A Royal Holiday (Royals of Valleria #5) (4 page)

He tipped her chin up to face him. “Besides that, after I realized I was in love with you, no one else mattered. The past ceased to exist for me. Maybe it was a lie of omission, but I never intended it as one.”

Rebecca toyed with tie again for a long minute before speaking. “That woman is the one who betrayed your trust. I don’t blame you, Alex. Like you said, it was a long time ago. You have a past, and so do I.”

His eyes narrowed. “Your past isn’t like mine. You never slept with anyone before me.”

“That’s true, but you weren’t the first boy I kissed.”

“Damn right I wasn’t. I’m the last
man
you’ll ever kiss.”

“Stop acting so jealous.”

“Stop bringing up the useless
boys
you knew before me.”

She quirked an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms. “Useless? While they may not be the future ruler of Valleria, they’re actually doing quite well. One’s a doctor, one’s a teacher, another’s a lawyer. Shall I go on?”

“Shut up.”

“Is that any way to speak to your fiancée?”

He growled and Rebecca smiled. “Oh, Alex.” She cupped his face. “You’re the only one I’ve ever loved, too, you know.” She kissed him, long, slow, and deep. His blood was simmering by the time the kiss was done, and he wanted to fire it up to full boil and take her again. He wanted to affirm their love in the most physical and elemental way possible, but there just wasn’t time.

“You’re bound to get a lot of looks and whispers because of this,” he murmured, resignation clear in his voice. “Your parents might, too.”

Rebecca frowned. “I didn’t think about that. I’ll send them a message before we leave for breakfast.” As she slipped off his lap, he felt the loss of her warmth acutely. He watched her tapping away at her phone and rose to change his tie.

***

Rebecca was nervous as they entered the dining room and found everyone already seated and enjoying a quiet meal. If they had been in public, Rebecca should and would have curtsied to them all; since they weren’t, she and Alex served themselves from the buffet and sat down.

“I’ve just told them about the pictures, Alexander,” Gabriel said as he sat back in his chair.

“I’ve got my people looking into it more,” Marcello said from his seat next to Grace. “If she does still have a copy of anything, we’ll find it.”

Alex nodded. “Thank you. I do want to take this moment and apologize for any grief or embarrassment I’ve caused.”

Rebecca reached over and clutched Alex’s hand, which he promptly lifted to his lips for a kiss. “Things will be hardest for my fiancée, so I hope you’ll do everything to help her.”

“Things will be hardest for you,” Rebecca told Alex. “I can deal with it, so can my parents, and your family.”

Alex tugged her against him. “Our family. There’s no more ‘yours’ or ‘mine’ anymore; it’s ‘ours’, isn’t it?”

She smiled softly. “Yes, you’re right.”

“I’ve been thinking,” Marcello said. “Considering the types of spy cameras they had over a decade ago, she would have needed serious money for anything with halfway decent resolution. They’d need good resolution to prove it was you in the video.”

“Money was the one thing she had,” Alex said. “At least, until recently.”

“You’ll need to address the press,” Catharine, Alex’s twin sister, said. “Is Tavin setting something up?”

Alex shook his head. “Not yet, Cat. Before I speak with them, I want to know who took the photo of Rebecca and me that’s plastered on the front page of every newspaper in Valleria.”

“My people are working on that, too,” Marcello said, then paused. “Did you happen to see the other articles making the rounds this morning?”

Alex gave Marcello a wary look. “What else are we worrying about today?”

“Two things. First, the press is still conjecturing about the secret passageways in the palace.”

“Well, that’s your fault, isn’t it?” Nate piped up. “You’re the one who used one the passages during a live national broadcast.”

Marcello quirked an eyebrow. “I did it to save the life of our father – and you, by the way – from a chemical bomb.”

Gabriel ran a finger over his salt-and-pepper mustache. “For which we are
both
very thankful, are we not, Nathaniel?”

Nate smiled broadly. “I’m not. I still got shot and had to save myself.”

“Regardless,” Marcello said, a little too loudly, “we’ll need to get on the same page about what to say to the press. The passageways were just rumours before, but they’re reality now.” Everyone grumbled; it had been a miracle that they had managed to keep them a secret before now.

Alex took a long sip of his coffee. “You said there were something else worrying in the paper. What was it?”

Marcello took hold of Grace’s hand. “The press is also questioning why Grace was taken to the bunker with the king and queen when we had an active shooter in the palace last month, but not all of the royal children.”

“I’m sorry to cause any trouble,” Grace said quietly.

Rebecca shook her head. “You’re not causing any trouble, the press is. I was in that bunker, too. If they’re upset at you, they should be upset at me.”

Grace bit her lip. “I don’t think so. It’s different with you, isn’t it? You’re the future queen.”

“And you’re basically a future princess,” Rebecca countered. “You’re a part of the family as much as I am, whether or not there’s a ring on your finger.”

Gabriel nodded. “Well said. The same is true for Finn and Charlotte as well. You’re all a part of our family, and I won’t hear another word on the subject. We’ll say as much to the press as well, and put an end to this nonsense.”

Grace smiled. “Thank you.”

“And I’ll make sure Charlie gets the message, too,” Nate said.

“Where is Charlie?” Carolina asked.

“Working too hard, as usual.” Nate sighed. “She was up at God knows what hour working on baked goods for some event or other.”

“Are you worried she’s overdoing it? Is she still in pain?” Genevieve asked.

Nate shook his head. “She’s fine, but I’m still worried about her.”

Cat poured herself another cup of Vallerian Grey tea. “There are a lot of parties and events around the palace this time of year, not to mention the Holiday Ball in a couple days.” She set the teapot down. “Will that still double as an engagement party? Or is it off now?”

“It’s still on,” Alex said, brooking no argument. “I’ll set the press straight before the ball, even if we haven’t heard anything from Marcello’s people by then.”

Rebecca didn’t care about balls or parties or public celebrations of their engagement; that they were engaged and getting married was enough for her. “If it’s easier to cancel the engagement party side of the ball, we can do that.”

“No. No,” he said again just as his mother was about to speak up. “If we cancel it, all it does is give people doubts about the engagement.”

“I agree,” Gabriel said. “We show a united front.”

“Tavin will work on some talking points and send them around to everyone,” Alex said.

“We know how to work the press,” Lorenzo said a little defensively. “We’ll be fine.”

Alex raised an eyebrow at his younger brother. “Well, you’ll still get them all the same. Expect them sometime today.”

“Oh, no.” Rebecca put down her fork; she’d only been pretending to eat anyhow.

“What is it, darling?”

“I just remembered my schedule for the day. Our schedule for the day,” she said, gesturing to Cat and Genevieve as well. “We’re supposed to go out shopping for last minute gifts. The security’s all been arranged.”

“Are you concerned about being out in public?” Alex asked, worry hidden in the deep, black depths of his eyes. God, she could lose herself in those eyes.

“It doesn’t matter. It’ll be easier for you two if I don’t come along. I can arrange a trip some other time, or ask my mother to pick up what I need.”

“Nonsense,” Grace said. “You shouldn’t let this situation take over your life. I think you should still go.” The whole family, even Marcello, widened their eyes at Grace’s atypical declaration. Perhaps Gabriel’s pronouncement left her feeling more comfortable about her place in the family with them all.

Cat nodded. “Well said, Grace. I agree. I think we should make it into a big girls’ trip out. Grace, Carolina – you should come along, and we’ll ask Charlie, too. Sarah should be here soon, and so should Nonna,” Cat said, referring to their grandmother, Victoria, who was the former queen and Gabriel’s mother.

Genevieve clapped her hands together. “Oh, that does sound like fun.”

“Mama, I think if we’re going to do this, we should also head over to the Gara Hotel for their tea service afterwards. You know, really make a day of it.”

“Are you sure they can fit us in for tea?” Carolina asked. “They’re usually booked solid this time of year.”

“I’ll give the owner a call,” Genevieve said. “Since we’ve booked the entire hotel for wedding guests – which is costing us more than a little money, to say the least – I’m sure they would be more than willing to accommodate us.”

As the other women began chattering, Alex leaned over and whispered in Rebecca’s ear. “Are you all right with this? If you don’t want to go out, you don’t have to.”

Rebecca smiled, a little resigned. “This day had to come eventually, right? We were bound to run into one of your old flings at some point. I’ll go with the girls. Grace is right; hiding here isn’t the answer.”

“Rebecca.”

“Shhh,” she said, placing her fingers over his lips while conversation continued around them. “I’ll be all right. I’ll see if my mother can come along, too. That will make me feel better.”

Alex’s mouth quirked in a half-smile. “It also doesn’t hurt that your mother won’t take shit from anyone, and will talk back if anybody has the gall to speak out against you.”

Rebecca smiled. “No, that doesn’t hurt at all.”

He pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. “You’re taking extra security with you. If all of you are going out together, it needs to be done anyway.”

Rebecca nodded. “All right.”

Alex kissed her again before pulling back and speaking to the table. “What time were you planning on leaving?”

“I think just after lunch,” Genevieve said. “The rain should be over by then and it will give Sarah and your Nonna a little more time to settle after they arrive. Nathaniel, do you think Charlotte will be able to come?”

“I’m not sure, but I’ll convince her,” Nate said with a knowing smile.

“I’d like to ask my mother to come along.”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea, Rebecca,” Genevieve said genuinely. “I do have a number of wedding-related items to discuss with her.”

“Don’t you think you should be discussing those with Rebecca first?” Alex asked, frustration clear in his voice. “Or me? It is our wedding, after all.” Rebecca smiled; this wasn’t the first time Alex had needed to remind his mother about that.

“You know,” Genevieve started, “I very much resent the implication that I don’t have both of your best interests at heart when it comes to organizing this wedding. It is a massive undertaking and I would think that my help would be appreciated.”