Andres strolled over to the bed and sat down with her straddling his lap. His brow wrinkled in confusion. “I knew he had taken a trip, but his staff was very hush-hush about where he was going. To be quite honest, I’ve been pre-occupied and didn’t push. I assumed his trip had something to do with his treatment for Alzheimer’s. Maybe he was looking into an experimental procedure, which he’d told me he was open to.” He cupped her face. “I can’t believe this. Are you saying he will give his permission for us to marry?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t he tell me you were coming?”
“I asked him not to.”
She explained the chain of events, from the time Prince Felipe showed up at her parents’ house, to her arrival with him tonight.
“I can’t let you give up your title. I love you, Andres. The fact that you’d be willing to do that for me…” Her voice cracked. “I’ll marry you.” She kissed him and brushed away that unruly curl that always fell across his brow. She reveled in the gentle pressure of his mouth. “I’ll marry you.”
Smoothing his hand down her loose hair, he looked directly into her eyes. “I never wanted to sacrifice anything until you. Nothing matters without you. But are you sure this is what you want? My grandfather can be very convincing.”
She laughed, giddy. Ecstatic. Ready to face whatever came her way with this man at her side. “He did mention something about altering the course of history.”
“Hala.” Andres shook his head and studied her. “You’re not back here because of guilt, are you? I want to be with you. I want to raise a family with you. We can do that anywhere, without the trappings of titles and royal protocol. You don’t have to be a part of my crazy world.”
She held his hand. “I know I have a lot to learn, but I’m ready to be a part of it, as long as you’re in it. Prince Felipe thinks that once he gives his approval and the palace issues an engagement announcement, that will eliminate the negativity.”
“Some of the negativity, not all.” His eyes saddened. “Perhaps I was naïve, but the attacks you received were uncalled for and disappointing. To know that my own people feel that way was…eye-opening.”
“But it’s not everyone,” Angela said gently. She squeezed his hand. “Let’s not give negative, hateful people so much power that they keep you from your rightful place in history. I love you, Andres. I love you more than I ever thought I was capable of loving anyone. I’ll stand by your side and work with you as much as you need me to. And every now and again, I’ll just need you to hold my hand.”
“Ay, te quiero mucho, mi amor,” he whispered with a smile. He trailed soft kisses down the side of her face and along her throat. “I will hold your hand. I will hold your ass. I will hold your—”
“Stop!” Angela slapped his chest and burst into a fit of giggles.
Andres chuckled softly, laughing into her skin. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he rolled her onto her back. He gazed down into her eyes, and she trailed her fingers through his damp hair.
“You’re really here,” he said.
“Yes, I’m here.”
“Ay Dios, te quiero mucho.”
He kissed her again, and slowly they made love until he entered her with one smooth stroke and a moan spilled with urgency from her lips. His thrusting hips took them over the edge into an intense, emotional climax that left them clinging to each other for a long time afterward.
32
“You look beautiful, baby,” Tessa said.
“Thank you, Mom.” Today was her wedding day, and her mother had arrived a few days ago to help.
Angela stood up from the couch. Despite the nervous flutter in her belly, she was ready to be Andres’s wife.
The dress she wore had embroidered flowers decorating the bodice and climbing from the hemline halfway up the A-line skirt. The voluminous tulle skirt hid her four-month pregnancy bump, and a sweetheart neckline with capped off-the-shoulder sleeves tastefully showed off her shape and bare arms. Her makeup was simple, and so was her jewelry. She only wore diamond earrings, a gift from Prince Felipe, and used the natural waves in her hair to advantage to create a full, elegant updo.
As was customary in Estorian royal weddings, there were no bridesmaids or groomsmen. However, a very pregnant Dahlia had flown in from Zamibia to provide moral support, with a full medical staff in case she went into labor. During the past few weeks, their conversations had been invaluable in getting Angela’s mind right as she went through the adjustment of becoming a member of the royal family. In addition, six attendants, two professional makeup artists, and hairdressers helped in the preparations.
As promised, Prince Felipe had proclaimed his approval of the wedding and a formal announcement had been made to introduce Angela to the local as well as international press. All of the negative articles did not go away, but with the full force of Prince Felipe and the palace’s communications team, a more positive narrative around the couple’s engagement became the norm, particularly when reporters learned that their whirlwind courtship had started at another royal wedding. Some deemed their meeting as destiny, but no matter the point of view, a certain excitement was generated throughout the island nation, reinvigorating the monarchy.
One of the attendants approached, a middle-aged woman with dark hair pulled back into a chignon. “Should I tell them we’re ready?” she asked.
Angela nodded. “Yes. Tell them we’re ready.”
The woman left the room and the other attendants followed.
Tessa approached and held her hands. She stood back and took a good look at her. “I’m so proud of you and the strength you exhibited in the face of so much negativity. I’ve always wanted to protect you from anything that was bad, but I realize now that’s not the best way. There was no need to coddle you, and you can fight for yourself. You’ve made both me and your father proud.”
Angela’s eyes grew misty. “Thank you, Mom.”
They hugged briefly and then Dahlia approached.
“Who knew that in less than a year we would be attending another wedding—another royal wedding at that.”
Angela laughed. “Thank you so much for being there for me and being a sounding board.”
“Well, we still have a lot of work to do, but we’ll figure out this life together. See you in the church.”
They hugged, getting as close as they could with Dahlia’s belly protruding between them, and then Dahlia and her mother left, leaving Angela alone.
She entwined her fingers together and wondered what Andres was doing now. Was he also nervous, or confident and calm?
She paced over to the window and looked out beyond the front courtyard to the throng of people lining the streets. News cameras and reporters from the United States and all over Europe and the world were present to capture her trip from the palace grounds to the oldest church in Estoria, established by Andres’s ancestors during the founding of the country.
She took another breath and touched her stomach. She looked forward to the days when her waist would expand and she could fully enjoy being pregnant.
There was a knock on the door, and Angela turned away from the window. “Come in,” she called.
The brunette attendant stepped inside. “Your carriage awaits,” she said with a smile.
She affixed Angela’s veil and with her assistance and that of another attendant, Angela made her way down the steps to the horse-drawn carriage. The women carefully folded in her train and closed the door. From there to the church she would have to ride alone.
The coachman clicked his tongue, and the horses took off at a trot. They traveled along the streets lined with spectators waving the flag of Estoria and cheering as she passed by. Angela waved at the onlookers, their excitement rubbing off on her and diminishing the fit of nerves that kept her from eating a bite all morning long.
The carriage ride took them to the front of the church where more attendants helped her down. They adjusted the train and held it off the ground as
Angela started walking, cameras flashing all around. She briefly acknowledged them with a faint smile but remained focused and walked carefully up the three steps into the vestibule where her father waited with tears in his eyes.
Arm in arm they waited for the signal from the organist.
“You look lovely. I’m so happy I’m alive to see this day,” Martin whispered. “Does this Prince Andres guy know how lucky he is?”
Angela blinked rapidly and glanced up at him. “I believe he does, but if he doesn’t, I’ll make sure to remind him.”
They grinned at each other.
Soon, the beginning strains of the Estorian wedding march sounded. Uniformed male attendants took their time opening the large golden doors and stepped aside.
Bouquet in hand, Angela walked down the aisle on her father’s arm. She kept her gaze trained on Andres, who wore a dark suit with a red House of Vasquez sash across his torso.
With a broken sob, Martin handed her over to Andres. Angela squeezed his arm and her father turned quickly away and hurried to where Tessa sat.
She took a deep breath and faced her future husband.
As Andres lifted the veil, she noted that his eyes were a bright blue—brighter than she’d ever seen them. “Te quiero,” he mouthed to her.
“Te quiero, tambien,” she mouthed back.
Epilogue
The Red Room in the Royal Palace of Estoria was filled with period furniture made with rich, vibrant fabrics. The House of Vasquez used the room to receive foreign dignitaries and as a location for important announcements. None was more important than the one Prince Felipe would make today.
Andres stood solemnly beside his grandfather, directly across the room from a group of photographers and video cameras that would send out a live broadcast of Prince Felipe’s abdication speech. Angela stood off to his left with other members of the royal family positioned around the room, including Juan the Viscount of Guzman. Juan’s features remained stoic, but less than an hour before he’d worn a surly expression, still smarting from the fact that Andres had not walked away from the throne as promised. His cousin may never forgive him.
“We are ready, Your Highness,” the palace communications director said. He crossed his hands in front of him and stood behind one of the cameras, next to the cameraman, awaiting Prince Felipe’s signal.
The old man took a step forward and straightened his spine. A staff member handed him the speech. He stood very still and cleared his throat. “I am ready.”
The light on the camera came on. Prince Felipe issued a brief greeting and then launched into his speech.
“…last year my decision to renounce the throne did not come easy. This very serious decision has made my heart heavy, but I made up my mind to do so in the best interest of our country. The burden of responsibility has become too much for me to bear, but the decision to relinquish that responsibility has been less difficult with the knowledge that my successor, whose training and fine qualities are of the highest caliber, is more than capable to pick up the mantle.
“Today I discharged my last duty as prince and reigning monarch, succeeded by my grandson, Prince Andres Luis Vasquez Alamanzar II. From this day forward I declare my allegiance to him, with all my heart and with no reservations.
“We have a new ruler. I wish wisdom, happiness, and God’s blessings on his rule. God save the Prince of Estoria!”
“God save the Prince of Estoria!” everyone in the room repeated.
Prince Felipe took the red sash from an aide, and the two of them placed it on Andres’s shoulder and secured it at his hip, indicating the transfer of power. Then Felipe bowed his head in respect.
Andres nodded and then stood next his grandfather. As cameras captured the aftermath, his eyes gravitated to Angela.
She was serene, a faint smile on her face.
Tonight and tomorrow there would be celebrations all over the island, ending with a formal reception and dinner tomorrow night. During all the activities, she would be right by his side.
Seated on the bed, Angela watched her two-month-old daughter’s brown eyes flutter closed as she rocked her in her arms. She and Andres were due to go downstairs to the formal dinner, but Elena Cristina had been fussy tonight, and she simply couldn’t walk away with her baby’s whimpering cries on her mind. The nanny hovered nearby and so did two attendants waiting to help Angela finish getting dressed, who’d tutted their concern that she’d soil her cream gown.
Andres entered the room. He was fully dressed in a tuxedo and the ceremonial red sash angled across his torso. “We have to go. They’re waiting,” he said in Spanish.
“I know,” she said reluctantly, also in Spanish. After living in Estoria for almost a year and intensive lessons from a no-nonsense tutor, her language skills had vastly improved.
Andres sat down beside her. “She’ll be fine.” He smoothed a hand over Cristina’s hair and dropped a kiss to her forehead.
Angela knew he hated to leave, too, but he was much better at adhering to duty than she was. Some days she still struggled with balancing their personal life with their public responsibilities, but it was getting easier.
She signaled to the nanny, who came over and took the baby out of the room, and Angela stood. One of the attendants quickly came over and lowered in front of her. She removed Angela’s slippers and placed gold heels on her feet. The other attendant placed the tiara on her head and secured it into her up do. Now all that was left was the jewelry. Her arms would remain bare, but she was going to wear gold pieces from the royal collection around her neck and in her ears.
One attendant fastened a chunky gold necklace with a large gold pendant around her neck, while the other placed the matching dangling earrings in her ears. The solid gold necklace was heavy. The earrings were heavy, too, but the hollowed-out center decreased the strain on her earlobes.
Angela checked her appearance in a wall mirror. The jewelry definitely enhanced the off-the-shoulder dress. She turned to face Andres. “Well, what do you think?”
A wolfish grin took over his lips.
“Don’t you dare,” she said, shooting him a warning look.
“What?” Andres said with mock innocence. He walked over and took her hand. “I was only going to say that you look beautiful. Doesn’t my wife look beautiful?” he asked the other two women.
“Yes, she does,” they agreed.
As she’d suspected, he wasn’t done. He leaned down to her ear and lapsed into English. “And I cannot wait until the end of this dinner so I can have my way with you, mi amor.”
Blushing, Angela grinned and shook her head. He was incorrigible, and she loved him to death.
With Andres leading the way, they took the stairs to the first floor and walked to the banquet hall. Two footmen stood outside the closed double doors. On Andres’s signal, they opened the doors and the couple stepped over the threshold.
Over one hundred attendees filled the tables. Cameras flashed, and everyone seated came to their feet and bowed or curtsied.
A male staff member standing off to the side in evening dress and a very stiff posture made the formal announcement. “Good evening! I present to you His Serene Highness, Prince Andres Luis Vasquez Alamanzar II and Her Royal Highness, Princess Angela Renee Lipscomb de Vasquez.”
Then Andres and Angela walked in to greet their guests.
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Excerpt: Princess of Zamibia
Travel to the fictional country of Zamibia in West Africa, in Princess of Zamibia (Royal Brides #1), and experience the royal romance between Dahlia Sommers and Crown Prince Kofi Francois Karunzika, Conquering Lion of the tribe of Mbutu.
Kofi settled his gaze on Dahlia as she walked slowly down the sidewalk with a
toddler in her arms, bundled against the unusually cold night. She wore a green knit cap pulled low on her head to protect her ears. Dark hair styled in two thick braids peeked from beneath the knit cap to land past her shoulder blades. The child was wrapped just as warmly as she, his head resting on her shoulder as he appeared to sleep.
As she neared, Kofi’s stomach tightened and his nostrils flared—an instinctive response to seeing the woman at whose feet he’d once planned to place the world. He couldn’t quite see her lush lips from this distance, but he remembered their taste and how she’d trembled beneath him—his harsh breaths melting with her soft pants. His body tightened, every muscle tense. He could almost hear her breathless cries, feel her undulating hips as he drove into her with frenzied thrusts.
Against his volition, his heart rate accelerated, pumping hot blood through his veins. After three years he still couldn’t control his body’s immediate reaction to seeing her. He clenched his fists to fight the involuntary acknowledgment and swallowed the bitter taste of betrayal. He’d never wanted a woman the way he had wanted Dahlia Sommers. Never needed one as much. And that had been his mistake.
His gaze shifted to the child, and he leaned forward, anxious to get a good look as they came into the light spilling from the front door of the building, but the child’s face was hidden from view. He’d hoped to catch an in-person glimpse of the son he found out existed only days ago. Once the private investigator told him and sent the damning photos of a toddler who looked almost identical to him at the same age, he dropped everything as quickly as he could and traveled to the United States.
His eyes narrowed on the mother of his child as her feet hesitated at the bottom of the steps. She looked up the street. For a moment he thought she saw him in the SUV, but then she turned and hurried into the building, clutching the child protectively in her arms. Almost as if she sensed his presence and knew why he came.
Princess of Estoria (Royal Brides Book 2) Page 18
