A Royal Holiday (Royals of Valleria #5) (12 page)

Dazed, it took her a minute to realize what had happened, and what she’d done. She pressed a hand to her forehead. “Oh my God.”

“I apologize profusely. I didn’t mean to, I shouldn’t have–.”

She held up a hand. “Please, stop. There were two of us in that kiss, in that amazing, unbelievable kiss.” Had she said that last part out loud? “I should be apologizing to you. I initiated it.”

“Your Highness.”

God, what if someone had walked in on them? What would she have done? She shook her head. “Please don’t worry. I certainly don’t blame you and we’re lucky no one saw us.” She cocked her head to the side. “I’m not planning to tell anyone about this. Are you?”

Indecision warred on his face. “Of course I won’t tell the press or public, Your Highness, but I must speak to Prince Marcello.”

“Oh no, you don’t,” she said, lucidity finally settling in as she walked over to him. “You don’t need to breathe a word of this to him.”

His words were soft while his eyes were crinkled in regret. “I should be reassigned, My Lady. I wouldn’t wish to cause you more distress.”

Fear erupted within her and she grabbed his arm. “Don’t.”

“My Lady?”

She sighed. “I’m sorry. If you feel uncomfortable protecting me, then, of course you must ask for a reassignment.”

As she turned to leave, he grasped her arm. “I’m not uncomfortable around you, My Lady. That’s not the case at all.”

A long, heady moment passed between them, broken only by the sound of Rebecca calling her name from the hallway. They sprang apart quickly, Cat returning to the desk while Edward remained near the fire. She pulled lipstick out of her small purse and slipped on a fresh coat, then blotted it just as Rebecca came to the door.

“Cat? Are you in here?” Rebecca peeked inside with a broad smile on her face. “There you are. You’ll never guess what just happened.”

Cat couldn’t help but smile back at her enthusiasm. “Well, whatever it is, it must be good news.”

Rebecca laughed. “It’s wonderful news. Marcello and Grace just got engaged.”

Cat sprang up from her seat as a gasp of surprise escaped her lips. “What? Oh my God, that’s wonderful!”

“I know. They just announced it.”

“I’ll kill Marcello for not warning me he was going to propose tonight.”

“I don’t think it was his idea.”

Cat’s mouth dropped open. “Grace proposed? My Grace? As in my dear friend? That Grace?”

“Something like that.”

“Wow.”

Rebecca gestured for them to leave. “Come on, we’re missing all the celebrating.”

“You go on ahead. I’m just going to get my things together and I’ll be right behind you.”

Cat quickly gathered up her purse and paused briefly at the door to look back at Edward. “Are you coming?”

He gave her an unreadable expression, but nodded. “Yes, My Lady.”

Cat disappeared from the room, but felt calmer at the telltale sounds of his heavy steps behind her a moment later.

A few days later, Christmas morning dawned bright and clear in Brazenbourg. Arianna stretched as she woke, her stomach waking her before she was ready, as it usually did. Her eyes blinked open and fell upon their colorful Christmas tree nestled in one corner of the room.

Finn, already dressed, came to sit beside her, and leaned down to press a soft, chaste kiss to her lips. “Happy Christmas, Princess.” He rested a hand over her stomach. “How are you feeling?”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to lie next to her on the bed. “Happy Christmas to you, too. What time is it?”

Finn gave her one of his heart-skipping smiles. “Time to open your presents.”

She kissed him again. “What time is it really? You’re already dressed.”

“It’s almost ten.”

“Ten?” She turned quickly to check the clock on the nightstand. “I can’t believe I slept so late. Morning sickness usually has me up so early.”

Finn rubbed her stomach in a small, comforting circle. “I’m glad the baby let you sleep a little. I think it’s the baby’s Christmas present to you.”

She smiled. “That’s a nice thought.” She put her hand over Finn’s on her stomach. “Is Papa right, baby? Is that your first gift to Mama?”

“Papa,” Finn whispered.

Arianna shifted her face to look at him. “Would you rather the baby call you something else?”

Finn shook his head. “It’s not that. I guess it just hit me.”

“It just now hit you that we’re having a baby?”

“No, it just hit me that I’m going to be somebody’s ‘papa’. I knew I was going to be a father, but there’s a difference, isn’t there, between that and being the ‘papa’ the baby comes to depend upon.”

“You’ll be a great papa. You’ll be strong, protective, and gentle. The baby will love you. They’ll hold their little arms out to you, because they can’t wait to be in your arms. And later, they’ll go running towards you when they see you.”

Finn hugged her tight. “You’ve changed my life so much. I love you.” He kissed her lips, then shifted down on the bed and kissed her womb. “I love you, too.”

Arianna ran a hand through his hair, enjoying the start of a lovely holiday. “So, you mentioned something about presents?”

Finn’s smile returned and he jumped from the bed. “Almost forgot. I set out some of that ginger and lemon herbal tea you like, and a little food. Do you think you can eat anything?”

Arianna glanced over at the small seating area in the room, and saw the tray waiting. “You’ve been busy this morning.”

Finn smiled mischievously. “You don’t know the half of it.”

“What are you planning?”

“It’s just your Christmas present, but take your time getting ready and then meet me in the dining room.”

Arianna pouted. “You’re not eating with me?”

Finn kissed the frown from her lips. “I already ate, Princess, but the surprise is too big to fit in our rooms.”

Her eyes widened as she took in the size of their suite of rooms. What was too big to fit in here? “Finn.”

“No more hints, that’s all you get.” He kissed her again. “See you soon, Princess.”

Finn gave her a last smile before he dashed from the room.

Arianna slowly slipped out of bed. She headed for the ginger tea first, hoping it might keep her morning sickness at bay a bit longer. If she managed not to get sick this morning, it would be a Christmas miracle.

By the time she exited her room about an hour later, her miracle had come. She’d not gotten sick and had even managed to eat a little oatmeal – another miracle, in her book. She was feeling better than she had in months when she heard voices coming from the dining room.

It couldn’t be, could it?

She gasped as she stood in the doorway, her mouth open in shock and surprise.

Her family. Her whole family was here on Christmas day.

All of them surrounded the gift-laden dining table, teasing and laughing each other with embarrassing gifts, per their Christmas tradition.

“Oh my God.”

Several sets of eyes turned at her voice, then rose to greet her.

Arianna turned to Finn who stood smugly off to the side while her parents and grandmother greeted her first, followed by the rest of her family.

“Finn, how did you do this?”

“I got an idea and ran with it. This is only half of your gift, though.”

“What do you mean?” she asked as she walked over to him.

He brushed his knuckles over her cheek. “The real surprise is that we’re getting married. Today.”

“What?”

“I wanted you to have your perfect wedding, Princess. If you want to, that is. If you’re not feeling up to it, we can just have a day with the family.”

After the shock passed a moment later, she threw her arms around Finn and gave him a smacking kiss, to the uncomfortable faces of her parents and the groans of her siblings. “I love it. We’re really getting married?”

A child-like grin split across his face. “Yes, baby.”

“But there’s so much to do. I have to find a dress, we have to–.”

He kissed the words from her lips. “All taken care of. Though, if you don’t like the dress, we can get another.”

“On Christmas?”

Finn chuckled. “Baby, any dressmaker in Brazenbourg would open their doors for you so they could say they dressed you at the royal wedding.”

She squealed and started jumping up and down in his arms. “I’m getting married!”

Everyone laughed. “Well, don’t just stand there,” Cat said. “We need to get ready. We thought you’d never wake up.”

“Take it from me, my children,” Gabriel piped up, “you never wake up a pregnant woman, unless it’s an emergency.”

“This is an emergency,” Sarah said. “It’s her wedding day!”

As the family broke out in lively discussion as to what constituted an ‘emergency’, Arianna laughed. Was this real? Had her wedding day finally come? “What time is the ceremony?”

“Whenever you’re ready, Princess.” He touched his forehead against hers. “Take your time. There’s no hurry, and I don’t want to risk your health by rushing you around all day.”

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,” she said, punctuating the words with kisses. “It’s the best present I’ve ever gotten.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Did you doubt I would?”

“No, but I wasn’t sure if you’d feel up to a wedding.”

“I feel great.” She gave him a fierce hug and he held her tightly back.

“Do you feel up to saying your own vows?”

“Do you?”

“It would just be at the first ceremony. We can go traditional if you’d rather.”

“No, Finn. I want my family to hear how much I love you.”

“Good, then they’ll hear how much I love you, too.” He whispered against her ear. “You can call me anytime if you need anything, but this is the last time you’ll see me until the altar, baby.”

“Why?” she whispered back.

“Tradition. I’m not supposed to see you before the wedding.”

“You’ve already seen me today, though.”

“A little anticipation is a good thing, Princess.” He kissed the side of her neck. “For example, you could spend the rest of the day thinking about what I’ll do to you tonight.”

She gasped. “Finn, not here. Don’t talk dirty to me with my parents a few feet away.”

He chuckled. “I wasn’t planning on it, Princess. I just wanted to give you something to think about.”

“I’m always thinking about you, Finn.”

“You shouldn’t say things like that with your parents so close, Princess; you’ll get me started.”

Arianna snorted. “You’re always started.”

“Only for you, baby. Only for you.” He kissed her neck again and pulled back. “See you at the altar.”

“I’ll be the one in white.” She stepped away and rallied the women out of the room, blowing him a kiss before she disappeared from view.

***

It was perfect. Everything was absolutely perfect, Arianna thought as the car pulled up to the simple white church. Her father – dapper in his Vallerian military regalia – sat beside her, a wistful look on his face and his hand clutching hers.

A bevy of black cars surrounded the small church, providing a stark contrast to the shining, blue lake and rocky shoreline nearby. A light winter breeze ruffled her veil and hair, and caused the satin of her dress to shimmer as it caught the light of the bright, white sun.

The dress was perfect; she should have known it would be with Finn in charge. It was a vintage dress from the middle of the twentieth century. A boatneck top flattered her without drawing too much attention to her larger-than-average breasts, and the A-line skirt gave the impression she was taller and slimmer than she was. It was finished with three-quarter length sleeves and a French grosgrain ribbon around her waist in Brazenbourg green.

Her veil was simple and vintage lace, secured to her head via a simple gold and emerald tiara from the Brazenbourg jewels. Her earrings and bracelet were her own – a matching set of emerald, amethyst, and diamond woven together with delicate gold strands. Henry had managed to destroy the matching necklace, but he hadn’t destroyed everything.

They stepped inside the small church to see the four rows of pews filled to the brim with her family. When she didn’t see anyone but her family, she felt a pang of sadness for Finn; she couldn’t imagine having no one stand up for you at your wedding. Then she noticed who would officiate the ceremony.

“Is Ethan marrying us? Is that legal?”

“By Vallerian maritime law, he can, as a Captain in the Navy, marry people.”

“But we’re not in Valleria.”

“You are, however, the daughter of the current king, which is one of the exceptions to the rule. Anyone authorized to perform marriage ceremonies in Valleria, can marry a member of the direct royal family. Our legal teams confirmed it. However, just in case, the second ceremony you’ll have after this one will be conducted by a judge from Brazenbourg.”

“It’s perfect. I love it.”

“Are you ready, then, my child?” Gabriel asked gruffly.

“Yes, Papa.” She stepped onto her tiptoes and gave her father a light kiss on each cheek, careful not to transfer any lipstick. “Thank you.”

Gabriel cleared his throat. “You don’t need to thank me.”

“I do, though. I haven’t been the easiest child, I know that.”

“Hush, child. That’s the past.”

“I know, but I’d like to say this anyway.” Gabriel nodded and she continued. “I’ve trusted the wrong man twice in my life. I don’t know how I ever got lucky enough to have a future with Finn, but I promise I’ll never take it for granted. I won’t disappoint you, or Valleria, or Brazenbourg.”

Gabriel hugged her gently to him. “Oh, Arianna. I know you will. I have no doubt you’ll make an excellent crown princess for Brazenbourg. And any fool can see how much you and Finn adore each other.” He gently kissed her, his salt-and-pepper mustache brushing against her forehead; it was a familiar sensation that had her eyes welling.