“My darling girl.” He pulls back, wiping the tears from my eyes. “You remind me so much of your mum. She could stay mad at me for days. No matter how much I buttered up to her, she’d freeze me out.”
My tears lessen at the mention of Mum. “Apparently I learned that from her.”
“You learned quite a lot from her. She was the most talented violinist I’d ever heard until you came along. It’s like a piece of her is still with me whenever I hear you play.”
“I hate that her violin was destroyed. I guess I don’t have to worry about the paparazzi doing that again.”
“Do you love him?” His brows furrow together, as if it’s the worst thing in the world for his little girl to fall in love.
“Yes,”—I bite down on my lip, trying to stop the quiver—“with all my heart.”
“As much as I hate that I drew you into my mess, I can’t say that I’m too upset that you found the person you wanted to spend your life with.”
I pull back, piercing him with a fiery look. “Why did you agree to this arrangement in the first place?”
A harsh look crosses his face. “For the money.”
I roll my eyes. “I should’ve known. But if you were hard for money, why didn’t you come to me?” It’s not like I make millions teaching, but I would never want my dad to be out on the street.
“It’s embarrassing. Being in debt and having no way out. And when the Queen came to me, I thought it would be the perfect solution. But I just hate the pain I’ve caused you.”
I throw my arms around him. “I’m only in pain because I fell in love. So as upset as I want to be with you, I just wish there was a way to get him back.”
Just as he’s about to respond, a knock at the door stops him. “Aren’t they supposed to stay back on the other side of the street? Don’t you still have protection officers?”
I just shrug my shoulders as Dad goes to get the door. My protection detail hadn’t disappeared like I thought it would. It was some comfort that I wasn’t totally on my own with the madness of the paparazzi. But I still only felt safe in my own home.
“Your Highness. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” My heart clutches in my chest. But why would Dad say it’s a pleasure to meet James? They’ve met before. A belly precedes the former princess into my living room. A short, black dress swings around her knees, clinging to her adorable baby bump. Her appearance is striking. Long pink hair and bright blue eyes. So similar to James it makes my heart ache.
“Ellie? What are you doing here?”
“I was hoping to have a word with you about my brother. May I?” She points to the chair next to me, and I nod for her to sit. “Thanks. This baby is really starting to wear me out.”
“I’ll let you two ladies talk. Call me if you need me.” Dad drops a kiss on my head and heads to the door.
“I love you, Dad.” He gives me a smile before the noise outside briefly permeates my bubble of safety. I turn my attention back to Ellie, feeling just a tad better.
“How much longer?” Her hands are resting on her bump. She’s glowing.
“About three months. And it can’t come soon enough. I’m ready to meet this little one.”
“And you still haven’t found out what you’re having?” I want to keep her talking about anything other than James. I need to know how he’s doing, but I also don’t want to hear that he’s moved on without me. I’ve been doing my best not to check the news about him. The only thing that comes up is if we’ve had sex in a new place. But I want to see if he’s doing okay.
“It’s one of the last few surprises in life. Sean is dying to find out, but as long as he or she is healthy, I’m happy. But I didn’t come here to talk about my baby, as much as I love to. Why are you still here and not at the palace with Jamie?”
My face twists in confusion. “What do you mean, why am I not at the palace? I’m assuming you spoke with James. He couldn’t give me the time I needed to come to terms with everything that happened, so he said we were done.”
I draw my quivering lip between my teeth. I don’t want to cry in front of Ellie. I’ve done enough of that this week.
“But why did you need time? Why didn’t you rely on James to help you come to terms with what happened?”
I must look like a fish, opening and closing my mouth, but no words come out. It’s a harsh statement, but one I needed to hear. Why didn’t I rely on James? It’s not as if he hasn’t faced his own scandals in the past. Did I cut and run because it would be easier than facing a life in the press?
“Look, I am not the role model in how to handle the paparazzi. But Jamie needs someone to be there when the going gets tough. If you can’t handle it, you need to make a clean break of it now.”
“James already made a clean break of it.” My heart sinks at the thought. Just the mere idea of an arranged marriage with the “playboy prince” had me balking. But now? Now, it’s hard to imagine my life without him.
“Would I be here if he did? He’s a sodding mess. Cancelled every event until the fundraiser event for his new charity. Sporting Kids, I think?”
