Lani nodded, eyes wide. He held her hand gently and pushed the delicate gold band onto her ring finger. The ring slid on easily, then the heavy gem tilted to one side. “It’s a bit big.”
“We’ll get it fixed. It’s beautiful and I love it.” Her eyes glistened with tears again. “And yes, I will marry you.”
AJ picked her up and twirled her around. He must have had the biggest grin in the world on his face.
“AJ, sweetheart—” The voice was not Lani’s but his mom’s, coming from the other side of the door.
“Do you think she’s been listening at the door?” he whispered.
Lani smiled. “Probably. I forgot she was there.”
“Me, too. I forget about everything when you’re around.” He gave her a squeeze. “You think we should let her in on the good news?”
Lani tensed a little in his arms.
“Or are you not quite ready to face the mayhem again?”
She shrugged. “We’ll have to sooner or later. Might as well get it over with.” She rubbed at her cheeks, and he smoothed away any last telltale signs of her tears. He took her hand and they marched toward the door, which locked from the inside with a massive iron bolt. He pulled the bolt, then caught Lani’s hand again as he opened the door and light flooded into the dim chamber.
As expected, a large crowd had gathered outside, flanking his mom, who had those bright spots of color high on her cheeks that let him know she was really agitated.
“Hi, Mom.”
“What were you doing in there?” His mom glanced at Lani, who blushed.
“That’s between me and Lani and the throne.” He cocked his head and gave Lani a sly wink.
Her flush deepened.
He felt strangely calm. “I’ve come back for good, and Lani has kindly agreed to marry me.”
His mom’s mouth fell open and she gasped. Then she grasped Lani in her arms and hugged her. “What wonderful news!”
Photographic flashes half blinded him.
“Who’s going to rule Rahiri?” A British accent.
AJ held Lani close. “Both of us. We’ll rule together until our child comes of age.”
“But isn’t the baby your brother Vanu’s?” An American woman shoved a microphone under his nose.
“Vanu’s gone.” He glanced at Lani. “I’ll raise the child as a father and love him or her as my own until they’re old enough to rule.”
“Will you keep making films?” a young man shouted from near the back.
“I will. I already have some ideas for films set in Rahiri.”
He looked at Lani, whose eyes widened. Then she smiled. “It would be a shame for AJ to waste his creative talents. And there’s a wealth of talent on this island that will enjoy working on the films.”
AJ put his arm around her. “Rahiri’s changed a lot since I was a boy. We have better schools and hospitals. We have cell phones and satellite TV. But the important things have stayed the same. People care about each other and about the land and water they live on. We have customs and culture totally unique to Rahiri that we celebrate and enjoy just as our ancestors did. Lani and I look forward to continuing the legacies of both progress and tradition that my father set in motion.”
Cameras flashed and AJ smiled. Already he felt rather relaxed in the new role. Different aspects of their lives seemed to be slotting into place in a neat yet interesting pattern, much like the colorful woven fabrics of Lani’s dresses, or the ornate teak carvings on the veranda around them.
They answered more questions together, Lani growing more confident and talkative, her beauty radiant as the noon sunshine.
Finally AJ decided it was time for some peace and quiet. “Now I must ask you to all leave the palace. The family needs some privacy.”
Lani’s nose tickled a bit as Priia dusted the traditional pollen on her cheeks with a fat makeup brush.
“It makes you glow so nicely! We should all wear it every day.” Her mother-in-law beamed.
“I’m not sure the bees would appreciate that, but it does feel soft.” Just like her silk dress, an intricate weave of delicate colors and real gold thread. She’d worn a similar dress for her wedding to Vanu, but this time everything felt different, maybe because it wasn’t all strange and alarming like the first time. She knew everyone at the palace and it was already her home. The ceremony marked the happy change of welcoming AJ into her life.
The population of Rahiri swelled to almost double its usual numbers for the joint wedding and coronation. She rarely watched TV but now she made a special effort to avoid it. It was too bizarre to see herself cast in the “rags to riches to happiness” drama they all turned her life into. At least they were right about the last part.
“Where’s AJ?” All the fussing made her restless.
“He’s getting ready as well, sweetheart. You won’t see him again until the ceremony. It’s bad luck.”
Lani sighed. A hug from AJ would really calm her nerves right now. She wasn’t anxious about the marriage itself, or even becoming an official monarch, just ready to get all the official drama out of the way. Although the king usually did the speaking during the ceremony, AJ had suggested that she should say the words, too, to symbolize their equality as monarchs. Of course he was right and it was for the best, but what if she froze and forgot her words in front of all those people?
The sound of her phone made her jump. It took her a while to find it on the dressing table amongst all the lotions and potions. Even her own hand—nails and fingertips decorated with red berry juice—startled her as she reached for it. “Hello?”
“How’s my beautiful bride?” AJ’s low voice, relaxed as always, made warmth flood her tense muscles.
“Nervous but okay. How’s my handsome husband-to-be?”
“I’ll be better when we’re alone tonight.” His suggestive tone made desire and anticipation trickle through her. Which was funny, really, since they’d slept together every night since he came back. “And the crowns are off our heads again.”
“I know just how you feel.” What a relief to have a partner she could really talk to. “I feel like we’re participating in a costume party of some kind, not a real coronation.”
AJ chuckled. “It is a costume party, complete with crowns woven from rare orchids and real gold. All we really have to do is smile and look regal. You’ve had more practice than I have.”
“I wasn’t very good at it. I’ve always felt like a milkmaid who’d stumbled into the palace and been mistaken for a princess.”
“Easy to see how that could happen, with your looks.”
Lani laughed. “How do you always manage to make me smile?”
“Because you love me, so you laugh, even at my worst jokes.”
“I guess that must be it.” She sighed. Her chest felt so full. “I do love you. I never thought I’d know real love, especially after I realized I wouldn’t find it in my first marriage. What a surprise.”
“There’s really nothing better than a surprise when you least expect it—at least that was always my chief theory as a director.”
“I’m not sure the citizens of Rahiri will feel the same way.” She lifted a brow, then realized he couldn’t see it over the phone. “They might prefer easy predictability.”
“Then we’ll try not to declare too many wars or set off too many loud explosions. Your gentle spirit will be a moderating influence on me.”
“Maybe it will.” She smiled. It was so easy and fun to tease AJ. “Though some might say my spirit is less gentle now it has you encouraging it into mischief.”
“Mmm. I’m thinking about last night.” AJ’s throaty voice stirred heat deep inside her.
“We really should have saved our energy for today.” Lani glanced at her glamorously made-up and gold-pollen-dusted visage in the mirror.
“Then we’d be more nervous. Much better to burn off some adrenaline first.” AJ’s voice slid into her ear, soft and seductive. “And even fresh pollen can’t compete
with the natural glow of a sexually satisfied woman.”
“You’re sending my thoughts in the wrong directions.” Her pupils were dilating and her cheeks flushing an embarrassed pink. “Perhaps we need to turn our discussion to Rahiri’s gross national product.”
He laughed. “And how much it’s growing due to the sale of souvenirs and tchotchkes associated with our nuptials. Speaking of which, it’s almost time to head for the throne room. Try not to think about what we got up to in there when there weren’t any crowds around.”
Lani sucked in a breath. Would she be able to keep her mind focused on the age-old ceremony when she knew what they’d done on the surface of that ancient stone? “See you there, if I don’t pass out from nerves on my way.”
“You’ll do just fine, your majesty.”
Lani smiled as she ended the call. With AJ at her side, anything was possible.
Epilogue
Three years later
“It’s lucky we have a home theater,” Lani exclaimed, after AJ’s umpteenth attempt to catch little Puaiti and return her to one of the velvet armchairs. Within seconds she’d popped up again like a jack-in-the-box and was running around the darkened room.
The credits for Dragon Chaser 6: The Unveiling were already scrolling on the screen.
“Yes, she doesn’t seem to find the series too riveting,” said AJ. He reached out to tickle her as she ran past. “But I suppose she’s a bit outside our ideal demographic.”
“She’d have a fit if you tried to leave her out.” Priia chucked Puaiti’s chin as she darted past her seat. “Always has to be at the center of the action, just like her dad.”
She looked fondly at AJ. They all knew that in Priia’s mind, AJ, not Vanu, who was rarely mentioned, was Puaiti’s father.
Apparently Puaiti took after AJ in every way except gender, including a passion for movies, though now, at age three, the Disney princesses were her favorites. She sported a yellow Sleeping Beauty gown as she leapt onto AJ’s lap and begged for more popcorn.
Her baby sister, Maya, slept in Lani’s arms. She could sleep through almost anything, which was lucky with Puaiti around.
“Ray did a great job. I don’t think I could have done better.” He gave Puaiti a piece of popcorn and watched carefully while she ate it. Lani had explained that popcorn was a choking hazard and AJ, attentive father that he was, took the warning seriously.
“I think you might have made the chase scene on the bridge a touch more dramatic.” Lani stroked Maya’s silky golden hair. “I suspect you might have added an aerial component involving the suspension cables.”
AJ stared at her, humor glittering in his eyes. “How did you know that’s exactly what I was thinking?”
“Well, I have seen your films a few times.” She glanced at Priia. “Along with your greatest fan.”
Priia dusted popcorn salt off her hands. “My AJ would have made the film very exciting, but he’s more valuable here in Rahiri.”
“Don’t you miss your shopping trips to Rodeo Drive, Mom?” AJ leaned toward her. “You don’t have any good excuse to fly all the way to L.A. to shop anymore.”
“Sweetheart, thanks to you and your tourism initiatives, I don’t need to. There’s going to be a Chanel and a Fendi opening right here in the new visitors’ village.” She leaned toward Lani and lifted a penciled brow. “Possibly a Ferragamo, too, but that’s not definite yet.”
Lani smiled. “I’m looking forward to the new JoJo Maman Bébé. Maya told me she’d like some designer diapers.” She winked at AJ. They both enjoyed teasing Priia about her passion for luxury labels. No one could argue that the visitors now streaming to the island brought funds to build schools, hospitals and other services that would have been unimaginable a generation ago.
“Smart girl.” Priia held out her arms. “Why don’t you give her to me and go enjoy the sunset. I know our littlest princess has been keeping you busy around the clock all week. Puaiti and I will read Maya a story, won’t we, Puaiti?”
The toddler pulled a book from her stash near the video controls. “She loves Winnie the Pooh!”
AJ slipped his hand into hers and the familiar thrill danced up her arm. They walked out onto the veranda as Priia recited the opening lines of The House at Pooh Corner, for probably the seventieth time.
The sun was setting over the valley below and she could just make out the roar of the waterfall under the animated hum of the evening chorus. The soft copper light animated AJ’s handsome features. She could swear he’d become even more gorgeous—as well as more dignified—since he’d assumed the role of king. The commentators on Celebrity Watch had recently made the same observation, much to AJ’s amusement.
“Are you sleepy?” AJ stroked her cheek.
“Not in the least.” Her body hummed with fresh energy and she wrapped her arms around her husband’s waist. A shiver of anticipation made her lips tingle for a split second before they kissed. “Maybe we should sneak off to the throne room and lock the door so no one could disturb us?”
AJ’s dark eyes smoldered with familiar passion. “I like the way you think.”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-8922-6
THE PRINCE’S PREGNANT BRIDE
Copyright © 2011 by Jennifer Lewis
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*The Hardcastle Progeny
†Royal Rebels
The Prince’s Pregnant Bride Page 15
