“Do you, William Hayes, take this woman, Viktoria Magnusson to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, ’til death do you part?” the minister asked, beaming at the happy couple.

“I do,” William answered.

Johan felt a surge of pride and relief. He would enjoy having a man as surprisingly emotionally stable as William for a step-father. In the past couple of weeks, the man had truly stepped up, not only to support Viktoria and the rest of the family as news of Marina’s treachery broke on an international level, but in the government as Viktoria’s chief advisor as well. He might still spill something on himself at every meal, and he’d knocked over and shattered a thousand-year-old figurine from the Viking era on his way to his first cabinet meeting, but he’d been just the rock that the queen had needed in the wake of the royal scandal.

“And do you, Viktoria Magnusson, take this man, William Hayes, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love, honor, and cherish as long as you both shall live?”

The queen glanced to William with a look of such adoration that Johan got a little choked up. “I do,” she said from the heart. “I absolutely do.”

“Then by the power invested in me by God and the Kingdom of Aegiria, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your—”

William threw his arms around Viktoria and kissed her more passionately than Johan would have liked to see. Then again, the two of them deserved it after everything they’d been through. He joined his brothers, their fiancées and girlfriends, and William’s family, in applauding, then laughing as the kiss went on and on.

“They’re so adorable,” Tracy said, leaning closer to him.

Johan grinned at her. She looked amazing in her simple sundress, the afternoon light around her and the sparkle shimmering across the water around them. “You’re pretty adorable yourself.”

She blushed and slapped his arm, which was the best reaction she could have had. “If you’re trying to butter me up and convince me to say yes to your proposal, you’ll have to do better than that.”

“Should I ask you again?” he teased her.

“You’ve already asked me a dozen times.”

“And you’ve asked me about two dozen,” he murmured, dipping closer to kiss her cheek.

She laughed deep in her throat. The sound did things to Johan that definitely weren’t appropriate for public. “Why don’t you try wooing me with food this time.”

“An excellent idea.”

They moved out of the sunlight of the deck into the interior of the royal yacht. A grand, buffet feast was set up on tables that lined the walls, though only the immediate royal family was present to enjoy it. The public believed the royal marriage had taken place weeks ago, before the scandal over Princess Marina’s horrible criminal activity had broken. It had taken all that time to settle things on a legal and national level, and for Johan’s mother to feel right about going through with the ceremony.

In the end, the queen got what she wanted when it came to an intimate celebration with just the family. She and Dr. Hayes looked glowingly happy now, not only for themselves, but for the wealth of joy that they were all experiencing.

“We have to start planning your wedding next,” she said to Alek and Toni as they came inside to grab a bite to eat.

“I don’t suppose we could get away with a small wedding like this,” Toni said, sending Alek an adoring smile.

“He’s the Crown Prince of Aegiria,” Arne teased the two of them. “You’re not going to be able to get away with anything less than an international gala.”

“Whereas the two of you think you’ll be able to get away with a small wedding?” Alek teased right back. “A prince and a former rock idol?”

Emma, who clung to Arne’s arm, grinned at him. “The press made a way bigger announcement of our engagement than I thought they would.”

“It seems as though even after you put aside Fuchsia, the press still loves you,” Gloria said as she and Mack joined the group.

“That’s because she’s so loveable,” Arne said, kissing Emma right there for everyone to see.

“They’re so cute,” Tracy said to Johan from the refreshment table, where they still stood. “Between the two of them announcing their engagements, I guess the rest of us will be able to get away with keeping things under wraps for a while.”

Johan laughed, adding a few open-face sandwiches to his buffet plate. “Considering Viggo married Marcia right under all our noses, that only leaves three of us to keep the press wondering ‘will they or won’t they’.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure we all will,” Tracy said, nudging his arm. “Eventually. But my money is on Kristoff and Cassandra announcing their engagement next.”

“Really?” Johan glanced over to where his brother and—well, technically she was his sister-in-law now through William and his mother’s marriage—were still out enjoying the sun and stealing kisses. “I would bet Mack and Gloria would make things official first.”

Tracy shrugged. “Maybe. But like another royal couple I know, I think they’re having too much fun just being together to rush into all the formal stuff. Especially if two other royal weddings are already being talked about.” She pushed up to her toes to kiss him quickly.

Johan wanted to put down his plate, sweep her into his arms, and kiss her into oblivion. He wanted to do a lot more than that. But there would be time for everything, and he was hungry.

“Nobody has to rush into anything,” he said, loading more food on his plate. “We’ve got all the time in the world.”

“We do,” Tracy agreed. “And besides, I feel like I need to propose to you at least a dozen more times, just to be thorough.”

“Exactly,” Johan agreed. “We have to do it right, after all.”

The two of them shared a laugh as they moved away from the table. There was no escaping the happiness that surrounded them. The past was behind them, and the future glowed in front of them, full of promise and joy.

That’s it for The Royal Wedding! But stay tuned! There very well might be more stories from Aegiria that need to be told, both by Merry Farmer and Caroline Lee.

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