Page 7 of A Royal Arrangement
“Do you want our family to stay just the two of us?”
Addie’s lips pulled to one side like she was thinking deeply about his question. “I love you, Daddy, but I want a mama like the pwincesses in my books.”
Colin’s leg bumped the table, jostling the fancy china. He blinked in confusion. If he’d had a drink in his mouth, he surely would have spewed it everywhere in shock. He tried to tell Addie stories about Isabella, but he knew it wasn’t often enough. “You already have a mom.”
“But she’s in heaven.”
“You have me and Luna.”
“I know dat, but I want a mama.”
Her words were like a knife straight to his heart.Have I really been so out of touch that I didn’t realize Addie was missing a mother’s touch in her life?
This conversation wasn’t going how he’d expected—or how he wanted it to go. He’d thought it would give him a quick and easy reason to rip up the marriage contract. But itwas having the exact opposite effect. Talking to Addie was making him truly considersigningthe contract.
Maybe Wes’s reasoning was sound. Colin groaned. He hated it when Wes was right.
“Thanks for sharing that with me, Addie girl. I’ll see you later, okay?”
She nodded, already pouring more imaginary tea. “Bye, Daddy.”
Colin bit back the emotion that tugged at his chest as he walked back to his study to find Wes.
When he sat back in his desk chair, staring at the contract in front of him, his friend luckily remained silent, allowing him to process everything.
Even though he’d been widowed for four years, he still referred to Isabella as his wife. But with this signature—thismarriage—Rosalie would take over that title.
He felt guilty to move on in that way. It felt like he was leaving Isabella in his past—like he was betraying her memory, even though he knew that wasn’t the case. Colin had seen a counselor a few months after Isabella’s death, and he had helped him to grieve her. He’d taught Colin that grieving wasn’t based on a timeline and that the process was never really complete. He’d merely had to find a way to continue to live life without her in it. Isabella would always be in his heart, but his daughter needed a mother, and his people needed a queen.
With a reluctant sigh and an ache in his chest, Colin signed the contract.
Present Day — The Wedding Day
A person’s wedding day was supposed to be the best of his life. But it was far from the best day for Colin. It was aterribleday. He’d already experienced the two best days of his life when he’d married Isabella and the day of Addie’s birth.
So, even though he was getting married to Princess Rosalie that afternoon, Colin didn’t want to make the event a large spectacle. It wasn’t a momentous occasion for him. It was just another Friday.
He moved through corridors until he reached the outdoor escape he desired. As he stepped out onto the balcony, humid, salty air filled his lungs, calming him. The ocean had always felt like home to him. Lucky for him, Edgemont Palace was built on a large cliff surrounded on three sides by the ocean, so almost anywhere he went throughout the palace brought a peaceful sensation.
Colin leaned against the railing and stared out at the water. Today it was calm—the complete opposite of the storm of emotions he was feeling inside. His fists started to unclench, and his shoulders dropped as he listened to the rhythmic sound of the waves hitting the rocks below.
“Daddy!”
He turned just in time to catch Addie launching herself into his arms. She had been excited ever since he’d told her that he was getting married.
“Hey there, princess.” Colin squeezed her tightly. The weight he had been carrying all week lifted with her in his arms. She was the one person who could always break through his gruff exterior and make him smile. The one person who made his heart melt like an ice cream cone on a hot summer day. He was putty in her hands with just one smile.
“Daddy, I can’t bweathe.” She giggled, wiggling her way out of his grip.
Luna, arrived and held onto the doorframe, sucking in gasped breaths. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. She insisted on finding you and ran away before I could grab her.”
“That’s quite all right. I’ll drop her off at the playroom when it’s time for me to get ready.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” She dipped into a curtsy and scurried back into the palace.
He knelt in front of his daughter, looking right into her bright-green eyes—the spitting image of her mother’s.
“How’s your day going, my little princess?”
