Page 39 of Her Royal Cowboy Billionaire

“Oh, no.” Michele waved a hand in front of her and shook her head. “Tea would be lovely. I often prefer it. Coffee can upset my stomach.”

Reina poured them both a cup of tea from a beautiful porcelain teapot. It was white with a design of red roses and green vines with a couple of butterflies thrown in.

Is the teapot an heirloom? It looks ancient and precious. China teapots are not cheap, even new ones, and that one is definitely not new.

“Sugar?”

“Yes, thank you. One teaspoon, please.”

“I have cubes, dear.”

“Oh, then two cubes, please.”

Reina placed the cubes in Michele’s teacup and handed it to her. “I called you here today for several reasons. First, I would like for us to get to know each other better. Second, we need to order you some gowns and I have my dressmaker coming in an hour to get your measurements. You will need gowns for balls, dinners and, of course, your wedding. You also need day dresses for luncheons and an appropriate dress for the king’s funeral.” Reina stopped and closed her eyes for a moment.

When she opened them, they sparkled with a sheen of tears. She gave a shy smile. “Gregor and I were married for almost thirty-one years. I fell in love with him after our first date. He was so different from Nicolai, even though they were twins. He said they used to pull pranks on their teachers and switch places, but I could always tell them apart. It infuriated Nicolai, who tried to fool me on more than one occasion.”

Michele remembered the Carson twins when she was growing up.I used to babysit them when they were toddlers. Rachel Carson was the sweetest little thing, but Amanda was a holy terror. I was sure she’d devote herself to a life of crime. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Amanda married a reverend and became a Sunday school teacher. Rachel fell in with a motorcycle gang and was arrested for solicitation.“You would have thought he would learn the first time. I guess he’s a slow learner.”

“Yes, he is, and he doesn’t take no for an answer. Do not find yourself alone with him. He is not to be trusted.”

She was hesitant to bring up the murder, but she had to understand and right now, she didn’t. “Isn’t there some way for him to be arrested for the king’s murder?”

Reina crumpled her napkin in her lap. “No, he covered his tracks very well. We have found the men who actually did the deed…dead and dead men do not speak.”

Michele closed her eyes and huffed out a breath. “He’s slippery as an eel, but Alex will exact revenge for his father. One way or another.”

“Alex must be very cautious. His people loved Gregor and will look for justice, not vengeance. On the topic of my son...you worry about your marriage, do you not?”

Michele took a deep breath and looked down at her lap. “I do. I love Alex. I know this beyond a doubt.” She looked up at Reina. “I don’t know how it happened so fast, but it has, and I don’t know what to do. I said yes to him, thinking I could live in a one-sided marriage of love, but I don’t know if I can. He keeps saying hecaresfor me, but not that helovesme.” She closed her eyes and put her face in her hands before the tears fell.

Michele felt the sofa dip and Reina’s arm come around her shoulders.

“My dear, he loves you. He has never brought another woman here, much less asked her to marry him. You are his first and only love. Trust me on this. He is just like his father. I think Gregor and I had been married for a year before he told me he loved me.”

“A year!” Michele sniffled and swiped at her tears with her tea napkin.

Reina squeezed her shoulders. “Yes, but I loved him. I could not see myself with anyone else. No other man in this world could come close to Gregor. Can you see yourself with another man? Any other man?”

Michele shook her head. “I can’t. I’ve tried, but as you said about Gregor, no one comes close. When I see myself in the future, it’s always with Alex.”

“Take my word for it. He loves you and he will tell you, eventually. He might be waiting for you to tell him.”

Michele’s eyes widened, and her eyebrows raised. “Me?”

“Yes, you. You really love him, correct? And you want to spend your life with him? Yes? What about Erin? How does she feel about Alex?”

A warm feeling filled her when she thought of the day Alex showed up to take them on the plane. How Erin had thrown herself into Alex’s arms, absolutely certain he would catch her. “She adores him. He’s the only man I can say for certain she loves.”

Reina smiled, her face glowing. “I’m so glad. I’ve known him to get along with Gregory, but that is his little brother and quite different than a child of his own would be.”

Michele shook her head and waved her hand in front of her at the same time. “Erin is not his child.”

The queen mother leaned back and lowered her chin. “I beg to differ. He has already accepted her and fallen in love with her as his daughter. Do you think he could love her and not you, or you and not her? My son is not capable of that. He loves with his whole heart for that person. It sounds strange, but he, like all of us, has many hearts when it comes to love. You can love Erin with all your heart and feel the same way about Alex. But they are different hearts.” She leaned forward. “Do you understand?”

Michele thought for a moment, her brows furrowed, and then she suddenly understood. “Yes, I do. Your description is correct. We have many hearts. A different heart for every person we care about, whether it’s a little or a lot. I’d never thought about it that way.”

Reina took Michele’s hand and squeezed it. “It was something my mother told me, and when she’d finished…everything became clear.”