Page 64 of Expecting Royal Twins!
No, he wasn’t. He’d been nicer, friendlier the day they met than he was right now. She pulled her hand away. He didn’t even seem to notice. Hurt burrowed in deep.
Was the honeymoon already over before it began?
Apprehensive, Izzy stared out the window and told herself to give him more time. She concentrated on the scenery. Villages dotted the landscape both in the mountains and foothills and valley floor as beautiful as a painting.
She glimpsed a castle in the distance. Smaller than the one the royal family lived in, but just as fairy tale worthy with a tower and spires jutting into the sky.
As the helicopter traveled toward the castle, the structure came into clearer view. Her breath caught in her throat. A wall made of stones surrounded the grounds. Paths crisscrossed a carpet of lush green grass. Tall trees surrounded a crystal blue lake.
Izzy pressed her forehead against the window for a better look. “I love that castle.”
“It’s yours,” Niko said.
She looked his way. “Mine?”
“That is where you lived with your parents,” he clarified. “It’s your family home.”
Her home? Izzy stared out the window in disbelief. “This is where we’re going?”
“Yes,” he said. “Not quite as warm as the beach.”
“It’s a million times better than the beach.” Maybe she was overanalyzing Niko’s words and actions. He’d obviously put some thought into where to spend their honeymoon. “It’s perfect. Thanks.”
The castle turned out to be even more spectacular in person with more bedrooms than she could count, an obliging staff—many of whom were related to Uncle Frank—and a large six bay garage that had the potential to be a mechanic’s dream hangout.
As the days passed, Izzy and Niko explored the property, toured various villages and visited with residents. She was enjoying herself, but she continued to sense a difference in Niko. Oh, he was polite, even solicitous, but he acted more like her friend than her husband no matter how hard she tried to initiate a deeper emotional connection.
Maybe that was how marriage was supposed to be, except…
When they were in bed, Niko couldn’t seem to get enough of her. He gave her a taste of the intimacy she desired; a glimpse of how wonderful all parts of their marriage could be not just the physical side. They spent their nights and mornings learning about each other and sharing themselves. It whetted her desire for more. But once they left the bedroom, the closeness vanished as if an invisible wall had been erected between them.
“You like it here,” Niko said three days later as they strolled through the grounds.
“I do,” she admitted. “I love it here. The castle. The people. The villages.”
You.
Izzy wanted to lose herself and her heart in Niko, but was too afraid to tell him how she felt. He’d told her he wouldn’t lie to her. She wasn’t prepared for that kind of honesty. Not on their honeymoon. But she could be honest about other things.
“This place—” she inhaled the fresh mountain air, trying to quell her uneasiness “—it feels like…”
“Tell me.”
“Home.”
“That’s because Sachestia is your home,” Niko said. “You can return whenever you wish.”
You, not we. The one word changed everything she had convinced herself could happen. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but someday. Disappointment squeezed her heart.
The hope of love blossoming in her marriage was withering. The promise of “until death do us part” was turning into nothing more than a dull ache. Izzy might want more, but she resigned herself to not needing more than the physical intimacy Niko offered. She had a feeling that nothing would make him love her. Not even time.
The next day Niko rowed Isabel across the lake in a small boat. The days they spent together seemed to drag compared to the nights that were over much too quickly. He remembered the swing of her hips and the look in her eyes this morning. All her enthusiasm and energy seemed to have disappeared out here in the light of day. “You look…tired.”
“I’m…not.”
Niko waited for her to say more. She didn’t.
