Charlotte & Nate (Royals of Valleria #4)

by Marianne Knightly

  “I kind of like yours, too.” Charlie put her hand next to his and played lightly with his fingers; the IV drip would make the hand difficult to hold.

  “Did you see what happened?”

  She nodded, her head down, unable to face him. “I was so scared,” she said in a small voice.

  “Don’t. It’s okay. Everything’s okay.”

  “The cameras cut out just after you were shot. No one knew what happened, or if you were all right.”

  “I will be. So will you. We’ll even have matching scars to boot.”

  “We can get matching tattoos to cover them up, if you want.”

  Nate gazed at her, his eyes clear and assessing. “A woman who’d get matching tattoos sounds like a woman in love.”

  Charlie swallowed. She’d never said the words to anyone, not even Lola. She’d been shot, but saying those few words was much scarier. “I do love you.”

  “Charlotte.” He tugged at her fingers and she carefully leaned down over him. She gave him the barest kiss and then rested her forehead against his. “Say it again.”

  “You go first.”

  “I love you, Charlotte-mine.” He brushed her hair back, wincing a little at the pain it caused to lift his IV-laden hands.

  “Don’t move around so much. You’ll hurt yourself.”

  “Say it again.”

  “Nate,” she warned when his hands fisted in her hair.

  “Say it.”

  “I love you.” For some unknown reason, she gasped. “I love you, Nate. I do.” Tears staggered down her face.

  “There, there. Don’t cry. It’s okay.”

  She buried her face against his neck, the feel of his stubble surprisingly comforting. “I don’t know what’s come over me.”

  He rubbed a hand down her back, his fingertips brushing her skin where the hospital gown gaped through. “It’s been an emotional day. An emotional week, really. It’s perfectly understandable.”

  “I don’t think that’s it,” she murmured against his warm skin. “Maybe part of it, though.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “I think this is the first time in my life that I’m not alone anymore. It’s terrifying.”

  He huffed a laugh, then moaned at the pain it caused. “Charlotte-mine,” he said lifting her chin up, “you will never be alone again.” He kissed her sweet and long, full of promise and just the barest hint of heat.

  “You should get some rest,” she said as she shifted away from him.

  “So should you. Come lie down next to me.”

  Her mouth dropped. “I couldn’t do that. Your parents could be right outside.”

  “Well, you’re moving in with me when we get out of here, so they ought to get used to seeing us together.”

  Charlie, still sitting, put her hands on her hips. “What are you talking about? Moving in together? We’ve only been together a week, if that. And no public displays of affection. Holding hands, maybe, but the same bed? Are you crazy?”

  His smile was broad when he reached for her again. “Crazy for you.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Does that line work on anybody?”

  “There’s not an ‘anybody’ anymore; there’s just you.”

  How was she supposed to stay mad at that? “Well, I’m still not lying in bed with you.”

  “I’m already aching for you, Charlie.”

  “That’s the gunshot wound.” She pointed to her own. “Remember? I know what that feels like.”

  “It’s not the gunshot. It’s you.”

  “Are you two arguing already?” Marcello asked as he stepped inside, a smile on his face. “The family’s outside. You may want to hold off on the fighting until they leave.”

  “Who’s here?” Nate asked.

  “Everyone. It’s family dinner night, remember?”

  Nate groaned, though Charlie didn’t think it was because of his injury. “So, why is everyone here? They should be at the palace.”

  Marcello’s smile turned devious. “We’re having family dinner right here at the hospital, so you can be included.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Nate said. “It’s crowded in this room with just the three of us. You add – God, how many are we now? – and we won’t be able to move.”

  “That’s why we’ve got permission to roll you out there, where we’ve set up a big buffet in the waiting room.”

  “You should go, Nate,” Charlie said, laying a hand over his chest. “They came to see you.”

  “Not so fast, Charlie,” Marcello said. “You’re coming, too.”

  Her eyes widened. “Me? What do they want with me?”

  “They want to meet the woman Nate loves,” Marcello said.

  Charlie looked at Nate. “You told them?”

  “Of course I did,” he said as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

  Charlie looked back at Marcello and quirked an eyebrow. “They really want to see me? You didn’t tell them you accused me of conspiring against Nate or the crown?”

  “What?” Nate bellowed. “What the hell? You interrogated Charlie? When?”

  Charlie didn’t want to come between two brothers. “When I woke up. Wait,” she told Nate. “If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have gotten to the Council chamber in time. I’m not saying I approve of being treated like a criminal, but it saved your lives.”

  “You and I are going to have a word later,” Nate said to Marcello. “And when I’m better, my fist is also going to have a word with a delicate part of your body.”

  Marcello grinned. “I’d like to see you try.”

  Charlie shook her head; working in kitchens, she’d seen all kinds of male posturing like this before. “Enough, both of you. Look, I couldn’t possibly meet your family looking like this.” Her eyes traveled down to her simple cotton hospital gown again and she shifted on the bed wondering just how much of her was showing through the gaps in the back.

  “Don’t worry,” Marcello said. “They already love you.”

  “They don’t know me,” she said, echoing their earlier conversation.

  Marcello paused. “You’re right. They don’t. But he does,” Marcello said as he pointed to Nate. “And that’s enough. See you in a few minutes.”

  Nate rubbed a hand over her leg. “Don’t worry so much. Marcello’s right, you know, as much as I loathe to admit it. They’ll love you because I do.”

  “Knock, knock.” Charlie turned to see Rebecca standing there. “I hope it’s not too presumptuous to assume that you may want something else to wear.”

  Charlie almost sagged in relief. “It’s not. Do you have something I can borrow?”

  “No, I don’t. But we do.” Rebecca stepped into the room, with several women following behind. Charlie sat agog while they all greeted Nate, who introduced Charlie to them in turn. She barely caught their names – Cat, Sarah, Carolina, Grace, Arianna – before they had managed to transform her simple hospital gown.

  A second gown was added to hide the openings in the back, followed by a sweater, then a thin robe added over them. A soft, purple scarf was added and a pair of simple slippers unearthed from somewhere. A brush was run through her hair, a light powder added to her skin, and a simple tinted balm was slicked over her dry lips.

  All of these women were strangers to her, but they were showing her kindness she’d never known before. It might be a simple scarf to them but, to Charlie, it was much, much more.

  Nate gently gripped one of his sister’s hands. “Ari, we weren’t sure if you would make it to family dinner this time around. You just got out of the hospital about a week ago.”

  A dreamy smile spread across Arianna’s face as she touched a hand to her stomach. “Well, the baby was putting up quite a fight. I don’t have morning sickness, but instead have pretty-much-all-day sickness.” She chuckled. “But the baby’s growing and everything looks good.”

  Charlie was well aware of what had happened to Arianna, since it was barely a month ago. Though she’d
become engaged to the crown prince of Brazenbourg, Henry, it was really his brother, Finn, she had fallen in love with. When she went back to Brazenbourg to meet Finn, she’d accidentally fallen into a trap – a bomb attack – set up by Henry and had been injured. Fortunately, neither she nor Finn nor their baby had suffered any serious injuries.

  “No one, not even Mama, would have faulted you for staying back home in Brazenbourg,” Nate said.

  “Mama won’t say anything,” Cat agreed. “Especially since you’re carrying her grandchild.”

  “And my niece,” Sarah piped up.

  “Or my nephew,” Carolina said as she bumped shoulders with Sarah.

  “Or both,” Nate said with a wink from the bed.

  Arianna laughed. “Don’t joke about twins, Nate. Anyway, as far as the sex of the baby goes, well, you’ll have to wait to find out. We’re waiting until the birth.”

  A chorus of ‘Awwws’ broke out from everyone in the room. “You know,” Rebecca said mischievously, “we could still find out if the baby’s a girl or a boy and just not tell you. Win-win.”

  Arianna shook her head. “I think you’ve been spending too much time with Mama. That’s exactly the sort of thing she would say.”

  “That it is,” Nate agreed and turned his face to Rebecca. “Besides, everyone here is going to remember that suggestion when you get pregnant one day.”

  Rebecca laughed. “Oh, please don’t. It’ll be stressful enough carrying the next heir to the throne.”

  “What do you think I’m doing?” Arianna teased. “Carrying the second-in-line to the throne of Brazenbourg?”

  Rebecca walked over and put an arm around Arianna. “You’re right. You do know exactly what I’ll go through, don’t you? I’ll be looking to you for advice.”

  “Are we talking imminent advice?” Cat asked with a gleam in her eye.

  “Oh, no,” Rebecca assured.

  Arianna sighed. “If ever I get over this morning sickness, I’m going to start planning my wedding.” She gazed down at her ring, a large emerald haloed with diamonds.

  “Do you want a big wedding?” Sarah asked.

  “I want any wedding,” Arianna said. “Maybe in a few months. We don’t have to wait a year like Rebecca and Alex do.”

  As all the girls chattered on, Charlie felt overwhelmed. She’d never really had anybody and now she had a veritable sports team of people including her in their lives. Charlie reached over and brushed her knuckles against Nate’s cheek. While conversation continued around them, she bent down and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

  “What happened to no public displays of affection?” he murmured.

  “This doesn’t feel like a ‘public’ to me.”

  He smiled. “No, it doesn’t. Ready to meet the whole family?”

  “As I’ll ever be.”

  ***

  After the nurses raised the head of Nate’s bed and rolled him out into the reception area, Charlie took a seat next to him and held tight to his hand. She was so nervous and felt unprepared. She never knew how to act with a family. She could bake for them, sure, but talking to them presented an entirely different challenge.

  She shouldn’t have worried.

  Just as the women had invited her into their circle, the others did as well. Plates of hearty lasagna were passed around to family, friends, and hospital staff as well, who watched the scene with rapt fascination from the nurses station nearby. Their confidentiality agreements would keep their silence, though the nurses doubted anyone would believe the familial scene if they told it anyway.

  The food was taunted in front of Nate, whose doctor had nixed it in lieu of a lighter soup. Charlie had passed the soup stage but could only manage the briefest bites before her nervous stomach forced her to set it aside.

  “How long are you two in the hospital for?” Ethan, the youngest in the family and a doctor in Vallerian Royal Navy, asked as he perused Nate’s chart. “I’m guessing a few weeks by the looks of things.”

  Nate tightened his grip on Charlie’s hand. “That’s what I hear, though Charlie will make it out before me.”

  “Can we order you something else, Charlie?” Rebecca asked from her perch next to Alex. “It’s no trouble.”

  “No. No, thank you. I’ll just share some of Nate’s soup.”

  “You’ll have to settle for soup from the hospital kitchen,” Lorenzo said, shaking his head. “I’m sure it won’t be up to your standard.”

  What did he mean by that? Did he think she was too particular? “I haven’t had any issues with the food while I’ve been here. It’s been lovely so far.” She looked down at Nate. “I could go down into the kitchens and make you something.”

  “No, you won’t.” Nate glared at Lorenzo, who just shrugged. “You need your rest as much as I do.”

  “Coco will bring something for you both,” Genevieve interjected. “The hospital staff do very well, but she won’t settle for anything less. She’s the one who had all this food sent over in the first place.”

  Nate looked pointedly at Marcello. “What about the fallout? I won’t be in the office to spin anything for you.”

  “Does that mean you’re planning to return to the office?” Alex asked.

  Nate considered while the room waited for his answer. Charlie gave their joined hands a squeeze. “I don’t know yet.”

  “You’ve done an excellent job, my son,” Gabriel said, his eyes crisp and clear. “We would love to have you on the Council for longer, but we will support you, whatever you decide.”

  When Nate remained quiet, Charlie spoke up unexpectedly. “Perhaps this isn’t the best time to decide. It’s been a hard week, and I think some decisions are best made with the benefit of time.” She gave Nate a pointed glare that had him smiling. He realized he hadn’t smiled so much in years as he had in the past week he’d spent with her.

  “Did you do something stupid like propose?” Lorenzo asked Nate and a series of groans echoed around the room. Cloth napkins descended upon Lorenzo as they were thrown at him from around the room.

  “Don’t listen to him,” Carolina told him. “He’s an idiot.”

  “Show a little respect for your older brother,” Lorenzo whined.

  Genevieve cocked an eyebrow and fixed a stern look on Lorenzo. “Show a little respect for your older brother and the woman he loves, who is now part of this family.”

  Nate heard Charlie’s soft gasp; he wished he could take her into his arms. “I didn’t propose to Charlie, but I will someday. She’ll be moving in with me, though, so you should get used to seeing her.” Nate sent Lorenzo another glare.

  Charlie shook her head. “Nate.”

  “You’re it for me, Charlotte.” Nate kissed her hand. “Everyone needs to get used to that. And so should you.”

  She brushed her knuckles across his cheek and he leaned into her touch. “I will. I do love you, you know.”

  “I know. They will, too.”

  “We already do,” Alex said, a knowing smile on his face. “And don’t worry about work. Take your time and decide.”

  Nate decided honesty was best; the time to hold back from his family was past. “I don’t know what I’d do if I wasn’t on the Council. I don’t think I’d mind having a proper job, like Charlie will once she takes over for Coco.”

  “Why is she taking over for Coco?” Sarah asked as she tossed her golden hair back over her shoulder. “Where’s Coco going?”

  “Coco’s retiring,” Genevieve said and her children ‘awwed’ and began protesting.

  “Nothing against you, Charlie, at all,” Cat assured her, “it’s just that we all love Coco quite a bit. We’ll be sad to see her go.”

  “She’ll still be nearby,” Charlie assured them. “I think she’ll miss you all just as much as you’ll miss her.”

  “So, what else happened while I was in surgery?” Nate asked.

  Furtive glances were exchanged as the room went quiet once more, hard to do with this crowd. “Perhaps
it should wait until tomorrow,” Alex suggested.

  “Perhaps you should just tell me now or I’ll get my news from other sources,” Nate countered.

  After a nod from Gabriel, Marcello spoke. “One of my agents was shot, but he’ll recover. He was in surgery the same time as you. Gerald’s been taken into custody. Jasper got him access to the Council chamber and Valleria itself; I’m still trying to unravel the holes in the system that let him do that.”