“I am appalled by that statement,” Ethan said, feigning injury to her words.
“But am I wrong?”
“That’s beside the point.” More chuckles in the room.
“What a day,” Arianna said. “Alex and Rebecca married, and we’ve got our new little girl.”
“Speaking of the wedding,” Ethan said and then flipped on the television. They caught a news story with highlights from the wedding.
“In a delightful surprise, His Royal Majesty, King Gabriel, joined the newlyweds on the palace balcony!
Looking pale, but dashing in his dress uniform, he briefly greeted the bride and groom – kissing each of them on their cheeks – before waving to the crowd and exiting the balcony. Such a delightful sight to see Valleria’s king on the mend.”
“Papa does look better, doesn’t he, Ethan?” Carolina asked.
“Much better. Thank God.”
“You know,” Carolina started. “I thought it would stink being away from Valleria and Papa and the wedding but, holding this little gem, I’m much happier to be here. And even happier to be away from those crowds.”
“Not to mention all the wedding festivities,” Ethan added. “The wedding breakfast is going on now. Then there’s the family reception tonight, and the farewell brunch in the morning.”
“Well, we’ll just have to enjoy our time with little Ellie now. You know once Mama gets here, she’s won’t let this baby go.”
“Then let me have my turn,” Ethan said.
“In a few minutes.”
“In a few minutes, she’s going to wake and need a feeding. Come on. Come to Uncle Ethan.”
“It’s my turn.”
“Mine.”
“No, still mine.”
Arianna rolled her eyes. “You sound just you did when we were kids. Stop fighting over my daughter.”
“Might as well get used it,” Ethan said sagely. “She will likely be the most loved and probably the most spoiled baby ever. Am I right, Finn?”
Finn just smiled. “Yeah. I think she will be.” Finn, who’d been without family for a long time, didn’t seem to mind that thought so much. “I love your family, baby,” he whispered in her ear.
“I know,” she whispered back. “They’re your family, too. Don’t forget.”
“Never.”
“In related news, Princess Arianna – who, as you know is former princess of Valleria and our current crown princess of Brazenbourg – has given birth to a healthy daughter, whose name has not yet been announced. Royal watchers will remember the princess married our ruler, Prince Finn de Bara, in a secret Christmas ceremony last year, much to the delight of the country.
Prince Ethan and Princess Carolina of Valleria did not attend the royal wedding, choosing instead to spend time with Princess Arianna as she suffered some complications in her pregnancy. Princess Arianna is said to be resting and doing well. We wish both mother and daughter a speedy recovery, and a hearty congratulations to the entire royal family, both here and in our sister nation of Valleria.
The newest princess may not be the next ruler of our fair country, however. The Brazenbourg Council of Mayors has yet to approve a measure allowing women to rule, though Prince Finn has been petitioning the Council to pass the law for some time. Will the Council follow through, or risk the wrath of a public who adores its royals? More on this coming up next.”
“Is that true?” Carolina asked. “Could they really prevent Ellie from ruling?”
Finn nodded. “I’ve been working on them for months. I’m hoping to use the momentum from Ellie’s birth to get it passed. If they won’t pass it now, I’m afraid I’ll miss my chance for it.”
Arianna crossed her arms over her chest, wincing as they came into contact with her overly large, sensitive breasts. “It’ll happen. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Are you going to take on the mayors, baby?”
“I’ll take on anyone who tries to harm my daughter, including those who would deny Eloisa her birthright.”
“We’ll figure it out together.”
Arianna turned into Finn. “Yes, we will.”
Together. It was a term Arianna never thought would apply to her. She’d never imagined, after her past, that she’d ever find anyone, least of all a true partner.
She’d never imagined she’d have all this.
Safe and secure in her husband’s arms, she fell asleep watching Carolina reluctantly hand Ellie over to Ethan.
Lorenzo watched from a corner of the room. The wedding breakfast was in full swing, with some even dancing on the floor. After appearing on the balcony and taking pictures, their father had gone to rest. The remainder of the family was seated along the dais, Alex and Rebecca seated in the center now that they’d completed their dance.
They were really happy, and really, truly in love.
Lorenzo took another sip of his drink and watched them. He’d been in love once. Or, at least, he thought it’d been love.
He’d seen his parents, and now a few of his siblings fall in love. He thought he knew what love was.
Perhaps he’d been wrong.
His head turned to the crowd, searching for a face he’d seen at the church. A face from the past.
A face that’d broken his heart.
His breath stopped.
His heart skipped.
He wasn’t dreaming.
He hadn’t been imagining things.
It hadn’t been the power of the uniform, making him remember things he’d buried.
It was her.
Cecilia Marshal.
He’d called her Lily because she reminded him of a flower.
Gentle.
Delicate.
Sweet.
How wrong he’d been.
How really fucking wrong he’d been.
And now she was here.
No one knew about their relationship. No one had ever known. If Lorenzo had ever bothered to review the copies of the guest list Tavin or Mara had sent him, he would have known she’d been invited. He could have been prepared.
You can’t change the past, just the future. His commanding officer had drilled that into him after he’d returned from war.
He couldn’t change the past.
He also couldn’t forget it.
He sucked back the rest of his drink, dropped it on a passing tray, and made his way to Lily.
Maybe if he spoke to her, danced with her, held her in his arms one last time, he’d understand.
Maybe he’d get some closure and would finally be able to forget.
Her back stiffened as he came closer, as if she were bracing herself. She whipped around, her eyes frantic.
Lily.
God, Lily.
She locked eyes with him.
“Miss Marshal. So good to see you again.” He reached down for her hand.
Sparks, bright blue and electric, fizzed between them.
It was still there, after all this time.
God, Lily.
He kissed her hand, his eyes locked on her expression. She shut her eyes and inhaled, as if she were relishing his touch.
She used to do the same thing whenever they’d make love.
“L-Lorenzo. I mean, Your Highness.” She did a belated curtsy. “M-May I congratulate you on your brother’s wedding, and provide my hopes for a speedy recovery for our king and Princess Arianna.”
“Thank you. May I have this dance?”
Her eyes widened. “Your Highness, I couldn’t.”
“Yes, you can.”
Cecilia took a quick look around, noticed others watching their exchange, then nodded.
Settled on the dance floor, he pressed her a little too close. She slid slightly away. “Don’t try running, Lily. Not again.”
She swallowed. “I-I’m not running. We’re in public. People will think–”
“People always think. This is a private reception. Anyone who dared mention who danced with whom would be blacklisted from future ro
yal events, not to mention blacklisted in business. My family takes privacy seriously, as you know.”
She relaxed and leaned forward, sliding her cheek against his as she settled against him. “I remember.”
“I remember too much,” he admitted. “I remember your perfume. I remember your soft curves, and smooth skin.”
“Lorenzo, please.”
“I didn’t know you’d been invited.”
She pulled back, gazing at him with disbelief.
“It’s true. I didn’t know until I saw you at the church. I haven’t been involved in the wedding planning.”
She searched his eyes, then nodded, apparently satisfied. “I’d wondered.”
“Yet you still came.”
“I–yes, I still came. I wanted a chance to speak to you, about everything that happened.”
“It’s been almost five years. My number hasn’t changed. Only my address, and it’s no secret I’ve been living in Masillia for the last few years.”
“No, I knew where you were.”
“Where are you these days? Still here in Valentia?”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “No, I moved to Masillia.”
His hands tightened on her body. “When? When did you move there?”
“A few years ago,” she whispered.
He searched her eyes this time. “What’s your game?”
She shook her head. “No game. But I do need to speak to you.”
“We’re speaking now.”
“Not here. In private.”
“We can leave now.”
“No.”
“What game are you playing?” he repeated.
“Please, listen to me.”
He bit back his retort, and nodded.
“I need to explain what happened all those years ago.”
“Why you brushed me off, you mean.”
“Please, let me finish. I didn’t want to leave you. Truly, I didn’t. It wasn’t my choice.”
Tears were pooling in her eyes. She looked ravaged. If she was playing him, it was a very good act.
He never could handle it when she cried.
God, Lily.
“You were hiding something from me in the end.”
She pursed her lips and nodded.
“Something big. Something to do with why you left me.”
She nodded again. “It wasn’t my choice.”
“Everyone has a choice.”
“I didn’t,” she whispered. “I’m sorry. Not a day has gone by that I haven’t thought of you.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“Not now, but soon you will.”
“You seem sure of that.”
“I’m sure of you.”
God, Lily.
“You still love me.”
“Who could ever stop? Especially after what we went through.”
He gave her a long look, oblivious to the curious stares around them. “When do you go back to Masillia?”
“Today, after the breakfast is over.”
“I need to stay. My father, my sister, among other reasons.”
“How are they?”
“My father’s doing better, but I’m not ready to leave him permanently yet. My sister and new niece are doing well, too, but I need to visit them. Do you still have my number?”
She nodded.
“Is your number still the same?”
She shook her head. “You still have my old number?”
“How could I get rid of it, after all we’ve been through?”
She melted against him. “Lorenzo.”
“Message me your number. When I call you, you pick up, or you return my call later if you can’t answer. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand.”
“No disappearing, no running away. I’ll fucking find you if you try to pull hat shit again.”
“I promise. I’ll wait for you.” She leaned closer. “I’ve been waiting for you for almost five years, Lorenzo. I can wait a few more weeks or months.”
God, Lily.
The song ended and he led her off the dance floor. He kissed her hand again before letting her go and walking away. He needed to know her secrets, needed to know why she disappeared all those years ago, but he’d just have to wait.
He had a feeling her words would change his life forever. Before that happened, he had to make sure his father and family were okay, and he had royal obligations to see to.
A prince’s life, like a soldier’s, was rarely his own.
Alex carried Rebecca into the private palace suite he’d arranged for them. In a corner of the palace, far away from the Royal Wing and the bevy of visiting relatives, he’d arranged a honeymoon suite of sorts at the suggestion of his grandmother, Victoria.
Since they couldn’t have a honeymoon quite yet, they’d at least have a wedding night they’d never forget.
“Alex, it’s beautiful.” He let go of his wife and she started exploring the guest apartment he’d arranged for them.
Dozens of faux candles lit the bedroom, ensuring candlelight without the threat of their clothes catching fire. In the middle of the room was a large, plush bed covered in roses, and a bucket filled with ice cold champagne sat nearby. The small kitchen was stocked with essentials, ensuring sustenance for the night ahead. Though they had the farewell brunch to attend in the morning, he was considering telling everyone to fuck off so he could fuck his wife some more.
His wife; God, he loved saying that.
“Do you need to call someone to help you with your wedding dress?”
She gave him a shy smile over her shoulder. “If you can undo the buttons in the back, I can manage the rest.”
“Excellent.”
“Don’t peek at what’s underneath.”
“Never, my beautiful, blushing bride.”
After he slowly undid the row of thirty-six buttons – oh, he’d counted – he pulled her body back against his. “When you come back to me, darling, make sure you’re carrying this.”
He pulled out the sleep mask he’d been forced to wear last night as a blindfold. “Time for payback, Mrs. Santoro.”
She gasped as she fingered the black silk “Alex,” she breathed.
“Now you’ll know the torture I went through.”
She shifted back against him. “Alex.”
“Take off your clothes and meet me in the bedroom, wife.”
Her body shivered against him, and he knew it wasn’t because she was cold.
“Your wish is my command, husband.”
Epilogue
Gabriel walked into the royal train’s master bedroom and shut the door behind him, locking it for good measure. The sounds of his children – minus the newlyweds – laughing and teasing each other could still be heard beyond the closed door and brought a sense of contentment to his heart.
The wedding breakfast was over, and all had departed. His doctor had given him leave to visit Arianna, as long as he traveled by train not air, and so he and his remaining children, as well as Zinnia, were making the trip. Alex and Rebecca would get the palace mostly to themselves for a few days and join them later.
His children had cautiously embraced Zinnia, and she’d cautiously accepted them in return. It would take time, he knew, for trust to cement itself.
When his wife stepped out from the bathroom, clad only in her simple silk nightgown, contentment was soon replaced by a quickening pace in his heart, but not a dangerous one.
Even after forty years, she could still make his blood race.
Gabriel walked slowly over to her and brushed a hand over her bare shoulder. “How are you, my dear?”
Genevieve gave a wistful smile. “I’m feeling old, my love.”
Gabriel chuckled. “I can relate. Another one of our children is married, Vie,” Gabriel said, using her nickname. He only used it when they were alone. Not even the children knew. Vie was French for life.
She was his whole life.
Genevieve slipped under the covers. “Alex isn’t gone. He’ll still be our baby.”
Gabriel began to undress as a shout rang out from the main cabin. When raucous laughter followed, he quirked a smile. “I told them to keep their voices down since we’d be resting.”
“As if they’d listen. Though, now that you’ve come to get some sleep, they might. It was a lovely wedding. And it will be even lovelier to hold our new granddaughter in our arms.”
Now clad only in a t-shirt and boxers, Gabriel slid under the covers and his wife automatically curled up next to him. “Yes, it will. It seems only yesterday they were babies themselves, Vie. How did it go by so fast?”
She pressed a soft kiss to his neck. “I know. We could have another grandbaby next year, if Alex and Rebecca have one, or one of the others. I still can’t wrap my head around it.”
“Me, too. Blessed as we are for the one grandchild, I am hoping for more.”
“Hopefully, the kids will have better luck than us.”
Gabriel chuckled. “We had nine children, my dear. Surely, that makes us very lucky.”
“We weren’t so lucky in the beginning of our marriage,” Genevieve said softly.
Gabriel ran a comforting hand along her back. The ache of losing a child wasn’t one he thought he’d ever get over. “It was a terrible time, Vie, but we got through it.” He tilted her face up to his. “I don’t know how I would have lived without you. You’re my life. My Vie.”
She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Oh, my love.”
THE END
Want more royals? Royals of Valleria #8, Lorenzo & Lily’s story, will be available in fall 2016. Be sure to sign up for Marianne’s newsletter to hear about pre-orders, upcoming books, exclusive excerpts, sales, and more!
A Note from the Author
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for reading Alex & Rebecca’s wedding story! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did, you may want to consider:
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Royally Ever After (Royals of Valleria #7) Page 20