, even when we marry—but I have every confidence that she and I will face and conquer every one of those issues. Together.

She’s going to be my wife. My wife. And we’re going to have a baby. I never thought that having such bonds—such responsibilities—could make me so happy, but they have. I’ve never felt anything like this in my entire life.

“You know,” I say as I slide into the car next to her, “we don’t have to go to the palace. I can have Matthias prep my plane if you like.”

“And go where?”

“That’s the beauty of it,” I say, lifting her hand to my lips. “Anywhere we wish.”

Her smile warms me straight through. And for the first time in my life, I truly feel like the entire world is at my feet.