Page 38 of Falling for the Queen Mother

They'd both spoken for both of them several times during the conversation. What, if anything, should they take from that?

It wasn't much of a stretch for any of them. Easily answered questions that didn't require more than a cursory knowledge of another person to get right.

But it still seemed a bit... domestic. Settled. Relational.

"I'm glad there weren't any surprises." Alaina clicked out of the windows and pushed back from the table. "Now we can relax for a few days before we have to get back to the real world."

"I'm not sure I know what the real world is anymore," Nate admitted. "It all seems so surreal the last few days that I don't know if I'd know how to deal with normal."

"I think you'll be fine. We both will be." She went up the stairs and back to the top deck.

He knew they needed to talk about all of this, but he also knew Alaina wanted to avoid it as much as he did.

Once they were seated in the sun, Nate broke the ice. "We need to talk about all of this. We're legally married for at least the next year. Your son said he can't force us to live like a married couple, and he's right, but I also think we need to figure out what we want to happen or where we go from here."

"I know." Alaina put sunglasses over her eyes and turned her face toward the sun. "I never planned to marry again, but in the abstract, I figured, if anything, it would be one more and done. There wouldn't be any discussions about how long the marriage would last or what it would look like."

"I thought the same, but here we are." He sat up and turned toward Alaina, his forearms resting on his knees. "Since we're married, I would like to try to have a relationship. I don't know what it will end up like, but at least we'll know."

She didn't reply for a long moment. "I don't know."

Time to be real, to lay it on the line. "If you weren't the Queen Mother, I would have asked you out for dinner. I enjoy your company. We've demonstrated on more than one occasion that we have chemistry. Your son even walked in on one of those and noticed. In fact, we wouldn't be in this situation if we hadn't fallen asleep together. What are your thoughts?"

Another moment of silence before she spoke. "You make some good points. I don't know what it would look like, but I think attempting a real relationship is a start. I don't know what that looks like, though. We're already legally married. We're on a yacht for a few days, essentially alone. I suppose we just spend those days together and get to know each other?"

Nate wasn't certain what it would look like either, but both of them deciding to give it a shot was a good start.

That was something.

How long had it been since Alaina had been on a first date?

Decades.

Never on a yacht with someone she was already married to.

And never with someone she was already married to.

She walked up to the top deck to find a table for two set on one end. Nathaniel wasn't anywhere to be seen, but she was a few minutes earlier than they said they would meet.

Rather than taking a seat at the table, she went to the railing and leaned against it. The captain had turned them so they would be watching the sunset as they ate. That was nice of him. Had he thought to do it on his own or had Nathaniel asked him if it was possible?

She'd woken up that morning in his arms. They hadn't discussed sleeping arrangements any further, but she also hadn't asked any of the staff or crew to make up another room either. It wasn't that she couldn't do it herself, it was that she had no idea where the bedding was kept.

The footsteps behind her told her Nathaniel had arrived a few seconds before he appeared at her side, leaning against the railing close enough that his shirt sleeve brushed against the bare skin of her upper arm.

"The sunset is beautiful. Thank you for suggesting a meal." Alaina leaned her head against his shoulder. "I think it's lovely."

"When I spoke with the cook about having a private meal up here, the captain was there. He's the one who suggested a sunset view."

She felt him rest his cheek against the top of her head. "He was right. I'd say we could always turn the other direction for a sunrise breakfast, but that would mean waking up far earlier than I care to."

"Not a morning person?"

"Not if I can avoid it. Unfortunately, the world isn't designed for night owls, but I've learned to adapt most of the time." She straightened. "I still prefer to sleep in whenever possible, though."

"I think most people do." He held her chair at the table. "How do we let them know we're ready for dinner?"

"They'll know. They always do. I'm not quite sure how."