Page 32 of A Royal Arrangement
Rosalie rarely ever got this flustered, but around Colin, she found herself feeling that way more often than not. There was just something about him…
It had taken time for her to get used to his short answers and understand the gruff persona he wore around everyone. But in her few weeks here, she’d also witnessed moments when that grumpiness melted away—usually when he was interacting with Addie. In those moments, she’d seen the man beneath the walls he wore like a lifejacket trying to save him from his past.
If Colin looked at her with the same kindness he did Addie, Rosalie was sure she would melt into a puddle. Her tombstone would read,Died by melting under the tender gaze of her husband.
Spending the rest of her life with the version of Colin who gave her looks likethatwould be a dream. But if her time here had told her anything, it was that she needed to play the long game with him. He wasn’t going to open up to her out of nowhere, but luckily, she was here for the long haul.
Steadying her heart and thoughts, Rosalie headed to the large front lawn where Addie’s surprise party would take place.
When she stepped onto the grass and saw what the palace staff had pulled together in the past week, it warmed her heart. Everything was so perfectly Addie.
At one booth, kids could paint their own ceramic unicorn head, and at another, they could get their faces painted. Food stands offered cotton candy, waffles on a stick with purple icing, and a candy station with everything a child could dream of. A few competitive yard games were set up, including an inflatable rainbow obstacle course, sack races, and a ring toss onto a unicorn horn.
It was everything Rosalie had dreamed the party would be, and she hoped that Addie would absolutely adore it. She walked around thanking all the staff members for their timeand effort and excused them to go gather their children for the festivities.
She’d decided to throw this surprise birthday party once she’d learned Addie didn’t have any friends her age. As far as she was concerned, that was a crime. Rosalie didn’t know what she would’ve done if she hadn’t had Bri and Drew as her friends growing up. Having them and her siblings was what made all the events she’d had to attend bearable as a child.
There weren’t any royals with kids Addie’s age that she knew of, so she had worked with Hector to reach out to all the palace staff members who had young children. There were going to be so many kids in attendance it was sure to get a bit chaotic, but that was exactly what she thought Addie needed—to spend time with children her age and be a kid herself.
When the time came for the party to begin, palace staff members flooded the lawn, their children in tow. Rosalie also had Hector invite Addie’s grandparents on Isabella’s side, but they had been unable to make it since the party had been thrown together at the last minute. She hoped to meet them soon since they were still a big part of her stepdaughter’s life.
Rosalie practically glided around the lawn, taking it all in. She smiled as a group of boys competed in an impromptu foot race, trying to prove who was fastest.
Finally, Luna escorted Addie and Colin out the palace doors.
Addie jumped up and down, and her eyes turned to Rosalie after Luna pointed her out in the sea of people. She ran over to her, jumping in the air when she was about afoot away. Rosalie extended her arms, catching her at the last second.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Addie exclaimed, squeezing her. “This is the best biwthday ever!”
“I’m so glad you like it.” Rosalie set her down and fixed a stray curl that had escaped her bow. “Now, go have some fun.”
She didn’t have to tell her twice. Addie ran over and joined a group of girls at the unicorn-painting station, taking a seat and quickly getting to work on creating her own masterpiece.
“What’s going on?” Colin’s voice echoed like a loud crack of thunder as he approached her.
“A birthday party.” Rosalie motioned around the lawn. “Surprise!”
His eyes darted around, taking in all the games before returning his gaze to her. She gulped when she saw his furrowed brow.
“It’s…”—Colin paused, his brow somehow pulling even lower—“kindof you to think of her. However, decisions that includemydaughter need to be run by me first.”
Rosalie rocked on the balls of her feet. His words stung, but she refused to let him walk all over her and make her feel bad for trying to be kind. “It sounds like a party is exactly what you need to loosen up and have a little bit of fun.” She bumped his hip, trying to tease him. When his expression remained serious, Rosalie pressed her lips together. “Sorry, I didn’t think it would be a big deal. I only wanted to do something special for Addie.”
“Addie shouldn’t be doing these…things.” He pointed at the sack races and inflatable obstacle course. “She’s a princess.”
Rosalie placed her hands on her hips, feeling the need to stand up for Addie even after the short time she’d known her. “She’s five years old. She needs to have fun.”
“You’re not her mother. You don’t get to make those calls.”
Rosalie reared back. His words felt like a physical slap to the face. “I know I’m not her mother, but I am your wife,” she said, her eyes trained on the grass.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” Colin took a step toward her, but she took a step back, crossing her arms across her chest.
Maybe she’d been too optimistic about where things could go with Colin.
With her eyes trained on the ground, she said, “I should walk around and greet everyone. Enjoy the party.” She glanced at him before turning around and was surprised to find he looked remorseful. It filled her with the slightest bit of hope that this stiff, grumpy man wasn’t who he truly was. He wasn’t the person who said harmful words to hurt others, but maybe he was still grieving and said things out of pain from the great loss he had experienced.
Rosalie didn’t like to walk away from anyone, but her heart was bruised, and she didn’t want to dampen her excitement for Addie’s party, so she hurried to the other side of the lawn, where she found Wes. She stuck to him like glue for the rest of the party, greeting guests and making sure things were running smoothly—and also hiding behind his large stature because she didn’t want any more run-ins with Colin.
