by Erin Hayes
Facing my family as a couple and showing that we’re together forever.
It’s been two weeks since Lex and I reconciled at Sachiko’s wedding, and we’ve spent every second of that fortnight together. Like our first time in Japan together—the time when we were teenagers—we toured the city during the day, enjoying everything it had to offer us. At night, we slept in each other’s arms. Now, the next step is to continue this back at our homes.
Starting with Dubreva.
I know that Lex is the person who I’ve always been meant to spend my life with. Our beginnings were together, and we spent a long time apart, but now we’re inseparable.
The limousine pulls up to the front of Hanover Palace.
“We’re here,” I tell her as I squeeze her thigh.
She peers at it from the window. “It’s just as I remember it.”
“Yeah, well, it sat empty for the most part while I was in the military, and when I came back…” I shrug. “It didn’t feel like home.”
She turns to look at me. “And you live here alone?”
“Well, if you count the servants, like Mrs. Armen,” I say, “then I guess I wasn’t alone.”
“But you felt alone.” She meets my eyes. “Does Henry want to come live here?”
I laugh. “Henry likes his places to be a little more modern. Besides, for a long while there, you couldn’t put the both of us in the same room, because we didn’t get along.”
“That’s sad,” she murmurs. “You’re all that you two have left.”
“Not anymore.” I kiss her. “Between you and Catherine and Elizabeth and the rest of our family, we’re not alone. I thought I was for the longest time. But I was wrong. And I’ve never been so glad to be wrong.” I brush my thumb along her lower lip, suddenly turned on and wishing that we were alone so I could take her. But that’s not the point of this meeting. “Are you ready to see the rest of the family, Alexandra Daae?”
“Yes,” she says, her voice more confident now.
I give her one last grin before I gesture for the servants to open our doors. I let Lex get out first and follow shortly behind her to put her arm through the crook in my elbow, giving her the support she needs as we walk up the steps to my home.
The servants open the doors, and there they are.
My family to welcome us. They’ve been expecting us, and we’re going to have dinner here to catch up.
Meaning that, for once, Hanover Palace is full of family and laughter again. If these re-introductions go well.
Henry stands closest to me with Catherine beside him, cradling baby Elizabeth. His grin is huge and wide as he steps forward and wraps me up in a big hug.
“You were gone for so long, I thought you two were applying for Japanese citizenship,” he tells me as he pats me painfully on the back. Little brothers should never be bigger than their older brothers.
“And you’re still a brute,” I tell him mildly, and he chuckles. “You remember Lex.”
Henry’s eyes sparkle as he looks to her. “I do. The last time I saw you, you were just out of high school.” His lips quirk into a lopsided, charming smile that I’m sure would melt the panties off any woman. “You still look as good as you did then.”
“Ferdie said you haven’t changed a bit,” Lex tells him. “I can see that’s true. Are you still hiding frogs in drawers?”
Behind him, Catherine bursts out laughing. “She’s fun,” she says. “She’d have to be to keep up with you four.” She gives Lex a one-armed hug. “I’m Catherine Collins, but you can call me Cat. Everyone else does.”
“So great to meet you,” Lex says warmly. She looks down at the bundle in Catherine’s arms. “And is this Elizabeth?”
I hold my breath as Catherine answers. “Yes she is.” She bounces her gently. “She’s being a little fussy, I think, because she didn’t get her full nap.”
“May I...hold her?” Lex asks, the only indication that she’s overcome is the way her voice breaks.
“Of course!”
Without further preamble, Catherine deposits the baby into Lex’s arms. For a tense moment, she stands there like a deer in the headlights holding the baby. I can tell that Lex doesn’t know what to do with the baby’s head or her arms and legs, because she’s holding Elizabeth as if she’s the most fragile thing in the world.
Cat helps position the baby in a more comfortable way. “Here.”
Lex shyly looks up at me over Catherine’s shoulder, a bewildered smile on her face, and I feel the worry that’s been tensing up in my chest loosen. I meet Henry’s gaze, and my brother nods approvingly.
It’s going to be fine.
Everything is going to be fine.
“I think I can get the hang of this,” Lex exclaims. She looks down at the baby. “Hello, little Miss Elizabeth.”
The baby’s fussing stops, and she just watches Lex with a suspicious expression on her face. I don’t think that Elizabeth is quite ready to trust Lex. But I get the feeling that she’s going to have far more chances to get used to her.
“And you remember Eric and me,” Phillip says, wrapping Lex in an embrace, avoiding the baby.
“I do!” Lex says. She looks between him and Eric before giving a little shake of her head. “Wow, it feels like time has flown by, but...everything is still the same.”
“Well, not everything,” Eric says. “This is Cara, my wife.”
Cara, in her usual exuberant fashion, gives Lex a big hug.
“And I’m Jessica,” the other woman says. “Phillip’s wife.”
“Pleased to meet you both,” Lex says. “I’ve been imagining who would be able to tie down these two. Three actually,” she adds pointedly, looking to Henry. “I’ve known these guys since we were kids.”
“Yeah, she was my first crush,” Eric says to Cara, and even at this revelation—because it’s news to me—she rolls her eyes.
“Poor girl,” she mutters. “I’m sure that made you terrorize her even more.”
“Knowing that now, actually makes a lot of sense,” Lex says with a laugh. “You and Henry were horrible back then.”
“Now, that, I can imagine,” Cara says with a laugh.
“It’s great to see you again, Alexandra,” Phillip says, and for a brief second, I wonder what he’s thinking, seeing the woman that his mother wanted him to marry all grown up. But he puts an arm about Jessica’s shoulders, and I know that everyone has ended up where they belong.
“It’ll be just like old times,” I say. “Just a little different.”
“No,” another voice announces, reverberating off the foyer of my house. “Not quite.”
Beside me, Lex, stands straighter and holds her shoulders back. And just now, I can see why.
Queen Victoria stands in the entrance to the dining room, making a grand entrance like she always wants to. Even though Lex hasn’t seen her in person in years, the queen holds herself with such grace and authority that, even if Lex forgot what she looked like, I think she could deduct who this is.
My aunt looks between all of us with a scrutiny that would make the most shrewd cower. To our credit, we all meet her gaze.
“Alexandra Daae,” my aunt says, raising her eyebrow before she peers over at me. “And my nephew Ferdinand.”
Lex takes in a shuddering breath, and I take a step forward to defend what’s happening, because there’s a part of me that’s certain that Victoria is stuck in the mindset of the past. Even up until Phillip proposed to Cara, she had wanted Lex to marry him—not me. And I have no idea how much my aunt knows about our relationship.
But it’s Lex who speaks first. “Yes,” she says, “I’m back in a relationship with Prince Ferdinand Spencer di’Vale of Dubreva. We were wanting to be married a long time ago, but fate had other plans for us. I’m here again, though. And for all my mistakes, I know that I don’t ever want to give it up ever again.”
Fuck, I don’t know if it’s because she’s a diplomat herself or what, but there’s enough
commanding presence in her voice to compete with Victoria. But it’s fucking sexy, and to see her stand up to Victoria like this, I’m proud of her.
I know that she’s become a wonderful woman.
I also know that Victoria doesn’t like defiance. After all, she disowned Phillip after he married Jessica, because Jessica stood up to the queen.
So who the fucks knows how Victoria is going to take this?
The queen considers Alexandra for a long moment before speaking next. And when she finally does speak, a smile creeps onto her face. “It seems that the heirs to the throne have all decided to choose their own paths in life. And while I may not agree with every choice,” her eyes flick to Jessica who stands up straighter, “I can appreciate the strength of character that it takes to follow your hearts like this.”
Silence falls among all of us at her words. That’s the closest thing to a compliment that I’ve ever heard her say. Shocking.
“I’ve been a ruler of Dubreva for almost forty years now,” my aunt continues, “and I will be the first to say that it’s hard for me to admit when I’m wrong. But, perhaps…” She looks to Phillip and Jessica again. “Perhaps I’ve been too quick in my judgments and choices because of that.”
Phillip’s expression is unreadable as he looks at his mother. Beside him, Jessica slips her hand into his.
“I don’t want the throne, Mother,” he says.
“And you think I want it?” Eric mutters sardonically behind him, and Victoria’s eyes flash to him. And for the first time ever, I think I see amusement there.
“I don’t want to make the same mistake again by making a hasty judgment,” Victoria continues. “But if there’s anything that I’ve learned from seeing Alexandra and my nephew starting over after fifteen years, as I’ve been told, then perhaps there’s a way forward in which I can make things right. We are a family,” she says, raising her voice. “And together, we’re stronger than we are apart. So I want to repair our relationships. Dubreva depends on us. But we depend on each other. And I don’t want that to weaken.”
Phillip looks to Jessica first, and her lips are twisted into a small frown, but she doesn’t say anything. Then he looks to Erica and Henry before finally looking at me.
And I know why.
I’m the oldest prince. We’re in my house.
And if there’s one way of making things right, it has to start with me.
“Won’t you join us for dinner, Your Majesty?” I ask.
Victoria seems surprised by my question, but she smiles. “I’d like that.”
“Finally, you’re ready to eat,” Mrs. Armen exclaims, nearly startling the queen. “I thought you all would keep talking and let the food get colder and colder.”
The tension in the room breaks, and we all break into laughter. Lex hands Elizabeth back to Catherine, and we all go into the dining room to eat dinner together as a family. We talk, we laugh, we exchange stories.
And as I watch Lex join in the conversation, her smile more brilliant than ever, I know that my happily ever after starts now. Again.
With the woman I’ve loved my whole life.
Epilogue
Ferdinand
Two years later
“She’s going to be cold without a blanket.”
Lex fusses over our daughter, who makes little happy noises from her pram. I barely contain my smile, as she already has Iris in a thick coat, complete with a hat and tiny gloves, not to mention the jumper underneath the coat and her thick socks. It’s well below freezing outside, but I can’t help but wonder if Iris will be too hot.
Lex has the habit of being too overprotective of Iris, after everything that happened. And I don’t blame her. I’m a similar way, but we both try to keep each other in check.
Today, though, Alexandra is a nervous wreck. And I completely understand on all accounts.
“I’ll carry it,” I tell Lex, taking the blanket that Mrs. Armen knitted for our baby. “If she starts acting cold, then I’ll put it on her.”
Lex bites her bottom lip and gives an absent nod as she watches Iris. “Okay. Just keep an eye on her, all right?”
I put my arms around her and kiss her forehead, letting her know that I’m here with her. “I promise, nothing will happen to Iris.”
“But--”
I raise an eyebrow. “I promise. Do you doubt me?”
“No. No I don’t. But, it’s just…” She looks out the window, onto the streets of Washington, her tongue wetting her lips. “What if today goes wrong? What if the news picks up...”
I tilt her chin up so she can look at me with her dazzling green eyes that remind me of emeralds. I never understood why diamonds are the most coveted jewel, when emeralds match her eyes. “Alexandra,” I tell her as I kiss the side of her mouth. “It will be fine. I’m here. Iris is here, albeit sweating a little bit. But she will be fine. As will the new baby.” I put a hand over her belly; we just found out three weeks ago that Alexandra was pregnant with our second child. “We’re all here for you.”
Lex lets out a soft chuckle looking down at our daughter. “Yes.” Then she sighs into me, molding perfectly to my body like we’ve always been together, and I support her. Two fractured souls that combine to make a stronger whole.
Tragedy separated us. Triumph brought us together.
Alexandra and Iris and our unborn child are my whole world. Would I go through all the heartache and years of loneliness again for this?
As my brother would say: You bet your arse.
A squeal from Iris separates Lex and me, and, looking down at our daughter, we both see that she’s managed to throw her binky across the hotel room. Lex lets out a playfully annoyed sigh and picks it up, running it under the tap before she pops it back in Iris’s mouth. “She keeps doing that.”
“She has her mother’s predilection for throwing things when she doesn’t get her way,” I muse, and Lex shoots me a dirty look before she grabs the handles of the pram.
“Do you have the blanket?”
I hold it up for her to see. “Yes, my love.”
Her lips pull up in a smirk. “Good,” she says before pecking me on the lips. “Then let’s go.”
We slip out the door where Henry and Cat are already in the hallway with three-year-old Elizabeth in her own pram. I make a mental note that she’s nowhere near bundled up like Iris, and I wonder if I should have pushed back on the thicker coat.
“I’s is here!” Elizabeth happily cries in her toddler voice. She can’t quite pronounce Iris’s name, which has given Alexandra plenty of worries as to whether or not our daughter will be able to pronounce her own name. I happily remind her time and time again that Iris is the perfect name for her, that it means “rainbow” and our child is a rainbow baby. Lex relented at that.
At seeing her cousin, Iris lets out a loud giggle, which makes all the parents wince.
“She certainly has your lungs,” Henry tells me with a wink.
I snicker. “I seem to remember you being the one to cry at the drop of a hat.”
“Henry was a crier?” Cat asks with a wide grin. I quite like her. She likes to bust Henry’s balls at any given opportunity, which my brother needs. I can’t imagine a better match for him, despite their unusual circumstances for getting together.
“Oh yes,” Alexandra adds. “Definitely a crier.” She slips her arm through mine as I put the blanket over the back of the pram and push it. “Henry didn’t stop until he got to his teens.”
God, I love her.
As we walk together to America’s Capitol building for the Presidential Inauguration, the two children talk to each other, even though Iris’s words are more baby talk than anything. Elizabeth is still enraptured by her.
We’re joined by Phillip and Jessica and Eric and Cara holding a very fussy Eugene, who are here in a more official capacity than the rest of us. As the direct line from Queen Victoria, the brothers are here to represent the royal crown of Dubreva.
Meanwhile, I thin
k Alexandra and I have been invited as more of a curiosity. And because of our odd connection to the new Senate Minority Leader.
A limousine takes the ten of us to the Capitol, where Eric and Phillip are separated from us to sit with the other heads of state. The rest of us join the wider crowd where it’s full of important diplomats and those who are in positions of power. I marvel at those diplomats who recognize Alexandra from her days working at the UN and in diplomatic relations. She takes their words graciously and speaks with them, although as soon as they turn around, she lets out a breath and shakes her head.
“Please don’t ever make me have to rub elbows with the elite,” she mutters to me as we take Iris to an area where we can sit. “They’re more likely to stab me in the back as to talk to me.”
“You’re doing beautifully.” I kiss her temple. “And I promise.”
She smiles at me, her gaze soft, but then she goes absolutely rigid at something she sees. Or someone.
I turn my head to see a well-dressed American standing apart from the crowd. I’ve seen him in the news, and I know that he’s been making headway in American politics. He’s already the Senate Minority Leader, which shows just how much he’s respected here in Washington. The media calls him a favorite for the next presidential election, despite his junior status.
Alexandra calls him her ex-fiancé.
I hope to call him friend and that we can look past our differences. Especially if the predictions are correct and he will be the next president.
“Hello, Alex,” James says, reaching out to take her hand with a stiff awkwardness. “You look well.”
“You do, too.” Lex gives him a tight smile. “And you’ve been doing well, I see. Senate Minority Leader.” She shakes her head. “I knew you had it in you. Always.”
James brushes off his sleeve. “Well. We’ll see,” he says. He nods. “We’ll see.” His eyes meet mine and his eyebrows raise up in surprise. Surprise that he quickly recovers from, although I’m glad to see that he’s not the uptight, polished politician that most are. There’s something genuine and smart about him.