The sedan stopped in front of a nondescript, U-shaped rancher. Most of the homes on the block were white or gray on the outside, all of them uniform with trimmed lawns that lacked any true landscaping. It seemed like such a desolate place to grow up. No color, no excitement, no deviation from the norm. Was this what it was like in all immigrant communities?
The ends of the U were closest to the road but there weren't any large windows to see through on the ends so there was no way of me knowing if anyone was home. I figured we wouldn't come all this way without someone calling to check that Eikko would be here in the first place. The U was connected by a five-foot wall of shiplap wood with a gate in it, no doubt leading to the front door.
"I like it," General Leger said, nodding in approval as he took it in. "Secluded, no easy second entrances or ways to sneak around…I feel slightly better about you being here." He winked at me. He was trying to make me feel better but I was still preoccupied by my last conversation with Lady Brice.
"I'm sure you do," I mumbled, craning my neck to get a better look. There was a car in the driveway, at least. Coming from the palace, I couldn't begin to imagine what it was like to grow up in such a small house. The reality was though that these houses weren't really that small. On the way into the neighborhood, General Leger explained that many of these houses were larger than Mom's was growing up and most definitely larger than his. And to think Mom came from a family with five kids. Seven people fitting in a house smaller than the ones I was looking at…it seemed unfathomable. There were days where I felt like I couldn't get far enough away from my brothers and we had the whole palace.
The wooden gate opened and Eikko emerged, frowning in confusion as he took in the caravan of unmarked black sedans and SUVs parked in front of his house. I recognized some veiled hope in his eyes and it took everything in me to not jump out of the car and run into his t-shirt clad arms.
One of the guards gave the all-clear for General Leger and the photographer hid behind one of the cars to catch the surprise on camera. General Leger held the car door open for me and even held my hand as I exited the sedan, smiling widely at Eikko's shocked expression.
"What are you doing here?" he asked me breathlessly, as if I had actually taken his breath away.
I smiled even wider and approached him at what was close to a run, unable to get to him fast enough. I crashed into him, my lips meeting his. "Surprise?" I said, pulling my face away from his just enough to look into his eyes.
"Did you know about this when we spoke yesterday?"
"No. It came up yesterday afternoon." He leaned down to kiss me again, his arms wrapping around me even tighter. He smelled different, like a mix of cinnamon and teakwood. But he still smelled like Eikko. He was in jeans too and just from what I had seen so far, I would need him to wear jeans more often for my own guilty pleasure. "So now would probably be a good time for me to tell you that there's a photographer behind that black SUV taking our picture right now." His eyebrows drew together in confusion and I was quick to shake my head. "I'll explain once we get inside."
"Which you should do now," General Leger cut in. His eyes swept the street nervously. Some people were opening their front doors, alerted by the commotion on their street. "I don't like you being out in the open like this."
I nodded in agreement and settled for keeping one arm wrapped around Eikko's waist as we approached the wooden gate. "I thought you didn't take orders from anyone else," Eikko joked, nodding to General Leger.
"Trust me, I take orders from him. He answers to my dad."
"Ah. Well in that case, we should all listen."
"Number one rule of palace survival: always listen to General Leger's orders. Right, General Leger?"
"You haven't broken any bones yet, Your Majesty," he confirmed. "I'm trying for a perfect record by retirement."
The gate creaked as Eikko opened it for me, sweeping me inside with General Leger on my heels. "My parents will be thrilled at meeting you, even if they didn't get a warning to clean the house," he said.
"Believe me, even the palace can get messy at times. You just don't see it," I told him.
"Must be all the gold and marble. It distracts one from seeing any messes."
I laughed and nodded. "Remind me to point out the stain that is still in the third floor carpet from when Osten had too many éclairs at Kaden's twelfth birthday party."
"Oh, I will not forget that!" Inside the wooden gate was a small courtyard with a little wooden table and two chairs, strings of lights strung just above us to join the roofs on either side. In front of us was a wall of windows looking into the living area of his parents' home. Through those windows I could see his parents standing over the counter, cooking something while chatting. They were both beautiful people, making it difficult to discern from whom Eikko had received his good looks. "Queen Eadlyn, welcome to my home," he said in a grandiose voice but I could hear how nervous he was with the way it shook slightly.
"Thank you, Sir Eikko," I said graciously, allowing him to open the front door for me and sweep an arm to welcome me inside.
His parents both turned to look at me when I walked in. "Your Majesty," his mother said, dropping into a deep curtsy. His father bowed at the waist, neither of them moving from their poses. Both of them had suntanned skin, their faces clearly weathered by being outside all day but not in a way that made them unattractive. They really were quite gorgeous in an exotically rugged way.
Eikko and I exchanged a quick glance after a few moments went by. "Okay, you guys can get up now," he said to them. "You realize I'm royalty now too, right?" he asked, stepping further to help usher me inside.
His mother walked around the counter and curtsied again right in front of me. "Queen Eadlyn, I'm Ilona. Eikko said you are not comfortable with Finnish. Call me Lennie."
"Lennie?" I repeated to make sure I was correct. It was so different from Ilona.
"Ilona, Helen, Lennie," Eikko explained, sensing my confusion.
"Oh! Lennie, okay."
She smiled timidly and moved out of the way for Eikko's father who was no taller than me. He offered me a firm handshake.
"Aulis," he said in a short voice.
"Al," Eikko whispered in my ear, getting him a thumbs-up from his dad.
I nodded and smiled. "Eadlyn. I don't really have a nickname. My name is obscure enough, no sense adding a nickname for more confusion." His parents laughed uneasily, as if they were unsure whether or not I was really making a joke.
"We are having lunch. Will you have some?" Lennie asked, her blue eyes wide and imploring.
"I'm starving. That'd be great. I apologize if I am a bit overdressed," I said, starting to feel awkward in my custom-tailored day dress from the palace.
"You're good," his mother said busily.
His parents went back to the counter to continue prepping lunch, giving me the opportunity to look around Eikko's home. The cabinets in the kitchen were painted a magnificent teal blue with a large white, pink and teal carpet beneath our feet. The living room was dominated by a coral sofa with white and gray accent pillows with a plain, scrap-wood dining table connecting the kitchen to the living area. There were shelves on one wall containing what I assumed were treasures from Swendway. The far wall of the living and dining rooms was also made of glass, giving me a view of the lush backyard.
"Want a tour?" Eikko asked from over my shoulder, placing his hand on my back.
I nodded up at him. "Sure."
Rather than walking into the living area like I suspected he would, he took me down the small hallway and through a door to what I assumed was his bedroom. The walls were a royal blue with light wood floors. His bed has a rich red and blue plaid comforter on it with rumpled up pillows. There was a suitcase open on top of it, rumpled clothes inside waiting to be packed and some other random items around it.
"You're not bringing much," I commented, turning to get a full view of his room.
"Well, let's be honest, am I going to be able to wear any of my own clothes in the palace?"
I wrinkled my nose. "Yeah, you're right." I walked over to the suitcase and saw some pictures piled on top of each other. "What are these?" I lifted the one on top, seeing a picture of a younger Eikko with his parents and some other people that looked vaguely similar to him but not enough to be siblings.
"That's from the one time we went to Swendway. Mom and Dad saved all year to buy the tickets and proper documentation in order to travel. We didn't eat out for weeks and were basically vegetarians, just eating what we grew in the yard." He laughed as if it was a fond memory but to me it sounded terrible. He clearly recognized my horror. "It wasn't as bad as it sounds. It was worth it. I got to meet my cousins face-to-face and see the village my parents came from."
"Well maybe when we go honeymooning in France, we can stop by Swendway," I proposed. "We can definitely go visit other times too." I took a deep breath and looked around his room again. "I like your room."
He raised his eyebrows dubiously. "Really? You, whose bedroom is the size of my whole house, like my bedroom."
I nodded. "Of course. It's…very you." He still looked unconvinced so I took his hands and guided him to sit on the end of his bed by me. "At first glance it looks really plain and nondescript but then as you look more and see the little things, it becomes something special. Like your bed, how you didn't make it completely shows that you're rushed but not so rushed that you don't care. And your closet? It's organized by color, showing that you are organized and also have an eye for color."
"How perceptive, Your Majesty," he said, squeezing my hand. "I really didn't finish making my bed because I didn't want to keep you waiting."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Uh-huh."
He swept some of my hair back behind me, peering at me closer. "What's going on? You're really tense, have been since you stepped out of that car. And this isn't meet-the-parents kind of tense. Something is on your mind."
"Want to talk outside?" I asked, nodding in the direction of the yard.
We stopped in the kitchen where Al had prepared fresh juice for us. "Passion fruit," he said, nodding to the yellow-orange juice.
"Thank you," I said graciously. Eikko held the door open for me as we stepped outside into the yard. "Can we review the common courtesy stuff again? Like please and thank you?"
"I'll do you one better and make you a cheat-sheet when we get back."
We sat down at a wooden picnic table underneath a large apple tree. The concrete façade of the home extended into a wall lining the yard, closing us in. Flowers and bushes lined the wall and in one corner was a small but impressive vegetable garden. General Leger stood guard by the gate to the yard that I presumed led to the road.
"How bad is it?" he asked.
I wrapped my hands around my glass of juice. "It's bad. It's Marid." Eikko blew out a frustrated breath, rolling his eyes. "He's saying that the constitutional monarchy is just a ploy for us to actually reinforce the dominance of the monarchy by putting more people between us and the citizens."
"That's stupid," Eikko said, shaking his head.
"Thank you," I said bitterly. "He's impossible. He finds a fault in everything I do and then exploits it. The PR team at the palace should get raises for all the work they're doing now because of him."
He chewed on his lip. "And we can't ignore him?"
"Sadly, no. It worked when he was just being an obnoxious ass. Now he's being a rebellious ass and taking the Illéan people with him." I shook my head, cursing myself. "I shouldn't have ever trusted the son of two of the most powerful rebels in the country. They say they support the monarchy but they can't stand this particular monarchy."
"I'm sorry." He reached a hand across the table and held mine tightly. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Are you free tonight?"
With a deep breath he nodded slowly. "Are we still distracting the people?"
"I'm sorry. I wish more than anything that it didn't have to be this way. Someday, in the future, people won't care about us anymore."
He raised his eyebrows. "When will that be exactly?"
I considered. "After our wedding, your coronation, six babies, and after those six babies have babies of their own. That's when they'll leave us alone."
"Oh, so soon?"
"Obviously."
Lennie slid open the back door and smiled at us. It didn't quite reach her eyes though, making her appear tense. "Lunch is ready," she told us.
We walked inside, Eikko whispering to me, "Her English is okay but my dad's is rather limited. He's comfortable with me as a translator though so if you have anything to say or vice versa…" he offered.
"Thanks," I said, squeezing his hand and sitting beside him at the table.
"We are overwhelmed by this," Lennie said, gesturing around her. I nodded, understanding what 'this' was. I was overwhelmed by my world at times and I had eighteen years to get used to it. To go from Swendway to being the mother of the prince consort of Illéa had to be overwhelming at the least. "But happy."
"Happy," Al repeated, nodding his head vigorously. It was while looking at Al across from me that I saw how similar he looked to Eikko. It was eerie, actually.
"Where exactly do you both work?" I asked her. Eikko had very briefly explained that they ran their own produce stand in their community and his mom did other things for preserving Swendish customs.
Lennie took a drink of her juice before answering, "We own a farm a few miles from here. We sell the produce and crops to the immigration shelters," she explained.
"Mom also teaches at the shelters," Eikko said, jumping in. "She teaches parents about adjusting to the new culture and gives them resources for different things. Medical clinics, grocery stores and markets, schools…the people really love her."
She waved her hand like it was nothing. "I do my part. Nothing like what you do."
"We both work to make other peoples' lives easier," I said. "The way I see it, you're luckier than me. You get to interact with the people you help. I have to hear about it through press secretaries."
She smiled kindly and looked at Eikko. "We do have questions about our son and his future at the palace, in your family," she admitted.
"Ask away. I understand that this is all very confusing and sudden."
"Very sudden," she repeated. "Eikko was not in the Selection. Now he is the prince…prince…"
"Consort," Eikko whispered.
She nodded and smiled gratefully. "Yes, consort. We are worried."
"Worried?" Eikko and I both asked simultaneously. At least both of us were confused.
"We think you are a good girl but Eikko has only had one girlfriend before you and it was for a couple months. You two have known each other for four weeks, barely, and are now engaged to run a country together?" his mother pressed. "Again, I respect you but the Selection seemed more like a, uh, quick fix for the problems in the monarchy than something you wanted to do."
"Lennie, I love your son very much," I said seriously.
"How? I'm sorry Eadlyn. You are single one minute and in love with my son the next. I am slightly…what's the word?" she asked, snapping her fingers.
"Skeptical?" Eikko supplied. "Look, I can't explain it either. But you two have spent the last twenty years watching Queen America and King Maxon and you can't deny how much they love each other, can you? He gave up being king to care for her. They met through a Selection. And they went right into being king and queen without any help from his parents. We're in love and we have even more resources than they did. We will be fine."
Lennie shook her head as Al grew increasingly uncomfortable, either unsure of what was being said or feeling differently from his wife. "I need time to understand," she said in a short voice.
Finally Eikko exploded, sitting up straighter in his seat and putting both of his hands down flat on the table. "Miten kehtaat sanoa, että? Minä rakastan häntä. Vain koska et ymmärrä ei tarkoita en saa minun onnelliseen. Tämä on mitä haluan." Was there a god I could pray to for me to suddenly be fluent in Finnish?
Lennie leaned forward, the fury in her eyes indicative of the fact that she typically wasn't talked back to by her son. "Me vain haluamme, mikä on parasta sinulle. Olet meidän poika."
"Olen aikuinen. Voin tehdä oman paatoksia. Et ollut mitaan ongelmaa muuttamisen takia, Sota."
"Eikko," Al suddenly barked, his voice firm and fierce. "Kuuntele äitiesi. Ei epäkunnioitusta."
Whatever Al said to Eikko was enough for him to back down and he slouched down slightly in his seat, bowing his head. Eikko just kept staring his mother down and then said quickly, "Perusasiat. Olemme mutterit ja pultit."
Al's eyes swept my body up and down, taking me in. Then he looked to Eikko. "Tämä un päätos?"
"Jaa, herra," Eikko said in a strong voice.
"Sitten menemme takaisin Svendvee."
"Isä!"
Al held up a hand to stop his son's exclamation. "Olemme tehneet työmme taallä, poika. On aika lähtea kotiin." Lennie bowed her head and wiped her eyes but didn't argue with whatever Al was saying. I could only assume the worst.
"I will be leaving then. This afternoon," Eikko told them both.
His father nodded and I had a sinking feeling that something major had just happened between them and I had no idea what it was. What could I say to improve things if I didn't even know what had happened? I just decided to stay in my seat and remain silent.
Lennie burst into tears then, abruptly rising from her seat and taking her plate with her to the sink where she began doing the dishes. Her shoulders were hunched over the sink, shaking slightly. Al slowly followed behind her and I could just barely hear him say kindly to her, "Omenapiirakka."
Eikko took my hand again and led me back to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him to give us privacy. "Eikko, what just happened?" I asked him, still slightly stunned from what I had just witnessed. I had seen my fair share of advisers yelling at each other but I had never seen a family yell together so viciously. Mom and Dad hardly ever raised their voices, particularly not to us, so to sit there and watch parents and their child yell back and forth…it left me rattled.
"They're moving back to Swendway," he answered in a small voice. "Apparently now that I've secured my future, they no longer feel the need to be part of my life."
"Oh, Eikko," I said, putting my hand on his shoulder.
He shook it off. "I'm sorry. I just want to finish packing and then head back to Curran with you tonight. If that's still okay…"
"Of course." I nodded. "How can I help you?"
"Just fold that pile of clothes?" He shook his hands a few times and I noticed them trembling. I reached my hand out to hold them still, waiting for him to meet my eyes.
"It's not too late to say no. If you choose your family over me, I won't stop you. All I want is for you to be happy and if that means choosing your family over me, then do it."
Tears pooled in his eyes, making his already glassy-blue eyes look like they were floating. "Let's just get moving." It only took us twenty minutes to finish packing and for a guard to carry his luggage out to the car. General Leger offered to send guards to Sota to pack anything he wanted from his apartment there but Eikko politely declined. "My landlord called today and said that she'll personally see to it that my apartment is sold to a good owner," he explained. "Everything else I need is either here or in the palace."
Lennie and Al stood awkwardly in the kitchen as the guards did a final sweep for my exit. She seemed ready to chew of a limb if it meant Eikko staying in Kent. He approached them stiffly, extending his hand to Al. They shook, a stiff gesture that contained very little paternal attachment. Lennie fell apart in his arms though, clutching her son close and whispering in his ear furiously. I didn't get a single word of the rushed Finnish. As Eikko joined me at my side again, they both bowed and bid me farewell, saying that it was nice to meet me. I wasn't sure how sincere they were being.
Eikko was quiet the whole way to the hotel. This was not how I imagined the car ride going. I had thought that this would be a great time to talk without any interruptions. Instead, I found myself holding the trade documents in one hand and his knee in the other.
"Is there anything in that I should know?" he asked halfway into the ride, nodding to the stack of papers in my lap.
"All of it?" I questioned, wondering how on earth he was possibly going to learn everything he needed to about foreign policy. There really wasn't enough time in the Selection for the boys to start learning and be trained like Mom had been during Dad's. At least she went into it with some idea of how to host foreign guests and which fork you eat caviar with. Eikko was going in completely blind. "I recommend reading it with a large cup of coffee nearby. Or if you have trouble sleeping at night."
His mouth pulled up on one side. "Duly noted." He looked away again, his hands still trembling.
I folded down the corner of the page I was reading and slid the papers into the back pocket of the seat in front of me, clipping my pen to the front of them. Then I leaned forward in my seat and spoke to the driver. "Officer Lindon, could you please pull over and stop the vehicle?" Once the sedan was stopped on the shoulder I asked, "Now could you and General Leger please leave the vehicle? This will only be a few minutes."
They both obeyed and stood with their backs turned to the car. I knew their eyes were sweeping the whole area but we were in an open field; any enemies would be clearly visible and the guards would take care of them first. Besides, these windows were basically missile-proof.
I unbuckled and turned my body to face Eikko, both of my hands on his knee. "Talk to me," I pleaded. "Say something because right now I'm thinking that you would have been far better off without ever agreeing to marry me."
His eyebrows drew together sadly as he cupped my face. "I love you. I was willing to risk my life to love you, remember? Selfish parents could never make me regret that."
"Then why? Why are they leaving? What did I do?"
"You did nothing." He reached into his backpack and pulled out the same picture from before, of his whole family in Swendway. "This is my sister, Lahja. This trip to Swendway…we went there as a family of four. While we were there, she met someone and they decided to get married. It was all really fast and didn't make much sense. She was always the preferred one of the two of us but my parents knew that I would have a better future in Illéa. Even if it meant leaving my sister behind in Swendway, they came back with me. But ever since then, it hasn't been the same. Mom misses her. I knew that once I got settled here they would consider leaving."
"But the life they've built here? They do so much good. And with you as prince consort, they could do even more."
He shrugged. "That's not lost on them. They know. But they also love their daughter. Mom said some stuff back there that I'm not going to translate for you but she sees it. She sees your family and how I'll never have to want for a family again. That's why they can leave. They may be skeptical about us but your family? They trust them."
"I'm so sorry, Eikko," I whispered, not knowing what else to say. The only abandonment I had ever experienced was Ahren's but I couldn't fault him for that. Not now that I knew what it was like to be in love with someone that much. His parents though…I couldn't reconcile that. Mom and Dad would never dream of going so out of the way for one of their kids and leaving the rest of us behind. They had always treated us all equally. Well, maybe Osten got away with more but he was their fourth kid; they probably needed to give him special treatment more than he did. "We don't have to go tonight if you don't want to."
"I want to go," he said. "I just have one request."
I smiled coyly at him. "Who do you think you are, making requests of your queen?" I teased.
"I want to have fun. Take my mind off of all these problems. Can we do that?" he asked. His eyes were wide and full of desperation. How could I say no?
"We can. But we also have to work," I warned.
He leaned in to kiss me, deep and gentle. "Thank you," he breathed against my lips. I pulled him closer by the front of his shirt as his hands twisted into my hair. I threw one of my legs over his to get even closer, sighing as his lips pulled away from mine to draw a line of fire across my jaw and down my neck.
"Man, if you had kissed me like this during the Selection, I would have broken the rules a lot sooner," I whispered in his ear.
"Trust me, there's plenty more where this came from."
When I emerged from the bedroom in the hotel suite, completely decked out in my royal blue dress with my hair done up regally, Eikko looked like he could have passed out cold on the floor. His black suit and fit him almost perfectly. The pants were just a bit too short but no one would be looking at his feet, not with how captivating his eyes became while wearing his own royal blue tie.
"Wow," he said. "Is this how you're going to look all the time? Because I may never get used to it."
I winked, rubbing his shoulders lightly with my hands. "I could say the same about you. You certainly know how to clean up."
"I can't take all of the credit," he said bashfully. "Or any of it really."
"Your Majesty, we must be leaving," Neena said. "The press have gotten word of your attendance this evening. Apparently they're lining up outside the hall, waiting to get a shot of you two."
"Has Lady Brice said anything about the press from earlier today?"
Neena shook her head. "Just that she received the pictures and they look good. The palace will release them later this week with an official statement about your visit here. She's waiting to see what comes of your meeting with Mayor Goldsworth tonight."
Eikko frowned as we stepped inside the elevator with Neena and General Leger. "You're having a meeting tonight? At a concert?"
"How else do you think we royals get stuff down?" I asked him cheekily. "Why choose between work and play when you can do both?"
Sure enough, when we arrived at the hall where the concert was being held, photographers were lining the street. My guards formed a tight perimeter as soon as I was out of the car, General Leger trying to look calm as he studied the crowd across the street. The citizens there clearly weren't expecting to see me because they erupted into cheers when I lifted my hand to them in recognition. Eikko plastered a smile on his face though I could see that he was slightly overwhelmed by the attention.
I managed to recruit Mayor Goldsworth into the constitution committee, with the agreement that Dad would take him hunting while he was visiting the palace (apparently he Goldsworth was owed an afternoon hunt by my father). We also agreed to continue negotiating for his people's incomes to not be taxed so severely. I couldn't promise for no more taxes but I made it clear that there was room for negotiating.
Following the concert, Neena allowed a trusted reporter into our box so that we could answer her questions more personally. She was a reporter that the palace cleared for reporting quality stories and not just printing nonsense rumors.
The reporter's smile nearly split her face in half. "Your Majesty, congratulations on your recent engagement. Do you have any new about possible wedding plans?" she asked me enthusiastically.
I laughed. "I've only been engaged for two days!"
"Although your coronation was planned within a week. Who knows? Maybe we could be married next week," Eikko cut in with a laugh. I forced a smile. Neena and Lady Brice hadn't fully explained to him what he could and couldn't say during interviews. I was starting to regret not doing that sooner.
The reporter wrote notes furiously and then looked back up at me. "So, you have no little teasers about the dress or color scheme for the wedding?"
"Absolutely not. My wedding dress is going to be as big of a deal as a small country, if not bigger. It takes time for that."
"Sir Erik, anything to add?" she asked him.
"Whatever she wears will only make her look even more stunning," he answered. "But she's right. We've barely caught our breaths. It was such a whirlwind romance and engagement that I think we're just looking for a moment to rest a bit before planning anything."
She nodded and tucked her hair behind her ear. "And Sir Erik, as my final question, do you have any comments on the constitutional monarchy?"
My heart dropped into my stomach and I hoped I wasn't in danger of breaking his hand with as hard as I was squeezing it. "Well, I think Eadlyn is onto something incredible. She's a visionary and clearly has big plans for the country. We may not be able to see them now but I trust her as my queen to lead us in the right direction. We're looking to connect to our people and bridge the gap that divides the monarchy and everyone else. That's our ultimate goal in this."
"So the rumors that the constitutional monarchy is just a ploy to put more people between the citizens of Illéa and to further isolate the monarchy…do they have any weight?"
"It does look that way," Eikko answered before I could even open my mouth. "But it is not our intentions. Yes, it does safeguard the monarchy even more but it is not done out of animosity. I think Eadlyn just wanted to protect her family."
I groaned inwardly as the reporter wrote some last few notes. "That is all I have for the questions this evening. Congratulations again and I wish you both the best of luck."
I couldn't say anything to Eikko as we left the concert while we were still in the public eye. Admonishing my fiancé was not going to do anything for promoting our image together as a new couple and for negating those rumors spread by Marid. Even though he had essentially hijacked the interview and unknowingly undermined my power, I kept my mouth shut and reminded myself that he had no experience with interviews and that he was camera shy. When we got to the airport though and got on the plane, I still couldn't criticize him. The day's events were wearing on him visibly. His shoulders were hunched as he shrugged off his suit coat and undid his shoelaces.
I blushed as we both got ready for bed, changing into our pajamas in the master bedroom of the plane. I got the smallest glimpse at Eikko's slight, strong figure. Now that I knew how hard his parents worked with planting and growing crops, I wasn't surprised that he was in good shape. It didn't stop me from staring though. Naturally I had been wondering what was beneath his plain suits and was not disappointed. His skin had a youthful glow to it, sheathing lean muscle. He had some dark hair starting to grow on his chest and more around his navel. More than once, I caught him checking me out, not that my nightgown really kept much to the imagination.
We were quiet as we slid into bed together, sharing a quiet, slightly bashful smile. It should have been awkward but I wouldn't want to be getting into bed with anyone else. I curled up on my side, facing him while propping my head up on my elbow. My frustration from the interview earlier vanished as I watched his face slowly crumble.
"Is it always this hard?" he asked me. "Will I always have to pretend that everything is okay and that I'm completely happy?"
I kept my mouth shut as I brushed some of his black hair back. "I wish I could tell you no, that we'll always be happy and that we'll never have to pretend in front of the cameras. In reality, that's essentially all we do. But you learn how to balance duty with life. This time next year this will all seem like a bad dream."
"Except I still won't have a family," he whispered, staring up at the ceiling.
Clicking a button on the remote control by the bed, I turned the lights off the bed and then propped myself on top of his chest so that he had to look at me. "We'll be your family. When you're looking for some solace and someone to reason with, you'll have Kaden. When you need a good laugh or help with something mischievous, go to Osten. When you need a mom's hug or a father's steadfast support, you can get my parents. And when you need someone to love you more than anyone else has ever loved you, you'll have me. You'll always have me."
"Family?" His fingers threaded through mine and he absently fiddled with the ring he'd given me.
"Family," I confirmed.
He smiled slightly and sighed. "You know what family is in Finnish? Perhe."
"Hmm. What's wife?"
"Vaimo."
"And husband?"
"Mies."
"I like perhe better."
"Me too." He put one of his arms behind his head and chewed on his lip nervously. "I'm sorry if I messed up that interview tonight. I was just trying to take the pressure off of you so that you didn't have to worry about anything else. I really just made it worse."
"It's fine," I told him. "Believe me when I say that you could have done a lot worse."
He shook his head. "But I talked about stuff I had no business talking about…"
"Eikko?" I interrupted.
"Yeah?"
"Perhe."
His smile grew wider than I had seen it all night and he nodded to me. "Perhe."