Risking the Crown

by Violet Paige

  I stopped when I noticed the bottle of wine in the center.

  I stared at it.

  There was a wine glass at Kenley’s setting as well as mine. I scratched my head. The kitchen staff was hired from a local company while we traveled. They didn’t get the memo their new boss was an alchoholic.

  I walked closer to the table. I picked up the bottle. I inhaled the crispness of the wine. I breathed it in over and over.

  The entire day flashed in front of me. Boarding the plane with Kenley. Fucking in the jet so we could have a baby together. The look on Sophia face when I showed up. Holding my daughter in my arms.

  I picked up the wine glasses and walked to the counter.

  I closed my eyes and inhaled again just before I poured the wine down the sink.

  I turned on the water and ran the garbage disposal. I hung my head and turned for the table. I wanted that drink. Fuck.

  32

  Kenley

  I liked waking up at the beach. The sound of the waves was soothing and restorative at the same time. The only thing was I woke up starving. I slept through the entire night. My stomach growled.

  Nic laughed. He was sitting at the desk in the alcove in the master suite. “Someone wants breakfast.” He had a cup of coffee and his sleeves were rolled to his elbows. I wondered how long he had been awake. He looked serious behind his laptop.

  I stretched my arms upward. “I could eat everything in the house.”

  “Want me to order that for you?”

  I kicked off the sheet. “No. I can make my own breakfast.” I winked as I padded off to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and started the shower.

  My body felt sore in places it never had before. I smiled at my reflection. I truly belonged to him. My hands lingered over my belly. In every single way.

  I stepped inside and washed my hair and took time to shave my legs.

  This bathroom was incredible. I loved the rain shower and the pebbles. I felt like I was walking through a wading pool on the shore. I hadn’t had much time to explore the house, but it was even better than the pictures I had scanned online.

  Apparently, a local multi-millionaire hotel investor had over-invested in properties and had let this home fall into the bank’s hands. It had every imaginable feature. And the view was spectacular.

  I walked out of the bathroom. “Do you want to go for a walk on the beach after breakfast?” I asked Nic.

  “Sure. I have a response from the ambassador.” He rubbed his jaw.

  “Uh-oh. What’s wrong.” I walked over to read the email.

  He waved me off. “You aren’t my manager, Kenley. 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.

  Nic 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. Nic 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 Dominic 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 Nic 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 Nic 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, Nic’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, Kenley, 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

  Dominic

  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.

  Kenley and I returned from our walk on the beach. I dusted the sand from my feet while Kenley 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 the 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.”

  Kenley 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 Damon run the country. I can’t clock out for a two-week trip to the beach.”

  “Isabel 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 Kenley 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, Isabel will marry, and your brothers will too. Your priorities are changing. The crown has to evolve.

  “Damon 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, Nic.”

  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

  Kenley

  I didn’t know when I would get used to traveling in the royal caravan as Nic’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.

  Nic 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 Nic’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.

  Nic 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.” Nic 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, Kenley. Come in. Would you like some coffee?” She pulled the door wide open.

  “That sounds nice,” I replied. “I’d love a cup? Nic?”

  “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 Nic scattered on the books
helves 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.

  Nic 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. Nic 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.

  Nic 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.

  Nic 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, Kenley.” Her eyes dipped to my left hand. It was bare, of course. She smiled. “Dominic 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.