CHAPTER 36
I n New York City, as Justin hurried down the street toward his parents’ brownstone, his mind was thousands of miles away, back in Skydovia.
What had happened at the Christmas party still stung.
Ava had said the big announcement was going to be about Stormy becoming their first royal pet.
She’d never once mentioned Henry proposing.
Now, not only did he feel deceived and blindsided, but he was embarrassed to have even let himself hope, for a moment, that Ava could be feeling what he was feeling, and they could have a chance together.
If he had known about the proposal, he could have at least mentally prepared himself. Then again, if he was honest, had he known about the proposal, he wouldn’t have gone to the party in the first place.
It was especially crushing because he had secretly hoped she was starting to feel the same sparks he was. Now, he wondered if he’d just made up their connection in his head. He would never know, because he’d left Skydovia before talking to her.
As soon as he’d left the party, he’d booked the next flight back to New York. He felt bad leaving before finishing his job with Stormy. He had never run out on a job before, but then he’d never fallen in love with a princess before, either.
He was grateful that when he’d called the queen from the airport, she’d been very understanding when he rambled on about a family emergency he needed to get home for.
She’d also been very gracious when he’d promised to send her recommendations for people he trusted to finish training Stormy.
She’d told him to take his time and to focus on his family because being there for loved ones was what mattered the most.
He glanced at his phone and saw Ava had sent him another text asking to talk. He deleted it instantly. He didn’t see the point. She’d already made a fool of him once. He wasn’t going to let it happen again.
When he got to his parents’ place, he took a deep breath and told himself he was done thinking about Ava. He knew he needed to put her and Skydovia behind him. Because no matter what he’d wanted or hoped for, the reality was she was a princess marrying a duke.
When he knocked on his parents’ door, it only took a few seconds for his mom to answer. When she saw him, her expression went from looking surprised to confused to ecstatic.
“Justin! What are you doing here?!”
Justin held out his arms. “Surprise! Merry Christmas!”
“I can’t believe it,” Justin’s mom exclaimed as they hugged. “It’s my Christmas wish come true! I’m so happy the queen gave you time off—”
“She didn’t,” Justin said as he walked in. “I quit.”
? ? ?
A beautiful Douglas fir Christmas tree sparkled in the bay window as Justin opened presents with his parents in their stylish but still cozy living room.
When Justin inhaled the tree’s fresh evergreen scent, it reminded him of Ava’s Christmas tree in the Grand Hall.
Stop it , he told himself. But it seemed no matter how hard he tried, his thoughts kept drifting back to her.
To try and distract himself, he grabbed another dark chocolate peppermint donut and took a big bite to try.
His mother always made these donuts for him every Christmas as one of their holiday traditions.
His favorite part was the peppermint icing covered with crushed candy canes.
But right now the candy canes were only reminding him of the picture of Stormy at the candy cane hut at the Christmas market.
“Here, open this one next,” his mother said, jarring him back to the present. She was smiling brightly. “It’s really more from your dad than me, but I know you’re going to love it.”
“I hope so,” Justin’s dad said as he gave his wife a loving look.
Justin took off the large silver satin bow and ripped open the shiny silver foil paper, revealing a box underneath.
When he opened the box, his eyes grew huge as he took out a black leather bag.
It was a deluxe veterinarian tool kit, filled with all the essential tools and supplies needed to diagnose, treat, and care for animals.
“Wow, this is really amazing,” Justin said. “I don’t have anything like this.” He didn’t mention the reason was that he only carried carry-on luggage when he traveled, so everything he had was small and compact.
His dad proudly beamed back at him. “Only the best for my son and my new business partner!”
“That’s right,” his mom agreed. “Your dad is so excited to start working with you.”
Justin forced a smile. “Thank you both. It’s…top-of-the-line, for sure.”
The song “God Save the Queen” suddenly started blaring from Justin’s pocket.
“What on earth is that?” Justin’s mom asked, laughing.
Justin grabbed his cell phone. “Sorry, it’s my phone. I have an alert set for when the queen is trying to reach me, so I don’t miss anything.”
His parents gathered around him while he checked his phone.
“Did the queen of Skydovia just call you?” his dad asked, sounding amazed.
Justin laughed. “No, she sent me a text.”
“What does it say?” his mom asked, trying to see it.
Justin looked perplexed. “I don’t know. She sent me a video.”
“Does she always send videos?” Justin’s dad asked.
Justin shook his head. “No, never.”
“Play it,” his mom insisted. “She’s probably wishing you Merry Christmas.”
But when Justin played the video, it wasn’t the queen. He saw it was a video clip from the news conference Ava just held.
Justin’s eyes grew huge. “I can’t believe this…”
“What?” his parents asked at the same time.
“It’s Ava. The princess. She’s talking to the press, and she hates the press.”
“Shhhh,” his mom playfully scolded him. “I can’t hear what she’s saying. Can you please turn it up?”
Justin turned up the volume, and they all watched Ava address the press.
“I’m here to set the record straight,” Ava said. She took a deep breath and held her head high. “I am not marrying the duke. Not now or ever.”
Justin jumped up, excited, pumping his fists into the air. “Yes! She did it! Way to go, Princess!”
“Did what?” Justin’s dad asked, confused.
“She just got her life back,” Justin answered with a huge smile.