A Queen for Christmas Read online

  Juliette holds up a pair of white heels, but I shake my head and show her the red heels I had on that matched my dress. “I’m going to wear these, they were my mother’s.”

  “Of course. They’re beautiful.” She grabs a thin, but large square box and hands it to me. “The king has asked that you wear these. They are his wedding gift to you.”

  Taking the box, I open it to find a large sapphire pendant encrusted with diamonds, set in platinum on a beautiful platinum chain. There are also two sapphire earrings that match the pendant.

  “These are gorgeous,” I whisper.

  Juliette looks over my shoulder. “That they are. Here let me help you put them on.”

  By the time my brother and father come in, I’m ready to walk down the aisle. I’m wearing the late queen’s veil, my mother’s shoes, my new wedding dress, and the beautiful jewelry Holden gifted to me.

  “You look beautiful Gracie.” My father tells me. “Your mother would be so happy if she were here today.” His eyes get a little misty like they always do when he talks about her, but no tears fall.

  “Thank you, Daddy.”

  Pachelbel's Canon starts to play and that’s my cue. It’s time to marry my king.

  Juliette helps me lower the veil over my face and my father holds out his arm for me to take. We follow Juliette out of the room to the door that will open to the great hall.

  “Ready Gracie?” My father asks.

  “Yes.”

  The doors open and I find Holden’s eyes at the front of the room. He’s staring at me and I can’t take my eyes off of his. Walking down the aisle seems to take forever, but when I get to Holden and my father places my hand in his, I can’t remember how I got there. I’m full of excitement and happiness as my heart flutters.

  Holden leans down to whisper in my ear. “Are you ready to become my queen?”

  “Always my king.”

  Epilogue

  Holden

  Five Years Later

  Christmas Eve

  “Your Majesty, the cameras are ready in the throne room,” Grimes reminds me. I am having a peaceful moment to myself in my office. We did presents this morning and it was loud and boisterous. While it was wonderful to see, for so long, it was just me. I am still not used to the noise of other people, but I am getting there. I adjust my tie and head into the throne room where my beautiful queen sits on her throne, the slightly smaller, more ornate version of my own, with our son, Alexander, on her lap. This year’s official portrait is being taken today. I’ll never understand why we have to take one each year though. It also happens to be our anniversary. Once the photo is taken, Alex will spend two weeks with his grandfather, aunt, uncle, and cousins in Morea, where he is also heir to the throne, as it only passes to males. His uncle, Christian, has only been blessed with daughters. One day, he will unite Degros and Morea even further than Gracie and I have done. As king of both, I can only imagine the great things he will accomplish, and it fills me with a sense of pride I have never known.

  While he is with his grandfather, we head out on a tour of Eastern Europe beginning in Paris and ending in Warsaw. The actual photos are taken quickly, which is a good thing since Alex is not the most patient child in the world.

  We say our goodbyes to Alex who leaves with his grandfather and we head off on our adventure. Adventure is a mild way of putting this whirlwind trip though. While we have both been to Paris several times, it is all of our other destinations we are most excited about. By the time we get to Warsaw, about six days later, we are exhausted, Gracie more so than I. I am beginning to see the signs, but I think she is in denial. She thought we would get pregnant again right away after Alex was born, since we can’t seem to keep our hands off of each other, but that was not the case. Though nothing was wrong, it just was not happening. Her doctors assured her this kind of thing happens, but she was devastated.

  Which brings us to now. For the past four mornings, she has woken up sick, but has insisted it was something weird she ate, since we have been trying new things in every country, but I know that’s not the issue. Not at all.

  I have a quick private word with Jane, Gracie’s private secretary, who accompanied us, along with Garrett, and half a dozen or so bodyguards. Jane heads off to the local drug store. Within twenty minutes, she is back.

  “Gracie?” I ask walking into the darkened bedroom of the hotel suite.

  “I am awake. I feel much better now. What’s on the agenda today?”

  “No agenda, my love,” I say sitting on the edge of the bed next to her. “I am turning on the light,” I say in warning before doing so. She stares at me then looks down at my hands.

  “What is that for?”

  “I think that it explains everything of late.”

  “I do not want to take it. What if it is negative?”

  “Then something else is wrong and I will call for the doctor. I really do think this is the easiest solution though.”

  “Fine, I’ll take it, but only because I have to go to the bathroom anyway,” she pouts, getting up and taking the box from my hands. I watch as she walks naked into the bathroom. Fuck, I am a lucky man.

  When she doesn’t come back out for over ten minutes, I start to worry. I walk into the bathroom to find her sitting on the floor, leaning against the cabinet, holding the test stick. She’s taken a shower and wrapped herself in a robe.

  “What is it?” I ask moving down to the floor to gather her in my arms.

  “It’s positive,” she whispers. A grin spreads across my face.

  “See, baby. I told you.”

  “How did you know?” she asks softly.

  “Little things, but they were the same with Alex, my love. I notice everything about you,” I tell her honestly.

  “I am ready to go home,” she says before resting her head on my shoulder.

  “We will leave tomorrow,” I tell her. It will take some time to get the jet ready.

  “What do you want to do today? We should celebrate,” she says excitedly.

  “Stay in bed all day with my wife, order room service.”

  “Sounds amazing. I am starving,” she says giggling. “I am so happy.”

  “Me too, baby. Me too,” I answer honestly before lifting her up into my arms and carrying her back to bed. She pulls me to her for a kiss that quickly escalates. “Are you sure you are feeling okay?” I ask, just to be sure.

  “Better than okay, milord. Better than,” she whispers.

  As I worship her body, as I was born to do, I realize that my life could not be any better than it is now.

  As I slide my cock into her, I look down at her beautiful face. The overwhelming emotions I feel threaten to spill over. She has given me purpose, a family, everything I have ever wanted or needed.

  “I love you, my queen.”

  “I love you too, my king. More than I ever thought it was possible to love someone.”

  I did not expect to find a love like this when I had the party organized, but I am blessed that I did. My queen for Christmas is the only thing I ever wanted for myself and I am the luckiest man in the world all because she said yes.

  Nine months later, we were blessed yet again with not only one child but twin girls. Hannah and Kiara were named after our sainted mothers and life couldn’t be any better.

  Acknowledgments

  Jenny, we can’t say thank you enough for beta reading A Queen For Christmas! You are truly amazing!

  ARC readers, thank you for reading and reviewing A Queen For Christmas. We hope you loved it as much as we loved giving you Holden and Gracie’s happily ever after.

  If you loved this book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon, Bookbub, and or Goodreads.

  xoxo,

  Elisa and MK

  About the Author

  MK is married to the love of her life. She lives in Tennessee with her husband. She is an avid reader and loves telling steamy stories she deems filthy contemporary. She loves meeting readers, so come
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  About the Author

  Author of the Panthera Security series, the Steel Daggers MC series and the Daddy Knows Best series, Elisa Leigh writes steamy love stories about men who know exactly what they want from their lady love, that being everything and forever.

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