I kissed her forehead. “Skatt, I would be glad to go to family dinner and submit to all the things.”
“Really?”
“You included my dad. You saw him. Betty, that level of thoughtfulness is always just.. you. I know you will handle it with grace. And I trust by the time you invite me to family dinner, I will be ready to go.”
She grinned. “Thanks. I think they will love you. We just have to get through this.”
“We will.” I ran my fingers through her hair. “And then we can shout it from the rooftops.
She kissed me again, pushing me against the cold brick wall. Her lips moved from mine to my neck. Instinctively andout of the craving that rose from deep within me, I parted my legs slightly as if it would do any good.
“I want to fuck you, but we can’t,” Betty panted. “Fuck. I gotta?—”
She couldn’t finish her statement because the woman in a suit called from atop the steps. “Ma’am, The Swedish Crown Prince is here. He wants to take a photo with you and the Swedish delegation.”
“I’ll be there,” Betty said, before whispering, “but the only Swedish delegation I care about is the one right here.”
And with that, I gave her one last kiss, and she vanished into the ether.
Chapter 43
The Balcony
BETTY
“Stop being a party pooper, Bets!” Ingrid said. “It will be fun.”
My entire family was in town to support me with UniVox—minus Lars and Rose who dealt with the impact of late-pregnancy and two young kids at home. As such, they’d drug me to some sort of street fair hosted by a youth organization. I agreed only because Ingrid wouldn’t shut up and I was tired of arguing after a day spent in a dressage clinic.
“What is this?” Mamma asked.
“I heard it was some sort of unsanctioned thing to raise money for a youth music charity,” I said.
“Yes! Some of the UniVox acts are going,” Ingrid said. “The teen collective organized it. So, they like… choose a song for each act who shows up. They didn’t confirm any ahead of time, so it’s anyone’s guess who is coming. Then, they tell the bands live on stage which of their songs they will perform. People donate based on whose performance they liked most. The band who raises the most money wins.”
I swallowed hard. I didn’t realize UniVox bands were involved. I just thought it was a concert with a fundraiser. Feet leaden, I followed Ingrid, cursing her all the while. Somehow, I suspected she knew what she was doing. Shewantedme to see Mary perform.
An organizer greeted us with a surprised bow. “Your Royal Highnesses… we didn’t expect… all of you.”
Ingrid threw her arm around my shoulder. “It’s Princess Elisabeth’s birthday tomorrow. She’d love to share it with everyone.”
I glared as they handed out the lanyards. She did it because she knew I hated when she made a big deal out of birthdays. I forgave her, though. She grew up in a fucked-up regency without any presents, so every gift-giving holiday was obscenely exciting.
Graced with lanyards, the organizers led us to VIP seats high in the stands.
“So, are you going to tell Mum and Dad?” Keir whispered as I sat between him and my middle brother, Nate.
“Not here!” I said. “I want to. I figured I would at dinner after the semis.”
Keir nodded. “So, is your girlfriend performing?”
I glared, subconsciously pleading with him to keep his voice down. The fact that he’d brought it up so freely worried me. I prayed he didn’t just slip it into a conversation. In truth, though, it meant he cared about Mary enough to ask. He accepted her as my partner. In his way, Keir showed up.
“I dunno. I should text her.”
ME
So, I got dragged to this charity thing. I’m up in the stands. Plz ignore me if you’re here.
