Page 3

CHAPTER 3

AMELIA

“How do you want your hair tonight?”

Glancing up, I see the stylist who normally works with me standing over my head, running her fingers through the length. Our eyes lock in the mirror before I shiver.

“It’s slightly cold.” I look out at the nighttime sky. It’s not yet summer but still has the chill of spring barely turning from winter. The frigid temps are hanging around this year. “Let’s go with down.”

Meghan nods, and I already see the wheels turning in her mind. “Sounds good. Do you want curls?”

“Always.” I grin, knowing it’s Tristan’s favorite way for me to wear it.

“Celeste is here.” Shannon comes sweeping into the room with the makeup artist I’ve grown to love.

It’s taken both Tristan and me a while to become comfortable with our own decisions, but we’re getting there. The first thing we did once we took office was let go of most of his father’s staff. They didn’t have the same beliefs we do, and in order for Haldonia to prosper, we all have to be united. We each have our favorite people to work with and an excellent support system around us.

“Hey.” I give her a wave, along with a warm grin.

“Hey.” She smiles in return. “Sorry I’m late, it was hard to get through security.”

Meghan makes a noise in her throat. “It was. First time I’ve ever had an issue. Is something going on we need to know about?”

This is the first I’m hearing of it, and I make a note to ask Tristan or Parker later. “Not that I’m aware of, but I’ll keep you informed if there is.”

“How do you want your makeup tonight, my queen?”

We all snicker, still not used to my title. With them I can be myself and not have to put on any kind of pretenses. They’ve all become close to me, and for that, I’m thankful. “I’m wearing the gray dress over there.” I point to an off-the-shoulder number with lace and crystals. The train is long and flowing, much different than anything I’ve ever worn before.

“We can do ultra-feminine or dark and smoky. Your choice.”

“Let’s do ultra-feminine. I haven’t gone that route in a while.”

Celeste nods before she gets to work. “Wednesday night is an interesting one to have a get-together like this.”

“Agreed, but I found out earlier today, because of this, Tristan and I can head up the coast on Friday.” I sigh, thinking about the time we’ll get to spend together.

“Listen to her sigh,” Meghan laughs. “Don’t we all wish we had the kind of love story they have?”

“It hasn’t always been perfect,” I argue, not wanting anyone to think we haven’t fought for what we have.

“Sure, it hasn’t,” both of them say together.

“We didn’t even know each other before his birthday. That was the first day we ever met,” I remind them, thinking back to that night. I’d been so nervous, but the kiss we shared still lives on in my memory. “Granted, we had time to get to know one another afterward, but I’m still learning new things about him every single day.”

“That’s kinda fun though, right?” Meghan picks up the curling iron and quickly winds a lock of hair around it. “Half the fun of dating is gaining knowledge about the other person. It’s gotta be magnified when you’re married. I imagine the two of you sorta play twenty questions in a sexual way.”

“Oh my god.” I laugh, putting my hand over my mouth. “I love when we all get together. It reminds me of being with my friends at university.”

“Yet she hasn’t answered the question.” Celeste’s look is cheeky, her eyes bright with her teasing tone. “They’re probably playing all kinds of games, so to speak.”

My face burns, but at the same time, I enjoy being with all of them. This is the space I get to be the young woman I am. Giggling about my husband, talking about our new marriage, and learning what it means to be in charge of my sexuality. “Maybe we are.” I shrug.

Shannon snorts from where she sits. “They most definitely are.”

“And you and Parker would know better than anyone.” Celeste looks over my shoulder to wink at Shannon. “Speaking of Parker, must be nice to be in his presence all the time. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.”

It’s Shannon’s turn to blush, and I revel in it.

“Yeah.” I lock eyes with her through the mirror, teasing her the same way she did to me. “What does it mean to be around him all the time? Huh?”

She throws a piece of paper at all of us. “It’s not like that. He and I are put together so much because of our jobs.”

“Mmm hmmm.” I reach over, taking a drink of the water beside me. “You keep telling yourself that.”

“So, when do Meghan and I get our own detail? I mean, we’re not expendable. We know how to do your hair and makeup like no one else. Does Parker have brothers?”

“A younger one,” Shannon mumbles as she continues looking at the laptop in front of her.

Celeste and Meghan stop what they’re doing to turn and look at her. “Yeah…you don’t care at all,” Meghan snorts before she turns back around, continuing to work on my hair.

Shannon laughs as she winks at Meghan. “It’ll have to be our little secret.”

I keep it to myself, but I’m woman enough to admit Parker is definitely something else, and I’m lucky I get to see him all the time with my husband.

“So, what are you and Tristan doing tonight? Where are you going?” Celeste asks as she continues working on my makeup. “I think I heard something about it being for children.”

“Yes! I’m excited. It’s an initiative to get kids to stay in school and to get help for food stability. It’s something important to both myself and Tristan,” I explain. “Neither one of us has had to deal with instability like either one of those things, and our hope is no child in Haldonia will ever have to deal with it again.”

Meghan makes a noise in the back of her throat. “It sounds like a good idea. I’m one of those kids who grew up without food stability, and I really wish someone had been worried about me. The sad truth is no one ever knew about it, because I was too embarrassed to admit it.”

“That’s our goal.” I smile at her in the mirror. “It’s one of the talking points we feel is most important to making sure Haldonia has a fighting chance in the next century. Our kids need to be able to compete on the global stage. For us, the future is way more influential than the past. It’s going to be hard to correct the mistakes that Tristan’s father made, but we are trying to do what we think is right.”

Shannon smiles from where she sits behind us. “And I’m beyond proud to be a part of it.”

“Okay,” Celeste says. “I think you’re done, and you’re definitely going to knock everyone’s socks off.”

When she moves back from the mirror my eyes widen in surprise as I see what I look like. Sometimes I think I will never be prettier than I was the day I married Tristan, but these ladies keep making me look like a supermodel every single time. “Are you sure this is me?” I reach up to touch my hair.

Meghan giggles. “Yes, this is you. We work with what we have, and you’re one of the best canvases we’re blessed to work on.”

“Thank you both! I need to get dressed now, but I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you always coming through whenever I ask you for your help.”

“It’s truly my pleasure, Queen.” Celeste snickers one last time.

Shannon stands up, motioning me with her hands. She’s looking down at her cell phone and beginning to slightly panic. “We have to get you ready within the next twenty minutes. Tristan and Parker will be here to pick us both up.”

“I guess that means I’ll be seeing you all later. Be sure and look for me on the front pages of all the magazines tomorrow.”

“I’m sure you will be, Queen.” Meghan begins packing up her hair tools while Celeste does the same with her makeup.

“It doesn’t mean I’m not nervous. I always am.”

“Well, you look like a million bucks no matter what.” Celeste bows slightly to me.

“Thanks to you.” I curtsy back to her.

“Are you comfortable with the way this fits? It shows a little much for you,” Shannon asks as she helps me into my dress.

“Yeah, I know.” I’m looking over my shoulder in the mirror. “I’m always slightly self-conscious, but it is what it is.”

“There is no reason for you to be worried. Both of us know that.”

“It’s easy for you to say. You’re not on the cover of every magazine and newspaper the next morning after some huge event. It never fails. I see all my flaws as soon as the first one is released.”

“True, but if my husband looked at me the way yours looks at you? I wouldn’t worry at all.”

My cheeks turn red as I think about the man she’s speaking of. He does look at me as if I’m the only person in the world. It’s one of the things I enjoy most about our relationship. There’s a knock at the door. One I’ve heard before. It’s the strong rasp of my husband’s knuckles.

“Are you decent?” he asks before coming in.

“You didn’t wait to see if I was going to answer.” I laugh as I give him a look from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. He wears a tuxedo like nobody’s business. His dark hair falls slightly over the side of his right eye, giving him a hint of boyishness and just enough of the badass he is.

There aren’t many people who can rule a country the way he does. I know for a fact it keeps him up late at night. Sometimes when I wake up to roll over or to get a drink of water, he’s standing at the window observing his kingdom. No doubt worrying whether he’s doing the right thing or not. Honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Are you ready to go get this show on the road?”

“Definitely, and did I hear you right that we get to leave early for the beach?”

“Yes.” He leans down, grabbing my hand with his, bringing it up to his lips. It’s a chaste kiss on the back of my palm, one of the small touches I cherish. “We do get to leave early, which means we get a long weekend.”

One of the first four-day lounge-fests we’ve had since we got married. “Will you have to do any work while we’re there?” I ask, an eyebrow raised. Sometimes he tells me we get time together, but he’s stuck behind his desk with his laptop open and his brain hard at work thinking up ways to fix messed-up policies.

“No.” He pulls me into his hard chest. “There will be no work on this trip. It’ll just be you and me.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. I’ll hold you to that, Tris.”

“Please do.” He bends over at the waist, dipping low in front of me.

“Shouldn’t I be the one bowing to you?”

He looks around to see if anyone’s listening. But Parker and Shannon are too busy whispering to one another. He lightly grips the back of my neck pulling me even closer to his lips. I can feel his hot breath against my skin when he whispers. “The only way I want you bowing is over the back of the bed or my desk.”

My cheeks heat as I think about what he says.

Before I can reply, Parker is speaking again. “Sir, are we ready to go?”

“Lia?” Tristan asks, a shit-eating grin on his face.

“As ready as you are.” I avert my eyes from him like the proper lady I am.

“Then let’s go, everyone.”

Tristan leads us out, me by his side where I know I’ll spend every day until the day I die.