Page 49 of A Royal Arrangement
He let out a sigh of relief. “I wanted to apologize for how things ended on the beach. What I said was completely callous. I have no idea what you’ve gone through in the past.” He rubbed the back of his neck, wiping away the beads of sweat forming there from both the heat and the anxiety coursing through him. “There’s no excuse for what I said. I just hope you’ll forgive my insensitivity.”
“I’ve already forgiven you, Colin.”
His head whipped to the side, taking her in. The bright afternoon sun danced off her auburn waves. Her eyes were hazel, but the way the sun was hitting them right now, they almost looked green. She was magnificent, not only in herappearance, but in her heart. Her kind, gracious,forgivingheart.
He thanked her, and they sat in comfortable silence, looking at the wide expanse of fields before them.
“I should apologize to you too.”
Colin raised his brows in question. “What do you have to apologize for?”
“I’ve never shared my full story with you. You wouldn’t have said what you did if you’d known what my family has gone through. That’s on me for not telling you and helping you understand and then making you feel bad for a comment you didn’t know would hurt me.”
He took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb in circles across her skin. “You truly don’t need to apologize for that. It’s my fault for never asking questions. I’ll try to be better about that starting now.” Colin’s eyes gazed into hers, truly searching as he asked, “Do you want to share what your family has gone through that made you leave the beach?”
She nodded. “I don’t think now is the time, though. I want to continue enjoying this date with you, but I promise I’ll tell you soon.”
“I’ll hold you to it.”
“I think I’ve heard you say more words on the beach and today than I’ve heard you say in the last month,” Rosalie admitted, her eyes dancing with amusement.
“I don’t usually see the need to use more words than necessary.”
“What changed?”
“You deserved more.”
The amusement left her eyes. The way she was looking at him now was searching, like she was attempting to look right into the depths of his soul. She remained silent. Itseemed she didn’t know what to say in response to his candor.
Then she smiled at him, a heart-arresting, brighter-than-the-sun kind of smile. When Colin had first met Rosalie, he’d thought she handed out her smiles too freely. But now he realized her smiles were a gift, like a drop of the sun bringing light to everyone around her.
“If you take a picture, it’ll last longer.” Rosalie winked at him.
Colin turned his head away to hide the smile forming on his own face. “Did you learn that from Addie?”
“I thought of it all on my own, thank you very much.” She nudged his shoulder with hers.
“What do you say we go pick some more berries and head back to the palace?” He pushed himself up off the hard, metal bench.
“Let’s do it.”
He extended his hand out to Rosalie, helping her up once she took it. Once on her feet, she held a hand to her head and grasped his arm, leaning her full weight against him. Colin wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her to him.
“What’s wrong?” His eyes roamed over her.
She let out a long sigh before standing more solidly on her own. “I just felt a little lightheaded when I stood up. I’m feeling better now. I’m a little tired and maybe a little warm, but I think I’m okay.”
“Should we go back to the palace?”
Rosalie shook her head. “We can finish our date.”
He brushed his knuckles across her cheek, pushing her auburn curls back so he could look into her eyes. “If you’re sure. Just say the word, and we can head home.”
Colin walkedwith her down the next row, carrying the basket of berries that was now getting dangerously close to overflowing. He popped a fresh blackberry into his mouth, savoring the perfect mix of sweet and tart. “Have you tried one yet?”
“I didn’t know if I was allowed to before we paid,” Rosalie responded over her shoulder.
“Seeing as I’m the king and all, I’m pretty sure they won’t arrest you for eating one berry. Besides, we rented out the whole place for the afternoon.”
