“I noticed,” Xander said casually, as he carefully folded another rag with some ice for Bryan to hold to his swollen face.
Bryan flinched as he covered his swollen jaw with the freezing cloth. “Is it that obvious?”
“Only when you try to crack the skull of a man who threatened her,” Xander said, sounding mildly amused. “And probably only to me because I feel the same way about Reanna,” he confessed.
The brothers rode in a comfortable silence as Albert drove them back to the city, Bryan trying to figure out exactly when he’d fallen for Shea.
Five years ago. Maybe I couldn’t identify exactly how I felt, but she’s always been a woman like no other for me.
The problem was, he wanted her to feel the same way. He could declare that she would love him all he wanted, but it wouldn’t make it so.
“Interesting. There seems to be a very large crowd around the castle,” Xander observed as the perimeter gates swung open for them to enter.
Bryan surveyed the crowd, a gathering several times the size of the one that had been there to greet him and Shea on their arrival.
“Something happened. Shit. Something happened,” Bryan growled, knowing a crowd like this didn’t gather for no reason.
Xander put a hand on Bryan’s shoulder as the vehicle rolled to a stop. “Nothing happened. Look.” He pointed upward toward the balcony off the main parlor above them and opened the window. “Listen.”
Bryan gaped as he heard Shea speaking. Obviously the press and people had been called here. And his bride was speaking.
Her sweet voice rang out to the crowd via the microphone and speakers that were placed around the grounds:
“And so, citizens of Rubare Collina, I’m desperately in love with His Highness, Prince Bryan Demande, and my love for him has only grown richer and deeper. I officially declare that I will love him always, and my heart, body, mind, and soul will be his, and my loyalty will be given to you, the citizens of this country, King Xander, and all of Rubare Collina until I take my last breath,” Shea vowed confidently.
“I think that’s my cue to run up there and verify her declaration,” Xander said, amused, as he exited the vehicle and hurried up the castle steps.
Bryan was spellbound, and his heart was slamming against his chest wall as he watched Shea, her chin held high, her voice now silent as though she was waiting for his people to accept her. His father flanked her to the right, and Reanna stood regally to Shea’s left. Christopher was standing next to their father.
Does she really love me? Was what she was saying really true? Had she decided to hold the declaration to try to save his life because she was afraid he was in danger, or was it how she really felt?
He had to know.
Finally willing his body to move, he got out of the car as Albert opened the back door, following Xander into the castle. For once, he brushed off any semblance of royal behavior and sprinted up the marble stairs as quickly as his pain-wracked body would allow, anxious to get to his future wife.
The roar of the crowd started as they chanted her name:
Princess Shea, Princess Shea, Princess Shea.
His people were showing their overwhelming support as Xander stepped onto the balcony to verify that he’d heard and accepted Shea’s words.
Bryan cursed and grabbed his painful ribcage where he’d taken some hard punches, as he raced up another flight of stairs, hoping like hell he’d hear the words he wanted to hear the most from Shea herself.
He knew exactly what his first words would be, exactly what he regretted not telling her when he’d thought he might die out there at the mine.
“You will love me, Shea,” he rumbled under his breath as he entered the parlor and stalked directly over to the balcony, snagging her around the waist and pulling her inside.
Chapter Eleven
Shea squeaked as she was seized from behind, her mind and body taking a moment to process exactly who was holding her prisoner. She squirmed and turned as steely arms held her tightly within the circle of their embrace. “Bryan!” Her eyes roamed hungrily over his beloved face, the blood and injuries making her gasp again, “Bryan? Oh my God, you’re hurt.” She touched a gentle finger to his face, wondering how he was even still standing.
“I love you,” he growled, grasping her hand and holding her palm against his face. “I think I’ve been in love with you since the moment we met. There’s never been anyone else who mattered. Only you, Shea. It’s always been you. When I knew I might die without you knowing how I felt, I regretted not saying it. So I need to say it now.”
Her hand against his face trembled as tears filled her eyes. The look on his face was primal and fierce, his eyes burning with emotional fire. “Sit,” she told him shakily, backing him up until he collapsed on the beautiful white couch behind him. For once, she didn’t care if a royal possession got dirty. She just wanted Bryan to be okay. “I can see the injuries to your face. Where else are you hurting?” She sat beside him gently and ran her fingers gingerly through his hair. He seemed to have cuts and bruises everywhere.
“Did you hear me?” Bryan grumbled, his eyes boring into hers.
“Yes,” she answered calmly, relieved as she saw one of the royal physicians hurry into the room. “The doctor is here. He needs to look at you. You’re injured, Bryan.” Her voice crackled with emotion.
It occurred to her that Bryan was confessing his love in the heat of the moment, but she instantly discarded the notion. She could see his raw emotions in his eyes, feel the intensity of his feelings for her. They were nearly a mirror of her own tumultuous, chaotic love for him. She burned to tell him how she felt, but his health came first.
He grabbed her hand as she rose to let the physician take over. “I. Love. You.” His voice was a troubled growl, and his intent stare was fixed on her face.
“I love you, too,” she whispered, her heart aching to tell him just how much.
“The words you spoke were true then?” he asked fiercely.
“Yes. Every word I said is the truth.” Their gazes locked, and for just a moment there was only the two of them in the room, each trying to convey with their eyes how they felt.
Shea sighed as she slowly pried her fingers from Bryan’s grip and allowed the physician to examine his patient.
“Don’t leave,” Bryan demanded. “Don’t ever leave me again.”
It wasn’t the time or place to tell him not to be so bossy, and that he had actually been the one to leave her. Not only were his words laced with vulnerability, but Shea couldn’t think of any other place she could possibly be when Bryan was injured. She wanted him to want her with him. “I’m not going anywhere.” She moved to the back of the couch and stood behind him, cradling his head against her torso and threading her fingers gently through his hair. “I’ll be right here,” she leaned down to whisper in his ear.
“Thank God,” he grunted. “I’ve been missing you for years.” Bryan closed his eyes and let his head rest against her with a broken, masculine sigh.
Shea’s heart skipped a beat as it acknowledged his words. The truth was…she felt exactly the same way. A part of her had been missing since Bryan had left her, even though he’d left her with his child. It was an emptiness that was suddenly filled, his love clicking into the yawning space inside her. “I’ve missed you, too.”
She watched as the older man poked and prodded at Bryan, trying to figure out exactly what his injuries were. The ceremony of her declaration had ended with a short acknowledgment and speech from Xander, who hurried inside with his father, Reanna and Christopher, all of them waiting pensively as the doctor examined Bryan thoroughly.
“He needs some x-rays to be certain that his injuries aren’t more extensive than they appear,” the white-haired physician mused aloud. “And he’s going to need some stitches. Good thing the boy has always had a hard head.”
Christopher snickered and Xander elbowed his younger brother.
“The wedding will have to be delayed,” Xander stated.
