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“Similarly, Portia has discovered the truth of her family’s past and now needs to move forward with her life. But I will not allow mere decorum to once again steer the Montoros’ destiny toward a tragic outcome. We will not let history repeat itself. We will not sacrifice our love in the name of an outdated custom. Portia Lindstrom is here today, as my fiancée, and princess or not, she is the love of my life and will become my wife.”
Juan Carlos put out his hand. “Portia? Will you join me here? Be by my side.”
The crowd was stunned into silence. Cameras angled her way, shots were snapped off by the dozens.
“Go,” Maria whispered. “He is changing a centuries-old tradition for you. Don’t leave him waiting.”
She blinked, coming to grips with what had just happened. The depth of his commitment astonished her, delighted her and sent her hormones into a tizzy. She caught Eduardo giving her a smile and an encouraging nod from behind Juan Carlos. She smiled back.
Maria was right; she couldn’t leave the king waiting. Not for another second. If he could do this for her, then she wouldn’t hesitate to show him her love. With him by her side, she could conquer anything. She wasn’t a wimpy princess. Well, she wasn’t a princess at all, but she wasn’t wimpy, either.
Her head held high, she stepped forward and made her way to the podium. As she reached it, she took Juan Carlos’s outstretched hand and gazed into his eyes. In them, she saw her life, her future. The details were negotiable, but the love, that never wavered. She loved him. She would always love him. Thank God, King Montoro of Alma was a determined man.
Juan Carlos pulled her close and there before the world, bruised her lips in a kiss that left no one doubting their king’s commitment. “Juan Carlos,” she murmured. “Everyone’s watching.”
“Are they?”
Cameras clicked like crazy and she had no doubt this epic scene would go viral.
When Juan Carlos broke off the kiss, he nudged her tight to his side to present a united front and turned to the crowd. “Portia is a wonderful, bright, talented woman and in the days and years to come, you will all see in her what I see. I ask only that you welcome her today. Give her the same chance you gave me.”
The crowd was silent and Portia’s heart plummeted. And then a sole cheer rang out from a man shouting his support. And then another cheer went up and another, in a show of loyalty. And soon, the entire gathering displayed their acceptance as boisterous cheers and booming applause echoed against the palace walls, the citizens of Alma giving the king their allegiance.
They had accepted her.
Portia couldn’t keep a wide, teary-eyed smile from spreading across her face. She was grateful for their support, but she was certain that even if the crowd had turned hostile, nothing would have deterred Juan Carlos. He had her back, and that was the best feeling in the world.
The speech over, Portia walked off with Juan Carlos. “I love you, you know,” she said, winding her arm around his waist and leaning her head on his shoulder.
“I do know, but I think I’ll need to hear you say it about a thousand times. Tonight?”
She nodded. “Tonight.” She lifted her lips to his. “Do you think you can make me say it a thousand times?”
He laughed. “Oh, I know I can. Just let me alert the chauffeur we’ll be needing the limo soon.”
Her eyes went wide. “Juan Carlos, you don’t play fair!”
“Sweetheart, I play for keeps. Princess or not, you’re a royal temptation that I can’t live without.”
“So you’re keeping me?”
“For as long as you’ll have me.”
“Forever, then. It’s settled.”
“Settled,” he said, grinning as he picked her up and twirled her around and around.
She floated on air.
And her feet never did touch the ground again.
Epilogue
One month later
Juan Carlos couldn’t stop grinning as he held Portia in his arms and danced to the royal orchestra’s rendition of “Unforgettable” under hundreds of strung lights and a moonlit sky on the grounds of the newly restored farmhouse. This place that Bella and James would someday call home was where Juan Carlos and Portia had found love, too, and it seemed fitting to have a small intimate exchange of promised vows here in front of their close friends and family. His new bride dressed in satin and ivory lace, with his mother’s diamond wedding ring sparkling on her finger, was the most beautiful woman on the planet.
