But I’d messed everything up. Now we would live out the rest of our lives in two different countries and I probably wouldn’t ever see her again. I doubted she would take Jamie’s offer of a job, not if she knew I would still be around. Frankie may have been the bold and brash one of our relationship, but she was also an avoider. She avoided things that cut too close to the bone. That loud and spontaneous persona was just a tactic she used in her avoidance arsenal. I knew this about her and I knew she would avoid me like the plague for the rest of our lives.
One day I would be able to breathe again. One day it wouldn’t hurt so much. One day I would wake up and my first thought wouldn’t be of her. It wouldn’t be any time soon, but one day the hurt would fade to a dull ache rather than the sharp stabbing pain that currently afflicted my chest.
“We’ll be landing soon,” the flight attendant said bringing me out of my reverie. “Is there anything I can get you?”
I shook my head. “No, thank you.”
She nodded once and then walked to the back of the plane. I huffed out a rough sigh and leaned back in the seat. Once I had my feet back on Kalopsian soil, I would attempt to push Frankie from my mind. I couldn’t continue to walk around like a zombie. I had a lot of work to do and people were counting on me. The king was counting on me. Getting lost in my work would be good, it would distract me from the absence of Frankie in my life.
The plane landed, and I was ushered to the helicopter. I didn’t take any notice of the cerulean water beneath us as we flew across the Aegean Sea to Kalopsia. Even that reminded me of Frankie. The way she’d been so enamored with the color of the water the first time we choppered across it.
It didn’t matter where I went; Boston or Kalopsia, the palace or the compound or the distillery, there were memories of Frankie everywhere. Her fingerprints were all over my life and on every aspect of my life and I knew her ghost would be my constant companion for a while yet.
We touched down on the helipad and I crossed to the waiting car. Deacon opened the door and nodded at me. I smiled in return. I wondered if Deacon was disappointed Frankie hadn’t made the trip back with me. I knew the two of them had become friends as he’d chauffeured her around for her research. His face gave nothing away, and I slid into the car and rubbed my chest. If I thought coming back here would make it easier to get over Frankie, then I was wrong.
I didn’t take any notice of the scenery as we wound our way up to the palace. I would see the beauty again, one day, when everything stopped being so gray and lifeless.
My door opened, startling me out of the fugue I’d fallen into. I slid out of the car and thanked Deacon before turning toward the stairs. I took them slowly, the jet lag catching up with me—well, the jet lag and probably the after effects of standing up to my parents. Being brave took a lot of energy, besides which, I hadn’t been sleeping very well since Frankie left. I felt like I could sleep for a week now, if given the chance.
The door opened before I got to it and I looked up. It wasn’t the regular doorman who opened the door.
“Frankie?” I asked stupidly, not quite sure I wasn’t hallucinating.
“Hey Lucas,” she said with a grin.
My eyes ate her up greedily. I wanted to pull her into my arms and kiss her, but I knew I couldn’t. Not yet, maybe not ever, but she was here, and that had to mean something…right?
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I came here for you,” she said before throwing herself into my arms and sealing her lips over mine.
I held her tight and kissed her back and couldn’t quite believe this was happening.
Francesca
I went to Kalopsia.
I wanted to get there before Lucas did and surprise him. He came all the way to Boston and faced his fears for me, so I wanted to make sure he knew I was serious. I thought it only fair that I meet him in Kalopsia to prove that I was all in.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came here for you,” I replied before throwing myself into his arms and kissing him like I’d been dreaming about for weeks…possibly years.
He didn’t shove me away—that was a good sign—but wrapped me in his arms and kissed me back.
“I don’t understand,” he said when he lifted his head. His glasses were slightly askew, and they were a little fogged up from our kiss.
“You were right,” I replied.
“And as much as I enjoy hearing those words coming out of your mouth, you’re going to have to elaborate a little bit for me.”
I grinned at him.
“I am in love with you, Lucas, but I was scared. You were right about that. You are the best thing in my life and I was scared you would get sick of me and I couldn’t conceive of a world where you weren’t in my life, so I tried to deny my feelings. I thought if I kept you in my life as my friend, then at least I would have you in my life, but then I realized how stupid I was being. Having you as a friend and never having all of you was a false economy. So I left, because I couldn’t bear to see you happy without me.”
He frowned at me.
“Oh, I know how selfish that makes me, and my mom was not backward in telling me just how idiotic she thought I was.”
“And now? What changed?”
I shrugged. “I did, I suppose. I realized what an idiot I was being. I was in love with you and you were telling me you were in love with me and yet my brain kept telling me it couldn’t possibly be true. But the moment I gave myself permission to believe you, I realized there was no question about where I needed to be and that’s here, with you, if you still want me.”
I knew there was every chance Lucas would turn me away. I’d been so hot and cold with him and I’d turned him down multiple times. He had every right to say he’d had enough of the games and to send me packing.
I held my breath as he continued to look at me. We were still standing on the front portico of the palace and I didn’t doubt we had an audience, but I didn’t care.
Lucas lifted a hand to tuck a curl behind my ear and his hand lingered on the soft skin of my neck as his thumb caressed the apple of my cheek. His eyes were soft and so dark I felt like I was falling into them.
“I will always want you, Frankie,” he said and then pulled me back into his arms and buried his face in my hair as he held me. “You have no idea how happy this makes me.”
“It’s about time,” a voice said and we broke apart, embarrassed.
“Your highness,” Lucas said as he bowed to Meredith.
She waved his formality away. “It’s okay, Lord Lucas, you can dispense with the formalities. You are now back in my good graces.”
“Does that mean there’ll be no more torture?” Lucas asked.
Meredith grinned. “There may be a little bit of torture,” she replied.
“Should we perhaps take this inside now?” Dorian asked. “The neighbors are staring.”
We all looked around, but of course there were no neighbors. The palace sat on top of the hill, surrounded by expansive grounds and high walls.
“Are all these public displays of affection embarrassing you?” I asked, and Dorian rolled his eyes at me.
“Of course not, but you are now a part of the royal court and protocols must be remembered.”