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“Why?” I asked softly as my heart raced.
“I can’t live a lie,” she whispered.
“We aren’t, Avery.” I kissed her warm wet cheek. “I love you.”
I found myself getting choked up just saying the words I’d never said to her. I did love her to the best of my ability to love. Everything between us was a whirlwind, but somewhere in the craziness, there was a warm and ever-present glow of love. All I could hope was that she felt it too.
She turned her face to me. “I don’t want to disappear.” Her tears were subsiding, but she still looked so lost and alone.
“I promise, you won’t.”
After holding her for an hour just silently supporting each other, she got out of bed and much to my great relief didn’t get sick. I joined her in the shower and made soft sweet love to her before Georg whisked her away wearing only her bathrobe. I wasn’t allowed to see her again until our wedding which was going to be held late that afternoon. I couldn’t tell how she felt or what she was going through as Georg and the designers dressed Avery and her crew.
I was starting to get very nervous on the ride over to the wedding hall, but when I got there I was able to catch up with Alec before having to address my father and the rest.
“Is Avery okay?” I asked him trying not to sound desperate.
“She’s okay. Kylie acted the same way just before we were married. It’s a blessing and a curse these independent women, sometimes they’re so strong they don’t know when to let go and let themselves be loved.” The look of endearment in Alec’s eyes was inspiring.
Here he was a famous American billionaire wearing a tux and a baby with a glow of adoration in his eye for his wife. It was beyond relationship goals; it was the epitome of love. I thought about my own relationship and realized I had that and more with Avery, only I wasn’t sure she knew how I felt.
“You’ve been a tremendous help, Alec, thank you.” I gave him a pat on the back and met the throng of people waiting for me outside of the chapel.
With all of the clamoring and well-wishing there was only one person I desperately wanted to see and when I did every fear and worry in my heart went silent, she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever known. Avery walked down the aisle wearing a wistful wedding gown with a long flowing skirt embroidered with soft white flowers and gold and silver thread that danced around the fabric like magic. Her beautiful breasts were held up proudly and the wisp of a veil covering her face did not detract from her remarkable beauty. There she was… the woman who would soon be my wife.
I stood near the priest waiting for Avery to meet me, as I was ready and excited to say my wedding vows. I smiled broadly letting her know without saying the words that I loved her. The smile she gave me in return was perfect, too perfect.
Chapter 27
Avery
The day had come. There I was at the altar dressed and ready to marry Liam and become the princess of Ireland. A fairytale comes true for some, but for me, it felt more like a nightmare. Liam had been the most loving and supportive man a woman could hope to marry, it wasn’t him. It was the idea of giving up my life to a monarchy I didn’t really know or care that much for. Over the whirlwind three months leading up to my speedy marriage to Liam, I had gone through a roller coaster of emotions, not to mention the hormonal peaks and valleys of being pregnant. However, despite it all, I said…
“I do.”
I was shaking like a leaf after reciting my vows. Liam held me tight and didn’t let me go for most of our wedding day. Everything was a blur. I had to remember the things Georg had told me… head up, just answer questions kindly with as few words as possible. Don’t eat too much, don’t drink too much because you’ll have to pee and you can’t in that dress, don’t stop smiling. By the time we all were on the jet to New York, I found it hard to keep my eyes open.
“Go ahead and sleep,” Liam told me as I sat on the couch with him as Madison, Kylie, Alec, and baby Elijah all buckled into Liam’s jet heading back to New York after our brief, stilted wedding reception. We were supposed to attend several parties, but Liam canceled them the moment we agreed I’d go to New York fashion week instead of on a honeymoon.
While the king was pretty angry we’d taken such liberties with the traditional wedding celebrations, Liam was able to use my pregnancy as an excuse. As soon as the king saw Dr. Clancy’s medical report he backed off. While the monarchy wasn’t ready to announce that Liam and I were expecting, they did support our decision to fly to New York right away. The excuse that was used was needing to go to New York to celebrate our wedding with my parents and have me see my own doctor just to have a second opinion about my anemia.
