Free A Royal Holiday (Royals of Valleria #5) by Marianne Knightly

shot his brother a thunderous look. “If you think I’m going to give that woman a chance to hurt Rebecca even more–.”
     
    “Of course not. That’s not what I meant. Send a message to Mama or Cat instead. They’ll tell Rebecca gently, and adjust their plans without alerting everyone else.”
     
    Alex let out a long sigh. “All right. Yes, that’s a good idea.” Alex began tapping away at his phone, and hoped his mother was keeping hers handy. It was barely a minute later when his mother responded back, and assured him she’d take care of it. Alex tossed his phone on the desk, on top of the dossier, and sat back.
     
    “Rebecca will be all right, Alex. She’s tough. She can handle this.”
     
    “I know. I still want to keep her protected from shit like this.”
     
    “The two of you will deal with a lot more ‘shit’ than this. You’re going to be running the country together in about ten years, when Papa retires. Just think about everything we’ve been through in the last few years, hell, the last few months.”
     
    “I know.”
     
    “This kind of shit, it doesn’t get easier. You just get used to dealing with it, that’s all. Rebecca will, too. She’ll make a great queen.”
     
    Alex smiled. “Damn right she will.”
     
    Marcello stood up. “Give Mama and Cat a few minutes to do their magic, then call her. Confirm if you’re going to be a father, and then let us know if we should celebrate tonight.”
     
    “Shut up.”
     
    Marcello chuckled on his way out the door, shutting it behind him. When Alex couldn’t wait any longer, he picked up his phone once again, this time to call the love of his life.
     
    ***
     
    By the time Rebecca returned to the palace, she was exhausted, though no one else seemed to be. Cat and Grace, along with Sarah and Carolina, were bright-eyed as they left to finalize more details for the ball; Charlie had left to check on Nate before heading down to the kitchens to do some more work; and Nonna, Genevieve, and Francine had left to discuss more wedding details.
     
    Rebecca just needed a few quiet minutes alone, just to think. Since she’d avoided Alex’s calls all afternoon, she should have gone straight to his office to explain the scene with the baby clothes, particularly since she’d heard about the press release Gabriel had sent out not long after that. However, all Rebecca wanted was some peace and rest.
     
    She stepped into the bathroom and began to run water for a bath. She added some lavender bubble bath – one of her favorite scents – to perfume the water and help calm her. She stripped efficiently, and uncharacteristically left all of her clothes in a messy pile on the floor.
     
    She winced slightly as she stepped slowly into the hot, soothing water. After haphazardly pinning up her hair, she sat down and leaned back. She took several deep breaths and closed her eyes.
     
    It was how he found her several minutes later.
     
    Alex had been informed the moment the car had returned to the palace. He’d waited to see if Rebecca would come to him; when she hadn’t, he went looking for her.
     
    Her forehead was furrowed and her eyebrows taut with worry. Her skin was flushed and the tops of her breasts were peeking through the soapy, perfumed water. Though she lay still, her breathing was forcibly even, and he knew she was awake.
     
    “Darling?”
     
    Her eyes blinked open and locked on his gaze. They pulled him, those twin pools of dark brown, he thought as he began to strip and walk towards the bath. From anywhere, any time of the day, they tugged him and lured him closer to her.
     
    She didn’t protest when he slid into the water behind her, and tucked her back against his chest. He picked up a cloth nearby, dipped it in the water, and began to slowly run it over her body, massaging her as he went.
     
    “Did you have something to tell me, darling?” he asked as he ran the cloth over her shoulder.
     
    “Like what?” she asked