Page 52 of A Royal Arrangement
Rosalie met Colin’s eyes and was surprised to see the tender gaze he was sending her way. “Thank you,” she whispered. Not wanting to think about the confusing feelings he was bringing up in her any longer, she took a bite of the steaming soup. The hot broth burned her throat a little, but she knew she needed the nutrients in her body to fight this flu.
After she had finished half the bowl, she glanced up to find Colin still watching her carefully. “I don’t want you to get sick by staying here.”
He moved to the foot of the bed and propped himself on the edge of it. “I have a great immune system. But even if I do get sick, I would still do the same thing a hundred times over.”
She looked back at the tray on her lap, attempting to hide her blush. As she continued to eat, she could no longer ignore the emotions rising to the surface. If she kept seeing this tender, caring side of her husband, she would undoubtedly fall for him.
Two weeks after their date, Rosalie finally felt back to normal. The flu had hit her hard and fast, but thankfully, no one else in the palace had come down with it.
During her time in bed recovering, she had gone stir-crazy, wanting to be productive or do something aside from watching movies and reading. When she’d remembered Edgemont’s Freedom Day celebration was coming up, she had been ecstatic.
From her research on Edgemont before marrying Colin, she knew their Freedom Day was a giant party when the whole country shut down, and every city had a festival with games and dancing. Many cities also held fish-fry cookoffs in which citizens competed against each other to prove they made the best version of the country’s favorite dish.
She researched it more while stuck in bed and discovered that Edgemont Palace used to open their personal beach to the public on that one day a year so citizens could come interact with the royal family more informally. They typically put on a few events like a beach volleyball tournament, water sports, and a sandcastle competition. From the information she could find, the palace hadn’t opened the beach to the public since before Isabella passed away.
While she was cooped up in bed, she had the perfect opportunity and time to put the events back on. Working over video calls with Hector and one of the palace’s event planners, Rosalie arranged everything in a matter of days.
She hadn’t wanted another birthday-party scenario with Colin, so in the midst of planning, she’d told him her plans.
“I want to reinstate the tradition of opening our beach to the public for Edgemont’s Freedom Day. I know how much you love your people, and I think it’s important that we give back to them and interact with them in this way.”
Moisture clouded Colin’s eyes as he looked at her. “I think that’s a brilliant idea. Do you want me to help with any of the planning?”
She shook her head. “I’ve got everything covered. However, when the day arrives, I’ll need a fellow judge for the sandcastle-building competition.”
“I mean, I’m no architect, but I’ll give it a shot.”
“And you were the one who said you married a comedian,” she teased.
“Maybe you bring out a different side of me.” He smiled at her.
Now, Freedom Day was finally here, and she stood at the top of the hill leading down to the beach, watching the citizens of Edgemont—her people—have the time of theirlives. The sounds of laughter and cheers filled the beach, swelling her chest with happiness.
A warm arm wrapped around her waist, giving a small squeeze at the dip of her hip. She leaned into the touch, knowing it was Colin.
“You did a wonderful job. It looks like everyone is having a great time.” He paused, and she could hear the catch in his voice when he said, “It does my heart some good to see these events put on again. Thank you.”
There weren’t any words that felt like the perfect response, so she let the wide grin on her face say it all.
“What do you say we head down? After all, they need their star judges.”
“Is Addie already down there with Luna?” Rosalie asked, and Colin nodded. “Then let’s go.” She accepted his arm, and they walked down the steep pathway to the beach.
When they arrived, citizens applauded and gathered closer. Rosalie and Colin paused to shake hands with people who approached them before making their way along the beach.
Rosalie’s eyes roamed out to the water, and a smile lit her face when she spotted Addie waving at all the people competing in a wakeboarding competition and laughing whenever she got sprayed in a shower of ocean water.
As they walked farther down the shoreline, Rosalie’s attention turned to the beach volleyball competition. She clapped for the winning team as they scored their final point. When she felt eyes on her, Rosalie looked up at Colin with her brows furrowed.
“What? Do I have something on my face?” She reached up, swiping at her cheek.
He reached down and placed his hand over hers, his fingers grazing across her cheekbone and making her faceheat. “Your face is perfect.” Colin coughed and cleared his throat, his eyes darting out toward the water. “Perfectly fine. I just wanted to say you did a great job planning this.”
She smiled her thanks up at him as they finally arrived at the location where the sandcastle competition was being held.
Rosalie’s smile disappeared as she looked out at all the sandy creations. Her heart felt like it dropped into her stomach. She hadn’t anticipated this kind of reaction to an activity she used to do with her siblings when she was younger, but waves of emotion always tended to hit at the most inopportune times.
Colin leaned down, his breath a whisper over her ear. “Are you all right?”
