by Holly Rayner
“Yes. Yes, of course!” she said.
His grin nearly reached his ears as he stood and wrapped her in his arms, kissing her with all his heart. He stepped back only to slide the ring on her finger—a perfect fit—and then kissed her again.
“I love you, Ashley,” he breathed against her lips.
“I love you, Matteo,” she said.
And he kissed her once more.
Chapter 23
Matteo
Eight Months Later
“Sir, if you’d take a look at this document here, I think you’ll be able to make a more informed decision.”
Matteo turned to one of his advisory board members, Francesco, and accepted the proffered document, reading it through as he considered the implications of the choice before him. He turned and faced Silvio, who sat two seats to his right.
“What do you think, Silvio?”
He handed over the documents and watched as his main advisor read through them as well.
“I think that this could be a solid decision that might alleviate a lot of pressure on certain factions of the energy industry, sir. I think it would be a wise choice.”
Matteo nodded. He was finding that as time passed, he was more able to find common ground with Silvio. As Matteo learned the ropes a little more day by day, he had come to value his advisor’s input.
He set the papers before him aside.
“I think we’ve come to a consensus then, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for your time this morning.”
“Thank you for the time, sir,” a woman across from him said. “After all, you are the one taking the time to handle matters of state on the morning of your wedding.”
She smiled, and Matteo realized the entire table was grinning at him.
Matteo was not a man to blush, but in that instant he felt unusually shy. Today he would be proclaiming his love for Ashley to the entire world. He’d become so private after becoming king that it felt almost unnatural to do this. He’d so very much enjoyed the few months that he got to have Ashley and David all to himself, but of course they knew they wouldn’t be able to get away with that forever.
“Yes, well. I hope you’ll all be in attendance?” he said, and was met with nods from all around.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, sir,” Francesco said.
“Good. Thank you again for your work on this issue. Now let’s get ready to head to the church, shall we?”
He was greeted with a chorus of well wishes as chairs scraped against the floor and everyone exited the chamber except for Matteo and Silvio.
“You’re getting more comfortable in that seat,” Silvio observed.
“I should hope so,” Matteo said. “I’ll be sitting in it for quite some time.”
“You are meant for it,” Silvio said. “And it suits you well, sir.”
Matteo didn’t need the man’s compliments, but it was heartening to know that Silvio was developing faith in his ability to lead.
Matteo had considered long and hard what he would do with Silvio. He had been a close advisor to the royal family for decades and knew very well how a government was run, but he had also betrayed Matteo’s trust and hidden David from him, costing them both the boy’s first five years with his father.
In the end, Matteo considered the kind of king he wanted to be, and opted for forgiveness. Everything Silvio did, he did in the best interest of the royal family, which would very soon include David and Ashley. Matteo knew the value of having such people close by, and therefore he put his feelings aside and accepted the past, ready to move forward into a new era of Golinian leadership.
“Yes, well. I suppose time will tell on that one,” Matteo said, checking his watch. “We’d better get moving. Carlotta will have my head if I’m not in my room in five minutes.”
“Very good, sir. And may I say…” Silvio said, allowing the statement to dangle a moment as he collected his thoughts. “Enjoy yourself today, sir. Love is a precious gift that not many get to truly experience. You’ve found something special in Ms. Bedford. I’m happy for you.”
Matteo stepped forward and clapped Silvio on the shoulder.
“I’m happy for me, too,” he said with a grin. “See you at the church.”
“Yes, sir.”
Matteo strode out of his council chambers and made short work of getting to his room. When he opened the door, he found Carlotta pacing in a floor-length, light green gown, her hair styled atop her head in a perfect series of loops and folds, her makeup reflecting all her beauty to its full potential.
And a very real, very deep scowl.
“You’d look a lot lovelier if you removed that frown from your face, sister. I’m not late,” he said with a bemused grin.
She crossed her arms and glanced at the clock on the wall.
“You might as well be. We are on a very tight schedule, Matteo, and you need to be ready within the hour!”
“Yes, and I am also a man, and fortunate enough to need only a suit and a glass of whiskey before I’m placed at the top of the aisle. Relax, Carlotta. Everything will be well.”
She released a breath and approached him, taking him in. He could almost hear the thoughts in her head as she evaluated everything she needed to do to ensure that he looked the part of royal groom before sending him on his way.
“Do you think father looked like this before he married our mother?”
The question surprised him. He hadn’t really considered how his father felt the day his parents were married. His mother had been a beautiful woman with a kind heart and a soul to match. Any man on earth would have been lucky to wed her.
“Looked like what?” Matteo asked.
“Blissfully happy,” Carlotta said and sighed, brushing invisible dirt off her brother’s shoulder.
“I don’t know,” Matteo said. “But I hope so. He certainly was never the same once she died.”
Matteo and Carlotta never really spoke about their parents much. In the days after their father’s death, it became very clear that Carlotta had been lonely and isolated at the palace without Matteo there, and he’d regretted so many of his decisions.
“Hey,” she said, “we all coped with it the best we could, and that time has passed. Let’s not dwell on the sadness of our youth. Let’s celebrate the beauty of our present and our future. You have a son who loves you. You have the chance to be the father you always wanted to have. Let us rejoice in that.”
Carlotta brushed the corner of her eye and turned away then, reaching for Matteo’s suit. She held it out to him with a watery grin.
“I’m very glad I wore waterproof makeup today,” she said with a wet laugh.
“Tears of joy should flow freely,” Matteo said.
“Yes, well if you don’t get dressed, the tears will stop and I’ll start throwing things, so go on.”
Matteo considered messing with her, taking his sweet time just to drive her crazy, but he decided against it. The truth was, he wanted to get to the church just as much as she wanted him there—likely more.
After today, Ashley would be his queen.
The thought had him picking up his pace as he closed the door behind him and undressed, unzipping the royal uniform from its garment sleeve and carefully putting it on. When he looked in the mirror, he inhaled and released a breath.
He certainly looked like a king.
He was even beginning to feel like one, after all this time. When he opened the door, Carlotta’s hand darted to her lips and her eyes began to water again.
“Oh, come on now,” Matteo teased. “You’re only supposed to do that when you see the bride.”
“You look so handsome,” Carlotta squeaked, wiping her eyes with a small cloth she’d pulled from somewhere.
“Thanks,” he said. “For the record, you also look nice.”
“Oh, ha ha,” she said. “I’ll accept the compliment.”
She turned and checked her makeup, and Matteo stepped behind her, so they could both be seen in the
mirror.
“There, see? You’re lovely. The perfect groomsman.”
She swatted his shoulder and laughed again.
“Hey, it’s not my fault your only male friends are all too busy being playboys to join you at your wedding. They probably think it’s akin to a funeral.”
Matteo considered that.
“In a way, it is. This is the end of a time in my life where I was careless and selfish. Today it becomes official that my life is also devoted to the love of those I care for most. I hope my friends can be half so lucky someday themselves.”
Carlotta nodded, then glanced down. She reached for a folded newspaper and handed it to Matteo.
“Well, all of Golina is certainly happy for you,” she said.
Matteo glanced at the headline, still a little wary of them. He and Ashley had spoken at length about how to break the news of her and David’s place in his life, and in the end, Matteo wrote an announcement personally, which he gave to Golina’s top news provider to publish.
In it he poured his whole heart out to his people. He spoke of how his son had been hidden from him, about his fear of announcing him because of the past, and his hope that the people of Golina would come to love the boy just as Matteo did. He was actually a little stunned when the questions came rolling in…and they were positive.
Will Prince David receive a coronation? Can we call him Prince David? My children would like to know what his interests are, and if he’s interested in playdates?
The last one was particularly amusing.
The people took well to Ashley, as well. Surprisingly accurate, the tabloids painted her as the lovely woman who had adopted a child on her own out of the desire to love another little being. She was adored instantly by his people, and Matteo was beyond glad to realize that his fears had been for naught. He had faith in the people of Golina, and they had not let him down.
The headline he glanced at showed a picture of him, Ashley and David waving from a balcony at a recent celebration. It read, “King Matteo, Prince David and the future queen Ashley prepare for their nuptials—Golina rejoices!”
It was a far cry from the headlines he used to see about himself.
“I’ll admit that I was worried about how they would react. I certainly didn’t expect the sheer enthusiasm with which they accepted those two, though I think the people are simply happy to see their king happy and settled. It provides a sense of stability, you know,” Carlotta said.
“Well, I certainly don’t want to be an unstable monarch now, do I?” Matteo said.
Carlotta turned and examined his suit, picking and prodding at it like it needed to be straightened out, when in fact it was pristine. She patted his shoulders and then rested her hands on his arms as she looked up at him.
“You have become one of the finest kings Golina has ever had,” she said.
Matteo smirked.
“Oh, come now. It’s been a mere three years. I have plenty of time to mess it up.”
“But you won’t, because I know you. And you always get to where you need to be in the end. You figure it out. I always knew that about you, just as I knew you’d make it back here so we could actually spend time together again.”
“I’m sorry that I spent so much time away,” he said.
She shook her head.
“Never mind that, now. We have a family, and it’s a good one. We just need to make it official. It’s time to go.”
Matteo nodded as Carlotta headed toward the door and opened it. Together they made their way to the front of the palace, where a black car was waiting for them. There was also a crowd gathered at the edge of the palace gate, and Matteo waved as the people of Golina cheered and waved flags in his honor. They settled into the car and passed by a grove of flowering trees, the sky a perfect shade of blue, the sun bright with the promise of a beautiful day.
The church was more like a cathedral, if anything—a tall, stone structure with arches that soared high above. Statues were carved into the facade, and Matteo glanced up at the angels above as he passed through the main entryway, waving to his people all along the way. There was pomp and circumstance involved, of course, but really Matteo could focus solely on the beauty of the moment.
He would soon lay eyes on his beautiful bride.
“Your Majesty, please, if you’ll come right this way,” an usher said with a bow.
Matteo and Carlotta followed him toward a back aisle, which led to a small room at the front of the church. The usher opened the door, and as they stepped inside, the preacher stood and greeted them with a bow.
“I remember baptizing you in this very church when you were a baby,” the wizened old man said. “Both of you.”
He glanced between Carlotta and Matteo, his gaze warm and filled with love.
“And today we get to start a new family,” he said.
“Yes, indeed we do,” Matteo agreed.
“Do you need anything before we step out?” the preacher asked.
Matteo and Carlotta shared a glance.
“You remembered the ring, right?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes.
“Of course I remembered the ring. I’m so scared of you forgetting something, you think I would?”
She reached into a small, hidden pocket in her gown and pulled out two yellow bands, one large, one small. When Matteo lifted an eyebrow at her, she shrugged.
“What? You think I’m going to trust a six-year-old to keep track of something this important?”
He chuckled, thinking of David trying to remember his father’s wedding ring. The fact that he could so easily think of David as his son, and that the boy had so fully and lovingly accepted him as his father…well. Not many things brought tears to his eyes, but thoughts of his son and the love he had for the young boy almost always moved him.
“We’re ready to step out when you are,” Carlotta said, answering the preacher’s question.
The man nodded and stepped past them back to the door, which he opened. He turned and looked at them, his eyes bright and merry.
“Well, then. Let’s have a wedding, shall we?”
Chapter 24
Ashley
“Here, we need to adjust the veil a bit,” Sarah said, fretting and fussing over the tulle draped delicately over Ashley’s face.
“Sarah, it's fine. It looks perfect!” Ashley protested, but Sarah plucked at the veil a few more times before she was fully satisfied.
“Can we get a few photographs, miss? For the royal archives?” the photographer said.
Ashley nodded and stepped closer to a window, turning as directed.
Her dress was simple and elegant, white with lace draped over silk. The bodice fit her curves until it draped out at the end, flaring at the hem. Atop her head was a sparkling tiara laced with rubies to match her engagement ring.
“Wonderful,” the photographer said. “Now, if you could just look to the ground, and think about the king.”
Ashley did. She remembered the day she first met Matteo, strung up in all those leashes, walking all around Harmon. That felt like a lifetime ago.
Her lip tilted north as she thought of everything that had transpired since. They’d had so many wonderful adventures together, and she couldn’t believe that they would just keep having them, as many as they could, for as long as they lived.
She pinched herself, just to be sure she wasn’t dreaming.
“Wow,” Sarah said.
Ashley glanced up and saw Sarah peeking at the photographer’s camera. She walked over to see and nearly cried at the look of love and happiness in her eyes.
“You photograph beautifully, miss,” the photographer said.
“Thank you,” Ashley whispered.
It wasn’t her face that she found lovely in the photograph, but the joy in her own eyes. She wiped an errant tear from the corner of her eye as David burst in, his little suit already slightly rumpled.
“There you are!” Sarah cried. “David, what on earth ha
ve you been getting into?”
David grinned up at her and then looked at Ashley.
“I saw the groom,” he said conspiratorially. “He’s wearing a uniform.”
Ashley knelt down and gestured for David to come closer. When he did, she stage-whispered in his ear.
“I know. It’s the bride you’re not supposed to see.”
“Oh,” David said. “Well I’ve seen you. Is that bad?”
Ashley laughed.
“Of course not! You have to see me if you’re going to walk me down the aisle.”
“What if we ran down the aisle? That would be way more fun.”
“David…” Sarah said.
Ashley could tell her friend was on the verge of mania. It was funny, really. Sarah turned out to be the control freak of the whole wedding planning process, while Ashley and Matteo had been perfectly happy to let it be whatever it would be. So long as they got to be wed at the end, nothing else really mattered.
“He’s kidding, Sarah,” Ashley said, widening her eyes a bit at her son, who got the hint. Don’t drive her crazy, please!
“I don’t think you two realize that half the world will be watching this wedding!” Sarah protested.
“Oh, come now. If anything, the people of Golina will be watching, but we’re hardly the big deal that other royals are.”
“You underestimate your reach,” Sarah said. “Remember, I’ve been the one reading about you from the US.”
Ashley considered that, and a bubble of nerves sprouted in her middle. She was about to marry the king of Golina, after which she would become a queen. Was she really ready for this? Could she handle it all and still be the best mother she could for David?
“Mom, don’t be worried,” David said. “You told me yourself that there’s nothing we can’t take on, if we do it together.”
He reached out his little hand and placed it in hers, and in that moment, Ashley knew that she could do anything. She smiled down at her son, and then looked up at Sarah.
“That’s right. Now, are we ready to do this?” Ashley asked.