“Thank you.” I waved as he turned to go.
Adelaide closed the door. “Wow, I wasn’t aware the prince could think of someone else’s needs once they were out of sight,” she whispered in a smug tone.
“Ouch,” I said. “Not a fan of Prince Oliver?”
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. He’s not a bad guy. We just…have a history.”
“Mmmm, yeah. I’ve been there before.” I sensed there was more to the story, but didn’t want to pry.
Adelaide helped me as we finished cleaning my dress. We got out as much of the wine as we could. The stain, at least, had changed from dark purple to navy blue.
“I think this is as good as it’s going to get,” Adelaide said, tilting her head as she took in our work. “I’m sorry.”
“Girl, maybe this just gives me an excuse to leave. Honestly, my feet are killing me and as beautiful as it is, I’m ready to get out of this dress.” I rolled my shoulders, feeling my back crack satisfyingly.
“Me too. I’m ready to take my bra off and get into my sweatpants.” Adelaide giggled.
“That sounds like paradise right about now.” I wiped up a few stray water droplets and threw the used towels into a basket below the vanity. “Thank you for your help, Adelaide. I really appreciate it. It was so nice to meet someone else here.”
“I feel the same way. Maybe we can join forces and make it through this unscathed together.” She winked.
I stepped out of the bathroom and spotted Vince leaning against the wall across the hallway, scrolling on his phone.
“Hey. Knox told me what happened. Are you okay?” he asked, pocketing his phone.
“I’m fine. Although I can’t say the same thing about my dress. Clarence is going to have a cow.”
Vince looked me up and down. A small smile crept across his face. “I can’t take you anywhere, huh?” He smirked.
“It was nice to meet you, Birdie. I’ll see you at the next event,” Adelaide said as she moved toward to the ballroom.
“Vince, let’s go home. I think I’ve had enough fun for one night.”
“We’ll need to go say goodbye to Oliver first.” Vince winced. “Let’s go find him.”
“No need.” Prince Oliver’s voice carried from down the hall as he walked toward us. “I didn’t see you return so I thought I’d check and see if you were all right.”
“I’m fine. Although given the state of my dress, I may call it a night. That is, if it’s okay with you?”
“Of course. I’m so sorry that happened, Birdie.” Prince Oliver grimaced.
“It’s not your fault; you have no need to apologize. Thank you for the wonderful night.”
Vince said his goodbyes to Prince Oliver, and we made our way outside to the waiting car.
“What a night,” I sighed as I leaned my head back on the headrest.
“And this was just the beginning.” Vince laughed.
Nights like this one were exhausting. The walk from the palace to my cottage at the back of the grounds wasn’t long, but my feet ached. I hated wearing dress shoes; I would rather be in hiking boots or trainers. I couldn’t wait to get inside, strip off this stupid tie, shower, and climb into bed.
Snow had begun to fall, and I had forgotten my coat in Oliver’s suite after getting ready. I rubbed my hands together, breathing on them to warm them up. Just a few more steps up the cobblestone walkway to my house and I’d be good.
I entered the code on the lock and waited for the softclick. The warm air hit my face as I opened the black-painted door, and my body instantly began to thaw. I knew better than to be outside at that time of night without a jacket, but for some reason, I was off my game. I couldn’t put my finger on why. Maybe it was the whole competition surrounding Oliver that made me feel unsettled, or maybe it was just the pomp and circumstance of the gala. I hated being around large groups of people in general, but especially for formal events. I despisedsmall talk with all of the ass kissers that surrounded the family. If it wasn’t one person trying to push their agenda onto Leroy and Oliver, it was someone baby-talking Rosie. Infuriating.
I still couldn’t believe that we were doing this. My not being blood may have spared me from being at the center of the circus, but Oliver was my family, and I wasn’t going to leave him to the wolves. When I felt like I had lost everything, Oliver and his family were the ones who helped me sort out the pieces and figure out what I should carry into the future and what to leave behind.
Thundering paws trotted down the hallway as my beautiful boy, Eugene, barreled around the corner to greet me. As trained, he promptly sat, though he couldn’t resist a whine as he waited for me to bend down to pet him.
