“What’s up?” I asked as he slumped back into the chair, looking defeated. Anxiety twisted in my stomach. Whatever he had come here to say, it wasn’t going to be good.
He rubbed his jaw, a habit we shared when we were thinking. “I uh…I’m not really sure how to say this.”
“Then just blurt it out. We’ll start from there.”
“I’m going to be a father.”
I blinked.Well, that’s not where I thought this was going.
“You…what?”
He sighed. “Do you remember the movie that filmed here in July?”
I nodded. I had nearly forgotten about it, given all that had happened in the months since, but I did remember stopping by the set to welcome the cast and crew on their first day of shooting.
“Well, the lead actress and I…well.” He cleared his throat. “She’s pregnant. I found out in early September. I’ve been trying to work out a way to keep this from reflecting poorly on the family or somehow spin the news before it came out. The American press caught wind of the pregnancy about a month ago and they’ve been speculating on who the father is for weeks. But I’m afraid they’ve figured out that it’s me, and that news is probably about to break.”
Xavier sighed again, running a tattooed hand through his disheveled hair. His shoulders relaxed, as though speaking the words aloud had lifted a weight from them.
“You’ve known since September,” I said, more a statement than a question.
Xavier nodded. He had known when he walked away from the throne.
“And she’s an American actress.”
He nodded again.
I thought for a moment, trying to grasp something hazy in my memory.Oh my God.My eyes widened. “It’s Alexandra Campbell, isn’t it?”
Xavier’s wry smile told me I was correct. “I didn’t think you’d put it together so quickly; you aren’t usually the one to keep up with American celebrity gossip.”
He was right. The only reason I knew that Alexandra Campbell was pregnant was because of an inane conversation I’d gotten trapped in with Renata Raines shortly after the news of the pregnancy broke. Renata had prattled on for what felt like hours speculating on who the father might be.
I shook my head, dismissing his unspoken question of how I had known. “You said you believe they have identified you as the father. What makes you say that?”
“She came to visit me earlier this week. I thought we were being careful, but we were papped this afternoon as she left.”
Fuck.
I ran my hand over my jaw. “Have you told Mum and Dad?”
“No. You’re the first person I’ve told.”
I wanted to feel honored by that, but I had a feeling there was more behind the gesture than pure brotherly love.
“I wrote them a letter explaining everything. I need you to give it to them.”
Ah, there it is.
I raised my eyebrows, a silent question.
“I’m flying out tonight. I’m going to be with Alexandra in LA. I’ve done enough damage to this family to last a lifetime; you don’t need me around for your engagement or coronation. I’ll just be a distraction. And Alexandra needs me; we’re going to raise the baby together. And I need some time and space to figure out where I fit within this family and the crown.”
I stood, anger and hurt replacing the dread that had filled my chest the moment he had said the words, “I’m going to be a father.”
“You’re leaving? You’re going to miss the engagement and coronation?” Although it was perhaps the least of our publicity problems, it was the part that wounded me the most. Xavier—the brother I had idolized as a child—had left me to clean up his mess when he abdicated, and now he wouldn’t even be there to watch me choose my future partner or be crowned in his place.
“It’s for the best, Ollie,” he said, using the childhood nickname I so rarely heard these days. He approached, holding out a sealed envelope. When I made no move to take it from him, he stepped past me, placed it on my desk, and turned toward the door.
