Royally Ever After (Royals of Valleria #7) (2 page)

“Good.” Alex faced William. “Carry on.”

William cleared his throat. “Yes, of course, Your Highness. Both Mr. and Mrs. Campo will speak, then take their seats. Yes, just there. Then, Your Highness and Miss Campo, you’ll both step up here.”

Alex and Rebecca arranged themselves at the top of the altar.

“Very good, very good. Now, we’ve arrived at the vows portion of the ceremony, including the ‘I wills’ followed by traditional vows. I’ve altered the wording as you both requested for that portion of the ceremony. The rings come after the vows. The best man, Prince Nathaniel, will carry those and hand them to me, and I will then hand them to you each in turn.”

Rebecca locked eyes with Tavin. “Are the rings ready?”

Tavin winked. “Yes, we’re all set.”

Alex narrowed his eyes on her. “What are you planning?”

She blinked innocently up at him, not wanting to give away the secret until the ceremony. “Why are you so suspicious? I’m simply taking care of the rings, as I said I’d do.”

Alex pulled her slightly closer. “Are they a surprise, then?”

She pressed against him, as much as she dared in the church. “One of many you’ll get on our wedding day.” Alex gave her a sexy smile.

William continued, oblivious to the innuendo between her and Alex. “After the rings, the choir will begin while you sign the official marriage documents in the side room there.” He pointed to a door behind the altar.

Alex twisted to Tavin again. “Is everything in order there? Are we still waiting for anything?”

Tavin fidgeted with the phone in his hand. “We’re still waiting on the Royal Council, Sir. They have yet to sign the official paperwork approving the marriage. You will not be able to sign the marriage licenses until that document has been executed.”

“What the hell are they waiting for?” Alex asked, ignoring William’s shocked gasp.

“Well, Sir,
they
say that, per the Marriage of Royal Heirs Act of 1702–”

“The same bloody law that made us a wait a year to get married,” Alex muttered.

“–they must wait a full year after the official engagement announcement before they can approve the marriage. They won’t sign the papers until the day the Royal Marriage Notification Year is up, which is also the day before the wedding.”

Rebecca’s gut clenched, and her hand tightened in Alex’s. If the Council didn’t sign, they couldn’t marry, and disaster would ensue.

There were monetary implications; a royal wedding, after all, was never cheap, and everything but security costs were being paid from the royal family’s personal funds.

There were political implications; leaders the world over were set to arrive any day for the wedding, and Valleria would be considered a laughingstock if the wedding were cancelled now. Since Valleria’s reputation had only recently recovered after security lapses almost killed numerous members of the royal family over the last several months – and, just over a year ago, had resulted in her being kidnapped as well – the country and the royal family could not take another hit to its standing on the world stage.

Not only that, with the trouble the Royal Council had been causing recently, if they managed to block the wedding now, they could block it permanently, and then she and Alex would never get married.

If that happened, the public would never accept her as his permanent fiancée.

If that happened, when Alex became king, she would never be his queen.

She would never have any power to help him with his royal duties.

She would be stuck in a rare limbo – neither commoner nor royal, and not accepted as either.

Plus, if they managed to have children – and that was a big ‘if’ considering her recent health issues – they would be considered illegitimate, and none of them would be allowed to rule one day.

Most importantly, she would never be able to marry the man she loved.

And that was unacceptable.

Rebecca’s voice trembled. “Alex, what if they won’t sign?”

He tugged her against him. “They will. They’re the ones who chose the wedding date, and it was confirmed to be within the requirements by three separate individuals, including my father. There’s no way I, my father, or the public will stand for them interfering.”

He lifted her hand, still joined with his, to his lips for a kiss. “Don’t worry about this.”

As she didn’t have any other choice at the moment, she simply nodded.

William cleared his throat again. “Ahem. Yes, well, assuming the documents are in order, you’ll both sign them and then return to the altar. There will be a reading by a famed Vallerian poet. Then I’ll say a short blessing and we’ll finalize the ceremony. As you know, there will not be a kiss, as you’ve chosen for your first married kiss to take place on the palace balcony, per tradition.”

Heat flared in Alex’s eyes. “We should probably rehearse the kiss.”

Her lips started tingling. “We could, I suppose.”

“Ahem, I do apologize Your Highness, Miss Campo, but perhaps it would be better if you waited to practice, er, kissing.”

Alex glared at William. “Would it?”

She lifted her free hand to his face and focused it back on her. “It’s all right. We’ll kiss later.”

The creases around his eyes relaxed with his fading irritation. “We’ll do more than that.”

“Ew,” Cat said. “I really don’t need to hear things like this about my brother.” The other bridesmaids giggled while the groomsmen chuckled.

She tried to swallow the giggle that bubbled up from her chest with no success, and Alex’s gaze softened on her. He kept his eyes on her while he asked William, “And then we walk down the aisle, correct? That’s the end of the ceremony?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Are we finished with the rehearsal then?”

“There are some things we should go over, regarding the arrival of the guests.”

“Tavin, why don’t you cover it? Update me later today. Rebecca and I have some things to attend to.”

Given the heat in his eyes, she didn’t have to guess what that referred to, and she smacked him on the arm. “Alex. We’re in a church.”

“Not for much longer.” He tugged their joined hands and they raced down the aisle; she struggled to keep up in her heels.

“My parents were sitting ten feet away from us, not to mention your siblings, and the officiant.”

“Since we are living together, I’m sure they’re not surprised. Jesus, how bloody long is this aisle?”

Since they were only halfway up the aisle, Rebecca half-laughed and pulled on his hand to stop. “Alex.”

He sighed, but paused, then pressed her against him. “I guess I’ll have to wait until later, then, will I?”

“Much later. I’ve got five hours of meetings and wedding prep to finish after this.”

“We haven’t gotten to spend much time together lately. I don’t like it.”

She rested her head against his chest. “I know. Only a few more days, and then we’ll be off on the honeymoon.”

“Thank God for that. I’ll be glad when things calm down.”

Just then, they heard a cry of shock, and turned to see Tavin running up the aisle towards them, his face pale and his phone clutched in his hand. “Sir. Sir. I-I’ve j-just heard from your father’s chief of staff.”

Gasping for breath, he uttered the words that neither of them ever wanted to hear.

“Something’s happened to the King. He’s been rushed to the hospital.”

A
lex rushed
through the hospital halls, his hand holding tight to Rebecca’s, her heels clicking quickly beside him. The rest of the family had left the church only minutes behind them, so would arrive shortly.

The pair rounded a corner in the exclusive royal wing of the hospital and spotted a nurse’s station up ahead bustling with activity.

He approached one of the nurses. “What’s going on? Where’s my father?”

“The doctor’s with His Majesty right now, Your Highness,” he said, and gestured to a waiting area. “Please take a seat and we’ll be right with you.”

As the nurse bustled off, Alex growled at the casual dismissal. Only the soft squeeze of Rebecca’s hand kept him from going after the nurse.

“Come on, Alex,” she said softly. “Let’s wait for the rest of the family to arrive. It shouldn’t be long since their cars weren’t far behind ours. The medical staff is helping your father right now, and they should stay focused.”

Alex didn’t respond but turned to one of his Royal Protection agents nearby. “Has the media got hold of this story yet?”

“They just started reporting it a few moments ago, after we arrived at the hospital.”

“Is the hospital secured?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“See that it stays that way. If one fucking photographer or journalist makes it through, I’ll not be happy.” The agent nodded and left to speak with the other agents nearby.

Alex watched them for a few moments until Rebecca tilted her head towards a door, and they made their way to a sizable waiting room.

It was empty.

Rebecca took a seat beside him, but it wasn’t close enough for him.

He tugged her into his lap and buried his head in the curve of her neck, her hair falling around him, cocooning his face. His arms circled her enticing curves, and hers wrapped fiercely around his shoulders. Her fingers toyed with the edge of his hair.

He took a deep breath, taking comfort in her and her lavender scent that never failed to either arouse or calm him. Today, against the sharp antiseptic fumes surrounding him, it soothed and softened the jagged edges inside him.

He wouldn’t be able to take comfort like this, not in the hospital, not once everyone arrived, so he took it now.

With his father in the hospital, the duty of the country and the monarchy fell to his shoulders. He would have to show his family and the world he was strong enough to handle it.

He couldn’t show weakness, not to anyone but his love, and then only in their private apartments at the palace.

“I love you, Alex,” she murmured, her voice as comforting as her arms.

He tightened his hold around her. “Darling.”

“Whatever you need, I’m here.”

“I know you are.” His voice was gruffer than expected, so he cleared his throat. “You didn’t need to say it.”

“Maybe not, but I thought it might be nice to hear all the same.” Her lips brushed his temple.

God, even with his father in the hospital, he felt lucky because they’d found each other. He’d be lost without her.

He pressed a kiss to her neck, then chin, cheek, and a gentle kiss to her lips. Their foreheads rested against each other, and her hand came up to cup his cheek. The cool touch of her engagement ring reminded him that barely an hour ago they’d been happy and rehearsing their wedding.

How quickly life could change. “The wedding–”

“Stop right there.” She put her fingers over his lips. “Let’s not worry about that right now.”

His gut clenched, but he needed to say the words. He kissed her fingers and linked them with his. “We may need to cancel it.”

“Your father’s health is priority, Alex. Let’s focus on that for now.”

“I know. Yet, if I need to take over my father’s duties, the time commitment I’ll need to make for that alone–”

“We’ll handle it.”

“But–”

“We’ll handle it when the time comes. Let’s hear what the doctor has to say first. Whatever needs to be done, we’ll do it together.”

“Darling–”

“Because no matter what, we’re a team.” She leaned forward and whispered against his mouth. “Just because we’re not an ‘official’ team yet, doesn’t mean anything. Whatever you need, I’m here.”

The corner of his mouth tipped up. “So we’re an ‘unofficial’ team?”

She nodded. “You don’t worry about anything but your father and Valleria right now.”

“Darling, we’ve got planeloads of family on their way in for the wedding–”

“Which I’ll handle.”

“–And, if it happens, postponing the wedding will be quite a bit of work.”

“Let me take care of those things. You focus on what you need to do, and I’ll be there to help with everything else.”

“Darling–”

“Alexander.”

Both of their heads came up at the voice, and he caught sight of his mother at the waiting room doors. Rebecca slid quickly off his lap, then Alex rushed to her, enveloping her in his arms. “Mama.”

His mother’s arms came around him, and there he found another kind of comfort. “What happened?”

Her breath caught as she spoke. “It’s his heart. We were talking in his office when his face paled.” He shifted back and Rebecca stepped forward with her arms open. After their brief hug, Rebecca led her to a chair.

Genevieve tucked a tuft of her dark blonde hair back. “Your father is so infuriating.”

Alex blinked. “Mama.”

She shook her head and pulled a handkerchief from her slim purse. “Do you know what your father did after his face paled? I asked him if he was all right. He said he was fine. I pressed him, he gave the same answer. We talked for at least five minutes – five minutes, mind you – before he admitted he actually wasn’t feeling well and thought he might be having a heart attack. Damned, stubborn fool.”

Alex knelt before his mother and said words he wished he believed himself. “Mama, it must not have been too serious if he kept talking to you.”

Genevieve kept talking as though Alex hadn’t spoken. “Who knows what those five minutes could mean? And then, as if that weren’t enough, all through the ambulance ride, he kept reassuring me and the paramedics, even with an oxygen mask covering his face. It was only after he arrived at the hospital that he lost consciousness.”

She dabbed at the tears in her eyes. “I can’t believe your father would do this. One of my babies is getting married this week, and my other baby could be having her own baby any minute now.” She shook her head again. “Oh, Gabriel. What have you done?”

Alex didn’t get a chance to speak as the door opened. Marcello strode through and took a seat by his mother. Alex forgot how many features Marcello and his mother shared until they sat next to each other, not the least of which was their dark blond hair and slim form. His mother – having had nine children in eight pregnancies – was quite curvier than when she’d first gotten married, but she once had the same lean form as Marcello.

“Any word?” Marcello asked.

Genevieve shook her head. “Not really. The doctor only confirmed it was his heart and asked me to wait in here.”

Marcello nodded gravely.

Genevieve gave Alex a pointed look. “Corrado’s waiting for you outside the waiting room, Alexander,” she said, referring to his father’s chief of staff. “He has the paperwork you need to sign.”

Holy fucking hell
. The paperwork to make him Acting King. Words failed him, so he simply nodded and stood. He looked at Rebecca and shook his head, indicating she shouldn’t come with him. God knew he wanted her there, but this was something he had to face alone.

He left the room saw Corrado, who had been his father’s right-hand man for decades. If the look on Corrado’s face was any indication, he was taking this turn of events just as roughly as Alex’s family were.

Corrado spoke first, his voice thick, yet concise. “While His Majesty is, er, incapacitated, you must become acting-king and stand in his stead.”

Alex cleared his throat, but his voice still came out rough. “Of course.”

Corrado turned the leather folio he carried towards Alex. A neatly typed letter with a pen was ready and waiting for him. The letter was a formality, officially handing duty over to Alex as heir apparent.

Someone always carried a copy of the letter with them. This was the first time they had cause to use it in Alex’s lifetime. Before Alex had come of age, the letter had held his mother’s name.

Now, however, it held his.

Alex picked up the pen with trembling hands. He flexed his fingers and took a deep breath to steady himself. He had to prove to everyone – especially to his father and family – that he was ready for this, that he was strong enough to take over as Valleria’s ruler.

He scrawled his signature along the bottom, along with the date; he’d never forget this date for as long as he lived.

Corrado took the letter and signed it as a witness along the bottom. Only his father’s signature was missing; he would sign it when he woke up.

Of course, if his father didn’t wake up, then the letter was unnecessary; Alex would automatically become king, a full-fledged one, not merely an acting-king.

Alex couldn’t think about that, wouldn’t think about that.

Corrado nodded. “Thank you, Your Highness. I’ve notified the Royal Council.”

“Are any of them coming to the hospital?”

“The majority of the ministers on the Council felt they would be more useful away from the hospital, Your Highness. The remaining few mentioned they would visit once given leave by you or Her Majesty.”

“Meaning none of them plan to visit Papa.”

Corrado nodded. “That was my impression.”

Alex’s mouth twisted into a snarl. “Bastards.”

Corrado blinked. “Your Highness–”

“It’s not enough they’re fucking with my wedding, now they don’t even have the decency to visit their king in the hospital? Can’t we arrest them for that? I’d really like to see them arrested right about now.”

“What’s this about the wedding?”

“They’re refusing to sign the papers approving the marriage,” Rebecca said, and she closed the waiting room door behind her. She walked to Alex and slid her arm around his waist; he tucked her tight against him. He hadn’t wanted her with him for this, but she’d known he needed her just the same, and came to him.

“They say they won’t sign until the day before the wedding, when the Royal Marriage Notification Year is officially over.”

Corrado’s mouth fell open and red tinged his face. “What? But that’s preposterous.”

“Now you can see why Alex isn’t too keen to have them nearby, even if they should do their duty and visit.”

Corrado frowned slightly. “I wonder…”

“Wonder what?” Alex asked.

“I wonder what else the Council could be plotting. I’ve heard whispers, but nothing concrete.”

Alex growled. “You think they might try to further halt the wedding?”

“I think it’s possible.”

“Holy fucking hell.”

A nurse came striding up to them. “Your Highness. Your father’s awake.”

The icy shards of terror that had been coursing through his veins melted at the news; he almost sagged in relief. “May I see him?”

“Yes, Sir. The doctor just finished his initial examination, so you may go in. His room is just down the hall.”

Alex nodded. “Darling, stay here with the family.”

She looked as though she wanted to say something, but instead just nodded.

“Corrado, with me. We need my father’s signature.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Alex began walking down the hall.

Each step seemed to be an echoing boom in his ears.

Boom
.

The sounds of the nurses were muted as they rushed by.

Boom
.

Another step closer.

Boom
.

A deep breath in.

Boom
.

Exhale.

Boom
.

A door opened.

Boom
.

A door closed.

Boom. Boom.

He was almost there.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

The thudding was his heart, not his feet, he realized.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

He took another deep breath.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

The lingering scent of lavender filled his senses.

Boom. Boom.

Rebecca, giving him strength, even when she wasn’t near.

Boom
.

He entered the room.

And his heart shattered into pieces.

Over the past several months, he’d, unfortunately, seen several members of his family in the hospital. His brothers, his sisters, their loves. Even Rebecca.

Nothing, however, had prepared him for this.

His father was covered in a thin, cotton hospital gown. Clear tubes dripped medication into his hands, while oxygen filled him through nasal cannula tubing. A heart monitor beeped discordantly. His father’s skin was indeed pale, almost as pale as the white in his salt-and-pepper hair and mustache.

He looked weak.

He looked broken.

The man who gave him strength, guidance, and love, lay damaged in a bed in front of him.

And there wasn’t a fucking thing Alex could do to help.

Part of Alex broke, too.

He wasn’t accustomed to feeling weak and useless. He was the heir to Valleria’s throne. He’d been raised since birth to handle any situation that arose.

He wasn’t sure he could handle this.

“Papa.”

Gabriel’s black eyes shifted to him and he gave Alex a weak smile. “Come, my son. There is much to discuss.”

Alex came in and gave a nod to Corrado, who entered and closed the door behind him.

“Leave us,” Gabriel told the room, and the nurses slowed, but didn’t stop, their actions.

“Your Majesty, we–,” one of them began.

Gabriel held up a hand, silencing her. “I understand you must do your work, but there is pressing business I must see to first. A few minutes, nothing more, I promise you.”

The nurses glanced at each other. “We’ll need to confirm with the doctor first. I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

“Then do it quickly.”

A nurse ran out the door and returned within a minute with approval. Then the nurses left the room, shutting the door behind them.