always want things my way? ”
“ I ’ ll help you overcome your fears if you help me overcome mine. ” He tipped his head toward the waiting guests. “ Let ’ s dry your tears. ” He reached in his breast pocket for a handkerchief and handed it to her.
She laughed through another surge of tears. “ My other grandma ’ s wedding handkerchief. ” She pressed it to her nose. “ I can still smell her perfume. ”
“ Your daddy gave it to me so she could be with us in spirit. ” He kissed her forehead while drawing a gift from his jacket. A gift he ’ d moved heaven and earth to have finished and shipped in time for tonight.
“ What ’ s this you ’ re wearing? ” She brushed her hand over his grandfather ’ s white, fine wool naval jacket and medals.
“ Grandfather ’ s World War II uniform. Mum ’ s dad. He was a naval commander and wore this very uniform at his wedding. ” Nathaniel drew a heart-shaped diamond pendant from his pocket. The flawless stones absorbed the white glow of the lights draped through the shadows of the trees, creating pale orbs against his skin. “ I was going to give this to you on our wedding day in Brighton, but it ’ s fitting now. American or not, Susanna, you are my wife, my princess, and . . . ” He motioned to the intricate design inside the heart-shaped pendant. “ Your cipher. See? ” He paused, clearing his throat.
“ Nathaniel, it ’ s exquisite. ” Susanna trembled with her fingers over her lips.
“ Your official title is engraved here. ” Nathaniel turned the piece over. “ HRH Crown Princess Susanna of Brighton Kingdom. ”
“ Princess. Wow, there it is. ” She laughed softly through her tears. “ And what ’ s this? ” she whispered, touching the delicate key ornament attached to the chain.
“ The key to my heart. ” The full force of his feelings forher burst to the surface and threatened to overpower him. “ A sign of my promise to put you first, before the kingdom, before my duties as king, to the best of my weak, human ability. Only the Lord will come before you. It ’ s the only way I can be any kind of good husband and decent king. ” He steadied his heart and slowly moved to clasp the piece around her neck. It couldn ’ t have a more beautiful home.
The sparkle in her eyes rivaled the brilliance of the diamond necklace.
When he stood before her again, she hooked her hands over his arms. “ I give you everything, babe. My heart, body, soul, and citizenship. When I get afraid that life is beyond my control, I will remember this moment and say, ‘ See what God can do. ’ ”
“ Let ’ s not keep the guests waiting any longer. ” He offered her his arm.
“ Not another moment. ” Her smile beamed light across the entire church grounds.
Nathaniel signaled to Jonathan, who then cued the orchestra to play Pachelbel ’ s Canon again. Gracie and Avery rose from their front row seats and stood on the bride ’ s side of the altar wearing pink dresses of some kind.
On the groom ’ s side, Stephen wore his Royal Air Force uniform while Colin sported an Armani suit sent along by the designer himself. With his compliments.
As the guests stood and Nathaniel started down the aisle, Susanna drew back. “ Wait, wait, wait . . . ”
His beating heart screeched to a halt.
“ Is this legal? Babe, we don ’ t have a license for Georgia. ”
“ See the man on the front row? ” Nathaniel ’ s heart startedbeating again. “ He ’ s from the county clerk ’ s office. All we have to do is sign the license and we ’ re legally married. ”
“ Before we are officially married in Brighton? ”
“ That will be the case, yes. ”
“ Nathaniel, are you sure? ”
He brushed a sweet, free strand of hair from her eyes. “ One hundred percent. ”
She tiptoed up as if she might kiss him and wrapped her arms about his neck. “ I am yours forever, Nate Kenneth. ”
“ And I am forever yours. ”
I n all her born days, Susanna
“ I ’ ll help you overcome your fears if you help me overcome mine. ” He tipped his head toward the waiting guests. “ Let ’ s dry your tears. ” He reached in his breast pocket for a handkerchief and handed it to her.
She laughed through another surge of tears. “ My other grandma ’ s wedding handkerchief. ” She pressed it to her nose. “ I can still smell her perfume. ”
“ Your daddy gave it to me so she could be with us in spirit. ” He kissed her forehead while drawing a gift from his jacket. A gift he ’ d moved heaven and earth to have finished and shipped in time for tonight.
“ What ’ s this you ’ re wearing? ” She brushed her hand over his grandfather ’ s white, fine wool naval jacket and medals.
“ Grandfather ’ s World War II uniform. Mum ’ s dad. He was a naval commander and wore this very uniform at his wedding. ” Nathaniel drew a heart-shaped diamond pendant from his pocket. The flawless stones absorbed the white glow of the lights draped through the shadows of the trees, creating pale orbs against his skin. “ I was going to give this to you on our wedding day in Brighton, but it ’ s fitting now. American or not, Susanna, you are my wife, my princess, and . . . ” He motioned to the intricate design inside the heart-shaped pendant. “ Your cipher. See? ” He paused, clearing his throat.
“ Nathaniel, it ’ s exquisite. ” Susanna trembled with her fingers over her lips.
“ Your official title is engraved here. ” Nathaniel turned the piece over. “ HRH Crown Princess Susanna of Brighton Kingdom. ”
“ Princess. Wow, there it is. ” She laughed softly through her tears. “ And what ’ s this? ” she whispered, touching the delicate key ornament attached to the chain.
“ The key to my heart. ” The full force of his feelings forher burst to the surface and threatened to overpower him. “ A sign of my promise to put you first, before the kingdom, before my duties as king, to the best of my weak, human ability. Only the Lord will come before you. It ’ s the only way I can be any kind of good husband and decent king. ” He steadied his heart and slowly moved to clasp the piece around her neck. It couldn ’ t have a more beautiful home.
The sparkle in her eyes rivaled the brilliance of the diamond necklace.
When he stood before her again, she hooked her hands over his arms. “ I give you everything, babe. My heart, body, soul, and citizenship. When I get afraid that life is beyond my control, I will remember this moment and say, ‘ See what God can do. ’ ”
“ Let ’ s not keep the guests waiting any longer. ” He offered her his arm.
“ Not another moment. ” Her smile beamed light across the entire church grounds.
Nathaniel signaled to Jonathan, who then cued the orchestra to play Pachelbel ’ s Canon again. Gracie and Avery rose from their front row seats and stood on the bride ’ s side of the altar wearing pink dresses of some kind.
On the groom ’ s side, Stephen wore his Royal Air Force uniform while Colin sported an Armani suit sent along by the designer himself. With his compliments.
As the guests stood and Nathaniel started down the aisle, Susanna drew back. “ Wait, wait, wait . . . ”
His beating heart screeched to a halt.
“ Is this legal? Babe, we don ’ t have a license for Georgia. ”
“ See the man on the front row? ” Nathaniel ’ s heart startedbeating again. “ He ’ s from the county clerk ’ s office. All we have to do is sign the license and we ’ re legally married. ”
“ Before we are officially married in Brighton? ”
“ That will be the case, yes. ”
“ Nathaniel, are you sure? ”
He brushed a sweet, free strand of hair from her eyes. “ One hundred percent. ”
She tiptoed up as if she might kiss him and wrapped her arms about his neck. “ I am yours forever, Nate Kenneth. ”
“ And I am forever yours. ”
I n all her born days, Susanna
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