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“Brat!” Then, he turned his head and kissed her. It was sweet, hardly a touch of their lips. But it rippled through her. “You drive me insane,” he began.
Juliana smirked. “This the best you can do, Skip? How did you get your mates ready to play a match? You wankers suck, but let’s go play!”
Rowan laughed. “You have an uncanny knack for imitating people.”
She shrugged.
He took a deep breath. “You drive me insane,” he said pointedly, “but you also make me a better person. You are unflinchingly kind, too wise to be as young as you are, sexy as fuck, and quite possibly the best thing to ever happen to me.”
Juliana didn’t try to hold back her tears. “That’s better,” she encouraged.
“When the queen told us we were getting married in two weeks, it didn’t even occur to me to argue. Something inside of me calmed. I knew if she didn’t force us, we would let this slip quietly away when it was all settled. And I don’t want that. I’d thought my life ended on the pitch that day, but I’m coming to realize, it was just beginning.”
He paused as Juliana took in his words. She had hoped but hadn’t truly known how he felt.
“When you bring it, you bring it,” she said as she leaned her forehead against his. “I love you,” she said with crystal clarity.
“The duke and the queen made all of the arrangements. We have a church, and you can find a dress. We have a guest list, and I figure this country could use something to celebrate. I can’t get down on one knee, but Jamie gave me this today.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out an intricate platinum band, braided with a deep amethyst. “It was Jamie’s big plan. You’ll have to ask him about the significance, but it was your mother’s ring. Your birth mother,” he clarified. “Apparently, she gave it to your mother to keep for you.”
Juliana held out a shaky hand. If she could have uttered a word, she would have said yes, but all she could do was nod.
Rowan slid it onto her finger. “I’ll take that as a yes. Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“I love you too.”
