Page 60 of A Royal Arrangement
All the girls looked at each other, remaining quiet.
“What is it? Is there something I need to know?”
They nudged Charlotte’s arm, and she slowly responded. “Her sister, Ariana, passed away seven years ago. Actually, in a few days, it will have been eight years.”
She lost her sister.
That must’ve been what she’d meant at the beach when she’d said she understood loss too.
“That’s…” He choked over the next word. “That’s terrible. I can’t believe I don’t remember hearing about that. May I ask how they lost her?”
“There was a small memorial feature about her, but otherwise, the royal family kept the details of the tragedy out of the press.” Sienna pressed her lips together, biting back emotion for her friend’s loss.
Charlotte continued, “Ariana saw a seashell in the ocean along a rocky cove when their family was out swimming that day. Rosalie used to collect seashells, and Ariana wanted to get it for her as a belated birthday present. Her father wouldn’t let her go back to the area, saying it was toodangerous. That evening, Ariana snuck out of the palace and went into the ocean to find it. The guards found her later and, unfortunately, were unable to resuscitate her.”
“I can’t even imagine going through that. Especially since her sister was trying to do something special for her. How did Rosalie handle her passing?”
Charlotte swiped under her eyes. “I think she took it really hard. Ro threw out her entire seashell collection. After Ariana’s passing, her family dynamics changed. Everyone had a different way of grieving her loss. Her older brother decided to go to a private military boarding school to escape his feelings and help prepare him for his future as king. Her parents couldn’t bear to be at home for the first several years, so they traveled, often leaving Rosalie at home with a tutor to complete her schooling.”
Colin lay back, rubbing the scruff on his chin. In a matter of a few minutes, he’d learned more about Rosalie than he had in months.
“Thank you for sharing that with me. I think I would like to do something for her to remember Ariana. When is the anniversary of her passing?”
“It’s in two days.”
He could manage to pull something together before then. Colin stood, stretching his back and releasing a sigh. “I’ll find Rosalie and send her back here so you all can have your girl time for the evening. Thank you again for coming. I’m glad she has such loyal, caring friends.”
When he reached the door, it flung toward him as Rosalie stepped into the room. She had to quickly sidestep him to avoid a collision. He nodded toward the full cup of tea in her hands. “I’m impressed. You didn’t even spill a drop.”
Her eyes met his, and it was like a lightning bolt straight to his heart. Colin saw her in an entirely different light. He saw how she had matured from the devastating event she’d gone through when she was way too young. He saw the strong exterior she put up, even though she sometimes still felt the weight of grief. He saw her as someone who wasn’t so different from him and the unexpected loss he had experienced.
Before, their eight-year age gap had felt so large that he didn’t know if they would be able to relate with one another. But now he was beginning to realize that age truly was only a number, and that he could relate to his wife more than he’d originally thought.
She was good for him. She made him want to be more optimistic. She made him want to be a better man. And she made him realize that maybe love wasn’t truly out of the cards for his future. He would always be scared of getting hurt again, but he could be willing to risk it all for the right person.
“You’re staring, Your Majesty.”
“My apologies.” He bit his bottom lip. “Enjoy your evening with your friends.”
“I will.” Rosalie smiled. “And Colin?”
She reached out her free arm and wrapped it around him, pulling him into a side hug that turned his insides to liquid. Something was seriously wrong with him if he was coming undone by aside hug.
“Thank you again for inviting them here. It means more to me than you know.”
She gazed up at him, their faces so close together that, if he dared, he could lean down a few inches and brush his lips against hers. Then she pulled away and walked over toher friends, leaving him standing like a fool in the doorway, staring after the woman whom he was slowly getting to know and liking all the more with every passing minute.
Colin was uncharacteristically nervous as he approached Rosalie. She had completely upended his solitary existence since she’d moved into the palace and become his wife. He was starting to think of life in new terms now—before Rosalie, and after.
Before Rosalie, he had been completely fine being a recluse, except for the time he spent with Addie…and sometimes Wes.
After Rosalie, he’d started going out of his way to interact with other people—namelyher. Rosalie fit into their family like a worn pair of jeans. It felt like she had been there all along, like she was meant just for them.
That realization filled him with equal amounts of excitement and dread.
He cleared his throat when he reached her bedroom door, which had been left open.
She smiled widely when she saw it was him.
