She mimicked his sisters and his mother perfectly as she followed him, like she’d been born into this role. “Perfect. I can wave and smile if you lead.”
Without any more conversation they methodically walked away from the church, waved at the throngs of people cheering for them, and finally climbed into the limo.
A servant helped Anna stuff her veil inside, which took up more room than a human being.
Once she was tucked in, a servant closed the door and he settled into his seat and closed his eyes. “Finally. It’s quiet.”
She wiggled away from his sword. He opened his gaze and unbuckled the silly piece as she unpinned her hair from that long veil. He watched her take her pins out like she was an expert and didn’t need a servant as he said, “My yacht is already fueled so we’ll be at the castle within an hour.”
She removed more pins and then used her fingers to shake the strands loose. Somehow he’d never seen a woman change her hair without a stylist and tons of product.
Anna set the veil beside her and then raised her eyebrow at him as she asked, “Is everything okay, Leopoldo?”
“Leo,” he said. “My friends call me Leo.” She put the pins in a cup holder.
Another zip of awareness washed through him. Anna was like no one else he knew, and her quiet practicality had often been his saving grace. From racing him to a funeral of an ambassador to answering scheduling questions in the middle of the night, she’d rescued him from potential social disasters.
He’d talk to her and his parents later, once doctors confirmed what Francesca had told him—which he believed to be a stall tactic to stop his wedding. Leo picked up her hand, kissed her wrist and said, “Anna, let’s be honest with each other. Relationships are supposed to be best if we start out that way.”
Her gaze narrowed like she suspected something, yet she nodded. “Please. Yes. Ask what’s on your mind.”
Maybe Francesca had snuck in to see her too. Maybe she’d gone to Anna first, since Anna had handled the situation before. He couldn’t ruin their wedding night with a conversation that might not need to be said. He traced her arm underneath the silk of her sleeve. “I married you because my parents chose you to fulfill an archaic law. I know that’s not most guys’ reasons for marriage, but it is the truth. Why didyousay yes?”
Her face held another blush as she stared at his lips. “You asked me that already.”
Was that her way of getting him to kiss her? Another memory of yesterday and those sweet lips flashed in his mind. Nothing would stop them from deepening their kiss as no more crowds were around. Leo ignored the tingles his lips had for her strawberry taste. “But you didn’t answer.”
She leaned a little closer and the scent of flowers surrounded him. It hadn’t been the lilies. It was her perfume and it made his mouth water. “I said yes because the king and queen were there. The queen was a friend of my mother’s-”
A light dawned and he snapped his fingers, interrupting her as he said, “Ah. That’s why she chose you.”
She pressed her hand to her heart. “Is that bad?”
So they were both picked by the distant past, but unlike him, she had more freedom in her choices, not having to marry by a certain age. Yet she’d chosen him today. He took off his gloves so he could feel her face with his fingers. “No, but I’d wondered how you had come to be in my office at the palace—my mother must have had a hand in hiring you. It doesn’t matter, as we figure out what happens next in our lives while respecting the crown.”
Her eyes opened wide like she was making a solemn vow. “I’ll never let you down.”
Now that his hands were free, he could feel her soft, silky skin that was smoother than the fabric around her body. “Good. Anna, I will honor you as my future Queen from this day forward.”
Without another word, his lips met hers and he claimed her.
For the rest of their lives, she was his, and forever started now.
