“Proper? Who’s worried about proper? This is just you and me. And you know that I’m not proper most of the time. So let’s hear it.” She grabbed her phone and found the music app. With festive carols filling the silence between them, she sent him an expectant look. To her surprise and delight, his mouth started to move.
“I can’t hear you.” She grinned at him, excited to see the fun side of him. “Lip-synching doesn’t count.”
To her utter amazement and delight, he belted out a verse of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.” Zoe clapped her hands. She hadn’t had this much fun since...since Demetrius was a part of her life.
They added a variety of exquisite ornaments to the tree. None of them were like the common ornaments that Zoe and her mother hung on their little tree. These decorations were the best of the best. But then again, she supposed that was to be expected when they came from the royal palace—only the best for the king. Still, it felt weird to handle such valuable items.
As the evening progressed, they laughed and smiled more than they sang. At one point, they both took a few steps back to inspect their handiwork. Zoe loved their tree. Her gaze moved to Demetrius.
“Not too bad.” He turned to look at her.
Unable to turn away, she added, “We do good work together.”
He nodded. “My mother would have enjoyed this. She loved the beach house. It was her escape from the protocol of palace life.” He strode over to the window overlooking the sea with the last bit of color in the darkening sky. “Did I ever tell you that my father built this house for her?”
“No. You didn’t.” Zoe glanced around the place, wondering what it’d be like to have someone love you enough to do all they could to make your dreams come true. Not that money and physical things can make a person happy. It’s just the thought of the king going out of his way to make his queen happy was so romantic.
“My mother was the perfect queen. She was kind, thoughtful and beautiful. She was everything that my father could ever want. When the public was around she had the perfect smile, and when my brother and I were young, she made sure we looked and acted like the little princes the king could be proud of.”
The love and awe was evident in Demetrius’s voice. His love for his mother was as alive now as it had been all of those years ago. “She sounds amazing.”
“She was. She would have liked you. I wish she’d have had a chance to meet you.”
“I’m sure I would have liked her, too.”
He turned around and glanced about the room. “She would have loved what you’ve done with the beach house. Christmas was her favorite time of the year.”
Zoe’s gaze moved to the little tree that was still lacking something. She thought about it for a moment and then realized what was bothering her. “The angel is missing from the top of the tree.”
“Grab it and we’ll put it up there.”
She rummaged through the boxes, finding the angel and something else—two tiny ceramic turtledoves. The artwork on them was quite detailed. She wondered if they were handmade.
“What else did you find?”
Zoe held out the ornaments, letting them dangle from the gold ribbon strung through each one. “Two turtledoves. My mother would love them.” Zoe watched as the doves twisted back and forth. “They’re her favorite birds as they represent true love since the birds mate for life.”
“Really? I had no idea.”
Zoe nodded. “When my father abandoned my mother, when she was pregnant with me—she lost her belief in love. She figured the only person she could count on was herself. But she said when I was born, she never felt such a strong love in her life. She said that with each smile, I healed her broken heart. She believed in love again...but sadly she’s never found someone to share her life with.”
“Don’t look so sad. She has you. I’m sure watching you grow up made her very happy.”
Zoe blinked repeatedly. “I guess you’re right.”
“Of course I am. I’m the prince.” He smiled and winked at her, letting her see that lighthearted, teasing side of himself that she’d missed so much this past year. “Now, how about you find the perfect spot for those turtledoves while I put the angel on top?”
The best part of the evening was watching Demetrius let down his guard and enjoy helping her decorate. She glanced over as he climbed on a step stool to place the angel atop the tree. It was so easy to imagine that this was their first Christmas together as a real couple.