Hey everyone! Hope you all had a good holiday!!
Just as a reminder, we're back to America's POV! Enjoy!
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*FOUR YEARS SINCE AMBERLY'S WEDDING*
When I first returned from England, things were somewhat tense between Maxon and me. He had been nothing but sweet and loving towards me, but I knew there was a part of him that was still hurting from my departure and the way we left things. How I left him, alone, to handle Amberly's selection.
But I knew our love was still passionate and as beautiful as it always was, and I knew Maxon isn't the type to give up on anyone or anything, especially me and our relationship.
And now, things are better than ever. Although Gerad and Gwen went back to England, they visit as often as they can. Same with Logan and Ashlyn, who go back and forth between the two countries. My heart is so full when all of us are in the same place at the same time, and it's clear that Maxon feels the exact same way.
For the two of us, though, or relationship grows stronger every single day. We have been teaching Amberly and Xander the ins and outs of being the King and Queen, and they are excellent learners. They will make amazing and fair rulers for the people of Illèa.
And now that our children are all grown up, we have much more time to spend just with the two of us. Although we still have many responsibilities as King and Queen, we're able to share the workload with all of our advisors and now our children.
As I soak up the early morning sunshine, deep in my thoughts, I feel Maxon's gentle hand on my shoulder. "Good morning, my dear," he whispers, to which I let out a small laugh.
"Good morning my love," I reply as I turn around to kiss him on the cheek. "How'd you sleep?"
He smiles and sits down next to me. "I can't complain. Although, you were up very early this morning. Could you not sleep?"
"I just wanted to come over here and read some before starting the day." I take his hand in mine. "I'm glad you're up, though. I was thinking about something."
His eyes meet mine, and he raises his eyebrows at my mysterious grin. "What is it?"
"We should go somewhere. Outside the palace. Like our honeymoon, almost, except twenty years later." I pause to read his expression, but he gestures for me to go on. "I would just love to go away with you, just for a little while. Besides, Amberly and Xander are so good at their responsibilities so far, and I think it would be really good for them to get a taste of what it's really like ruling."
He laughs and squeezes my hand. "I love that idea. Where were you thinking?"
"I haven't thought much about it yet-"
"You know what? I have just the place. Let's leave tomorrow, shall we? I'll let your maids know to pack your things. You are going to love it!"
I giggle as he jumps to his feet, bringing me up with him. His wide grin reminds me of when I first got to know him, when we were so young, so free.
Maxon has aged much more than 20 years since his selection, since his parents died, since we became the crowned King and Queen. Being thrown into ruling took its toll on him, and I see it wear on him every day. Becoming a father lifted some of that weight, I believe, but that also came with an extra set of responsibilities. His unwavering strength and determination has inspired me constantly since we met, more and more so every day.
When half of his family left the country, I know how badly he must've hurt. How hard it must've been for him. The toll that alone took on his mind and body. I sensed it when I returned - that he had aged another 5 years in the short time we had been gone.
But today, I see a sparkle in his eye that I missed. I see hope and happiness and a child-like taste for adventure.
"I love you so much, Maxon. You know that, don't you?" I pull him close to me and rest my head on his chest.
He holds me tight as he murmurs, "I could never forget it, because I love you the same." He squeezes me one last time before saying, "Now. I have to prepare for tomorrow, if you're still okay with that?"
"Of course I am. I'll go let Amberly know she'll be ruling for the next..."
"Three weeks?"
"Sure. Three weeks." I kiss his forehead and walk out of the room, beaming.
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As I step out of the car, I am immediately in awe of the breathtaking view in front of me. I take a few steps forward, the warm sand covering my toes and the breeze flowing through my hair. I take a deep breath in and instantly feel at peace.
"Do you like it here, my beautiful wife?" Maxon comes up behind me and hugs me as the chauffeur drives the car away.
"It's beautiful, Maxon. How did you find this place? Where even are we?"
We begin to walk forward before he responds. "It's a little hidden beach on the coast, not too far from the palace, but far enough. Very private... especially since I rented the place entirely for us for the next three weeks." He laughs. "This was where my parents had their honeymoon, actually. My mother told me about it before my selection. She made me promise to take my future wife here one day."
I look over at him and find him staring at the water, a ghost of a smile on his face, a hint of pain in his eyes.
"You kept your promise," I whisper in his ear. I wait another moment before dragging him into the water, gasping at the cold waves splashing against my ankle.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, laughing and attempting to remain upright as I pull him further in. "Not fair!"
When he is finally able to overpower me, he lifts me up and then drops me gently in the water. I cry out as the freezing water hits my back, scrunching my nose at him. "You'll pay for that!"
"I'm sure I will," he says playfully. Before I have the chance to pull him down, he drops down next to me, soaking himself in the process. And the next thing I know, he's kissing me, and I'm kissing him back. Passionately, intensely, longingly. His hands move to my back, pulling me closer with every passing second. His kisses travel down my face to my neck, and I bite my lip.
"Shall we take this inside?" I ask, breathing heavily, feeling his breath on my chest.
"I like the sound of that, my dear." He lifts me in the air effortlessly, bridal style, and starts running towards the beach house on the other side of the sand. I laugh freely and hold on tight, feeling just like I did when I was 18. And even more in love.
- TWO WEEKS LATER -
"What's going on, is everything all right?"
I roll over in bed to see Maxon sitting up, talking on the phone, looking concerned.
"Maxon? What's happening? It's..." I pause, looking at the clock. "It's 3 in the morning."
He mouthed the words hold on to me and continued to listen to the person on the other end of the call. I inch closer to him, trying to listen to the conversation with no success.
"Okay. We'll be there as soon as we can." Maxon hung up the phone, looking confused.
I furrow my eyebrows. "Wait, what? Who was that? Why do we have to go?"
Maxon finally looked at me, fear in his eyes - an emotion I very rarely get from him. "It was Xander." He pauses. "Amberly is hurt."
"What do you mean hurt? What happened? Is she going to be okay?" I ask as I desperately scramble to pull on some clothes.
"I don't know. All he said was that she was in the hospital wing, they don't know what's wrong yet, and he was scared and needed us to come home."
"Oh, god," I groan. "This is all my fault. We should've never left."
Shoving our clothes into his suitcase, Maxon replies, "No, America, this isn't your fault or anyone's. It sounds like it would've happened regardless of who was at the palace."
"But it could've been stress from ruling, something could've happened that we could've prevented if we were there..." I trail off, thoughts and fears overwhelming my brain. I snap out of it when Maxon grabs my arms, and says firmly, "America, we don't even know what's wrong yet. Let's just focus on getting home. " A moment later he adds, "I won't let anything happen to our little girl."
The car is already outside when we've finished packing all of our things. We jump in, frantically telling the driver to take us back to the palace. The short ride feels like eternity, but we finally arrive at home, and as fast as we got into the car, we get out and run towards the gate.
We navigate through the maze of hallways and eventually reach the hospital wing. We don't stop to catch our breath before running through the doors, searching for Amberly. My eyes find Xander standing outside one of the rooms, and I head towards him, grabbing Maxon's hand to pull him along.
To my surprise, when we reach Xander, he's grinning from ear to ear. I rub the sleep out of my eyes and say, "Xander? Is Amberly okay?"
He turns to face us, tears in his eyes but the same smile still on his face.
"Son, please tell us what's going on," Maxon commands, visibly confused.
"I'm so sorry for calling you so late at night and making you come home. Everything is... everything is good. Amberly's right in here if you want to come in," Xander says, his voice soft and filled with something... pride?
Still holding hands, Maxon and I follow Xander into the room, no less confused than we were at 3 am when we got his call.
"Mom! Dad!" Amberly exclaims when she sees us. She has an IV in her arm and a blanket covering her, but she's also smiling and shows no sign of pain or injury.
I run to her side, relieved that she's okay. "Honey, what happened? We were so worried."
"Oh, I, um.... I just fainted and took a fall, but nothing major. Xander kind of freaked out and took me here, but I really feel fine." She looks over at Xander who blushes, but stays quiet.
Maxon comes up behind me and reaches for Amberly's hand. "Is there a reason you fainted? Did they do any tests?"
"Actually, yes, they know the reason now," Amberly says, the smile returning to her face. She takes Xander's hand in hers and they both look up at us.
Suddenly, it dawns on me and eyes widen. "Wait... Is it what I think it is?" I can't hold back my excitement.
"I think so..." She giggles. "Mom, Dad, I'm pregnant! Finally!"
I let out a squeal and attack her with a hug. Maxon kisses her forehead, saying "Congratulations!" and then pats Xander on the back.
We all smile, laugh, and celebrate. I can't contain my happiness for them - I know they've been wanting to get pregnant for at least a year now, and they finally did it.
And for me and Maxon - we get another grandchild! How is it possible we're not even 50 yet and we're lucky enough to have 3?
After spending a lot of time with Amberly and Xander, sharing stories, and reminiscing, Maxon and I leave and let the young couple enjoy the news on their own. We decide not to go back on vacation and instead relieve them of their ruling duties for the time being, so they can focus on their growing family.
When we're out of the hospital wing, arms linked together, Maxon whispers to me, "This better be the last grandkid for a while. Logan isn't allowed to even think about having kids for another 10 years."
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Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Sorry if there's a lot of typos... I'm tired lol.
Happy New Year!!!! <3