by Casey, Ember
My father gives Andrew a solemn nod. “Indeed. Now…” He makes another motion with his hand, obviously intended to silence the room. “It is true that we’ve come to share some… news.”
“What sort of news?” I give my father a defiant glare. “Because if you—”
“If you would listen for one moment Daughter, your questions would be answered.” My father gives me an annoyed shake of his head. “Andrew and I have been discussing—”
“If you’re here to tell me about some archaic, bullshit law that should have been overturned centuries ago, you can leave now.” I stand, Pax’s hand still in mine. “I don’t want to hear it. And I’m willing to give up my title if you’re going to tell me you’re dragging me back to Montovia to have my marriage annulled.”
“Sit down.” My father’s voice thunders through the room.
As defiant as I feel, I do as he says at the sound of his voice, almost involuntarily.
My father gives me an annoyed shake of his head. “As I was attempting to tell you, I’ve come to a decision that will affect you both.” His brow furrows. “And why, dear child, do you think I would have flown all this way to tell you your marriage is unlawful? I could have sent Stephan to do that.” He gives me a disappointed shake of his head. “We’ll discuss your disrespect at another time.”
Andrew clears his throat, his gaze sliding between my father and me. “Father has a rather generous offer for you and your husband, Sophia.”
“Indeed, I do.” My father’s expression softens a bit, and his lips tick into the slightest of smiles. “I’ve decided to be lenient with you, Sophia.”
My gaze narrows. “How kind of you. Of course, I’ve been married for over two months—”
“During most of which your new…spouse has been unconscious.” My father sets his jaw. “Montovia has been through enough these past few months. And you’ve put your family through enough, too, Sophia. Which is why I’ve come here to tell you how the next few months will unfold.”
“Is that so?” I cross my arms over my chest, feeling almost like a petulant child. “How fortunate that you’ve decided once again to dictate the terms of my life.”
My father shakes his head. “Perhaps you should listen to my terms before you decide to defy them, Daughter. I have three conditions you must meet, and then I’ll be willing to recognize your marriage.” He lets out long breath. “First, you’ll have a proper wedding. In Montovia.”
“I’m already married, Father. I hardly think—”
“It’s not for you, Soph,” William interrupts. “It’s for the people.”
“Precisely.” My father barely hides his annoyance. “You’ll have a proper royal celebration for our citizens. They deserve nothing less.”
“Fine.” I lift my chin in defiance, though that particular term doesn’t seem particularly harsh. I’d always imagined I’d have a small celebration—perhaps not the large royal weddings my brother should have had, but a ceremony, nonetheless. It might actually be nice to remember some of my vows to Pax, after all. “What else?”
“Second, your husband will give up his claim to any Montovian title.”
“What?” I give him a violent shake of my head. “How is that fair, Father? You didn’t do that to Leopold or to Andrew. Victoria and Elle were both able to take their appropriate royal titles—”
“This isn’t about Leopold or Andrew. This is about you.” My father’s glare could freeze the ocean. “My third and final term is this. As I’m still not fully convinced you’ve married for the right reasons, you’ll vow not to bring any children into this marriage until at least ten years have passed or you’ll be stripped of your title and barred from Montovia forever. And should you not agree to my terms, you’ll be stripped of your title and your inheritance immediately.”
Pax
This royal fuckwad definitely knows how to fuck up a family reunion, doesn’t he?
That said, it could totally be worse—at least he’s open to accepting our marriage now. Yeah, his conditions suck—and threatening to disown Sophia if she doesn’t agree is a step too far—but it’s better than what I was expecting. Or maybe, yet again, it shows that getting shot makes you a lot more understanding and forgiving.
Sophia, on the other hand, has gone white. And she looks furious.
“You guys think that’s a generous offer?” she says. “There’s nothing generous about this.”
“Is it really that bad?” I ask Sophia. Not that I want a big wedding—the exact opposite, in fact—but I never really cared about titles or any of that. “Who cares if I’m a prince or not? Who cares if we have to wait a few years to have kids?”
“I care,” Sophia says. “You’re my husband. You deserve to be treated like it. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be treated like every other royal spouse.” She stands up and faces her father. “Victoria and Elle—"
“Victoria and Elle have behaved far more appropriately,” the king says simply. “They’ve done their duty—”
“This isn’t about duty and you know it,” Sophia says. Ol’ Andy’s eyebrows snap together when his sister interrupts their father, but for once, he wisely keeps his mouth shut.
Sophia is still glaring at her father.
“You didn’t come here to make peace,” she says. “You came here to insult me and my husband. You came here to threaten me—and I don’t want any part of it. Get out.”
My mom sucks in her breath. Even she knows that the way Sophia is speaking to her father is not going to go over well.
“Sophia,” I say gently. “Maybe—”
She cuts me off with a glare.
“Get out,” she repeats to her father. She glances at her brothers. “All three of you. You aren’t welcome here.”
William stands. “Sophia, Father is trying to compromise. I know it’s not ideal, but maybe with a little negotiation—”
“We shouldn’t have to negotiate over this. Pax is my husband. He should get all the rights and privileges that come with that. Anything less is a slight, and all three of you know it. And threatening me, trying to force me in this manner…” Her glare turns back on her father. “Get out.”
The king, to my surprise, actually obeys her, rising from his seat. His face is impassible, his eyes like steel.
“This is not how I wanted this visit to go, Daughter,” he says. “I thought recent events might have provided you with some sense. But I see I was wrong. I will return to Montovia, and I hope you will give my offer some more thought. In my view, it is a very generous one.”
He turns and strides out of the room, and Ol’ Andy, after leveling a long, hard look at his sister, follows.
Only William lingers, looking apologetic.
“You know how Father can be,” he says softly. “It’s not a great offer, but it’s better than nothing. And at least he’s not threatening to forbid Pax from entering the country anymore. Maybe you can convince him to back down a little—”
“Ha,” Sophia says with a bitter laugh. “When has Father ever backed down about something like this?”
William shrugs, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “If you at least seem amenable to the general terms, you might be able to negotiate a little wiggle room. Now’s not the time to be stubborn, Sophia. If you want to get through to Father, you have to learn to wear him down. Prove to him that his fears about you and your husband are unfounded.”
Sophia considers this for a minute. “Do you think Mother would be able to help?”
“I think it’s only Mother’s influence that has gotten us this far,” William says. “Only a couple of weeks ago he was still ranting about how you were wasting your life on some American nobody.”
“I’m hardly a nobody,” I cut in.
This time it’s Ma who shoots me a warning look. Sophia and William go on as if I’d never spoken.
“The whole thing is an insult,” Sophia says to her brother. “You know it is.”
“Yes, I do,” William replies. �
�But—”
“William,” comes a growl from the door. Ol’ Andy is standing there, looking quite angry about this whole business. “Are you coming?”
That dude definitely has a stick up his ass, I think. I feel sorry for that kid he has coming. How does Victoria even put up with him? But if there’s one thing I’ve learned since meeting Sophia, it’s that love does funny things to people. It changes you in ways you never imagined. I’d have hated to meet this guy before he met the love of his life.
“Well, I guess that’s my cue to go,” William says. “Think about what I’ve said, Sophia.”
With a wave, he heads out the door after his brother.
“Oh, my,” Ma says as soon as they’re gone. “That was…intense.”
Sophia sinks back onto the edge of my bed, silent.
“Hey, Ma, can you give us a few minutes?” I ask.
“Of course.” She nods and quickly sweeps out of the room, leaving Sophia and me alone.
“I know you don’t understand,” Sophia says.
“You’re right, I don’t.” I rub the side of my face. “I don’t need any of that shit, Sophia. As much as I love the sound of ‘Prince Pax,’ who cares if I have a title or not?”
“I care.” She takes my hand in hers. “Pax, I have no intention of sitting by and letting my family treat this marriage like something they’re ashamed of. It might not feel like an insult to you, but it feels like one to me.”
“I almost died, Sophia,” I remind her. “That sort of shit makes you realize what’s really important. The only thing that matters to me is that you and I are together.”
“I want that, too,” she says. “But I want a real relationship, Pax. Not one bound by rules and regulations. Not one lived on my father’s terms. I want to live on my terms. Our terms. I’m not ashamed of this, Pax, and I won’t behave like I am. Better to run away and forget my family altogether then let them control us like this.”
I look into her wide, dark eyes, and I finally start to understand. Raising her hand to my lips, I kiss the backs of her fingers.
“I’ll go anywhere with you,” I tell her. “Just say the word.”
Sophia
I give him a small smile as I look down at him lying in his bed. “Where would you want to go? If we could go anywhere?”
He shrugs, grinning as he kisses the back of my hand. “Anywhere with you. Especially if we can be naked.” His grin widens. “I know I haven’t been cleared to do much of anything, but the second the doctors give me the go ahead, I’m going to have you every way I can think of.”
I can’t help but smile. “Is that what you meant when you told me you know what’s important to you now?”
“You know it.” He winks, giving the back of my hand a quick kiss. “And in all seriousness, the only thing that matters to me right now is you. I don’t care where we go. Or if you’re a princess. Or if we ever see Montovia again.”
Those particular words make something twist in my chest. I can’t imagine never being able to see my home again. The thought that my father would do this—put such cruel terms on me to force me to bend me to his will—makes me physically ill. I just don’t want to be bound to such horrible terms.
“Do you really want kids?” Pax gives me a crooked smile. “I could go either way, really. I grew up in a big family, and I always said I didn’t want any. But the older I get, the more I think it’d be nice to have one. But just one if we did.”
“I…I always thought I would have children. It’s something of a royal tradition in Montovia for the heirs to have as many children as possible. It’s why our family is so large. We’ve dozens of cousins, all dukes and counts.” I close my eyes, shaking my head to myself. I haven’t thought very much about what I’d actually do one I was married, but I had always imagined I’d have several children. I loved growing up in my large family—loved always having a sibling around to play with or talk to. I’d want my children to have the same.
“But we could wait, right? I mean, ten years isn’t that long. And by then, we might decide we don’t want them anyway. If we’re even still married at that point.”
I cock my head. “If we’re…what?”
“You know.” He shrugs. “If we’re even still married. Celebrity relationships don’t last. You know that. Even the ones that seem like a fairy tale.”
“Ours certainly hasn’t seemed like a fairy tale, Pax.” My brow furrows. “You really think we won’t be married in ten years? Didn’t we vow to be married for as long as we both shall live?”
He chuckles. “That’s just something they say at weddings. Almost everyone gets divorced at some point. You’ll meet some distant duke cousin of yours and decide you like him better. Or…” He shrugs, almost as though he’s thought better of what he was going to say.
“Or you’ll meet some duchess cousin of mine and decide you like her better?”
“You know that isn’t what I mean.” He presses his lips into a smile. “I was just kidding. But you have to admit, our odds aren’t that great. I mean, we still barely know each other.”
“Should we just end this now, then?” I shake my head, tears filling my eyes. Did I really just spend two months at the bedside of a man who still sees our relationship as something fleeting? How could I have been so stupid?
“No. No, I like you. I love you. I’ve told you that. You’ve told me that.” His brow wrinkles. “You’re turning this around on me. I’m not the one who made up all the rules, Sophia. I don’t care if there’s a piece of paper between us or not. I don’t need to be a prince. I’m already royalty.”
My gaze narrows, but I don’t speak.
“You know what I mean. And I have more than enough money to live just fine on an island somewhere for the rest of my life. I’d prefer to be with you, at least for now.”
“At least for now.” I parrot him. “You really think this isn’t going to last?”
“I think nothing lasts. Like I said.” He squeezes my hand. “But we should have fun while it does. And since we’re already married, I say we go with it. What do we have to lose? We have the dumb royal wedding—it’ll be great photo op, right? The press eats that shit up.”
“For record sales, you mean?” Something in my chest twists again, but it feels a lot more painful this time. “You’re still on about that?”
“If we can cash in, we should. You’re making it sound like I’m only with you because I want to move records. And you know that isn’t true. I love you, Sophia. I’ve loved you from the moment I met you. But I can’t… Things end. It ended with Kayla. It ended with my mom and dad. Things just…end. They don’t last forever. Better to go into life prepared than to get blindsided, don’t you think?”
“So you’re willing to go through a royal wedding because it’ll be a great photo opportunity. And you don’t care about not having a proper royal title, since it would just be stripped from you when we’ve divorced, is that it? And the not-having-children thing doesn’t bother you because you don’t want children anyway? Does that about sum it up?”
He shakes his head. “Not exactly. I love you. There’s no question about that. I love you and I want to be with you. But why not give your dad and old Andy what they want? Make it look like they won, when really, we’re doing exactly what we wanted to be doing, anyway. We all win in that scenario. And honestly, Sophia, there are hardly any win-win situations in life. I think we need to just go for it.”
Pax
I can see right away that I’ve gone about this entirely the wrong way. This is why they shouldn’t let you have serious discussions when you’re still high on painkillers. You never quite say things the way you mean to.
“Or…” I say softly, pressing my hand against her cheek. “We run away to the other side of the world. Build a little cabin in the mountains. Or a shack on the beach. Have fifteen kids—so many that I’ll have to roll you around in a wheelbarrow by the time you’re done. But at least we’ll have lots of people to take care of
us when we’re old.”
Something flashes in her eyes and she pulls away from my hand. “And what about our inevitable divorce?”
I smile. “Honestly, Sophia, if we’ve survived all the shit we’ve been through, I suspect we might be among the lucky ones who stay together. But at least now I know how you feel about all of this.”
She blinks. “What?”
“Do you really think I could divorce you?” I say, still grinning. “Sophia, you’ve turned my whole life upside-down. It was the thought of you that brought me back from the dead.” I reach out and cup her face again. “I could never divorce you. I love you more than you can imagine. But I’ve always wondered… Sophia, when we first got married, you were the one whose first instinct was to get it annulled. You’re the one who couldn’t bring yourself to say ‘I love you’ until the day I was shot. And you’re the one with everything to lose. Honestly, I wouldn’t blame you if you said you wanted to walk away from what we have, especially after what your father just threatened. The way I see it, I’ve always gotten way more out of this relationship than you—I’m the lucky one in this couple. The one who married up.” My thumbs brush her cheeks. “But considering the minute ‘divorce’ was mentioned you looked like you wanted to murder me, I have a pretty good idea of where you stand now.”
She still looks like she wants to clock me upside the head. “So this was just a big joke? A test?”
“I prefer to think of it as a creative way of getting the truth,” I say.
She pulls away from me again, crossing her arms. “You’re lucky I don’t divorce you for this.”
I laugh, and then pull her into my arms. She comes easily.
When her head is resting against my chest, I let out a contented sigh. “I love you more than you know, Sophia. But I don’t want you to sacrifice everything for me. Not your relationship with your family. Not your home. And not your dignity. If you think your father’s offer is insulting, then I believe you, and I would never push you to do something that hurts you. But I can’t help but thinking that walking away from this—walking away from your father—will hurt you even worse.” I stroke her hair. “We don’t have to decide anything now. We can wait.”
