Page 78 of A Royal Arrangement
“You’d have to be blind to not see how Rosalie feels about you.”
“Even more reason for me to not tell her. I know she cares about me, but it’s not fair that she’s tied to me because of an arranged marriage she wasn’t even a part of planning.”
Wes paused before tossing his apple core into a trash can. “You can’t tell me you believe she would change her mind about your marriage now. She’s falling for you, Colin. I don’t think either of you hold the same feelings you did on your wedding day.”
Colin shoved all those words out of his mind. He couldn’t think aboutfeelingsright now. He needed to be logical about this. “I need to figure out how to get out of this before I hurt Rosalie.”
“What do you mean ‘get out of this’?” Wes stood and crossed his arms.
“There has to be something we can do to give her what she deserves.” Colin got to his feet, brushing his hands off on his pants, trying to ignore how they shook. “I don’t know what I have left to offer her. Rosalie deserves a better future than my broken past.”
“What are you saying?”
“Is there something we can do? Is annulment an option? Can we find an agreement with her father for her to return home? Should I just tell her I want a marriage in name only?”
“Are you crazy?” Wes grabbed him by the shoulders and lightly shook him like he was trying to knock some sense into him. “Why would you do any of this? You clearly love her.”
Colin opened his mouth to respond when he heard a small gasp behind him. He whipped around and found his daughter and Luna clambering over the rocks.
When Luna noticed him, she placed her hand on Addie’s shoulder to stop them. “My apologies, Your Majesty. Her Highness wanted to go for a swim, but we can come back later if you would prefer that.”
“Go ahead.” Colin motioned toward the water. “We won’t be out here much longer.” When they were out of earshot, he turned back to face Wes. “What makes you think I love Rosalie?”
“Everyone in the palace has heard by now what you did for her after bringing her in from the pouring rain. You can’t tell me you cared for her that tenderly because you feel nothing. And you’ve been going out of your way to do things to show you care for weeks.”
“Anyone would’ve done that. And I’ve only done a few small things for her, like bring her iced coffee, cinnamon rolls, and flowers. It’s not like I’m doing these grand romantic gestures you see in the movies,” Colin scoffed.
Wes stepped forward and smirked. “You’re right. You did what anyone would’ve done, butyouwere the one who wanted to. You wouldn’t let anyone else take care of her becauseyouwanted to ensure she was safe. Also, a gesture doesn’t have to be large for it to be romantic. Loving someone is about knowing the things they love and what would mean something to them. A small action can be just as meaningful as a loud declaration.”
Colin thought back through everything he had done for Rosalie in recent weeks, and he realized what it meant to love someone again. It meant chasing them down in a storm and sitting with them in it. It meant finding a way to become the best version of yourself for them. It meant sometimes putting their needs above your own.
If that was what love was, he undoubtedly loved his wife. And he had absolutely no idea what to do with those feelings when he also knew she deserved so much more than him.
Colin spent the next day holed up in his study, trying to figure out what he wanted the rest of his life to look like. When he envisioned the next ten years, he saw Addie growing older right by his side. He was starting to realize he wanted Rosalie right there with them.
He wanted her there for every holiday and every birthday. He wanted to dance with her at every ball. He wanted her to sit and watch every dance routine Addie came up with for the two of them. He wanted to fall asleep beside her every night and wake up next to her every morning. He wanted her holding his hand through the good and the bad and everything in between. He wanted her as his wife.
But it felt selfish to want all of that with her. Sometimes the best thing to do for the people you loved most was to let them go.
A knock sounded at the door to his study. He glanced at his schedule, but it reaffirmed what he already knew—he didn’t have any meetings on the calendar.
“Yes?” he called out.
“Can we come in?”
The sweet older voice was immediately familiar to him.
Colin rose from his desk and hurried to the door. When he opened it, he was immediately engulfed in a hug by Beverly. Richard followed behind her, giving him a firm handshake once Beverly finally let go of him.
“It’s great to see you, but I didn’t expect you back so soon,” Colin said.
Beverly placed her hands on her hips. “Well, we didn’t plan on it, but when our granddaughter is on her weekly call with us and asks what an annulment is, we thought we should probably drop by for a visit.”
Colin stopped walking, almost tripping over his own feet. “I didn’t know Addie overheard that conversation.”
“Why were you even having a conversation about that in the first place?”
“You’re talking to aking, Bev,” Richard said.
