Before Emma could even reply, Mickey was jerking from Emma’s arms to hug his dad. “That would be so great, Dad. Thank you! I know Mom will be safe if she’s in your room.”
Emma wanted to laugh at the gallows humor of that one because one thing she knew, her heart would not be safe with her staying in Kon’s bedroom.
The interior of the palace was everything Emma could have expected it to be. Marble floors in the grand foyer, twin curved staircases up to the next floor and gold accents everywhere.
Her artist’s eye told her that that gold was genuine leaf and not just paint.
But it was the people waiting to meet her and Mickey that drew her attention. She recognized Prince Evengi, King Nikolai and the Princess of Mirrus, Nataliya, from pictures, as well as Prince Dimitri, whom the family called Dima and looked more like Nikolai than Konstantin.
Nataliya’s mother, the Countess, was the only other person present who was not security. No dignitaries. No staff. This was a meeting between family and only family.
Emma found a great deal of comfort in the fact even a royal family understood the need for this kind of intimate gathering.
“It is such a pleasure to finally meet you.” Nataliya took Emma’s hands in both of hers and pressed a kiss to each of Emma’s cheeks. “Konstantin is so different since finding you again.”
“He seems very much the same to me,” Emma admitted.
Which was both worrying and comforting at the same time.
The King took his wife’s place in front of Emma. “I need you to know that my deceased wife did not have my support in her plans for your child. She would never have gotten my approval to threaten you the way she did.”
“Thank you for saying that.” Emma had no idea how much she’d needed to hear those words from the King’s own lips. “Mickey is my life.”
“And now you are both my brother’s.”
Emma did not reply to that, but looked where her son was interacting with his grandfather for the first time. Prince Evengi had seemed very stiff and formal when introductions had been made, but he knelt on the floor with his grandson now, intent on whatever Mickey was saying.
Emotion swelled inside Emma.
Kon had made this possible. He had given Mickey a family and he’d done it without ever once threatening Emma’s place in Mickey’s life.
She wasn’t stupid. She knew that he could have gone for custody of their son. He might not have won. It would have been an ugly battle, but never once had Kon ever even implied he wanted Mickey without Emma.
And there could be no question that Kon wanted his child in his life. He was such a devoted father.
Kon’s own unwillingness to bend, the threats of Queen Crazy and Emma’s own fears had cost them five years apart.
In that moment of clarity, Emma realized it wasn’t enough to say she didn’t want to act out of fear any longer. She had to actually do things differently to honor that desire.
There would be no more time apart. No more waffling on building a family together, not just building individual relationships between Mickey and his father.
“Konstantin was moved beyond words that you named Mikhail for him.”
“It felt right at the time,” Emma said, repeating something she’d told Kon once.
“Thank you for being such a good mother to my nephew and for giving my brother a chance to be in his life.”
Emma finally turned her gaze back to the King. “You do not have to thank me for being a decent person.”
“I think I do. I was married to the woman who threatened you. I know we are not all motivated by what is best for our family and those we are supposed to care about.”
Emma’s eyes widened. If she was not mistaken, the King was telling her that his marriage to Queen Crazy had not been all sunshine and roses. “Do you know why she wanted my baby so badly?”
“She never wanted to be pregnant. I think she saw your baby as her easy way out of something she did not want.”
Emma nodded. That made sense. “Kon always thought she was too young to take on the role of queen.”
“He talked to you about her?”