I playfully slap her arm.
“Wait, why not Barrett? What happened?” she asks.
“He’s great,” I say. “We had a great time yesterday. He’s just not the right match for me.”
“Well, okay then,” she says, not forcing the conversation, which I appreciate. His secret is not mine to share. “So, what are you going to do now?”
I think about that. If I’m going to decide who my future husband is, I need to spend some more time with the princes.
Chapter 26
Marik and I step outof the portal, my hand in his. The guard exits behind us and closes the portal. After my conversation with Elle, I went to the guest cottage to see if anyone wanted to grab some coffee at a nearby café that Holly recommended. Marik was the only one in the living room, and he jumped up, visibly excited, when I asked if he wanted to join me.
The quaint café is steps away, the exterior covered in white-painted brick, a butter yellow front door inviting patrons into the cozy interior. Once we’re inside, Marik orders a black coffee, and I order a coffee with cream and sugar. The guard, dressed in plain clothes, sits in the back of the café, discretely eyeing the patrons.
Marik and I sit down on one of the light brown leather sofas in the back of the shop. He throws his arm around me, and I settle against him.
“So, you just like to drink dessert in a cup?” he asks me.
“Shut up,” I say, nudging him with my elbow.
We fall into a comfortable silence, drinking our coffees and people-watching, his thumb rubbing my shoulder through my jacket. It feels good. He feels good. I feel like I’m enjoying a normal Saturday morning with my boyfriend.
“If you choose me, can we agree that Saturday morning coffees are our weekly tradition?” he asks me.
The image of routine coffee dates with Marik, my husband, with rings and crowns glinting in the sun, makes my heart warm. “Only if we can wear our crowns without glamours.”
He smiles and says, “Deal.”
“Would that be possible?” I ask him. “Are normal day-to-day things like that possible for me? For us?”
He glances around and says, “To an extent. We missed the early-morning rush, so it’s not too busy right now. I guess it’s possible, but you probably wouldn’t be able to go anywhere without being stopped.”
I nod and take another sip of my coffee, thinking about how much more my life will change once I’m married. Beside me, Marik clears his throat and sits up straighter. “Will I ever get to meet your aunt?”
I glance at him, but he won’t meet my gaze. Is he…nervous? Prince Marik, one of the most powerful in the kingdom, nervous?
“I think I can arrange that,” I say, smiling at the thought. I think Willa would like him, but I’m not sure.
One time, I brought home a human male. He was cute and had the biggest dimples. Willa brought us a plate of homemade cookies. His mom was a baker, so he asked her what kind of sugar she liked to use when making cookies. They talked about the different kinds of sugar while I listened to them, shoving chocolate chip cookies into my mouth.
I remember feeling so happy, thinking about how my aunt and my crush were bonding, every teenage girl’s dream. After he left, she told me that a relationship with a human male would never work. I didn’t invite him over again after that.
“She can be difficult sometimes, but she’s basically a mother to me. She raised me,” I explain. “Sometimes, it was like she was my mom, but as I got older, she was like my best friend.”
I should go see her, but I know it’s not smart right now with cambions roaming around her neighborhood. Whoever is responsible for them is probably expecting me to visit her soon. If I went, I’d be falling right into their trap.
“If I’m being honest, I felt hurt when I found out that she knew who my father was the whole time, so things are a little strained between us right now,” I say.
His arm around me tightens and he says, “Sometimes our parents make questionable decisions in raising us, believing it to be the best.”
He sounds sad. I wait for him to continue, hoping he’ll open up about his parents and his past, but he doesn’t say anything else. Instead, he stares off, his eyes trained on the exposed brick wall across from us.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask. “Whatever it is that’s bothering you?”
He shakes his head and says, “Not really. I’m just thinking about our conversation from the other day. I think you’re right about not putting our kids through the kind of training and childhood I went through. When I’m a father, I don’t want to raise them like I was raised.”
“Our kids, huh?” I ask, one eyebrow raised.
