A king doesn’t protect his queen because she’s weak.
He protects her because she is his.
—Rhys’s Secret Thoughts
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” my gorgeous wife asks as her assistant fastens the clasp on her necklace, then curtsies and leaves us alone. “I mean, I think I could get Vaughn to sneak us out through the back door, and we could be on the jet and back at the villa in just a few hours. No one would need to know where we are.”
She runs her hands over my military uniform that I chose for today, adjusting each button nervously, as if they were facing the wrong way.
“Would it be just the two of us or would I need to share you with everyone?” I ask because I know she and my sister have already planned a massive family vacation for next summer, once her brothers’ hockey season is over. Both families onthe island. If my math is correct, that’s fourteen kids running around. But if that’s what my wife wants, I’ll damn sure make it happen for her.
“It depends on how long we’re going to stay. I might need to bring my ob-gyn if it’ll be more than a week or two.”
God, I fucking love her.
“I love you, Bellamy. Thank you for not running. Some days, I think you should have, but I’m so grateful you didn’t.” I press my palm to the side of her bump and love the way our baby kicks me back. “I say we stick around for a few hours. I hear we’re kind of needed for the ceremony today.”
Her caramel eyes glitter in the late morning sun streaming through the windows more than any diamond ever could. “I’ll meet you downstairs,Your Highness.”
“Yes, my queen.” I kiss her lips quickly before I can be reprimanded for ruining her makeup and leave her to finish getting ready. The palace is bustling with activity as I make my way downstairs, but one person catches my attention more than the others. He stands at the foot of the stairs, looking deep in thought when I stop next to him. “Everything okay, Cross?”
He bows his head quickly, even though I’ve told our families it isn’t necessary. “I was hoping to see Bellamy before she leaves but didn’t want to interrupt her.”
“She’ll be down soon,” I assure him and wait. Cross and I are more alike than he realizes, so it’s easy to know there’s something on his mind.
“She told me what you did... that you were willing to give this all up for her.”
“I would have. Atticus may have killed me for it, but if it meant I got to keep her, I would have done it all in a heartbeat.” And I’d do it again.
He looks around at all the activity swarming around us. “This is a lot to give up.”
“She’s worth more.”
“She’s worth everything. Did she ever tell you there was a point where they didn’t know if she’d make it? Her odds were getting worse every day. She was so small and so pale and so fucking young. And they didn’t know how much more her body could take...” He gets lost in his thoughts, in his fucking nightmare.
She never told me, but Cross isn’t looking for an answer.
He’s looking for a promise.
“Cross... Your sister is the most important thing in my life. More important than my country or my crown. I would rain hell down on anyone who tried to hurt her. I will protect her with my life. And I will love her every single day of hers and mine.” Few men in this world will ever have the balls to question me, and even fewer will deserve an answer. But this man... this brother, who’s trying to reconcile the way he wants to protect his sister... This I can understand. And this I can respect. Because we both want the same thing. “Her happiness will always come first.”
He stares at me for a long time, then finally nods. “Did she tell you I’m announcing my retirement after we get home?”
“No, she didn’t mention it.”
“Do you think you can help me find a house here? I’d like to be able to visit whenever we want. Maybe bring the kids here for the summers.” Fuck, I like him a whole lot more now than I did a few minutes ago.
“I think I can help you with that. Have you told her yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Pretty sure that’s the best gift anyone can give her today.” Pretty sure she’s going to cry... again.
Cross blows out a breath as he looks over my shoulder. And when I turn around, I see why, and she’s stunning.
For most of my life, I knew this day would come. I always thought it would be many years from now, after my mother had reigned and my theoretical children were grown. I thought I’d have decades of being a husband and a father before I was a king.
I was wrong. It all happened much faster and more unexpectedly than that. So I shouldn’t be surprised that nothing about this day is what I expected either.
