Page 86 of Wicked Queen

Alexander smiled when he saw me, and the world stopped, restarting only so it could spin around him. He’d abandoned his suit and tie, even his shoes. It was the most peaceful he’d looked in a long time. He stretched out a hand and I walked to him, one hand cupping my belly.

“How was your day with your friends?” he asked.

I started to tease him about Team Queen, but bit back the response. “We managed it all. It’s true, that bit about who you know. I’m not sure how we got it all sorted.”

“Feel free to drop my name.”

He’d approved of my plan to host a birthday party for Sarah on one condition: the party would take place somewhere else. Booking anything in London at the last minute was a challenge. “The V&A took pity on me.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to spoil her.”

“It’s big enough. I think she wants to make a splash.”

“Hasn’t she done enough of that?” he asked.

“What about your meeting?”

Alexander’s hand gripped mine tighter. “Not now, Poppet. Just be with me for a few minutes.”

I wouldn’t argue with that. We’d had our fair share of chaos in the last few weeks. If we could steal a moment of peace, we would. Spring had brought fresh flowers to nearly every bit of the Royal Gardens. “It’s so beautiful. I think I discover something new every day.”

Alexander inclined his head for a moment, as if considering it a challenge, then a wide grin split his face. “I know what you should discover today.”

He led me along the path as the sun began to fade, giving up on another day, and handing us over to night. When he finally stopped and pointed, I gasped. The wisteria had begun to bloom around the Summer House, the purple petals swaying gently against its glass-paned doors.

“How did you know?” I asked. I always missed them. The flowers were there one minute and gone the next, like so much of nature’s art.

“They were my mother’s favorite. She would bring us down here to see them, and then she’d decorate Sarah’s birthday tables with them.”

I tucked that image away for further consideration. “We should get back. Your feet have to be getting cold.”

The weather seemed to agree, because the first splat of rain hit my nose as soon as I spoke.

“Always have an umbrella in London in April,” I said with a sigh. I would never learn.

“If you have an umbrella, you never get caught in the rain.” Alexander bent to kiss me, his palm pressing to the back of my neck, and I forgot my objection to the weather. “Come on.”

We hurried to the Summer House and let ourselves in.

“It will die down in a few minutes,” he said, checking the sky.

I stared at my husband—always considering me, always protecting me—and found myself in love with him all over again. He turned, his face searching mine, and caught me staring. “What is it?”

“I love you,” I murmured.

“And I love you more than anything.” He stroked my cheek.

I knew that. I’d always known, but in this moment, it consumed me: the sense of belonging and completion that only came with finding the one person meant for you in all the world. I would never know why fate had matched us, but I would never stop being grateful.

“Poppet,” he called to me.

“X,” I breathed, pushing onto my toes to kiss him.

It started sweetly but urgency ran like a current between us. Our life would change again soon. Our life was always changing. All we had was this one moment. It was the only guarantee.

That’s why he kissed me like this every time.

And as much as I hated the idea of clinging to fear, I realized now, it also pushed us to live. That was what drove us—the passion we’d felt since the first touch. It ignited me now.