Free A Prince For Sophie by Morgan Ashbury

new granddaughter, Michelle. When her parents—not yet totally at ease with royalty, Alex knew—tried to shush her, he spoke up.
    “One more what, sweetheart?”
    “One more drink name.”
    He smiled as everyone chuckled. “All right. What did you have in mind?”
    “I think we should thank Grandma’s fairy godmother.”
    “You do?”
    “Yes, because Grandma told me they were real, and so I asked God to get Grandma’s fairy godmother to find her a handsome prince, and she did!”
    For a long moment, no one said anything. It was Craig, Hannah’s oldest son, who got to his feet, raised his glass, and proposed the toast.
    When the glasses were set down, Alex went to Michelle. Taking her hand in his, he brought it to his lips and kissed it.
    “Thank you, sweetheart. I’m so very glad you did.”
     
    * * * *
     
    “Oh my,” Eugenia was fanning herself as she hovered over the formal dining room. “Why, I feel as if I’ve just enjoyed an entire bottle of that yummy bubbly wine, myself.”
    “I know exactly what you mean. Sister, did you ever imagine that so many people at one time would—”
    “No, I never did. Though you know, of course, it was that lovely little Michelle’s daddy whose words held the most power.”
    “I do indeed. There’s nothing more powerful than a reformed cynic. Why Eugenia, whatever are we going to do with all this magic?”
    “Do? Do? Isn’t it obvious? Now I feel I have a chance to make sure our Sophie can find a suitable match.”
    “What do you have in mind?”
    “I have the perfect plan, thanks to Hannah. Come, we must get busy. There’s no time to lose.”
    “Oh, dear. I really do like Stephan, you know,” Gwendolyn sighed.
    “You’ll get over it,” Eugenia said.

Chapter 8
     
    Stephan had not had the honor of participating in very many wedding ceremonies. As a Crown Prince, few people felt confident inviting him to fulfill that role. Having grown up with the de la Croix kids, he considered them his closest friends. In the last few years, it had been Michael and Philip visiting him rather than the other way around, which had been the case most often in the years of their youth. But they had maintained their close ties from adolescence through adulthood.
    Stephan considered himself a confirmed bachelor, and although he always planned to someday marry and have a family, that plan belonged to the nebulous future. Now, looking on as vows were spoken and rings exchanged, he felt a stirring within him, a feeling that he thought could almost be envy . Normally, he’d have thought he’d be the last person to become emotional at such a time.
    His gaze wandered to Sophie. Her attention was on her brother and his bride, her features softened by the love he knew she held in her heart for them. And he felt his world shift, just a little.
    It seemed as if she stood in the soft light of a thousand candles, her skin suffused with a glow that shimmered. She was undeniably lovely, almost ethereal.
    He’d tasted her once, and it wasn’t nearly enough.
    He’d planned to steal off to her suite in the middle of the night, but sleep had claimed him and held him with an unusually firm grasp. He’d awakened just in time to prepare for this morning’s ceremony.
    In moments, when the music soared, the wedding party would exit this old church and return to the palace. There’d be a luncheon and small reception. Afterward Stephan planned to find a way to have his own personal version of dessert.
    His thoughts tracked back to Alex’s stunning announcement of the night before. He could honestly say that he’d never seen his honorary uncle as happy as he’d been then. Clearly, both families were thrilled with the news. Alex had urged him and his parents to extend their visit. He and Hannah, he’d said, were planning to exchange their vows in a private ceremony within a week.
    That suited Stephan perfectly. He was glad for the invitation personally, and because it gave him an excuse to