Page 141 of Scarred Crown

I read the line over and over. Must already be wed? As in, must have a spouse? I stare at the wall across from me and try to imagine Alex married. Who would marry him on such short notice? He’s never invested more than a passing interest in a romantic relationship.

His longest one was probably Anna Samuels, if you could even call it a relationship. Fuck buddy, maybe? They exchanged gifts at Christmas and had, according to her at a party years later, a lot of sex. But he made her keep the whole thing super hush-hush. Not exactly a love match, but I know he did that and her for at least three Christmases. Maybe when he was home on school breaks too. She must have been good at keeping secrets because I never caught wind of it at the time.

Who do I call about this marriage clause? My mother is the logical choice, but I know she’ll be supporting the king in the aftermath of his diagnosis coming out. There’s supposed to be a press conference this afternoon.

Then it comes to me—exactly who to call. I throw back my covers and follow the one request my sister made. I’m getting out of bed.

###

Nick opens the door to his suite on the first knock. He’s dressed in gray sweatpants and a fitted navy-blue T-shirt, and my heart thumps in my chest. Normal clothes, messy hair, and a smile tinged with wariness. My body liquefies at the sight of him.

I’ve never loved anyone more.

He drinks me in with the same intensity, as though we haven’t laid eyes on each other in years. I scan him from head to toe, absorbing every detail, comparing each piece to the one in my memory and discovering it didn’t do him justice. Recollections of him will never be enough to sustain me. I need him in my life as much as any other essential. He’s so deep in my heart not even fourteen years of separation could completely root him out.

Seeing him in the flesh spikes my fever for him even higher. There is no viral load that makes me immune to Nick.

Please let this turn things around with Nick.

“You said it was important?” He steps back to let me into the suite where most of my stuff still lives.

It’s strange to be a visitor in my own home, and maybe I don’t have any legal right to this place or to him, but my heart clings to my old reality. My home. My husband. I can drown in sadness, or I can fix our problem. I’ve never been one to sink when I could swim. While I might have come about something else, I’m hoping my visit restores us as well.

“I needed to tell someone what I discovered,” I say, and I shove the coronation manual into Nick’s hands.

“You came to me for help?” He doesn’t look at the manual. Instead, he’s busy scanning my face.

“Yeah.” I search the room for anything that might have changed in the few days since I was last here before meeting his gaze. “Is that okay?” The expression on his face tells me I was right to come to him first, that this show of faith in him and in us will do more good than anything else I could have said or done. I’m trusting him first. Confiding in him first. He’s the one I come to when I need help.

Can Nick discover some woman for Alex to marry? Unlikely. Am I guaranteeing Nick isn’t the last one to find out? Absolutely.

He gives a curt nod and riffles through the manual. “What page?”

“Three-o-two.” I ease into one of the armchairs. “I highlighted it.”

“I see that.” Nick sinks into the armchair across from me. “Alex needs a wife.”

“Know anyone willing to marry him?” I ask in a light tone.

“Not a friggin’ clue. Do you?” Nick chuckles.

“Did you ever catch wind of him and Anna Samuels? They exchanged gifts for a few Christmases and had, apparently, a whole lot of sex. I think he might have seen her for a few summers too. I don’t know all the details. She was drunk at a party when I first started as the secretary, and secrets started spilling along with her cocktail. Maybe her? Or maybe not her? She might be married by now. I haven’t checked.”

“Anna Samuels?” Nick’s frown deepens. “She was in our class, went to all the same parties as us.”

“I know. I’m surprised it never got out. Not sure how Alex convinced her to keep them such a secret, but…” The thought trails off when I realize what I’ve said. Heat rises to my cheeks, and I shrug.

“Wait.” Nick holds up his hand, and his shoulders grow tense. “When did he start up with Anna?”

“She said Alex was at her house when he got the phone call about your bike accident.”

Nick winces. “Jesus.” He closes his eyes. “I thought he went to see you that night.”

“Me?” I laugh. “Why would he come see me? I was sitting at home waiting for you to text me back. You were such an asshole back then.” My words are light, but there’s a renewed heaviness in my chest at the memory.

“The levels of my idiocy just do not end. There’s no bottom, is there?” Nick drops the manual onto the floor to bury his face in his hands.

“What are you talking about?” I frown and sweep the manual off the floor. I’m going to need that to prove to someone that Alex has to find a wife, pronto.