Read Royally Ever After (Royals of Valleria #7) for Free Online

room again, her mother led her into an empty room. Once behind closed doors, she pulled Rebecca into her arms. “Let it out, honey. It’s just us. Let it out.”
    Rebecca burst into tears, the hot, salty streams leaving streaks through her makeup and softening her lips. Rebecca wound her arms around her mother, letting her familiar warmth surround her and soothe her. Her father hugged her from behind, creating a cocoon of comfort.
    She took a few minutes to find release, before she faced the others and Alex again. She knew being weak now meant she would be stronger later.
    She needed to be strong.
    For herself.
    For her family.
    For Alex.
    And for her country.
    She wouldn’t let them down; she wouldn’t let any of them down, not now when they needed her most.

Chapter Three
    A lex was exhausted as he entered his apartments at the royal palace late that night. Hours at the hospital had left a filmy coat of grime on his skin, and all he wanted was a blistering hot shower and Rebecca, not necessarily in that order.
    “Darling?” he called out as he strode through their space, glancing into rooms as he walked past. He avoided the guestroom – otherwise known as ‘wedding central’, where her wedding dress hung – and entered the bedroom. The bed was still made, though her lavender scent lingered in the room. A peek in the bathroom was futile as well, and he began to get worried until he heard the soft tick of hangers from her closet.
    They each had separate walk-in closets, though calling them a small room might be more apropos. Whereas the only color in Alex’s wardrobe tended to be from his collection of ties – which, incidentally, matched exactly with clothes from Rebecca’s wardrobe – his fiancée’s closet was awash in color.
    Alex leaned against the doorjamb and crossed his arms over his chest. He watched as his love muttered underneath her breath while she perused one outfit after another, giving each a critical glance before shaking her head and pushing them aside. From the looks of it, she’d gone through most of her clothes already.
    “Darling?”
    She gasped and whirled around, with a hand on her chest. “Alex. Oh. You scared me. I didn’t realize you were back yet.”
    “Only just.”
    “How’s your father?”
    “Sleeping. They did the ECG and decided to go with just medication for now. They’re going to monitor him for another day or two at least.”
    She sighed in relief.
    “What are you doing in here? Planning on going out?”
    “Not at three in the morning, that’s for sure.” She turned back to her clothes and Alex trailed a lingering gaze down her back, over her soft, wavy hair and curvy form, down her toned legs to her ridiculous, yet sexy shoes.
    “I can’t believe you’re still wearing those shoes. Your feet must be killing you.”
    “Oh. I meant to take them off when I got home, but I got distracted.”
    Alex pushed away from the door and pointed towards a chair in her closet. “Sit down, darling.”
    She sat down. “They’re probably welded to my feet by now. At least they’re broken in.”
    Alex kneeled before her and ran a hand over her smooth leg down to her ankle. “You’re still going to wear these to the wedding?”
    Her body sagged a little. “Alex, we should talk about the wedding.”
    He gently massaged her left ankle before pulling off her shoe; she winced when he did. “Everything’s still undecided about the wedding.”
    “Alex, we should face the fact we may need to postpone it.”
    He began massaging her freed foot, taking in the dark purple polish on her toes.
    Her hand went to his chin and tilted his face up to meet hers. “Alex?”
    “You’re right. We may need to postpone the ceremony, and we should face it.” He paused. “Are you going to fight me on this if we end up postponing?”
    She shook her head. “God, Alex, of course not. I told you ages ago that I just wanted to be married to you. The when and where isn’t as important as the man