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“You are already the queen Linnaea needs.”
Before she could reply, he reached over and twisted the knob. The door swung open and her breath caught. The walls were painted a soft green. A white rocking chair sat in one corner, and a bookcase next to it was filled with books. Clara walked over to it, her chest nearly bursting with happiness as she saw the signs of love in the worn spines, the slightly faded covers.
“You remembered.”
“Every word. In a few months, I’ll sit in here and read to our son or daughter.” He gestured to the rest of the empty room. “The rest of what we picked out is on its way. It should be here in—”
She cut him off by flinging her arms around his neck and planting a passionate kiss on his lips. He groaned and pulled her flush against his body, his hardness pressing against her core. She writhed against him, savoring the tightening of his arms around her waist.
“I think it’s time, my love, for us to finally be together in our marital bed.”
“My love?” she repeated softly.
He smiled, a genuine smile full of happiness and warmth.
“I forgot that part, didn’t I?” He leaned down and pressed a sweet kiss to the corner of her mouth. “I love you, Clara.”
“You do?”
“Very, very much. I think I have for a while. It just took time for me to see it.”
Clara laughed. “Wait until I tell Meira.”
Alaric frowned. “Meira?”
“She told me on our wedding day that she thought there was more between us than just a working relationship. She was right. I love you, Alaric. I’ve loved you for so long, and I’ll never stop.”
He led her into what would be their first bedroom together. Everything was just as they had planned two weeks ago, down to the oversize bed draped in cozy blankets. He undressed her with infinite care, trailing kisses from her neck over her breasts, lingering on her nipples before continuing down over the soft swell of her belly. When he pressed a hot, open-mouthed kiss to her core, she nearly came undone, her fingers tangling in his hair as she moaned his name. He lifted her up as if she were made of glass, laid her on the bed and made quick work of his own clothes before he covered her naked body with his. As he slid inside her, their bodies joining in a slow, sensual dance, she reached up and pressed her hand to his cheek.
“I love you, Alaric.”
“And I love you, Clara.” He leaned down and sealed their pledge with a kiss.
EPILOGUE
Six months later
CLARARELAXEDONthe chaise longue, shielding her eyes against the late-morning sun as she watched her husband lay out a checkered blanket.
“You really went all out for this picnic,” she teased as he reached into the wicker basket.
“If we’re going to have a picnic, we’re going to do it right.” He leaned over and cut off any further teasing with a firm kiss. “Who knows when we’ll get a chance to have alone time again?”
He gestured at her belly, round and full. In less than four weeks, their daughter would be making her appearance into the world. It had been Alaric’s idea for them to have one last getaway before they officially became parents.
She leaned back against the pillows he’d arranged for her and gazed out over the sparkling waters of Lake Geneva. They’d been to the lake house every other month since they’d reconciled that wintery morning. Some trips had only been for a couple days, while others, like their glorious trip in spring, had been over a week.
It had also been a haven for two major events: Daxon’s passing and the revelation of Clara’s role in the car accident.
Daxon’s passing had, unfortunately, been expected. He’d deteriorated quickly following Alaric and Clara’s reconciliation and wound up in hospice care. As he was confined to his suite in the palace, Alaric and Briony had attempted to resolve their issues with their father. Alaric had come out tense and resigned. Briony had shook her head sadly when Clara had asked if she’d found the closure she’d been seeking.
“No. Sometimes people don’t change. It’s hard to accept that.” She’d hugged Clara. “But we tried.”
Daxon had passed two days later. Despite all the damage he’d wrought on Linnaea, Alaric and Briony had agreed to hold the customary funeral services honoring the passing of the King.
Alaric’s coronation ceremony had been scheduled to take place two weeks after that. When he’d suggested they go public with the details of Clara’s accident ahead of the ceremony, she’d panicked. Temperance’s calls had decreased, but she had still left the occasional threatening voice mail, usually after an article had been published about her and Alaric or some picture had circulated on social media of them visiting one of Briony’s schools or touring one of the many new manufacturing plants Alaric was overseeing.
There had been so much good happening for the country that the thought of her own past wreaking havoc on everything Alaric and his people had worked for her had nearly sent her into a tailspin.
