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It was true. Juan Carlos wouldn’t be king, he would never have met Portia and who knew what would have happened among his other family members. “We owe my grandmother quite a bit.”
They took a solemn moment to give thanks to Isabella.
And then the orchestra music started up again.
Couples paired off and moved onto the dance floor.
Little Maisey Rowling had woken up from her nap. Wearing pink from head to toe, she was sitting on the front porch playing with the palace kittens alongside Portia’s maids in attendance, Jasmine and Maria Ramon.
“I owe those two women a dance,” Juan Carlos said to Portia. “If not for them, you may never have come back to Alma. Actually, I owe them much more than that.”
“Yes, but first, my love, I have a wedding gift for you. I hope it will match the one you gave me. I cannot wait another second to give it to you.”
“Okay,” he said, eager to please her. “I’m yours.”
She tugged him to the back of the house, to the garden area that was in full bloom, despite the late fall climate. Oh, the miracle of royalty that made all things possible. She sat him down on the white iron bench and then took a seat beside him.
“Juan Carlos,” she began, taking his hands and holding them in her lap. “You have given me your love, a new family and a beautiful palace to live in.”
“You deserve all those things, sweetheart.”
“But there’s one thing missing. One thing I want and hope you want, too.”
He had no clue where she was going with this. He had everything he wanted. “Have you found another brood of cats to adopt?”
She shook her head and grinned, her eyes beaming with the same glow he’d seen in Bella’s. His heart stopped beating. He gathered his thoughts and came to the only conclusion he could.
“You’re not?”
She nodded now, bobbing her head up and down rapidly. “I am.”
“We’re going to have a baby?”
“Yes!”
A glance at her belly gave him no indication. “When?”
“Seven months from now.”
Carefully, he pulled her onto his lap. “I’m...I’m...going to be a father.”
“Yes, you are.”
He curved his hand around her nape and brought his lips close to hers. “You’re going to be a mother.”
“Yes.”
The idea filled him with pride. His Portia would give him a child. It was the best gift in the world. His mouth touched hers reverently and he tasted the sweetness of her lips. “I couldn’t be happier, sweetheart.”
“I’m glad. Our baby will grow up in a home filled with love. Neither one of us knew our parents for very long. But now, we will have a family of our own. It’s quite unexpected...”
“It’s all I’ve ever wanted, Portia. For us to be a family.”
“Really?”
He nodded. His throat constricted. His emotions had finally caught up to him today. His life had come full circle—the orphaned boy who would be king, married to his heart’s desire, was to have a family all his own now.
There was no better kingdom on earth than for a man to share his life with the woman he loved.
He and Portia were two of a kind.
Almas Iguales.
Equal souls.
