Page 58 of Her Red Hot Secret Royal Fling

“Oh, God. Queen.” It hit her like a wave and for a second, she was overwhelmed with all that meant, but a single look at Ares had her centre of calm returning. Because he would be with her, and everything would be fine. “I did say I was looking for a new challenge,” she remembered wryly.

“You’ll be a natural,” Ares promised.

“Oh, if only Raf were here to celebrate too.”

For the briefest moment, Dante’s face flashed with something—disapproval—but then he was smiling again. Sofia had seen though, and she understood. Raf’s marriage to Marcia had been beautiful—a wonderful wedding, at this very villa, to compensate for the fact none of them could stand the woman.

“We’ll celebrate with him another time. And you’ll all be at the wedding,” she added. “My family has to be there.”

Maria’s eyes became misty.“Perche famiglia é tutto.”

“Si,” Sofia agreed, her heart light.

The next day,they travelled to the Cotswolds, to tell Dina Marone the news in person. They had decided to hold off on announcing the news to the rest of the world for a while, to simply enjoy the lovely private space of being a new couple. But they knew it couldn’t be put off forever, and in the meantime, Sofia’s mother deserved to know. The meeting went as Sofia might have expected. Her mother was cold, disengaged, even when Sofia had brought home a perfect Prince Charming.

And it made her laugh, afterwards, once they’d left.

“You’re not upset?” Ares asked, frowning.

“No, I suppose I’m vindicated. For so much of my life, I’ve tried to please that woman. I’ve tried to be perfect for her, in every way.” Ares’s handsome face softened with sympathy. “But if this—you—doesn’t even make a difference, nothing will.”

“She has to change,” he said, thoughtfully. “The problem is in her, not you.”

“Yes.” Sofia smiled up at him, reaching for his hand and squeezing it. “But I don’t care, Ares. She’s my mother, and I will always…care for her, and wish her happiness. But she’s not my life. She’s not my future.” She sighed, because her future was so much brighter and happier than she’d ever thought it would be. “My door is always open to her, but I’m done trying. If she wants to be a part of my life, she can start doing the work.”

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “I’m proud of you.”

Her heart almost exploded. Not because sheneededAres to say things of that nature, but because she discovered she liked it. She liked having him on her team, being a part of her journey through life. She just liked—loved—everything about him.

As they stepped into the limousine that would take them to his private jet, Sofia said, “I never asked how Louisa took your news.”

Ares turned to face her, no hint of secrecy in his features. “She was surprised,” he admitted. “She’d always thought I was reluctant to marry, even when I knew it was my duty. It turns out, I just hadn’t met the one person who could make me want to sprint down the aisle.”

Sofia grinned, even as sympathy for the other woman was a current in her body.

“She was happy for us. She said she’s looking forward to meeting you.”

“She sounds like an incredibly decent person. I might have thrown a vase at your head.”

He laughed. “I think she knew we weren’t right, as a couple. Looking back, our whole relationship was really more of a friendship. We liked and respected one another, but we could happily go weeks apart. I know she left me because the whole publicity of being royal was a lot to deal with, but more than that, I just don’t think what we had was enough for her to make that sacrifice. If we’d been in love, nothing would have pulled us off course.”

Sofia’s heart lifted. “I’m glad you spoke to her.”

“Yes, though of course, even that was photographed.”

“I know. I saw the pictures.”

“I hoped against hope that you wouldn’t. I knew what it would look like, and what you might think. I’m sorry to have put you through that.”

She put her head on his shoulder, a totally different person to the woman who’d left London a couple of days earlier.

“It was important,” she said. “I’m glad you spoke to her. I’d like to meet her some day.”

“I’m sure you will.”

“I hope she finds someone,” Sofia added.

“Yes,” Ares agreed. “She deserves happiness, like this.”

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