18. Evie

eighteen

Evie

Checking the invitation seal again, I ran my finger over the raised crimson wax and swallowed. This could go so many ways. So many possible bad ways, but with no word from Jasper, this is the closest thing I had to a clue.

I was taking it.

Life doesn't happen when you're shut up in a luxury condo.

I slipped on my heels, one at a time, taking care to buckle the strap at my ankle. When I stood, I made sure my dress hemline hit the floor perfectly. I'd never been to a royal ball. Although I pretended many times for TV. I did what I always do when I'm a fish out of water—act.

I stuck one toe in front of the other, pretending to balance a book on my head with perfect posture and slipped out the front door. With no pumpkin carriage waiting for me, I slid into the driver's seat of my Mercedes and settled in for the three-hour drive south. With a forty-two-ounce water jug, and an audiobook downloaded on my phone, I was ready to go.

I had the top down on my car, not because it was nice out. It was cloudy, and a tad windy, but hey, you only live once, and I was so ready to live this life I'd been scared to live. If that meant I had to feel the elements on a day that wasn't perfect, I lifted my chin and breathed into it. I giggled as the cloud directly overhead grayed even more, threatening rain. After the month I'd had, rain wouldn't shadow me. It would make a memory of the best kind.

I thought my heart was racing on my way to visit Elizabeth, but that was nothing. Now it pounded like a bass drum. I had no confirmation that this had anything to do with Jasper, but every ounce of my soul told me to trust my gut and drive. My GSP took me south, and over a narrow bridge I never knew existed, to a twisty road that seemed to wind into the clouds. When I wound around the other side, I pulled into a clearing of a small, quaint little village, overlooked by the most beautiful castle sitting on the highest butte.

Since that's where my GPS was taking me, that's where I drove.The golden gate was wide open, and I drove through it to be immediately stopped by guards. They looked more like Nutcracker dancers than any sort of military defender, with tall hats and redcoats. The tallest guard leaned over my door, and politely asked with the cutest accent, "Maybe I see you invitation please?"

I passed over my envelope, and he took one look at it before stuffing it into his front pocket, and stepped back from my car, granting permission, "You may pass."

I pulled forward, following the winding road to a parking lot, where dozens of cars had already filled the first two rows. I pulled into a spot without any trouble and stepped out of my car.

Music wafted from the courtyard. Music with whimsical string instruments that seemed to know every note that love was made of made my heart pound in my chest, and strong brass horns bringing in the alto tones made the blood in my veins pump with excitement. The tiniest flute tooted out a little melody that made me visualize a butterfly fluttering around, and the whole musical ensemble made this little courtyard come alive.

Couples strutted together with matching outfits of the finest fabric, while clearing the center aisle that led to the castle. I rounded the corner, setting my gaze on the castle, and everything seemed to play out like a movie, with the shimmering gleam of the castle setting in the background.

And there he was…

Standing in long coattails, and a fresh new haircut, nothing about him was unrecognizable because I'd know that face anywhere. Our eyes met first, drawn to each other like magnets. His eyes were a mixture of joy and uncertainty. He hesitated for a moment before stepping toward me, and I picked up my pace as I walked toward him. Time seemed to standstill as we took each other in, both searching for answers in the depths of each other's gaze.

Next came the confusion.

Everything about this scene was not what I had envisioned, and nothing at all like what Jasper had said his life was like. He'd never even mentioned Nuvola before. With a deep breath, he finally spoke, breaking the silence that hung heavily between us. "Evie."

A rush of anxiety pumped through my veins as I continued my way towards him, knowing that this was the moment I had been waiting for—the minute when everything would change. "I'm so confused right now."

The way we stood close together, our bodies practically touching, created an undeniable chemistry that spoke loudly about what we both had on our minds.

"Evie, I brought you to this village for a reason." He cleared his throat, and I watched the wonder dance across his features before he continued, "I know this is going to be shocking, but I swear it's the truth. You know how I grew up as an orphan."

"That's what you said." I chewed the bottom of my lips as everything about his demeanor told me he was about to confess a lie.

"I recently reconnected with my birth mother. Her father had forced her to give me up for adoption, but now he's passed away. The shocking part is that my mom is the queen of this country, which means…I'm a prince."

My eyes widened, as this had to be the most absurd thing I'd heard this month, and I'd heard an awful lot of crazy things this month. "A prince?" A little giggle of disbelief bleeped out from her lips. "Like, from a real royal family?"

He nodded, his gaze holding firm on me. "Yes, I'm sorry I kept this from you, but I waited to tell you until I knew what it actually meant for us." He reached for my hand, swooping it up until it was next to his heart. "This is for real. I'm the only heir."

"Okay. That's certainly an interesting plot twist that didn't happen in the movie." My skeptical smile spread across my face. Before I could laugh, my lashes lowered. "Well, I don't care about your title."

His eyes filled with love, longing, and so many spirals that gave me all the feels. In that moment, I knew that I had found my true partner. One who'd love me unconditionally, prince or not.

"I meant what I said when I said I never wanted to leave you." He placed one hand on my hip, sending a spark right to my heart.

We had the same idea.

Neither of us hesitated, as we were living out our own fairy tale and our lips met in an embrace, the world fading away as the music played in the background, the melody of the flute fluttering lightly. Kissing him was like finding my perfect counterpart, the one who knew me for me . The sun could have fallen from the sky, and I wouldn't have noticed, as our lips melted together, one languid caress at a time.

When we pulled away, we smiled shyly as we knew our friendship had been transformed into something deeper. We were standing on the threshold to a new chapter in our lives, one filled with adventure, uncertainty, and the possibility of love, but definitely no pirates.

And with that, I knew I was finally done acting. No more pretending. My love for Jasper was real, and I was ready to live.

We were living our best lives.