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Easton and Weston appear on the opposite side of the room. Their eyes meet mine, and I look away, focusing back on Louis, but I’m not really listening to the conversation. I laugh when I’m supposed to, offering yeses where appropriate, but my mind is somewhere else.
Mrs. Easley, an editor at one of the major newspaper publications in attendance, asks Louis about his father. As he speaks fondly of the king, I glance over her shoulder and see Asher chatting with a cute redhead. Her hand brushes his shoulder, and she takes a step closer to whisper something in his ear.
Our eyes meet, and with a cocky grin, he barely flicks his brow at me. Asher rubs his nose with his finger and laughs at whatever the woman is saying. I can’t help but notice it was the same finger he had buried deep inside me thirty minutes ago.
“Don’t you agree, Billie?” Louis asks, pulling me back to the conversation.
“Of course,” I reply with a laugh, clueless about what they were discussing.
“When can we expect a royal wedding?” Mrs. Easley asks, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
I chuckle nervously and say, “The Crown must approve everything. You know that.”
“Not always,” she counters, leaning in with a conspiratorial whisper. “Sometimes, love is more important than anything else. In the past, some royals have simply given up their crown to be with their person.”
“That’s not a traditional method though. I’d want the Crown’s approval for marriage, considering I know how faithful His Royal Highness is to his country. It’s important that whoever he makes his queen is suitable for everything that he is.”
He proudly grins, pulling me just a little closer to him.
Mrs. Easley nods, understanding. “And that’s why you two are the perfect pair.”
I nervously chuckle and turn toward Louis, wanting to escape this conversation or at least segue it to something else. “If you had to choose between love or power, which would it be? Only one though,” I ask him, curious about his answer.
“Is it true love? One that lasts until my last breath?” he asks.
“Yes,” I confirm.
“True love is worth losing everything,” he admits softly, then winks at me.
Something flickers behind his eyes, and I wonder if he’s thinking about his secret girl, the one he has continued to keep hidden.
“I agree. True love is what I’d choose too.” I take those words and hold on to them tightly.
Louis knows how I feel about Asher; I explained everything that had happened in the Hamptons on the way here. He’s happy to keep playing pretend. It benefits us both.
Mrs. Easley eats up the conversation. “I’m very happy for you.When there is a wedding announcement, please allow me to interview you.”
“Absolutely,” I say, knowing it won’t happen. “Thank you for the opportunity.”
Someone walks up, laughing, and she gets pulled away, leaving Louis and me to ourselves.
“That was entertaining. Where did you go?”
“Ah, well, let me just say, my brothers are pissed at me right now. They caught us together,” I whisper.
“That explains their attitude.” He watches Weston and Easton take the stage, and his eyes meet mine. “You should get ready for your speech.”
“Shit, I almost forgot,” I tell him, finishing my glass of champagne in a hurried gulp. “I’ll be right back.”
I glide across the room, catching a glimpse of Asher, who’s flirting hard with that woman. Jealousy creeps over my body like a shadow, but I push it away, reminding myself that he must do this, especially after he archived the posts of us.
Earlier today, he uploaded a single photo of his feet in the sand. Mine were just out of view.
He titled itNew beginnings.
It’s our secret.
Just like how this relationship must be—for now. This has become a total mess, and it’s my fault. I was selfish tonight, using Asher’s greatest weakness against him—me.