The King's Spinster Bride, (Royal Wedding #1)(34)
She reaches a hand out to me and squeezes mine. “Now, we should go and show our people our son.”
“I will,” I tell her, and lean over the bed to give her another kiss first. “Have I told you that I love you, my beautiful Queen Halla?”
“Only twice today,” she tells me with a yawn. “You’re slipping.”
“I love you,” I say fervently, and I mean it. My hunger for my Halla hasn’t lessened in the slightest over the last year of our marriage. If anything, it’s only grown deeper, like my love for her. “You are everything to me.”
“I love you, too,” my wife says, and offers her palm for a kiss. I take it and press my mouth against it. A second later, I’m surprised when she starts to get out of bed.
“What are you doing?”
“We’re going to present our son, are we not?” She wraps the furs around her body, grimacing at the aches she must feel. “Give me the baby and you can carry us both out onto the balcony.”
She wants to go with me? I laugh, but I’m not surprised. My wife is as fierce as any cyclops warrior in her way, and she always gets what she wants. I carefully transfer the baby—Alistair—to her arms—and then pick her up in mine. I grunt a little at that. “It feels like you’ve still got a baby in you.”
Halla snorts and gives me a wry look. “Not what you want to tell your wife after she’s just had your child.”
“My wife knows she’s beautiful beyond words.”
She looks up at my face and smiles. “She does.”
And I take my wife and child out onto the balcony of Castle Yshrem and show the people—Cyclopae and Yshremi and Adassian alike—my family.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
You’re invited to the wedding of the century…times four!
When the Club ladies heard about the upcoming royal wedding, we immediately knew we wanted to do our own spin on it. We’re romantics at heart, and a royal wedding is pretty much the pinnacle of happy ever after. Each story’s going to be different (despite the fun matching covers) with one overarching theme – a king and his bride. I’m so excited for everyone to read all four stories!
Also, a total shout out to Kati Wilde for her magnificent cover art. I love every aspect of it, right down to the wedding invitation look. You guys know (if you follow me on Facebook) that Kati does all my covers, and I love each one more and more. I feel truly blessed that I get to work with her. Kati, a million thank yous once again for being a friend and collaborator! Let’s be honest, though – the Ruby end of the collaboration is usually “He looks hot and he’s blue! What can you do with that?” and Kati always somehow makes it magic.
As for this particular story…every author out there has a few story ideas saved up on her hard drive that she’s dying to get to but doesn’t have the time. This particular one was on my hard drive as ‘The Cyclops Bride’ for at least the last two or three years. I’d pick it up, read my outline and get ready to write…and then something else would land on my plate and on a back-burner it’d go. So when we talked royal weddings, I immediately pulled this one out of the pile. I’m so thrilled to get the chance to write Mathior and Halla FINALLY. I’ve never written a ‘cougar’ story and damn, that was fun. I’ll have to do that again. ;)
On the 9th of May, Kati Wilde’s The King’s Horrible Bride will be releasing! May 10th, Alexa Riley’s The King’s Innocent Bride and on May 11th, Ella Goode’s The King’s Reluctant Bride hits. These will ALL be in Kindle Unlimited, so you can borrow all of them to your heart’s content. It’ll be like prepping for the big day.
Enjoy! <3
Ruby