Epilogue
Bri
Three Months Later
Bri woke up to her alarm blaring far too early in the morning. If she had anything to say about it, no one would ever have to get up at the obscene hour of six o’clock. She was usually unable to function before nine, but circumstances were different when she was on the most wonderful trip with her fiancé. After rubbing her eyes, she pushed up off the plush mattress and brushed her teeth before tying her hair back into a ponytail.
She grabbed her phone and typed out a message to Drew, wanting to beat him to the punch for the first time.
Bri : Did you know I love you to the moon and back?
He responded less than a minute later.
Drew : My love for you is bigger than all the stars in the galaxy.
Drew : And did you know there are more stars in the universe than grains of sand on all the beaches on Earth?
Bri : Your fact is way better than mine.
Drew : Not true. Anytime you text me anything to do with the solar system, I fall for you even more.
She smiled down at her phone. They’d been engaged—for real—for three months, and it had been the best time of her life. Dating Drew was surreal. He was the whole package. She hated how long it had taken her to see, but now that she knew how sweet life could be, settling down with the person who loved her to her core, she would never take a single day for granted.
After she grabbed a bottle of leftover sweet tea from the fridge, Bri decided to open the Royal Inquisitor news app and reread her new favorite article— The Upcoming Wedding of the Century for Our Royal Sweethearts . The final paragraph was her absolute favorite.
Prince Andrew and Princess Brielle have made us believe in true love again. If you’ve had the distinct pleasure of seeing them interact in person, you know the sparks fly between them. With a love so strong between two lifelong friends, we wouldn’t be surprised if we see the Glencrest royal family continuing to grow very soon. While we once believed there was more to the story behind the surprise engagement between Prince Andrew and Princess Brielle, we can now say for certain that we’ve never been more glad to be wrong. Their love is one people will talk about for years to come—the truest of loves between the kindest of souls. Thank you, devoted readers, for staying along for the ride. Be sure to keep an eye out for our inside look at the royal wedding of the century later this year.
Bri let out a happy sigh. She headed to select her outfit for the day when a knock sounded at the door to her hotel suite.
She opened it and welcomed a beaming Drew into her room.
“I can’t believe you beat me to the punch today. I don’t even know who you are, waking up so early,” he teased.
She shrugged. “Maybe my soon-to-be husband is rubbing off on me with his early bird ways.”
“Or maybe my soon-to-be wife just doesn’t want to waste a moment of her trip to Banff.” His eyes landed on her, and his brows furrowed. “Is that my shirt?” Drew’s eyes roamed over her before meeting hers, looking at her in a heated way that made a blush cover her cheeks.
She glanced down at the oversized navy shirt she had worn as her pajama top last night—the one he’d allowed her to borrow after their charity run, which she’d failed to return. Men had to know by now there was an unspoken rule: if you give a shirt to your girlfriend, you will never get it back.
“Since it’s been in my closet for months, I would say it’s my shirt.”
He leaned down and kissed her, quick and sweet. “What’s mine is yours.”
“I like your shirt.” She grinned as he took off his sweatshirt, revealing the May the oars be with you shirt she’d bought him after his team had won the Fenimore Regatta.
“It was a gift from the most beautiful woman in the world.” Drew smirked and raised a brown bag with a local bakery’s logo. “I come bearing breakfast.”
Her mouth started salivating as they walked to the kitchen area of her suite. “What are our options?”
“We have donuts, blueberry muffins, breakfast sandwiches, and watermelon.”
“You know you’d make a wonderful Prince Charming. You’re always thinking of others and just so dreamy.” Bri squeezed his hand before reaching into the bag and pulling out a muffin and the plastic container of watermelon. “But you’re already spoken for.” She tore off the muffin wrapper and took a big bite.
“If I wasn’t already a prince, I’d find a way to be one for you. As you wish.” He winked at her before digging into a breakfast sandwich.
Her eyes went wide, and her mouth fell open as she pointed at him with her free hand. “You actually understand what that means?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He smirked then hid his mouth behind his food.
As she ate her muffin and watermelon, she was reminded yet again of how long Drew had loved her. He was the kind of guy who watched all her favorite movies, learned what tropes were, and knew the coded messages behind her favorite movie quotes. Drew was the man who always showed up with peach tea and watermelon in hand. He was, simply put, the best man she’d ever known, and she was the luckiest woman in the world to call him hers.
“What’s going on in that brain of yours?” he asked, always attentive to her.
“Just thinking about how much I love you.”
He set down his food, wiping his hand on a napkin before pulling her into a hug. “I love you more, Bri Bear.”
When they finished their breakfast, Drew began to put away the leftovers.
“I’m going to go change before we do anything.”
He smiled. “I have a little something planned for you, so wear something you don’t mind getting wet.”
“A surprise?” she squealed. “Yes, sir. I’ll be ready in five.” Bri saluted him before hurrying to the closet and grabbing a bubblegum-pink matching athleisure set, a sports bra, socks, and her signature white platform sneakers. She changed in the bathroom, putting the small gift she’d made for him in her pocket, and emerged ready for the day, modeling her outfit for Drew. “What do you think?”
“I think we should move our wedding up so I can marry you tomorrow.” His voice came out husky, and his pupils dilated as he took her in.
She blushed under his gaze. “I would marry you right now if I could, but at least we’re halfway there. Only three more months to go.”
Once they’d decided to be engaged for real, it had been an easy decision to pick a wedding date six months out. After a lifetime of knowing each other, they wanted to get married as soon as possible. Their parents had been ecstatic, ready to jump in and help them plan a royal wedding as big and extravagant as their love for each other.
“Only ninety-three more days,” Drew said, because of course he was the kind of person who would know from memory. He kissed her on the temple. “You ready to go on an adventure?”
“Always. But first, I have a little something for you. Close your eyes.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the gift, placing it in his outstretched hand. “You can look now.”
Drew looked down at the small present she’d been working on for the past few weeks in her spare time. His eyes turned misty as they met hers, and his voice was filled with emotion as he said, “A friendship bracelet?”
“To replace the one that broke.”
“It’s even the same colors.” Drew spun the blue-and-green bracelet between his fingers before pulling her into one of his bear hugs. “Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
Bri squeezed him, happy to do something for him. “Of course. Now, I’m ready for this adventure.” She took his hand, and he led her down to the car where a driver and Bastian waited for them. They drove for a little bit until it seemed they were more northwest of Banff. “Where are we going?”
“The only hint I’m giving you is most people have to take a shuttle to get where we’re going, but I pulled some strings for my girl.”
Bri smiled at him, her eyes full of adoration and wonder that she was going to marry this wonderful man.
When they turned onto a more secluded road, Drew leaned in close, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Close your eyes, my love.”
He helped her out of the car, and she gripped his hands as she walked forward with her eyes shut, trusting he would get her safely to wherever they were going.
If she knew anything for certain, Bri knew Drew loved her and would never let anything happen to her.
“Okay, you can look now.”
She opened her eyes, blinking a few times to adjust to the bright sunlight. Bri gasped when she saw where they were. Before them was Lake Minnewanka, the beautiful body of water she’d seen her favorite travel blogger post about.
“I always wanted to visit this lake,” she squealed. “It’s even more stunning in person.”
“I read everything the travel blogger you love so much suggested to do here, and I thought this would be up your alley.” Drew gestured to the building beside them.
When she saw the words boat rental on it, she shrieked again. “Please tell me you’re about to row me around this perfect lake with your massive muscles.”
He wiggled his brows and flexed. “My biceps are at your service.”
She grinned like a fool as Drew led her down to the water. He helped her into the canoe before taking a seat on the bench across from her.
A worker pushed their boat into the water, and Drew shot her his signature smile as he got to work rowing them across the lake with the attached oars. Everything about the view was breathtaking, from the picturesque crystal-blue lake to the snow-capped mountains and tall trees surrounding them, to the gorgeous man sitting across from her.
She couldn’t take her eyes off his sharp jawline or the veins in his forearms as he rowed.
He sighed and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “Do I have powdered sugar on my face? I knew a filled donut wasn’t the smartest choice for breakfast.”
“No, you’re perfect,” she replied. “I just can’t believe I have such a handsome championship rower showing me how it’s done.”
A blissful smile covered Drew’s face, giving him a glow of pure joy.
“What?” She smiled softly.
“I don’t think I’m ever going to get over hearing you call me handsome.”
“You never have to because I pinky promise to tell you every day for the rest of our lives.” Bri carefully leaned forward, wrapped her pinky finger around his, and sealed the promise with a kiss.
She sat back on her bench, basking in the sunlight and the beauty around them, and reminiscing about how thankful she was for a marriage pact sealed with a pinky promise long ago that had led them to this very moment.