Everyone in the room, including Nas, turns to me as my face becomes prickly and hot. I’m sure my skin is as red as an apple, but I’m hype beyond belief for this moment. After everything Nas and I went though, it’s incredible that we ended up like this—both of us seated at a meet and greet, with the world watching us, longing to have what we have. It feels like every relationship in my life is operating at peak performance, while any bad ones have fallen off like dead leaves in autumn. I’m free of all the bullshit, and surrounded by happiness and optimism. For the first time, I’m satisfied with every aspect of my life. I have everything I’ve ever wanted. Who could possibly ask for more?

“Umm, being with Nas is the best thing that ever happened to me,” I begin after clearing my throat. Glee takes over my face and I smile hard. “When I met him, I was just an enthusiastic fan who wanted to meet her favorite author. Now, we’re in love. It’s like a fairytale brought to life, and the fact that he used Nixon and Aria to tell our story to the world doesn’t bother me at all. Their names may be different, but it’s us on those pages, and now I get to relive the moments that made us realize our love for each other. No matter how hard it was, if we didn’t go through what we did, we couldn’t have ended up where we are. So, I’m proud to be Nas's right of the slash, and I love that he’s my left of it. I couldn’t be happier. I’m the luckiest girl in the world.”

Acknowledgments

I did it. I finally fucking did it! After over two years of struggling through manuscripts and berating myself for not writing the right thing at the right time, I finally finished and published a new, full-length novel. This has been such a long time coming. I’m sorry it took so long, but Kingdom has arrived!