by Ally Summers
“Uh-oh. What’s wrong.” I walked over to read the email.
He waved me off. “You aren’t my manager, Elena. I’ve got this.”
I put my hands on my hips. “No one is your manager right now. Let me help.”
He sighed. “All right. But I don’t want this to consume our morning. I’m only dealing with him because we’re in the U.S. and he’s still in Galona. He refuses to return to his post in D.C.”
He pulled me into his lap so I could read the message from his vantage point.
“Well. He is making things difficult, isn’t he?” It was funny how quickly I had forgotten the problems we had with the ambassador.
“Do you like what I have so far?” He pointed to the response below.
I nodded. “But I’d move this around and change this sentence entirely.”
“And what would you have it say?”
I scrunched my nose. “Something like this.” I typed out a new paragraph to tag on the beginning.
Cor read it and huffed. “Why are you so fucking good at this stuff?”
I laughed. “You realize I have a secondary degree after college in royal history, protocol, etiquette, international affairs, war and defense?”
“Oh, just those things?”
I kissed him lightly. “Just those things. Along with ten different languages.”
He growled. “I liked that language you spoke last night.”
He gripped my ass and I shivered. God, I had liked it too. What had gotten into me? It was amazing. I’d never felt so connected to anyone. Cor and I were on a completely different level.
“Me too,” I whispered. “I’m glad I waited to speak it with you.” I rubbed the scruff on his face. He hadn’t shaved yet this morning.
He kissed my palm. “You are my everything, princess. Thank you for saving that gift for me.”
I pressed my forehead to his. Was this real? I was in love. I was happy. I was having the most amazing sex of my life. There had to be a catch. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“I’ll send your changes and meet you in the sunroom for breakfast. I’m hoping we can avoid a trip to D.C. while we’re here. I want to focus on Adaline.”
I hopped off his lap. “All right. Did the kitchen staff return?” I asked.
He laughed. “No. No one has been back at the house. I think we’re going to have to have one of our aides explain how they should run a royal house. I must have scared them.” He chuckled again.
“I could do that, you know.”
“No.”
I sighed. “Ok. I’ll make the coffee while you work on diplomacy. Give my regards to the ambassador,” I teased.
I waltzed down the hall, noticing for the first time how unique the artwork was on the walls. There were placards by each piece explaining the works were by local artists. I froze when I saw the name of the gallery. They had all been purchased from Sophia’s collection.
It made sense. She had been an art collector in Freychon. Her love of the arts was how she and Corbin met. I wanted to pull the paintings down, but I couldn’t. Not now. This wasn’t my home.
By the time I reached the kitchen I was desperate for coffee. There was an entire coffee bar, but I couldn’t figure out how to get the water to pour into the pot. There were too many buttons. I didn’t need a coffee computer. Just a coffee pot.
I picked up the carafe and carried it to the sink faucet. I was tired of trying to work the machine.
That’s when I saw the empty wine bottle on the counter.
I closed my eyes.
I had found the dropped shoe.
The coffee percolated and made a sudden whoosh when the last drops filled the pot. I filled a cup and walked to the sunroom. I didn’t have the energy to make an omelet. It seemed like the sun was covered with clouds even though the ocean sparkled in front of me.
I held the cup between my hands when Cor walked in.
“That’s done. Where’s breakfast?” He looked at the empty table.
My eyes floated upward.
“Everything all right?”
I pressed my lips together. “I don’t know if it is or not.”
He sat in a wicker chair. “Did the staff return?”
“No. They haven’t.” The house was quiet.
“Well, what is it?”
There was no use in pretending. We were supposed to be built on truth and light. I couldn’t hide. He could see I was being swallowed with doubt.
“I found an empty bottle of wine on the kitchen counter. No one has been here all night or morning.”
He stared at me. “And you want me to explain it?”
I nodded. “I do.”
He relaxed in his seat. “Dr. Garcia said this would happen.”
“What would happen?” I was hurt and irritated. I didn’t want riddles.
“I found the bottle of wine too. Although, the bottle was full. The staff had opened it last night with our meal. It was paired with dinner. And it was a good wine. The kind we serve at the palace. French, of course, from the Alsace region.” He looked past me toward the waves crashing on the beach. “It was after you had fallen asleep. There were two glasses on the table and the wine, uncorked. I could smell it before I even picked it up.”
I held my breath. I wanted to protest. I wanted to yell no as loudly as I could. I wanted to shatter the glass in the sunroom with my outrage, but I stayed silent while Cor spoke.
“God, it smelled good. It smelled so good I could taste it. I picked up the bottle and the glasses.” He looked at me. “And I took it over to the kitchen sink. There was a second. Longer than a second when I thought about pouring one glass. Just one. I wanted to celebrate. I wanted to celebrate how much I love you. How much I loved what we had just shared in that bed. How incredibly different my life is now. I wanted to drink and drink and drink.” He stopped speaking. “Drink in happiness. In joy. Drink even though the last thing I’m ever supposed to do is drink.”
My eyes watered. I didn’t know if I could listen to this. I had to get out of here, but as I tried to stand, Cor’s hand was on my wrist. He held me firmly in place.
“But I didn’t. I poured it out, baby. I didn’t do it.”
I let out a sob. “You didn’t?”
“No.”
I covered my mouth. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I asked.”
“Well, I’m an alcoholic. It would be strange if you didn’t ask.”
My relief was clouded by guilt. Had I hurt him? Did he think I doubted his strength?
“I wanted the wine, Elena, but I didn’t drink it, because I want this life more.” He leaned toward me. “I want this life more.”
I smiled. “I’m glad. I’m so glad you fought it.” I let the tears fall and then I fell into his arms.
33
Corbin
I was ready to present my plan to Sophia. She and Adaline would move to Spain. The palace would coordinate the entire move. She wouldn’t have to do anything. I’d hire as many nannies as she wanted. There would be an entire staff to serve them. Adaline would have everything a princess should. Tutors, dance instructors, and any type of sport she wanted to pursue. My daughter would have everything. Including a father who could mentor her as she began to shift. That might the most important part as a growing cub.
Elena and I returned from our walk on the beach. I dusted the sand from my feet while Elena made a stack of seashells on the deck.
“I didn’t know South Carolina was so pretty.” She smiled. “The queen is lucky she grew up here.”
“I keep forgetting that fact.” I put on my shoes. “Was it this same area?” There was a lot I didn’t know about my sister-in-law.
I still didn’t know exactly what made Sophia settle on Charleston. It was a charming city, but there was no connection I knew of. We’d never talked about it, and never visited. I couldn’t think of a reason she had chosen this city over any other in the world.
Someone from the grounds crew pruned the hedges close to th
e pool.
I rested my hand on the banister and looked at the sea. “I never do this in Freychon.”
“What’s that?”
“Walk on the beach. Stand still.”
Elena took the steps toward me. “You could use more of this. We all could.”
I shook my head. “That’s not the life I have, is it? I have to help Alaric run the country. I can’t clock out for a two-week trip to the beach.”
“Juliette has been gone for nearly two months. Why don’t you do that? Set aside some real time while you sort through everything with Sophia and Adaline.”
I eyed her. “I did take two months off.”
She bit her lip. “That’s not the same thing. You weren’t on a vacation. Maybe the king would consider it.”
“No. He needs me. I read the brief this morning. We’re in the middle of a labor crisis. The party is split on wages. I can’t walk during that.”
She sighed. “I think you’ll find he’s leaning more heavily on his cabinet. He could reorganize to take some of the burden off his brothers and sister. The family can fulfill an important role without running the government twenty-four-seven.”
I chuckled. “And here I thought you were a complete royal purest Elena DuBois.”
She smirked. “I was. I mean, I am. Of course I am. But my love for the crown doesn’t mean I can’t see that the king can integrate more responsibilities into his cabinet. It’s his decision. He could free you and the rest of the family from the strain.” She adjusted her sunglasses to the top of her head. Her eyes nearly matched the color of the ocean. “He’s going to be a father. You are a father. Eventually, Juliette will marry, and your brothers will too. Your priorities are changing. The crown has to evolve.
“Alaric has been right. Your family reflects the country. And this is what your citizens deal with. Life changes. Growing families. Merging lives and stumbling through parenthood. The citizens will embrace it. They understand that children change everything.”
“Where did all this come from?” I was dumbfounded. She had never been a proponent of changing the codes.
She looped her hands around my neck, drawing me closer to her lips.
“Would you believe me if I told you it sort of hit me in the shower?”
I laughed. “Explain some more,” I prodded. “I want to hear about you in the shower.”
“It was very hot and wet,” she teased.
I loved that sparkle of mischief in her eyes.
“But I was thinking about the crown.” Her lips pouted. “I was thinking about how you could spend more time with your daughter. It’s going to be nearly impossible, once your schedule resumes to full-time to coordinate with Sophia visits to see Adaline.”
“And your brain kicked into fixer gear, didn’t it?”
She nodded slowly. “It’s instinct.”
“I love that you’re trying to fix this for me.”
“I want this for you, Cor.”
My hands slid to her cheeks and I tilted her lips upward. “I want this too.” I kissed her roughly, drinking in her mouth.
“Now, I want you to meet my daughter.”
I tugged her hand and walked up the stairs.
34
Elena
I didn’t know when I would get used to traveling in the royal caravan as Cor’s partner, rather than his manager. I didn’t have my pearls, the fitted skirt, or the silk blouse to hide behind anymore. I felt vulnerable and alarmingly unprepared in a linen dress.
We stood on the porch of Sophia’s townhome. The agent who had stayed behind greeted us at the top of the stairs. The stoop was decorated with tropical flowers. There was a potted palm in a ceramic pedestal.
I could hear the laughter of children playing in the park across the street.
Cor rang the doorbell.
I wasn’t supposed to be this nervous. How many times had I conquered awkward and uncomfortable situations? I’d be in the room when the king stared down foreign diplomats. I’d witnessed family screaming matches with the dowager queen. I’d walked in front of protestors who hated a cabinet policy.
But this was the first time I was going to face the mother of Cor’s child. A woman who once had his heart, but didn’t value it. It was easy for her to leave. How could she have been so careless? She smashed the most incredible part of him like it was a crystal vase.
She didn’t know the carnage she left behind with her ruthless exit. She walked out of the palace, leaving me to pick up the pieces. She left me to hold him together. And I did.
I was the one who was cut over and over by the shards.
Cor squeezed my hand one more time before the door creaked open.
“Hi,” Sophia greeted us.
Her dark hair was pulled on top of head in a messy bun. She was wearing yoga pants and a long sheer shirt over a sports bra. She looked undeniably American. I wondered how long it took her to assimilate to life here. She was from a noble wealthy family. It had to be an adjustment.
“Good morning, Sophia.” Cor grinned. I could hear the excitement in his tone. He had been in a perpetual good mood since he met Adaline.
“Hello.” I nodded at her.
“It’s been a long time, Elena. Come in. Would you like some coffee?” She pulled the door wide open.
“That sounds nice,” I replied. “I’d love a cup? Cor?”
“I’d like one as well.”
We crossed the threshold. The townhome was beautiful. Her expensive taste was everywhere. I wondered if there were trinkets from Cor scattered on the bookshelves or the walls. They had a long relationship that had played out in the headlines. There was bound to be evidence of their time together here.
Cor gripped my shoulders and pointed me toward the living room. “Look,” he whispered.
“Adaline is playing with her blocks. Why don’t you show her how to build a castle while I get the coffee?” Sophia suggested.
She left us and we wandered into the room. Adaline was sitting on a pink quilt, holding a wooden block with the letter A carved in the side.
We crouched to the floor. Cor looked at me. “Isn’t she beautiful?”
“Hi, Adaline.” I studied her cherub-like features. “Yes, she’s perfect.”
I couldn’t believe I was staring at his baby. His daughter was here.
“Maybe I could help with that,” he offered, picking up another block from the pile and adding it to another block.
She copied his movements and placed the A on top and burst out in the cutest giggles I’d ever heard.
Cor laughed. “She’s a natural with castles.”
“It would make sense, given she’s a princess.” I grinned.
A few minutes later Sophia entered the room with a tray of coffee. “Here we go. I have to say I rarely make tea anymore. It’s coffee, coffee, coffee here.”
I pushed off the floor and rose to meet her.
“Thank you.” I took a cup.
Cor seemed preoccupied with every sound and gesture Adaline made. Sophia watched them cautiously. She might be trying to be gracious, but I saw the stiffness in her shoulders and the way she clutched her coffee mug.
“I guess things are different since the last time I saw you, Elena.” Her eyes dipped to my left hand. It was bare, of course. She smiled. “Corbin tells me you’re together now.”
I nodded. “That’s right. We are.”
I didn’t need a ring on my finger to prove how connected I was to him. We had pledged our lives to each other in a way that was stronger than a band of platinum, but I didn’t need to explain that to Sophia. This meeting was about Adaline.
Cor made a circle of blocks around his daughter before joining us. He took the last cup of coffee from the tray. The mood in the room shifted. Play time was over.
“I’ve given this some thought, Sophia.” His eyes lingered on Adaline. “It won’t take long to have you and Adaline relocated to Spain. You won’t have to worry about any of the details. I’ll make sure everythin
g is taken care of. The complete move will be handled by the palace.”
“Are you insane?” She raised her voice, before lowering it quickly. “I’m not moving. I never said we would move.”
“I didn’t ask.” He clenched his jaw.
“If you think you can use the crown to bully me into submission, you’re wrong. My daughter is an American. And this is where she’s going to live. You may visit when you like.” She folded her arms.
“You’ve already had eighteen months with her. I don’t see why you think you get to bargain. It’s not up for discussion. You and Adaline will have a royal residence in Spain. You’ll have a full security detail and I will have her on weekends. We can split summers. That is the best compromise you’ll get from me.” His eyes were dark as coal. I shuddered. This wasn’t going the way either of us expected.
I realized I had only been privy to Cor’s version of yesterday’s meeting. I hadn’t taken into account how set Sophia was on staying in South Carolina.
“You can’t force us to move,” she hissed. Her eyes landed on me. “Are you part of this? Is this one of your grand publicity solutions? The master fixer does it again.”
I pressed my lips together. “Sophia.”
But Cor cut me off.
“This is what I want.” His voice was low, but angry. “I want my daughter. Do you have any idea what it felt like to realize I had a child you had lied about? Can you even fathom that kind of pain? Have you even tried?”
Sophia closed her eyes. “I have to protect her. Not you. She’s innocent. She still has a chance.”
He paced in front of the doorway. “She can have the world. But not if you get her hurt or killed.”
Sophia gasped. “Don’t say that.”
He leaned toward her. “You know that’s a possibility if she doesn’t have security. Why do I have to travel with agents? Why does the king? Hell, my entire family? You can live in some dream world where our daughter gets to play in the park and grow up like a regular care-free American child, or you can put her first. She’s not normal. She’s royal.”
“Cor?” I looked in his eyes. He was frustrated and angry.
