page88 (1/1)

The sacrifices she’d had to make in her life had not been as bad as Andre had feared when he’d asked her to marry him Juliana had thrown herself into her new role as Zakhar’s queen with the same wholehearted enthusiash this was real and not make-believe

She hadn’t been content with urehead position taken by previous queens in their charitable endeavors, either No, she’d been an active participant, especially with those things near and dear to her heart—such as anything to do with children Pregnancy hadn’t slowed her down in the slightest, except at the very end

And through it all she’d had Mara’s friendship to sustain her Mara’s exauide her Not to nancy Mara’s twins—a healthy boy and a girl—had been born only three months ahead of Raoul

Juliana glanced over at Andre again and saas finally awake Awake and staring at her and their son, love for the a radiance to his tired face She held her hand out to hie of the bed “Meet your son,” she told hi the baby to face him She took their son’s tiny fist and placed it in her husband’s hand, amused at how tentatively he stared at it, as if afraid so so small would break if he breathed “Look, Andre,” she said tenderly, inserting a finger to open the tiny fist “Raoul has your fingers”

His eyes reen depths “Did you think I needed that proof?”

She shook her head slowly “No more than the first Andre Alexei needed proof when he acknowledged Eleonora’s son was his before it was confirazed at hihteen I wondered if enetic defect from their father Then later I knew they wouldn’tbecause I would never have children”

He glanced down at the baby in her arms “But you did”

“Only with you” Her sudden radiant smile coaxed a s’s ranso me back to you” She cupped his cheek with one hand, love welling up in her as she quoted softly, “‘Two hearts as one’”

He turned his face to kiss her palh her body the way they always had The way they alould “‘Forever and a day,’” he finished for her in the deep voice she loved “‘Forever and a day’”

Tags:

Source: