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After a few wonderful moments of kissing in the street amid light snowfall, Amber and Richard break apart only to embrace, his arms wrapped tightly around her.
As he nuzzles he hair, she says, “You know, this means you have to meet my Pop now. He’s just inside.” She glances over at the restaurant’s glass front only to groan softly. “Now you really have to. Look,” she says and motions over where her dad stands in the restaurant, smiling at them.
She pulls him inside the diner, their hands clasped tightly. “Pop, I’d like you to meet Richard…King Richard II of Aldovia. And as of two minutes ago…” she pauses and takes a small breath, “my fiancé.”
Her Pop smiles again but doesn’t seem too surprised. “I recognized you from my daughter’s photo,” he says, reaching out to shake the king’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Your Majesty.”
He then turns to his daughter. While he’s still smiling, there’s now a mischievous element to it. “I told you to follow your heart, but I wasn’t quite expecting this,” he says. “Then again, I raised you to believe anything’s possible.” Addressing the both of them now, he continues, “Just be sure to give me more of a warning when it’s time to expect my first royal grandchild.”
“Pop!” Amber says and blushes.
“I think we have some time before that happens,” Richard says, not quite as embarrassed as his fiancée but there’s a red tinge to his cheeks as well.
“Why don’t you two sit down and celebrate the New Year,” Pop says, ushering the couple into an empty booth. “I’m going to grab more champagne.”
“Pop-” she tries to protest.
“None of that,” he replies. “You have a lot to celebrate; you deserve it. And besides,” he adds, “I somehow doubt you’re going to need a job here anymore. Now sit, talk, be merry.”
Richard looks a little bemused, but they do as her father ordered.
"Are you regretting this yet?" she asks, her small grin clearly indicating she's only teasing him.
He replies in the same light hearted tone, "I asked a woman I've only known two weeks to marry me. No, none at all." In a more sincere tone he continues, "I stand by what I said earlier. You've also talked me into taking up the crown, lost me said crown, and gotten it for again. You've made my sister happier than I've seen her in years, endeared my mother to you despite the many priceless antiques you've broken, and even stolen my heart by being the most genuine person I've known. Despite lying about your identity for the majority of the time we've known each other."
"You're right," she says in a joking manner, "I definitely sound like a catch."
He takes her hands in his own. "I didn't finish," he says softly, gazing into her eyes. "You're all those things and truly the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. Besides, this gives you an even more legitimate excuse to follow me into the woods. And just think what you can say in your blog," he adds, his grin growing wider by the second.
"I have a feeling my blog's going to be a lot different than I'd imagined."
"Why don't you use your next post to announce our engagement?" he suggests. "Maybe not right this minute, but sometime this month. Or the next."
"You seriously want me to announce our engagement on my blog?" she asks, somewhat incredulous.
"I don't exactly get along well with the normal press, if you recall," he says sheepishly. "Granted, I'm sure that will change the longer I'm king, but for now I’m okay with avoiding press conferences when I can."
"I was just thinking how special I feel right now, but you saying that makes me feel feel even more lucky to have found a guy like you," she says. "Even if you do come with all kinds of strange royal customs and titles and breakable antiques everywhere."
"At least you'll soon be on the receiving end of those titles, so that'll be less for you to remember," he says.
"I'm pretty sure it's not going to work out quite like that, but I'll take your word for it. You're the king, after all," she says, squeezing his hand with her light tease.