37. Scarlett
Chapter 37
Scarlett
“ I know it might be in my head, but this terrycloth is actually thicker and softer than any other in the world, right?” I say to Ruby as I rub the lapel of my bathrobe against my cheek.
She laughs. “Well, it's a royal bathrobe. It’s supposed to be superior. But I don’t think this is terrycloth.”
“Then what is it?”
“Angel yarn?”
She has one too, but she’s actually gotten out of hers since it’s nearly eleven a.m. She’s even left her room.
I haven’t done either thing.
She’s sitting across from me at the little breakfast table in the sitting area outside of Cian’s bedroom having a very late brunch with me.
Late because Cian and I slept in after being up all night making love. Also, because I finally got in his bathtub this morning. And most definitely didn’t want to get out. It was only in part because of the tub, amazing multiple jets, and unbelievable view. It was also because of the hot prince that got in the tub with me. And the lilac vanilla bath salts that Princess Abigail makes herself. But mostly the prince.
I give a happy sigh as I gather the plush robe around me and sink deeper into the armchair.
“Those happy-in-love-well-fucked sighs are very annoying,” Ruby tells me, popping a piece of the best pineapple I’ve ever had into her mouth.
I grin. “Sorry.” I’m certain I don’t look a bit sorry.
She laughs. “Do princes have friends that are princes? Like princes from other countries? Surely they do, right?”
I don’t actually know. And I can’t ask for her because Henry would kill me. Or be really mad at me for the rest of my life. And yes, I think Henry is going to be around for the rest of my life. “Not sure. But they have hot, noble, charming bodyguards.”
She narrows her eyes. “Shut up.”
I push the plate of pastries closer to her. “They also have really talented in-house bakers.”
She reaches for one of the little turnovers.
“This is all real, isn't it?” I look around the room.
The high arched ceiling, the elaborate crown moldings, the built-in stone fireplace, the breathtaking view outside of these windows as well is all fairytale stuff. And it’s finally all sinking in. I’m in love with an actual fucking prince. And I’m over the moon about it.
“It’s really real,” Ruby says. She gives me a big grin. “But you will have to take your robe off for your princess dresses eventually.”
I’ve never really been a dress girl. In high school during my make-dad-happy phase, I wore conservative clothing, including modest dresses and skirts. I hated them. But the church was big on girls looking feminine. I’ve always been more comfortable in pants and jeans. And I love my coveralls.
“I’ve been assured by Mariah and Cian both that I don’t have to make official appearances. I mean, I can be talked into a dress here and there, but long flowing gowns with trains and lots of lace and satin, are not really my style.” I stick my foot out and wiggle my toes. “Not too many sequined gowns go with grease-stained work boots.”
She laughs. “Maybe we can get you some sparkly clean work boots.”
Just then my bedroom door flies open and Mariah comes bounding in. I swear I have never seen my daughter walk with as much bouncy energy as she does around the palace.
“Saoirse and Abigail just asked if I can go to the ranch with them today. They’ve got horses! And all these pretty trails and stuff! Is that okay? We might spend the night there!”
“Uh…sure.” I would honestly let her go anywhere for anything with any of the people in Cian’s family, but I only vaguely register her words because I am staring at what she’s wearing.
She’s got a tiara on her head.
That is not a dress-up-and-play-pretend piece. That is a real actual tiara. And even one of the glittering green jewels probably costs more than everything I own.
And there are a lot of glittering green jewels on that thing.
She also looks really beautiful in it.
“What are you wearing?” I ask, trying to act casual and not like all the royal stuff has now truly sunk in.
Her hand flies to the tiara and she grins brightly. “It’s Saoirse’s.”
Now that I take her in fully, I note that her long, dark hair has been curled and put up in an elaborate twist that shows off her long, slender neck. She’s also wearing a gorgeous off the shoulder blouse that is not hers, and a floor length skirt.
She does not have a single splash of red on. Her signature color. The color she wears in some form at all times.
“And what is all of this?” I ask, waving my hand up and down.
“Saoirse, Fiona, Abigail, and Linnea have been talking to me about princess stuff.” Mariah laughs lightly. “Not as much Abigail. She’s still learning too, and she doesn’t have many skirts or dresses and she says she always forgets she has her tiara on and it ends up slipping or falling off.” She grins and twirls. “But I’ve been practicing for when I have one to wear. Of course, mine will be blue like Cian’s.”
I’m choked up. I can’t help it. We’ve always been a house full of women, and Ruby in particular has had a lot of fun playing dress-up with Mariah, fixing her hair, and doing things like painting her nails. I know Mariah has always felt secure, loved, and supported. But now, overnight, she has a whole new group of cousins and aunts, and they’ve all embraced her so easily. She’s practically glowing from all the attention and excitement.
Cian and everything about the Cara royals made Mariah the target of ridicule from Leah and her group for weeks. Now he’s made her an actual princess and any of those girls would trade places with her in a heartbeat.
I know she doesn’t need all of this to be happy and well-adjusted. But it still feels like sweet justice all the same.
“You’re choosing blue like Cian’s?” I ask her. The way Mariah and Cian have bonded never fails to move me.
“Well, no,” she says, finally flopping into one of the chairs at the table. “Each of the O’Grady grandchildren has a different color. Fiona and Saoirse wear green jewels. Their tiaras and crowns are green. Torin’s color is purple. So his and Abigail’s crowns and tiaras have purple stones. Technically that should have been Declan’s since he’s the first born and should have been king, but it went to Torin when he became Crown Prince. Now Declan’s is the red jewels. It would be cool if Cian’s jewels were the red ones since he’s with Scarlett ,” she says with a grin. “But his are blue. So your tiara and mine will actually be blue.” She touches the tiara again. “Saoirse is just letting me wear it to get used to it.”
I stare at her. There are actually certain colors assigned to each of the siblings. And they’re already talking about how Mariah and I will also have tiaras with the same color as Cian’s.
My stomach swoops at the idea of being identified as ‘belonging’ with Cian that way. Even though I do not think I’m the tiara type.
“Your wedding ring will also have blue stones,” Mariah tells me, somehow sitting sideways in the chair with her leg draped over the arm, despite the skirt she’s wearing, and still keeping the tiara on her head. Maybe she’s a natural.
Then her words sink in.
My wedding ring will have blue stones.
My wedding ring.
My stomach swoops again.
I may not be the tiara type, but I am very much the type to wear a wedding ring that identifies me as Cian’s wife.
I smile and feel myself tearing up again . What is going on? I don’t cry . But watching my daughter carry herself with confidence and joy and watching her in the past fourteen hours be surrounded and absorbed into this group of people, I realize she is the tiara type. She is a princess in attitude and potential. She is going to be able to do amazing things and this family can give her the support and resources to change the world.
“You look amazing in that tiara,” I tell her, my voice choked-up-mom thick.
She gives me a knowing smile and eye roll but says, “Thanks.”
I catch Ruby watching me and give her a smile.
“Blue is really one of your best colors,” she tells me softly.
Yeah, I’m definitely going to cry. I have to swallow hard. “Thanks.”
“Oh,” Mariah says, sitting up straight in the chair. “I forgot to tell you. Linnea and Henry have talked to Mrs. Brown.”
“Your principal, Mrs. Brown?”
“Yeah. They’ve arranged it so that I can do remote learning for the rest of the semester. They’ve assured her that I will be able to take all of the exams from my classes and pass them. They will make sure that I am doing all of my work and learning all of the material while we’re gone and said I’d even do an extra report on indoor farming that includes an interview with Abigail and a history paper interviewing King Diarmuid.”
I frown. “While we’re gone the rest of the semester ?”
She nods. “They want us to stay here for a while.”
“I guess I figured we would for a few days, but…”
There’s a knock on my door.
“Come in,” Mariah calls.
Linnea peeks in. “Do you have a minute?” she asks.
The robe I’m wearing is huge so I am completely covered. I also have no desire to get out of it any sooner than I need to, so I wave her in. “Sure.”
Linnea comes in, followed by Jonah, Torin, and Abigail.
I sit up straighter. Okay. Well, I would have gotten dressed if I’d known I’d have this many guests, including the prince and princess.
Ruby gives me a grin.
I am really not used to having this many people around all the time and she knows it.
They all drop onto various sitting surfaces. I’m not sure how to host a meeting like this in my boyfriend’s bedroom.
“Anyone want coffee?” I asked.
“We’re fine,” Linnea says, clearly comfortable answering for the whole group.
“Where’s Cian?” Jonah asks, looking around.
“I’m here.” Cian strides through the door.
My heart gives a funny little staccato beat when I see him, even though he just left me about an hour ago.
He makes a beeline for me. “Jesus, I didn’t think you were going to accost her.” He scoops me up, turns, and sits, settling me on his lap, and clasping my robe shut across my breasts, even though there’s so much material there’s no way anyone can see anything.
He uses that grip on my robe to pull me up so he can kiss me quickly. “Hi.”
“Hi,” I say with a little laugh.
“Here you all are,” Henry says, also coming into the room.
Is this what it feels like to have a bunch of siblings, I wonder. Because this familiarity, and the way they all seem to always want to be together, feels a lot like how Ruby and I are. No one seems to blink at the fact that I am still in a robe, or that they’re all gathered, essentially in Cian’s bedroom.
I notice that Henry immediately looks at Ruby when he comes into the room and that my sister stoically keeps from looking at him.
Henry takes a seat at the table right next to Ruby. Ruby scoots her chair a few inches away from him.
Yeah, that constant annoyance seems very sibling-ish.
Except that those two are not like siblings in any other way.
Fortunately, there are so many people in the room and they’re all talking to one another, so no one else really notices the two of them.
“We just wanted to talk about what’s going to happen in the next couple of days,” Linnea says, taking charge even though the Crown Prince and Princess are right here.
“I was thinking it would be great if you guys could stay for a while,” she says to me and Cian. “Having Cian, Fiona, and especially Declan all back on the island is wonderful. And this way we could make all of this into a huge celebration. It would go a long way in calming and reassuring the citizens that Diarmuid is healthy and on the mend.”
“What kind of celebration?” Cian asks.
“Well as much as Declan will probably disagree, I do think that we need to announce his marriage to Astrid. We can also announce Torin’s ascension to the throne and schedule the official coronation before all the grandchildren leave the island.” She leans in, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “And if we could introduce Scarlet as Cian’s betrothed, it would give everyone plenty of exciting happy news to concentrate on versus the king’s health. It would also make him so happy.”
“So you think we should officially do the coronation sooner versus later?” Torin says.
“No question,” Linnea says. “For the people. But also for Diarmuid. It would mean so much to him to be a part of it.”
Even I pick up the fact that Diarmuid turning over the crown is much different, and obviously better, than him dying and Torin inheriting the crown that way.
“The people seeing him crowning you would be good for everyone. When he was crowned after his father’s death, it was so sad and it took the people time to really come around.” She looks around. “My grandmother told me,” she says. “And I’ve read about it.”
I see Torin and Abigail link hands and Abi give him a squeeze. She leans into his shoulder, clearly offering support.
“Well, I have a request,” Torin says. His eyes are on me and Cian now.
“Anything we can do,” Cian says.
“Would you consider having the king bless your marriage?” Torin asks. “Once he turns the crown over, he could do it ceremonially, of course. But it wouldn’t be the same. While it would be an honor for it to be one of my first official acts, I think it would be nice that Diarmuid would have blessed all four of his grandchildren’s marriages.”
My heart thuds against my ribs. Marriage. Wedding. The king.
This is all getting official.
But I feel Cian squeeze my leg and I take a breath and I just know … this is what I want. All of it.
“It’s just a blessing?” I ask. “I thought he performed Declan and Astrid’s wedding.”
Torin nods. “Yes. He can do that. A lot like a judge. Both Fiona and I chose to also have a representative from the church. Our grandfather was there and offered the family’s blessing though.”
Cian shifts underneath me, the hand that’s on my leg squeezing again. “Scarlett and I?—”
“Oh, well, let’s do that,” I say. “Let’s have the king do the whole thing like he did for Declan and Astrid.”
I know that Cian is about to say that he wants to give me more time or that we’re not quite ready. But the truth is, I am. And I know he is. We’re going to get married. And if this is something meaningful to his family, to his grandfather, there’s no reason to wait.
Cian’s hand tightens on my leg. “Scarlett.”
I look down at him and give him a smile. “Will you marry me?”
His eyes are filled with a myriad of emotions. Love is absolutely front and center. But possessiveness, heat, relief, and overwhelming happiness are all very clear.
“Anything you want, Scarlett. Always.”
“You,” I say simply. “That’s what I want. Always.”
His hand squeezes again. Then he looks at Torin and Linnea. “Let’s plan a wedding.”
Suddenly Mariah is throwing her arms around both of us, and I hear a little sniffle. I hug her tightly and when she pulls back, I see tears tracking down her cheeks.
I lift my hands and wipe them away with my thumbs. “You’re happy?” I ask, though I already know the answer.
“So happy. Thank you so much.”
“Thank you?” I ask. “For what?”
“I’ve always wanted a Brian. And this one is amazing.” She grins at Cian through her tears.
And his eyes fill as well.
And now I’m crying.
I look over at Ruby and she’s crying too.
Even Linnea and Abigail are dabbing at their eyes.
I look down at Cian.
He grins at me. “Magic,” he says softly.
Three days later, Declan and Astrid's marriage has been announced, Torin’s coronation is planned, and I am standing at the end of the aisle getting ready to walk down the aisle and say I do.
The smaller formal ballroom on the palace’s first floor has been transformed for our wedding ceremony. The larger formal ballroom—I’m not sure if there’s an informal ballroom somewhere—is where we’ll host our reception.
I am wearing a dress. It’s cream colored, hits me just above the knees, cinches at the waist and flares over my hips. And there’s no train or veil. Still…it’s a dress.
I’m not wearing boots with it, but the shoes are basic and flat because I do not want to risk turning my ankle in heels.
I’m carrying a little bundle of Forget Me Nots. Cian and I thought those were the most appropriate flowers for us. Not only because of the name but because they are a pretty blue, like the stones in Cian’s crown and the tiara I’m wearing on top of my curled and twisted romantic updo. And they remind me of the blue of my prince’s eyes.
My mom turns to me with a smile. “I’m so proud of you,” she says.
I take a deep breath. “Thank you. And thanks for always being there for me, even after everything I’ve put you through.”
She laughs. “That’s what moms do.”
I lean in and hug her. “Thanks for flying in here. And walking me down the aisle.”
She nods and says, “Flying in for the wedding was a no-brainer. And I’m so glad we’ve had a couple of days for me to get to know everyone. But I’m not going to walk you down the aisle, Scarlett.”
I frown. “What?”
She squeezes my hand. “You are going to walk yourself down the aisle and give yourself to that man. You don’t need anyone else to do that for you.”
“But…”
“Scarlett, I’m here to support you the way I have through every big choice you’ve ever made. But you’ve made those choices yourself. And they’ve always worked out. You know what you want. Walk down there and marry that man.”
My eyes fill with tears. But they’re happy tears. I’ve had a lot of those lately. I nod. “Okay.”
She smiles and gives me another hug. “I’m going to go take my seat. I love you.”
“I love you too.” I watch her go to her seat then I face the front, take a deep breath, and start my walk down the aisle. Myself. To meet my husband.
My daughter and sister stand at the end, my maids of honor.
Henry and Torin stand on Cian’s side.
The audience is full of members of Cian’s family, including the Olsens and almost all of the Landrys.
My mom is the only one here for me.
And yet, I feel like I’m in the midst of family and friends. Cian’s given me a community just like he said he wanted to on my back patio.
Cian watches me walk toward him, our gazes locked on one another.
He looks proud, happy, and very in love.
I hope he can see all of that in my eyes as well.
When I get to the end of the aisle, he seems nearly overwhelmed. He immediately takes my hands and tugs me close.
“You are absolutely everything I never even knew I could dream of,” he says, his voice gruff.
I shake my head. This man is unbelievable. “Thank you, Cian. So much.”
“For what?”
“For coming after me. For waiting for me. For believing in me. For wanting those nineteen days even after you found out…everything. And then for wanting forever.”
He steps even closer, squeezing my hands. “I will always come after you. I will always wait for you. I will always believe in you. And I want the rest of your days.”
I feel a tear slip down my cheek, and I blink up at him with a smile. “Ditto. To all of that.”
“Well, those sounded like vows to me.”
We both turn and look at King Diarmuid. We laugh.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” I say. “You can go ahead.”
He chuckles. He’s been getting stronger every day and he looks healthy and happy today. He smiles at me, his affection clear. I’ve had some time to talk with the king over the last couple of days and he is a lovely man who loves his family deeply and I think he likes me.
“All I ask is that you love my grandson with all your heart.”
I look at Cian. “I can definitely promise that.”
“Do you take him as your husband?”
“I do.”
“Cian, do you promise to love Scarlett with all your heart?”
“I promise.”
“Do you take her as your wife?”
“I absolutely do.”
“Then I officially declare you husband and wife,” the king proclaims, his voice much stronger than it was when Declan and Astrid became husband and wife. He raises his hand. “Go forth with my blessing.”
“Your Majesty,” Cian says, his eyes on me. “Unlike Declan, I’d really like to kiss my bride.”
Diarmuid chuckles. “Never ask anyone’s permission to kiss your wife.”
Cian gives me a grin, then cups my face and brings me in for a long, sweet kiss.
Then he says against my mouth for my ears only, “We’re definitely making it on the podcast for this.”
“We’d better,” I tell him. “That's the whole reason I said yes to this.”
He nips my bottom lip. “Witch.”
I laugh. “Actually, that’s princess to you now.”
He pulls back and grins down at me with possessiveness, pride, and love in his eyes. “Yes, it certainly is.”