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"The woman of my dreams proposed to me,” he says. “She’s going to be the princess. I’ll have the throne within the next year. Her farm will make a number of positive changes for our country. Isn’t that all cause for congratulations?"
"Yes. I heard her lay out all of the practical reasons why the two of you getting married was a good idea."
He sighs and leans back against the wall. “What’s the problem, Jonah?”
Well, there are a few. “I just want to be sure that you still think this is the right idea."
He frowns. "Of course. This was the plan when we got on the plane in Cara. I’m crazy about her. You know that.”
I pull my hands from my pockets and cross my arms. "I do knowyou'recrazy abouther.” That’s clear. I’ve never seen him like this. “That's what concerns me."
"You'reconcernedthat I'm crazy about the woman I'm going to marry?"
I don’t have to beat around the bush with this man. No one knows him as well as I do. "You’re in love with her."
He doesn’t even hesitate. He nods. “Yes.”
"And does she love you?" That matters, dammit. Yes, her marrying him would take care of the arranged marriage situation, butfuck. He’s my best friend. He wants true love. And if he’s already fallen for her, then by God, she needs to love him too.
It takes him a second to answer. He takes a deep breath. "What are you asking me exactly?"
"Abigail has laid out all of the good reasons why you should get married. No one can really argue with any of them.” She practically used bullet points. And she was very clear about the timeline being one year. Only one year. “It is, in fact, a very good,practicalidea. But was one of those reasons, at any point, in private between the two of you, because she’s in love with you, too?"
“No,” he admits. “But I haven’t said it to her either.”
Dammit. “Why not?”
“Because she’s not the whirlwind romance, head-over-heels, follow her heart kind of girl,” he says. “It’s been fast. And it’s all a little crazy.”
"Exactly,” I agree.
"And that concerns you. You think she's marrying me for my money? Or to get what she needs professionally from me?”
I want him happy. I want him to have everythinghewants.Heis my concern. Abigail seems like a nice person. I agree that the things she can do for Cara seem very promising. That’s all great. But not at the expense of my best friend’s heart.
"I think the reasons she's marrying you are not…the same reasons you're marrying her. But,” I add. “I think shethinksshe’s marrying you for the same reasons. So I can’t really fault her.”
Torin sighs. “I’m marrying her for the same reasons she’s marrying me,too. The farms, Cara, Linnea, my grandfather.”
I shake my head. “But you’re making a mess of this.”
“Because I haven’t told her I’m in love with her?”
I drop my arms and take a big breath. "I'm talking to you as your best friend now. Not your bodyguard. Not a member of the royal staff. Not even just a guy. But as someone who considers you a brother."
"All right."
"I don't want you to get your heart broken. And I think there is only one thing, and two people, in the world who can do that. Your country. Your grandfather—who has repeatedly done it, especially over the past year. And now Abigail Landry. Who is going to come to Cara with you, and potentially break your heart over and over again every day."
That twists my stomach into a knot and I fucking hate it. It’s not Abigail’s fault, but…fuck. Can I let him go through with this? I feel selfish. If they get married, Linnea and I are free to be together. I want that. Ineedthat. But I can’t live with the idea that Torin won’t have what he wants.
He replies after several long seconds. "She and I are an amazing team. We can do really amazing things."
I agree. If hearts weren’t involved and he was just hiring her, I’d be fully on board with bringing her back to Cara with us. "I think that's absolutely true. I think Abigail should come to Cara."
He looks relieved. "Good."
"But I don't know if you shouldmarryher.”