Page 19 of The Broken Queen

When I first learned of my pregnancy, I was horrified. But now that I had her and she was healthy, I didn’t regret a damn thing. I moved over to the left side of the vehicle as Lewis got out of the car and opened the back passenger side door. A breeze wafted through the car, and I reveled in it.

“Mommy!” She came to sit beside me and wrapped her arms around my neck.

“Hi, Princess.” I gave her a quick press on the cheek and helped her get buckled in.

Lewis got back in the driver’s seat and pulled away from the curb. After the initial excitement wore off, a frown graced Julianna’s beautiful face.

“What are you doing here? You never come to pick me up.”

Here goes...I wanted to puke.“Well, I was thinking we could go to the park and get some ice cream. How does that sound?”

Her eyes lit up. “Really? We get to go to the parkandget ice cream? This is the best day ever!” She giggled and my heart broke. She wouldn’t be thinking that soon when I had to tell her my dreadful news. I gave her a forced smile and looked out the window.Why couldn’t Slade just come back? Why did he have to leave us behind?

The closer we got to the park, the more my heart hammered in my chest.Five...Lewis turned on the blinker.Four...We made a turn into the parking lot.Three... Lewis found a spot in front of the playground.Two...Julianna unbuckled her seatbelt.One... We got out of the car.

Julianna ran over to the jungle gym and immediately started playing. I took a deep breath and walked over to the bench covered in shade by the trees. Lewis followed me. I took a seat and placed my head in my hands.

“Are you sure you want to tell her today?” he asked.

I looked up and watched her play with the other children. “I have no choice. He’s insistent on doing this, and I don’t want her finding out from anyone else. That would be just my luck.”

He placed a hand on my shoulder. “It will be okay. You are one of the strongest people I know, Raven. You will get through this just like you get through everything else.”

I gave him a weak smile. I was grateful for the sentiment, but he had no idea about the battle we faced. Father would never back down, no matter how much I wanted him to. And Slade...well, I didn’t know what to expect with him. As far as I knew, he was gone, living life to his fullest, forgetting that he hada family waiting on bated breath for the slightest word from him. Then again, he had come to see Julianna.Maybe there’s hope.

“I’m going to walk the grounds and keep a lookout. Let me know if you need anything.” I nodded as he walked away.

I sucked in a sharp breath when Julianna came running up to me. “Mommy, I’m having so much fun!”

Here goes the dam.Tears welled up in my eyes and my lips quivered. A heavy weight pressed down on my chest when her beautiful smile transformed into a frown.

“Mommy, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

I wiped the corners of my eyes to remove any wetness that threatened to escape. I picked her up and placed her on the bench so she was sitting beside me. She bit her bottom lip before she made it pout. “Mommy, I want to go play.”

“I know sweetheart, but Mommy has something she has to tell you first.”

Her face scrunched up. “What’s wrong?” Her eyes grew wide, “Is it Grandpa?”

I shook my head.If only.“No, Grandpa’s okay, I promise.”

Her frown returned. “Then what’s wrong?”

I sighed and looked over at the children playing on the playground.Why is this so damn hard?I removed my gaze from them and returned back to Julianna’s expectant eyes.

Come on Raven. Just say it. Rip the bandaid off.“Mommy is getting married.”

Her eyes popped, and her excitement returned. I frowned. She shouldn’t be excited about this. “Daddy’s back? You and Daddy are getting married?”

Knife to chest.I did not expect that.I shook my head. “No baby. Your daddy isn’t coming back.”

A solemn, heartbreaking look overtook her features. “Daddy’s not...he’s not coming back? Then why are you getting married?” My heart broke further when I noticed the tears thathad formed in my daughter’s eyes.Fuck you, father! Fuck you for making me break my daughter’s heart.

“Your grandfather thinks it’s best for me to marry someone to help rule the country. We need a King, and unfortunately, I am not able to rule on my own. So, I have to marry Zeke.”

Her blue eyes sparked, and her lip quivered. “The guy who's been living with us?”

I nodded.

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