Chapter 25
The more time I spent with Rick trying to cram in every ounce of our life stories into our brains, the more I fell for him. It was impossible to avoid. I wanted to know everything. We spent nearly twenty-four hours together learning everything we could. At least, that was what we said because it also led to us snogging like teenagers behind the schoolyard. Not that I would know anything about that. I didn’t have my first kiss until I was standing on a polo field faking a relationship with a dubious prince.
Still, the more I kissed him, the more I wanted of him. When we’d been there on the blanket in the garden, his body pressing mine into the soft ground, I felt things I never had. My body tingled. My knees weakened, falling apart. I wanted him to envelop me and I wanted to envelop him.
On the day of the engagement interview, I didn’t have to fake adoration for Rick. It was genuine. I stared at him like he was the moon and the stars because he was at that moment. I admired his jaw and adored his blond curls. I longed for his hand on my thigh, slowly going north.
“When did you fall for her?” The interviewer asked Rick.
We’d prepped for all of these. Rick was going to nail it.
“I was dancing with her,” Rick answered, going off-book. “And just looking at her… I couldn’t help but fall. She’s wonderful.”
He was being honest.
“And you, Your Majesty, as well?”
I stammered. “No… different time. We were at the barn. He was adorable with my horses. He is a sucker for animals. It endeared me to him in a remarkable way.”
My answer was canned, but it worked. I couldn’t be the wild one. That was Rick’s role. He was the carefree, romantic hero in this story. I had to be Queen first and foremost. It was a tough tightrope. All I wanted to do was pull Rick into another room and kiss him again. I wanted him to press me against the wall and do far worse. I couldn’t explain these feelings to anyone else. They were all-encompassing and came out of nowhere. One moment I was fine. The next, I wanted him to do something but wasn’t sure what that something was.
“And how did he propose?” The interviewer followed up.
“She sort of proposed first. In true queenly fashion,” Rick joked.
“But he wasn’t satisfied with that,” I said. “No. He wanted to do it properly. To treat me well. We had decided on it happening, but… he wanted to do something special. So, he took me on a picnic and proposed there. It was lovely.”
“She deserved better than a handshake agreement, don’t you think?” Rick asked.
Oh, the irony!
“And this ring is beautiful!”
I nodded. “Yes. This was my late mother’s engagement ring. My father had it made for my mother.”
“The Dowager Queen was very gracious in letting me use it to propose,” Rick said. “It is a beautiful piece.”
I smiled. “And it wasn’t just that. He also chose a bracelet for me. Something old, something new.”
“A bracelet?”
I nodded, holding my hand out and showing off the rubies on my wrist. “Stunning, right?”
The interviewer nodded. “He’s already a good gift-giver. My husband could take a cue.”
We snickered.
“I cannot complain.” I shrugged. “He gives me no reason to.”
Thinking back on it, that was insufferably cute. At the time, I meant every bit. I fell all over myself around him. Sometimes the feeling seemed mutual. Rick was more experienced, but I knew he felt something. If he didn’t, why would he rush to defend me? Why was he always there to protect us? He had felt something, too.
“Of course, I don’t,” Rick said.
“So, what is next? Wedding plans?”
“Next… state visit to Lundhavn and wedding plans are in full swing,” I answered.
He nodded. “But easy for me. I’m excited to go home and introduce Alexandra properly. But when I return I don’t have to deal with much of the preparations. No one cares what the groom does most of the time.”
“I care.” I laughed. “You get to have opinions.”
“She and her sisters will override me. That’s alright, I don’t care. The girls are so enthusiastic.” Rick rubbed my knee.
“They are very excited. All my sisters are,” I explained. “And I am so happy to be visiting Lundhavn. I cannot wait to meet Rikard’s family properly and to engage with the Lundhavians a bit.”
It was true. I wanted to learn everything. I wanted a family to include me. I was so excited to meet Rikard’s parents, brother, and sister-in-law. I hoped his sister-in-law and I might be close. We’d be queens together someday. Our children would be cousins, right? Of course, that assumed Rick and I might have children. However, right about now, I was convinced that would happen. We were falling in love. I started this off, worrying I could never see myself going through with it. Now, I wanted him to throw me on a bed and… well, beyond that, I wasn’t quite sure. But I wanted something.
“They will be so happy to meet her,” Rick said.
“Been homesick?” The interviewer asked.
“Sometimes,” Rick admitted. “But I enjoy it here. The outdoors are lovely, but I miss the mountains. I hope that she will love it there. We can visit whenever we want.”
“Is it important for your children to understand both your Lundhavian and Neandian customs?”
We looked at one another, unsure how to answer.
“Well, you will be having children, right?”
“Naturally,” Rick replied, looking a bit nervous. “Not in the immediate future, of course. I think we will raise them with an appreciation of both of our cultures.”
It was a diplomatic answer.
“I would like them to speak both my mother tongue and his.”
Rick agreed. “That would be good. I’d like them to be connected to their first cousins.”
“We’re all family now. It will work out.” I smiled.
“Most people are over the moon about this wedding, but some are concerned about the age difference and the fact that you are so young, Your Majesty. Some would bring up that the regency still hangs over your head. Are you ready for this?”
I nodded. “I think so. I don’t think anyone is ever completely ready for any big life change. They get that way over time. The regency is ending and while there is an age difference, it doesn’t feel important to us.”
Rick shook his head. “No. We’re both happy together. She’s a lovely person. I hope we get to spend many, many happy years together. She’ll keep me young, I’m sure.”
I snickered. “Or I will run you into the ground.”
Rick chuckled. “It’s a choose-your-own-adventure, Alexandra.”
The chemistry now was undeniable. You couldn’t fake it. We were a real couple. We could lie to one another, but… it wouldn’t work.