Page 76 of Tangled Sails

His words calmed my angst almost immediately. I loved being around people.

“But more importantly, you are kind and good, and you make me laugh. And against all odds, I think I’ve actually been good for you as well.” There was the smallest bit of doubt in his eyes.

“More than good,” I assured him, wondering how he could be anything less than confident.

“So when I say I want to marry you, I mean it with every piece of me.” He swallowed down the emotion that had crept into his voice. “However,” he said as he rubbed his hands over my chilled arms. “You are only allowed to say yes if you truly want it. Not because it’s what I want. Not because you think you have no other options. Not because you believe I or my mother or the kingdom needs you. It can only be because you want me as much as I want you.”

I scooted forward and wrapped my arms around him, creating a little circle of warmth and raking my fingers into the hair at the back of his neck. “What if I want you more?” I asked as I took in the utter sincerity in his eyes.

“Impossible,” he whispered and then fit his lips to mine, tightening his arms around my waist as the waves rocked us gently from side to side.

I marveled at the give and take of our shared affection, and I marveled at the idea that we could have this always, that such profound connection and intimacy could be a consistent part of my life.

I pulled back as tears welled. “I love you.”

He smiled as his thumb brushed over the curve of my jaw. “And I love you. Does that mean you’ll marry me?”

“Of course I’m going to marry you, but you must promise me one thing.”

“Name it.”

“We must have babies.”

He grinned, then pressed a small kiss to my lips. “My love,” he whispered against my mouth, “we will have lots and lots of babies.”

Chapter twenty-two

TAVRIC

Lyri and I were walking down to the shore, her hand wound tightly around my arm so that I could ensure her balance. She said that she felt fine, but it was difficult to forget how fragile she’d looked just a day before. I was still reeling from the events of yesterday.

Harlan, my most trusted friend other than my brothers, had betrayed me in the bitterest way, and I was finding it impossible to reconcile the Harlan I thought I’d known with the reality of who he’d become.

Lyri was endlessly optimistic, but I knew that the things she’d suffered were lurking in all the moments when she would go still and silent.

It had surprised me when she suggested we come down to the cove. I would have assumed she’d want to avoid the ocean, but she’d insisted, and I had a strong suspicion that she was doing it for my sake. She was helping me escape the castle, which was buzzing with the news of my father’s recovery.

Granted, very few people knew just how much he had recovered. After we’d returned last evening, Lyrielle and I had been pulled into the chaos of my family, who had been frantic when I’d disappeared. We’d had a long time to talk as we rowed back to shore and had decided to confide in them. They were astonished at the story we had to tell, and when she insisted on treating him again to be certain that all vestiges of his illness were gone, Lyri became the immediate favorite of my entire family. Papa was alive because of her.

My family knew the truth, but we all agreed that no one else would. Everyone else would be told that Caelmir had returned with a medicine, that it had been given to the king with no improvement, and that we had all thought it had failed until he’d made a sudden recovery. Still, my mother planned to keep him in their room for several days, both to give his body a chance to truly regain his strength, as well as to give the impression that he was recovering more slowly than he was.

Everyone was elated. My father was beloved by nearly all his subjects, and news of his recovery had caused a joyous uproar throughout the entire castle.

That is, everyone was elated except for Princess Saria. She had not appreciated the way I’d left her behind after the formal meeting, and she’d liked it even less when I disappeared all afternoon. When Lyri and I had shown up, drenched and holding hands, it had been the final straw. The princess had given me one frigid glare and then gone to pack her things. She was sailing out this morning, and it was all very awkward, stilted, and diplomatic.

Thus Lyri had convinced me to bring a picnic down to the shore. For having met only a short time ago, she certainly knew me well.

I set down the basket of food and spread a blanket a little ways from the dock. “Admit it,” I teased. “You like eating on the sand better than in my fancy dining hall.”

I took her hand and she lowered herself with an effortless grace onto the blanket. “I like eating anywhere. Your cooks make magnificent food.”

“I’ll be certain to pass along your compliments.”

“Oh, I’ve already told them a number of times. Amilee even convinced one of them to teach me how to make those little cakes that I love so much.”

I was momentarily stunned, but quickly shook it off. “And yet, you don’t see yourself as friendly.”

She gave me a smirk. “I’m certainly not a favorite among the staff, but I’m determined to win over some of them.” She opened the basket to dig through its contents, and I had the pleasure of watching my future bride find enjoyment in simple things.