Page 84 of Royal Trouble
Because, despite all of it—the headlines, the gossip, the royal fuckups—she would choose Xander every time. She didn’t want to wake up twenty-six years from now and wonderwhat if? Or worse, realize she’d let go of the best thing to ever happen to her because she’d been too afraid to fight for what she wanted.
Oh, she still wanted a quiet life away from the spotlight, but if she had to sacrifice Xander to get it, what would be the point?
She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, savoring the feel of his calloused palm against her cheek. When she opened her eyes, her mind was clear and her jaw was set.
She wanted Xander.
Now and always.
“You weren’t the only one who screwed up,” she said, searching his eyes for understanding. “I could’ve handled the situation better. I knew you were in shock and that you hadn’t had time to process the information, but I was hurt by your accusations, and I reacted emotionally.” She frowned. “You have to know I’d never intentionally hurt you like that, no matter how bad things might get between us. I’m not that kind of person anymore, and I don’t want to be. If you don’t know that—if you can’t trust in me—this can never work.”
“I do trust you, Evie. It was never about trusting you,” he said vehemently. “It was about me and my insecurities. I was a fool, and I let my own insidious fears destroy what we were building.”
Frustration welled up from the pit of her stomach. She hated that those fears still lingered in the back of his mind. Hated that he’d never had anyone he could truly trust to have his back and not betray him. Hated that he’d thought for even one second that he wasn’t good enough.
“You were a fool,” she said, nodding thoughtfully, “but not for the reason you think.”
Xander opened his mouth to protest, and she held up a hand.
“Did you really think I could just walk away from you? From us?” If he’d truly believed that, he didn’t know her at all. “That it would be easy for me?”
“I never said it would be easy,” he said, grinning sheepishly.
“I could no more walk away from you than I could walk away from my own heart.” And it scared the hell out of her. “We’re in this together, you and me.”
They’d seen the best and the worst of each other, of what the world had to offer, and there was no doubt they were stronger together than they’d ever be apart.
“Does that mean you’re staying?” he asked, a hopeful note in his voice.
“For as long as you’ll have me.” She looked up at him with a crooked grin. “You know we’ve got to be the most screwed-up couple in the history of screwed-up couples, right?”
…
Xander laughed, the low rumble providing a much-needed release for the tension that coiled in his belly like a snake.
He’d woken up this morning prepared to let Everly go, knew this had to be her choice, but he’d never imagined she might choose him.
Everly had chosen him.
It was the greatest gift he’d ever received, and he’d work every day to be worthy of it.
They were going to be okay. It might take some time, but they’d get back to the way things were. He could feel it in his gut.
“Nothing about our journey has been traditional, but I wouldn’t change a minute of it, because it brought us together.” He slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her close, lowering his mouth to hers. “I love you, Everly Wilson.”
He’d never said those words to a woman before, and he couldn’t deny the thrill of satisfaction when she gasped in surprise. Their lips brushed, and then his mouth was moving over hers with reckless abandon, the kisses growing deeper and more desperate as they fused their bodies together. He needed her like he needed his next bloody breath, but they should probably take it slow.
When they finally pulled apart, both of them gasping for breath, Everly gave him a shy smile, her lips red and swollen and thoroughly kissed.
“I love you, too, Xander.”
His heart fucking swelled with joy, and he swept her up in his arms and kissed her all over again. He’d never felt more invincible in his life, and he knew that with Everly at his side, everything would work out. The Blue and Gold Foundation would be a sweeping success, because he wouldn’t rest until every soldier and every family had the support they needed. As for the tabloids, it didn’t matter what they wrote or how the court gossiped. He could weather any storm as long as he had the love of this incredible woman.
Everly was smart and beautiful, and he could be enough for her, if he trusted in the knowledge. He’d suffered one tabloid attack after another, weathered combat, and buried friends. Loving her couldn’t be any harder than the battles he’d already fought.
But the victory would be so much sweeter.
“Um, Xander?” she said. “Don’t you have a wedding to get to?”