Urgh. “So say the writers ofThe Crown.Whatever. The truth is, I’m not going to be the reigning monarch, ever—thanks for that, by the way, Tessa.” I wink at her. “And I’ve already begun to forge the path for us to have a much more… liberated existence than most royals. I’m sure we can find a way for him to go do all his wild man stuff while I’m busy with my causes.” I nod confidently, even though there’s a niggling feeling in my stomach. “Besides, Will is the most confident man I’ve ever met. There’s no way he’d let a little thing like money bother him.”
“Then you two should be just fine,” Tessa says, even though I can see uncertainty written all over her face.
“Absolutely,” I say, tipping back my drink to wash away my worry. “I’m sure with a little finesse, we can have it all.”
Lifting her margarita, Nikki says, “Here’s to having it all.”
We click glasses together and toast, “To having it all.” Then, we each down our drinks.
“And, if for some reason, it doesn’t work out and Will can’t handle being married to a princess,” Nikki says, “I could totally go gay for you. You’re gorgeous, and I promise I’d have no problem whatsoever living off your family’s money.” She raises and lowers her eyebrows at me. “Oh! We could get married and get ourselves some hot guy—orguys—to share.”
Chuckling, I say, “Thanks for the offer, Nikki. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“But in the meantime, please continue looking for a hot, rich guy just for me.”
“Obviously,” I answer with a quick nod.
* * *
Three hours later, Tessa and Nikki weave their way to the door of my apartment. We exchange tipsy goodbye hugs and promises to text each other tomorrow. Tessa gives me a concerned look. “You may want to tell Will you’re not going full Megxit sooner than later.”
“Righto. Probably a good idea.”
“I’d say so. The last thing you’d want is for him to feel like you’ve tried to trap him into a life he won’t want.”
“Good point,” I say, my head spinning a little. “I’ll make sure to sit down with him and tell him the truth about how I feel and see where he’s at with all of it, just as soon as possible.”
“I don’t know,” Nikki says. “You two are going to have enough to deal with when the show airs. Maybe focus on getting through the next couple of months, then sort out the long-term stuff after.”
I nod. “She brings up an excellent point.”
Tessa gives me another goodbye hug and says, “Just don’t wait too long.”
“I won’t.”
5
The Part Where the Princess Has to Eat Crow (and a Bunch of Other Disgusting Things)
Arabella
Four Days Later
“You clean up nicely, Mr. Banks,”I say, letting my eyes sweep over my smartly dressed, freshly shaved boyfriend. He’s in a dashing navy suit jacket, a crisp white shirt, and dark jeans for that ‘I have to dress up, but you can’t tame me’ look. See? He can totally fit in with my life without having to lose who he is.
Will crosses the room and pulls me into his arms. “That’s funny, I like you best when you’re very dirty.”
“Opposites attract,” I murmur while he nips at my earlobe.
We’re in the green room at the ABN studios where, in a few minutes, we’ll be filming a live pre-show show. Did I mention it’s live? I’ve been increasingly nervous as this day has drawn nearer, but somehow, at the moment, I can’t even remember what I was so worried about because the man I love is looking at me like I’m the only woman who has ever walked the earth. And when he does that, the rest of the world melts away, and I forget everything I’m meant to be worrying about. Quite dangerous, really.
“I missed you,” he says, lifting one hand to my cheek and smiling at me. “I can’t believe we’ve gone so long without seeing each other.”
“It’s been awful,” I say, leaning in so our bodies are as close as possible while fully dressed. “I wish we could lock the door and just throw down right here.”
“Don’t tempt me. There’s no way ten minutes will be enough to make up for so many hours apart,” he says, kissing me on the neck. “But maybe we can sneak back in here when the show’s over.”
“You wickedly smart man,” I murmur.
