The lodestar clicked open. I sipped my coffee and read the agenda. I smiled when I saw Corbin’s name on my list of appointments. I had a video call with him at three. It had been two weeks since he left the palace, and his progress had been steady. The doctors were pleased.

Juliette was still in Spain, supposedly working on state matters. Outside of my briefing reports, I hadn’t heard from my sister. I had to fight the instinct to call her back to Galona. Eden assured me she’d return when she was ready. I trusted her advice.

I pulled open the top drawer of the royal desk. The ring box sat where it had since the day I brought it home from Vitania’s. I lifted it from the drawer and cracked the lid. The sapphire sparkled in the morning sun.

I plucked the beautiful jewel from its box and carried it to the balcony. The waves crashed in the distance. The staff had brought a full cart of breakfast this morning. There were pastries, bowls of fresh fruit, and a basket of Galona’s most exotic tropical flowers. Everything was exactly how I instructed it to be presented. All of her favorites, down to the color of the china.

I inhaled deeply, my lungs expanding with the sea air.

I quickly snaked my hand around my back when Eden appeared in the doorway. My T-shirt grazed the tops of her thighs. Damn she was sexy, especially wearing my clothes.

Her hair tumbled over her shoulders in amber waves.

“Bonjour, love.” I smiled.

“Bonjour.” She looked at the gilded cart. “Wow, you must be hungry this morning. And mimosas? Are we celebrating something?” She smiled sweetly and reached for the coffee carafe first.

Why the fuck was I suddenly nervous? I could hear the blood pump between my ears.

“Are these fresh raspberries and kiwi?”

I nodded. “They are.”

“Yum. And I love these croissants.”

The sun washed over her, highlighting the blue in her eyes. She’d never looked more beautiful. More like the queen I wanted to make her.

“I fell asleep before you got in last night. Sorry.” She looked up. “But I do have some crazy news. I talked to Bonnie for an hour.”

I eyed her. “Is this about LeRoy?”

She nodded. “He’s going to leave Carina.”

“What? I haven’t seen his petition.”

“They just decided last night. I’m sure you’ll have it sometime this week. I can’t believe it. I’m so excited for Bonnie.”

I watched as Eden heaped the ripe berries on her plate. I couldn’t let Russel’s idiocy destroy this morning. For two weeks, I had tried to find the perfect place. The perfect time. But the world kept colliding with my plans. I had to make sure Corbin was settled. The irrigation grants had to be finalized. The Bostique Islands were impatient to start the new trade arrangements.

If I waited for everything in the country and my family to have complete peace, I’d never have my queen.

“Alaric? Aren’t you going to say something? Bonnie and Russel are going to be together.” She sipped the coffee. “You are going to grant his request, aren’t you?”

“To abdicate his position as duke and leave his wife?”

“Yes. He’s miserable. He loves Bonnie. It’s obvious the way he looks at her. You can see that, right?”

I didn’t want to argue. I wasn’t going to fight with her this morning about someone else’s love story.

Today was the beginning of ours.

“Alaric?”

I walked to the other side of the table. The ring was pressed between my thumb and fingers.

“Yes, I’ll grant it,” I replied. “I don’t want to talk about LeRoy. I want to talk about you, Eden.”

Her eyes lifted. I could get lost in those shades of blue for the rest of my life.

“Me?” she squeaked.

“Mmmhmm.” I ran my fingers through her hair, sweeping it from her shoulder. I lowered to one knee and she gasped.

“Oh my God.”

I grinned. “I want to talk about you. About me. About us, my love.”

She started to shake. “Alaric,” she whispered.

“I’ve given a lot of speeches as king. So many lectures and talks, but I’m almost at a loss for words right now.” I gazed into her eyes. “I look at you and I see light, kindness, strength. I see a woman who loves me despite my crown. I see home. I see a future. Eden, I see the woman I want to love and to protect.” I revealed the ring from behind my back and held it toward her. “I don’t know what’s ahead for me as king. I can’t promise you normal. This life is far from it. But I can promise to fight for you. To fight for us. To love you. To give you as many mornings like this as I can. And I promise to do my best to consider your counsel.” I winked. I was still working on that one. “I’ve never knelt before anyone. But I’d do far more than this to show you how much I want to spend forever with you. Will you marry me, Eden Jacobs?”

The ring sparkled between us. I held my breath. It felt like the longest second of my life.

I didn’t exhale until she collapsed into my arms. “Yes. Yes. I’ll marry you.”

She crawled into my lap, kissing me. I tasted the salt of her tears on my lips.

“Then I need to give you this.” I threaded the sapphire stone over her knuckle. It fit perfectly.

“I can’t believe this.” She held it toward her face.

“I knew it had to be a sapphire,” I teased. I dragged my lips over hers. “Always my sapphire.”

She giggled. “Yes. Always yours.”

I untangled us and helped her stand. “Let’s have a toast.” I reached for the champagne.

Eden crinkled her nose. “Maybe just the orange juice. Sorry, I think I’m too excited. The champagne would send me over the top.” She smiled.

“All right.” I handed her an orange juice in fluted crystal.

Our glasses clinked. “To the new queen of the House of Marquis. To our future.”

“To our future,” she echoed.

My hand rounded over her ass as I pulled her to me. “Before we announce this to the world, I could use some time alone with you.”

“Please,” she whispered.

I lifted her in my arms and carried her across the threshold.