by Imani King
There was something in his tone of voice that I couldn’t quite read, but it made me feel happy and anxious all at the same time. Saying something like that implied that he could see a future, and there was no future for us.
“There’s no way that we’re going to be doing this beyond the summer,” I said firmly. “I don’t even know that I should let you break my rule again.” He reached up and touched my temple, gently sweeping his hand up into my hair and running his fingers through it. He had a serious expression on his face that made me squirm underneath his stare. “What?” I asked finally unable to withstand the intensity of it.
“I didn’t treat you right back in Gibraltar. I don’t remember exactly what I said that made you think that you would be unworthy of my time or attention, but I’m sorry.”
This was a surprising confession, and I didn’t understand where he was going with it. “I am a commoner, and you’re a prince. You didn’t tell me anything that wasn’t true,” I said. “If anything, I should thank you for not jerking me around. You’ve always been honest with me. I do appreciate that.”
“Just because you weren’t born in a palace, I didn't mean that you weren’t worthy of being in the same place as me or spending time with me. I must’ve come across like a complete ass to you then. I’ve gotten a bit too used to women falling all over me because of my wealth, and it wasn’t right. But you’ve made me see that with you, I don’t need to act like that. I can be myself. We get along and enjoy each other’s company just as we are. When we’re together, I’m not a prince, and you’re not a commoner. We’re just two regular people without all the drama, and I honestly can’t tell you how refreshing and rare that is in my life.”
This conversation was going in a direction that made me happy. But me feeling happy meant that it was bad. “Stop, Aidan,” I said as I sat up. “The summer is going to be ending soon enough, and we shouldn’t be talking like this. It’ll just make it worse when our time together is over. I always thought you were a pain in the ass, and yes, in Gibraltar you acted a whole lot more arrogant when we first met. But you let me see the person underneath the royal swagger, and I guess that guy is okay.”
He sat up next to me and gently nipped my shoulder. “Just okay?”
I knew that he was trying to get a laugh, but the topic felt too heavy. “You know what I mean. This has to be a fun fling. We have this time together, but it has an expiration date. You know that as well as I do.”
His eyes darkened, and I sensed that he wanted to say something else, but instead, he put his arm around me and pulled me into him. Of course, I didn’t resist him.
“Speaking of the end of the summer, I was talking to a friend of mine the other day. He occasionally stays in Paris in a secure building on the banks of the Seine. He said it’s beautiful there that time of year, but he’s going to have to travel away for a few weeks and wanted to know if I would look after his flat for him. I would love to take you there so we can get away from this place for a little while. There’s nowhere quite as romantic as the City of Lights.”
“Why would we do something like that? A romantic getaway? Trying to rub some salt in the wounds at the end of the summer?” I asked. The trip sounded fabulous. Going to Paris with Aidan would be like a dream come true. But again, that was something that a couple did, and we were not a couple.
“What if I told you that I’ve been looking into things around the Sorenian law regarding betrothal? You asked me that day when we went to the National Park if I felt like I could have the freedom of choice around who I wanted to be with. I think there could be a way that I could perhaps marry someone else, someone of my choosing. Someone who doesn’t necessarily have to be from a noble bloodline. Would something like that interest you?”
This was a conversation that we shouldn’t be having. All he was doing was getting my hopes up over a hypothetical situation that might not be true. I couldn’t have any of that.
“That’s just nonsense. Your parents would kill you. Plus, I’m sure that would be something particularly unpopular with the people of Sorenia considering your brother has already married someone who isn’t of noble blood. Could you imagine the tabloid scandal? That’s not something I want to be part of, Aidan.”
“Paris then,” he said. I could tell by his expression that my reaction was not what he had wanted, but what did he expect me to do? He was throwing out a kind of lifeline of hope, but the rug could be swept out from underneath me just as quickly. I refused to get my hopes up that there could be anything more between us.
Still, at the same time, I couldn’t deny that this was the only man that I wanted to be with right now. He set my body and soul on fire. If he asked me to leave, I knew that it would feel like a part of me died inside. The idea of Paris would be the icing on the cake before we would have to part ways. I knew then what my answer would be. It was probably not the smartest move, but it was one that made me feel as if everything could be all right. Afterward, I would deal with whatever came my way.
“I’ll think about it,” I said in a noncommittal voice. Aidan began to kiss me softly, but I stopped him. “Aidan, I need to get up and get dressed. I’m sure you have a public appearance or ten that you are supposed to be at yet today, and now you’re going to be late.”
He climbed on top of me and began to tickle me. He knew that that was one of my weaknesses, and I started to shriek in amused glee. “I am not leaving this room until you say yes to Paris,” he said.
It was torture, and he was quite persuasive. “Fine! Yes. Yes, I will go with you to Paris.”
He leaned down against me and stared deeply into my eyes. “You won’t regret it, Eva. You won’t regret it for a moment,” he said. As his lips settled on mine, I knew that he was wrong.
Despite everything in my being that told me I wanted to be with Aidan, I knew that when the summer ended, I'd have to leave him for good. And it was clear I would regret it for the rest of my life.
CHAPTER TEN
The ten weeks since Kian and Abby’s wedding had gone by in a blur. I had done everything that my parents expected of me, but I spent every other waking moment with Eva. Sometimes we would spend time with Abby and Kian too, but over the last few weeks, those times had become fewer and further between as the new couple transitioned into their required royal agenda of appearances and activities. I had made sure that I kept Eva distracted. After that one visit from my mother in the library, she hadn’t said anything to me about Eva again, but I had no doubt that there were moles all around me reporting back on my every move nonetheless.
With Imogen set to arrive in less than a month, I knew that I needed to make my escape with Eva sooner rather than later. We had become inseparable, and I wasn’t willing to let her go. Not until I made up my mind about what I wanted to do with my future. And from everything that I felt so far, I couldn’t imagine a future without Eva in it.
I had tried several times to bring up our relationship status with her over the last several weeks. Each time, she had dodged the conversation. I understood why she was skittish about the topic. I had made it abundantly clear when we first met that I was expected to marry a noblewoman and that it was my duty. She didn’t want me to do anything that would bring ill favor down on my head. She didn’t want to be the cause of any pain in my life, and I appreciated that. But the pain that I would feel at not having her in my life would be far greater than that.
I had high hopes for Paris. Once I got her truly alone and away from the palace and all of the trappings of royal life, I hoped that she could see what life could be like when it was just the two of us, without all the pomp and circumstance around us. In Paris, we could be just two normal people again. Two people who were in love. It was an idea that had been so bothersome when I first realized it, but I had settled into it as time had gone on. I was falling in love with Eva, and I was completely okay with it. And because I was fine with that, I was ready to throw caution to the wind.
I hadn’t told anyone ab
out our trip to Paris, including Kian. My friend Rylan was the only one who knew. My parents were in the dark, and my plan was to sneak away without the usual palace security who would usually be required in any instance where I was leaving the country. Although things were fairly relaxed when we were around the capital city and the palace grounds, with recent violent outbreaks around the world, my parents had been more insistent than ever that Kian and I take a security detail with us when we traveled. But not this time. I wanted to show Eva that I understood what a normal life looked like. I wanted to take a step into her world as she had been forced to step into ours. I felt like I owed that to her.
I didn’t tell her when we were leaving for a good reason. I didn’t want any packing to alert the servants as to what we were doing, knowing that they would report it back to my mother. So, the morning that we were set to leave, I surprised her in bed with breakfast that I had made myself and two tickets for the train to Paris for that afternoon.
“Oh my gosh! Why didn’t you tell me?” she said.
“That I could cook? Believe it or not, that is a required skill that comes as part of the royal education,” I joked. She smacked me playfully on the arm.
“No, that we were going to go to Paris today. I haven’t told Abby, and I haven’t gotten anything ready! I’m not packed.”
“You don’t need anything other than your purse. We can buy whatever we need there,” I said.
“I can’t do that,” she said, shaking her head.
I took her hands drawing her eyes up to mine. “This is an adventure for us. I just want to get away from the palace and from things that constantly remind me that I can’t always be who I want to be with you. This time alone with for us is important, so I don’t want you to tell Abby. I haven’t told Kian either. If we start making a big fuss with packing and letting everyone know what’s going on, then we’re going to have to take my security detail with us, and I guarantee that will make the whole trip feel stodgy.” I deliberately used the word that she had used when she described her first impression of me.
I knew I had struck the right chord when I saw her wrinkle her nose. She was adorable when she did that.
“How long will we be staying?” she asked.
I kissed the tip of her nose. “As long as you would like,” I said.
“I’m supposed to go back to Glasgow in two weeks,” she said.
“Whatever you want is what we will do. Maybe we stay for two weeks in Paris, and then I’ll go back to Glasgow with you,” I said. The idea of her flying away from me hit me in the gut. I needed to make sure that by the time that time arrived, she knew exactly how I felt about her. I was ready to throw in my lot with her, and I had to admit that I was terrified of the possibility that she wouldn’t feel the same way.
“I do have to pack a few things,” she said. “Can I please call Abby?”
I shook my head. “She and Kian are in Canada for their first tour as a royal couple. You know as well as I do that her itinerary is keeping her busy, plus she’s seven hours behind us. She’s going to be distracted, so how about you hold the news at least until we get to Paris?”
She slowly nodded her head. She looked at the ticket again and then at me. “We’re supposed to leave in three hours. I need to get ready,” she said.
“I’ll meet you down by the front door in an hour,” I said. Then I gave her a kiss on the temple and left her to her beauty routine.
Three hours later, we were on the train, and it was moving away from the station. As far as I could tell, we had managed to leave the villa without anyone seeing us. We were safe on the train in our private cabin. As I watched the countryside slide by, I saw that Eva was equally enthralled with what she saw out the window. “Your country is so beautiful,” she said with a sigh.
I felt my chest swell with pride. I thought that it was beautiful too, but I knew that I was biased having grown up there. Hearing her speak so candidly about my country made me feel good, and I wanted to believe that she was meant to be there too. We would figure out all of those details later. For now, I simply needed her to have an open mind about what could come next.
I moved to sit next to her. She looked at me with a soft expression, and I knew that the time had come. I turned her so that she was fully facing me.
She laughed awkwardly. “You’ve got a rather serious expression on your face, and I’m not sure what to do with it.”
“This is serious business,” I said quietly. I reached up and touched her cheek, and she pressed her face into my hand. It was a common gesture that we had between us now. I’ve loved how accepting she was of my touch and how she almost seemed to ache for it the same way that I longed to touch her at every opportunity.
“Eva, I’ve tried to talk to you about this several times, and I understand why you have been reluctant to listen. But I need to tell you this. I don’t want to marry Imogen.” It was the first time I had said the words out loud as bluntly as that.
I saw Eva’s face go blank. She shook her head and tried to look away from me, but I put my fingers under her chin so that she couldn’t look away. “I don’t think we should be talking about these kinds of things,” she said.
“Eva. Please listen to me,” I said softly. Her eyes finally met mine again, and I saw the pain in them. She was avoiding talking about it because she didn’t want to get hurt. I had already hurt her, and I had tried to do everything I could to ensure that I never did it again. I needed to make her understand that these feelings I had weren’t going to go away.
“Ever since you’ve come into my life, I feel like everything I’ve known has been turned upside down. I know you think that’s a bad thing, but I don’t agree. I feel like I see the world with new eyes. It’s been incredibly enlightening, even though it’s been uncomfortable. I am okay with my decision when I say that I don’t want to follow the rules about who my parents say I have to marry. I will figure it out if you will just have an open mind to consider that maybe what we have between us isn’t something that needs to end.”
“How can you expect me to believe that?” Eva asked. “I’m just a small-town girl from Texas. You’re a prince. I’m no princess.”
My heart hurt that she would say such a thing about herself. It was obvious that she didn’t see what I saw when I looked at her. She was kind and beautiful, and she was loving and generous with her friends. I had watched her in the few charitable appearances she had gone on with Abby. Every time she hung in the background, but especially when they were around children she stopped and gave each child her full attention. There was a light inside of her that drew people to her. I could see a princess inside of her.
“You can’t ask me not to feel what I feel. I can’t help it. I have to tell you the truth, Eva. I’m falling in love with you. Please, don’t break my heart by telling me you don’t feel the same way.” I saw tears shimmering in the corners of her eyes, and I wiped them away. “Please, don’t cry, baby. I thought a woman was supposed to be happy when I man said this kind of thing to her.”
She sniffled and broke away from me. I could see that she was digesting everything that I had told her. I waited for her response not knowing what she was going to say. I had laid myself bare in front of her, and now I had to hope that I hadn’t made a huge fool of myself throwing myself at a woman who didn’t want me.
“Say something,” I finally said when I couldn’t stand the silence anymore.
“I might feel the same way, but that doesn’t matter,” Eva finally said.
I pulled her into me. She resisted for a moment before she let me press her body against mine. I stared down into her eyes. “Of course, it matters. In my world, it is the only thing that matters.”
“Our lives are so different. Sometimes love isn’t enough to overcome all of that no matter what they say in the books and the movies. You are a prince, and you’re meant to be king. That’s not the same kind of destiny that I have in front of me, and loving someone won’t change that.”
“Why don’t you let me figure that out? For now, all I’m asking is that you keep an open mind,” I pressed her.
She said nothing and turned back to stare at the window. It wasn’t the response that I wanted, but still, I clung to the words when she said that she might feel the same way. It was as close to an admission that she had feelings for me that I’d been able to get out of her so far. It was enough for the moment. If she did stay with me, I knew that I could make her see that I would take care of things. But I wasn’t toying with her that this was real for me. I knew that I had to do right by her first, and then we would see what happened from there.
I took her hand. She looked at our interlaced fingers, and I saw a small, sad smile on her face. We watched the scenery go by in silence. After a while, she moved closer to me, and I put my arm around her. Her head sunk into my chest, and I knew a few moments later when she slipped into sleep. I wouldn’t wake her. She needed her rest. I would make sure that no matter what, we had all the time in the world to make the decision about what our future held for us.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
We arrived in Paris, and even though I had been to the city before, I was seeing it now in a new light. I was still completely awestruck by the confession that Aidan had made to me on the train. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to react to it. The idea that he loved me at all was difficult to believe. But at the same time, I couldn’t trust that he wasn’t uncertain about his emotions or that he wouldn’t change his mind sometime in the future. I didn’t think that I could throw everything that I had done in my life away to take a chance on something so outrageous and different from what I knew. There was no way to separate Aidan from the fact that he was a prince. That was one thing he couldn’t force away.