Free Royally Ever After (Royals of Valleria #7) by Marianne Knightly Page A

been making decisions that I should be making before I could make them. I feel as though he doesn’t trust me.”
    “You know that’s not true. He’s been grooming you for his job your whole life.”
    “Yes, but now I need to take over his job, and he’s having trouble letting go.”
    “It can’t be easy for him. I’ve rarely seen him sit still except for dinner or Council meetings. Now he’s stuck in a bed for days on end, no politics or power struggles to keep his mind occupied. It doesn’t excuse his behavior, but it could explain it.”
    He nodded. “I’d thought of that myself.”
    “If it makes you feel better, I’ve been feeling the same way.”
    “My mother.”
    “Yes, but others, too. It’s a little different for you. You’re officially the acting-king. I’m not an official anything yet. Most of your mother’s duties have been assigned to your sisters; only a few have been assigned to me. You’ve been groomed for this, but I haven’t. What if I’m doing a terrible job and no one’s telling me? How can I help you when you’re officially the king, if I’m useless to you while you’re just the acting-king?”
    He wrapped his arms tight around her. Where had all this come from? “Darling, you’re not useless. Not. At. All. Have I done something to make you feel that way?”
    “No, but–”
    “You’ll make an excellent queen. I told you when we first got together that I didn’t really think about the woman I was going to marry, the woman that would be queen one day. Remember?”
    She nodded.
    “What I didn’t tell you then, was the reason I didn’t think about it.” He touched his forehead to hers and leaned close. “I knew, deep down, that when I met the woman who was going to be my queen, be Valleria’s queen, I would know it. I wouldn’t have to question it, because she would be it for me.
    “You know I thought about you from time-to-time growing up. You were Cat’s friend, you lived on the palace grounds, and our paths crossed more than once.
    “I knew it was you, even all those years ago.”
    She gasped. “Alex.”
    “It’s true. I denied it for a long time and I was a fucking fool for doing so. We could have had so many more years together. We could have already been married. We could have–”
    She kissed him, slow and sweet. “Don’t focus on the past, Alex. I think we were meant to be together now, not before. Everything happens for a reason.”
    “I know. What I’m trying to say is that you’ve been a queen all along, darling. You just don’t have the official title, but you’re already there. And I don’t just mean my queen. I mean you’re Valleria’s queen. You don’t need to worry about doing that job, because you already are, and you’re doing it brilliantly.”
    A single tear fell down her cheek; he kissed it away.
    “Feel better?”
    She nodded. “That’s the sweetest thing I think you’ve ever said to me.” Her arms wrapped his neck, and she lifted up onto her tiptoes so they were face-to-face. “You know, you’re pretty brilliant yourself.”
    “I don’t feel like it.”
    “You make me feel beautiful and loved.”
    “That’s easy.”
    “And you put your father’s mind at ease. If you weren’t doing such a great job, he’d probably be butting into things a lot more, wouldn’t he?”
    Alex blinked. “You may have a point there.”
    “And your mother would definitely interject more if she felt you weren’t doing your job.”
    His shoulders relaxed. God, what did he ever do without her? “You’re right.”
    “I know.”
    He smiled, for the first time that day, then kissed her. “Thank you, darling.”
    “You are very welcome, my almost husband.”
    “Only two days left.”
    “Thank God. Listen, as much as I love being in your arms, I should visit with your parents.”
    “I know. And I’ve got to get ready for the meeting. Call you later?”
    “You’d better.” They exchanged another kiss and she went inside the