Page 19 of A Royal Arrangement
Unfortunately, today he would have to spend a little bit more time with her than usual. He walked into his room,shutting the door behind him with a trembling hand. Turning around, he noticed the royal stylist had already placed a suit on his bed. His Royal Board wanted everything about today’s events to go perfectly.
This afternoon, he would be hosting a royal press conference with Rosalie, followed by a parade to introduce Edgemont to their new queen. Colin shook his head and chided himself as his fingers struggled to button his white shirt.
Press conferences didn’t normally have this effect on him. Public speaking came naturally to him, but today’s speaking event was monumental.
He would be speaking about the royal wedding—hissecondroyal wedding. But the biggest reason today’s press conference was different than usual was because it would be his first public appearance since his wife passed away, aside from attending her funeral. He’d been able to get away with releasing statements and having Wes attend important events in his place.
Colin knew it was time to step into the public eye again, even though the thought of having to do this press conference without Isabella by his side made him feel sick. He just needed to push through and move forward.
Once Colin finished putting on his suit, he adjusted the collar of his shirt. Checking the watch on his wrist, he saw it was almost time for his meeting with Wes. He pulled on his perfectly shined shoes and made his way to the study, arriving just as his best friend did.
“I almost beat you this time.” Wes leaned against the doorframe, looking even larger than normal today. His curly hair fell wildly across his forehead.
“In your dreams, Your Grace. You know I’m never late for a meeting.”
“One day I will make you eat those words, Your Majesty.”
Colin glared at his friend over his shoulder before pushing his way into his study. Wes simply chuckled in response, following him into the room.
Colin sat down behind his desk, and his friend sat across from him, casually leaning back in his seat and resting his ankle on top of his knee.
“How does it feel to be a newly married man?”
“I feel the same as I felt yesterday…and the day before that and the day before that,” Colin muttered.
“I thought your opinion might change once you saw Rosalie.” Wes moved his eyebrows up and down, a wry look on his face.
“Why would seeing her change anything?” Colin made sure to speak intentionally and hold his voice steady.
“Well, unless your eyesight momentarily disappeared, I thought you would notice how drop-dead gorgeous your wife is.”
He scoffed at his friend’s words. “If you noticed her beauty so much, maybe you should’ve been the one to marry her.”
Wes’s head perked up. “So you admit she’s beautiful?”
Colin rubbed his face with his hands, avoiding the question—and avoiding the image of a certain redhead popping into his mind. “Why do you have to be so difficult?”
Wes popped up out of his chair effortlessly and walked around the desk before clapping him on the shoulder. “That’s what friends are for. Now, do I have permission to speak freely?”
“Isn’t that what you were already doing?” Colin grumbled.
“Yes, but it sounds a lot nicer when I ask.” Wes winked and then slowly began pacing the room with his hands clasped behind his back. “I know you must be nervous about today’s press conference since it’s your first one without Isabella. I can’t imagine what it must have felt like to be in your shoes these past four years.” He stopped walking and looked directly at Colin. “As your friend, I want to remind you that you can do this and that I’m here for you. As a member of your Royal Board, I want to remind you that Rosalie is now your wife. Today, you are introducing Rosalie to your people, who are now alsoherpeople. Please make sure you put your personal feelings aside today and—”
Colin interrupted him in an authoritative voice. “I’m a king, Wesley.Yourking. I think I know how to complete a proper introduction and do a little speech.”
“My apologies,Your Majesty.” Wes gave him a small bow, more mocking than genuine. “I only want this day to go smoothly.”
“You meanthe boardwants today to go smoothly.”
Wes cleared his throat and ran a hand across his chin. “I’ll see myself out.” When he got to the door, he paused and turned around. “You should eat lunch with Rosalie before you head to the conference. This is all just as new for her as it is for you. It might be nice for you to make her feel welcome in Edgemont before she has to stand in front of a giant crowd and get paraded around downtown. You have a new wife, but keep in mind she had to marry someone she didn’t know and also leave her entire country behind and move to a place where she has no one.” Without waiting for a response, Wes left the room, closing the door gently behind him.
Although he would never admit it to him, Colin knew his friend was right. Wes’s words struck a chord in him. He’d been selfish throughout this whole situation. Even though his schedule had been a little busier than normal, he wasn’t putting in any effort to make time for Rosalie or to ease her transition to life in Edgemont.
While he’d been so focused on himself and everything he’d lost and everything that was changing for him, he’d completely forgotten there was another person in this scenario. Another person whose life had been uprooted. Colin hadn’t even considered the fact that Rosalie had left the only home she’d ever known to move to an unfamiliar place with no one to make her feel welcome.
Colin sighed, resigned to what he needed to do. He picked up his speech from his desk, tucked it into the inside pocket of his suit, and walked to the family dining room to have lunch with his wife.
“I’m going to wear a blue pwincess dress in the pawade just like Cindewella.” Addie bounced in her seat.
