The Wicked Prince

“He’s perfect.” That was Aramis, who walked forward and wrapped an arm around me.

“And Addie. Addie was so perfect,” Elias added, unable to keep the pride from his voice. “Such a natural. The doctor even said it.”

“Did anyone call Pilar?” the Queen Mother asked, taking out her cell phone. “I’m going to video call.”

Soon, Pilar and Ben appeared on her phone screen. They were in Fiji for their honeymoon and both looked like they’d been laying out in the sun the entire time they’d been there.

“The baby!” Pilar squealed. “Oh my God, I knew we were going to miss the birth. Let me see. Let me see.”

The Queen Mother walked over to the bed with her phone and showed them. Pilar and Ben cooed and spoke to the baby and Adeline for a short while. I couldn’t seem to stop staring at the little bundle. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Soon you’ll have one of those.” It was Mademoiselle Rose.

“I don’t know.” I smiled as I looked at her.

“You don’t know?” Aramis asked. “Can’t you picture little Joslyns and Aramises running around?”

“Can you?” I glanced up at him, surprised at the way he said it.

“Definitely.” He kissed the top of my head.

“I hear wedding bells,” Mademoiselle Rose said.

“Not yet.” I felt myself blush.

“You’re not getting any younger.” That was Pilar, via video call.

“We’re not in the eighteen-hundreds anymore.” I rolled my eyes at her, but smiled because I knew she was joking and if I was being completely honest with myself, I was smitten with Aramis and so happy that he wanted all of these things with me.

When we got back to Versailles later that night, we sat in front of the cottage fireplace with wine in our hands, nibbling on some cheese.

“I can’t believe my best friend had a baby today,” I said. “And my other best friend is on her honeymoon.”

“Yeah, imagine one of those being your little sister and the other being your older brother.”

“I never thought of it like that.” I laughed, looking over at him. “How does that make you feel?”

“Old?” He chuckled. “It used to make me feel inadequate, but I’m happy with the way things are going right now.”

“Me too.”

“I guess I needed them to move along with their lives for me to realize that the way I was living mine wasn’t ideal.”

“It definitely wasn’t.” I sighed, leaning back onto the couch. “Do you think when we get back to Paris you’ll go back to your partying ways?”

“Why would I do that?”

“I don’t know.” I met his gaze. “Why did you do anything before?”

“Attention. Boredom. Inadequacy.” He checked each reason off with his fingers. “I didn’t have you.”

“As I recall, I was picking up after your messes during each one of those parties.”

“As I recall, all I wanted was for you to slap me and then kiss me and send me to my room.”

“I definitely wanted to slap you.” I laughed.

“I wasn’t opposed.”

“Really, though, do you think you’ll go back to your old ways?” I wasn’t sure why I was so stuck on this.

Maybe I needed reassurance that this wasn’t a fling that was tied to this place and this holiday. I needed to know that we wouldn’t go back to the same old thing, with us at odds with each other because I couldn’t handle his stupid decisions and he couldn’t handle me calling him out for them. Aramis set his glass down and took mine out of my hand and set it down beside his before turning toward me.

“Hey.” He lifted my chin with his pointer. “I have zero interest in going back to partying. If I attend a party, it’ll be with you by my side. If I host one, it’ll be with you by my side. If I do anything from now on, I want it to be with you by my side.”

“Okay,” I whispered.

“What’s brought this on?”

“I just . . . ” I moved my face so that it wasn’t a prisoner to his hand, but still looked at him again. “I’m serious about us, and I know you say you are as well, but I don’t want this to be a holiday fling.”

“Joss.” He cocked his head. “I’m in love with you. So in love with you that I don’t want to spend five minutes apart from you. This is not a holiday fling.”

“Dammit, Aramis.” I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him. He laughed against my lips.

“Was that what you needed to hear?”

“I guess so.” I nodded, smiling.

“I love you.” His expression grew serious again. “I love you and I want to be with you forever.”

“I love you too.”

I kissed him again and the wine was forgotten, the cheese was forgotten, and the fire in front of us was replaced by the one between us.