Valerie froze for a moment before catching on.
“Sir, do you have some news for us?” she asked with an excited gleam in her eye. A royal scoop was quite a coup.
Lio looked at me. “Felix?”
“I thought we agreed on the term ‘queen,’” I teased. Lio’s face flushed with a laugh before he turned back to Valerie.
“He’s joking. I married a jokester,” Lio said.
“You’re married!” Valerie exclaimed. “Tell us more. How? When? You married in secret?”
“In private,” he corrected gently. “We were married here in the Gadleigh chapel last Saturday, just before Christmas. It was the anniversary and location of our first meeting, so you can imagine it holds special memories for the two of us. I wanted our wedding to represent a promise I made to Felix from early on in our relationship.” He gazed back at me with the love in his heart as clear as day all over his face.
Valerie prompted him. “And what was that?”
“He comes first. Felix is my heart. Being the king of Liorland is amazing and wonderful and important. It’s a big part of who I am and what I do, but my relationship with Felix is too. It’s all those things. And just because I am a king does not mean I owe the people of Liorland access to my most private moments. Marrying Felix was beautiful and special. I want the people to celebrate with us, which is why we will hold a formal gala when we return home. But the ceremony itself…” He looked over at me. “That was for us.”
Valerie smiled sincerely and turned to me. “He’s awfully romantic, isn’t he?”
“He’s just trying to embarrass me by making me cry like a baby in front of the whole world,” I said.
“What do you have to say about marrying into royalty, King Consort Felix?”
I wrinkled my nose. “I’m not sure about that new title. Just Felix is fine for now. As for marrying into royalty… I’m not sure I think of it that way. I mean, of course there are many rules and traditions to learn. I’ve been up to my eyeballs this year in Grimaldi history, but really I think of it as marrying the love of my life. Who, oh by the way, happens to be a king.”
“That’s sweet. What’s your favorite thing about King Lior?”
I turned and studied him for a moment. He took the opportunity to wink at me, which did stupid things to my stomach even after a year of being with him.
“His big, generous heart. His sense of humor. His love of family. The way he takes care of me. When he lets me win at chess. The way he looks when he—”
Lio cut in. “One, she said. One!”
We’d been holding hands during the entire interview, and I lifted them up to drop a kiss on the back of his with a grin.
“And what about you, Sir?” she asked Lio. “What do you love about your new husband?”
“Husband,” he said slowly and deliberately. “I like the way that sounds. What do I like about my new husband… Well, when he gets particularly angry, this adorable Texas twang comes out.”
“Oh my gosh, stop,” I said with a laugh. “That’s unfair.”
“And he’s carrying on a family tradition by making the most beautiful stained glass. Have you seen his work?”
I felt my face ignite as Valerie nodded and gushed over a small show I’d had recently with some other artisans in Monte Carlo.
“And he laughs at all my jokes, which is unusual and a little crazy. But I guess I’d have to say what I love about him the most is his bravery.”
Valerie’s head tilted in question. “Tell us what you mean by bravery.”
“He’s been hounded by the paparazzi off and on his whole life, and yet he’s still willing to be with someone whose very identity requires constant press attention. Instead of running away or chickening out when I asked him to drop everything and come be with me, he walked into this life with the utmost bravery. I’m in awe of his strength and grace. Whenever I wobble in my own convictions, I just have to look at my best friend to see the best example of constancy, love, and devotion.”
Dammit. Now he really was going to make me cry.
“That’s right,” Valerie continued. “Your mother is Jacqueline Wilde, the actress.”
I cut her off. “No. I was raised by my grandfathers in Texas. I don’t have a relationship with Jacqueline Wilde.”
She blinked at me and got the message.
“All right. Moving on, then… There’s been plenty of speculation about the two of you making it official. Some of the concerns with a same-sex royal couple are, of course, related to the succession of the monarchy. Do you have an idea whether or not you’d like to start a family? Would you consider non-blood-related children to be eligible for the throne?”