Page 13 of Rowdy Prince
“I love you more than life itself, querida, and I don’t want to wait another moment to make this official. Will you marry me?”
“Of course,” she squeals, wrapping her arms around my neck as she presses kisses all over my face. I barely get the ring on her finger in all the movement, but when I do, I stand and hold her arm above our heads and the gathered crowd cheers. Seems the people of Reinqueno were just as keen to see their king break tradition as I was to remove the rule enforcing it.
“Wow,” Tara breathes. “That’s quite the gathering.”
“You’ll be their queen soon. They wanted to meet you.”
“How do you think they’ll feel when they meet their new prince?”
“I think they’ll be ecstatic. So perhaps we should get busy making one,” I tease, pulling her tight against my body as we walk towards the main building.
“We already did,” she says, and I stop in my tracks, turning to her in amazement.
“You mean?” I look from her face to her belly, noticing a slight roundness there that wasn’t there before.
“We made a baby boy.” She nods, and I’m on my knees again, hugging her to me as I press my face against her stomach, joyful in the wondrous news.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Because you were under enough stress. And I trusted you’d make this happen in time.”
“This is the greatest gift a man could ever know.”
“And you are my greatest gift,” she says, touching my face. I stand and kiss her again. Our audience is going nuts, but I’m in a world of my own, reveling in the fact that I currently have everything I ever wanted—my kingdom, my love, and now, I also have my own family. Life doesn’t get any better than this.
Epilogue
Tara
Five years later
Adjusting to life in Reinqueno was both hard and easy. I wanted for nothing, and I got to see Luis every day. But there were certain protocols I had to learn, and I missed my family quite a lot. But after traveling to our little kingdom for Luis’s and my wedding, they all fell in love with the place. My parents decided to retire here, and Mitch and Laura decided to relocate. Mitch works in the palace as a legal representative of the crown, and Laura runs a little bistro that sells American style food that is so successful, people from all over the country come to the capital to taste her wares.
Our tiny prince was born a few months after our nuptials, and he’s been the light of our lives ever since. Luis dotes on him and makes time every day to set aside his kingly duties and do something fun with him. Now I have two rowdy boys in my life, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Luis, despite the demands of his job, has never lost his love of a good time, or that cheeky glint that’s always in his eye. His desire for me has only increased over the years, and I have to hope that it’s always like this between us. Living a life in the public eye is hard, but when we’re in the privacy of our own quarters, there’s nothing but love and joy.
“Querida, we have returned,” Luis booms as he bursts through the door with our little prince in his wake. We named him George after Luis’s father, so when he becomes king, he’ll be the second of that name.
“Mama!” George flings his five-year-old body at me and I happily catch him up and spin him around.
“How was swimming at the beach with your papa?”
“So fun,” he says. “We made a giant sandcastle and then papa let me bury him and came out of the sand like a monster. Rar!”
“Rar!” Luis returns, chuckling as the nanny comes into the room and takes George so he can go and have a bath.
“Sounds like you two had fun,” I say as Luis wraps his arms around me and presses his lips against mine. “And you smell like the sea.”
“And you smell like tea and…” He sniffs the air. “Sweet cookies, or perhaps cake… How did your afternoon with my mother go?”
“It was nice, actually. We spoke to the press about body positivity then visited the site of the new animal shelter we’re building while we took tea. It was all very dignified. I like your mom, and she’s been a big help spreading my message to young women out there.” The queen mother went into remission just in time for our wedding and has a new lease on life. She’s making it her mission to give every animal in the kingdom a home, and she believes that all women should be proud of their size—whether big, or small. I admire her a lot.
“That’s good. She likes you too.”
“After five years, I’d hope so.”
He chuckles then leans in and presses a kiss to the tip of my nose. “Care to join me in the shower?”
“Oh, my king, I’d love to join you in the shower. Can I rub soap all over your muscles?”
“You can rub soap wherever you like, my queen.” He grins as he pushes his hips against me and shows me exactly how much he wants me. My body responds immediately, and I wonder if we’ll ever stop needing each other the way we do. I sincerely hope not. It took so long for us to find each other, but it was a love worth waiting for. I have a feeling that Luis and I will stay this way forever—totally enamored, totally obsessed, totally in love while we hold hands and rule the kingdom of Reinqueno as King and Queen. Happily ever after.