Page 32 of Royal Bargain

I glance over at her. Her tone is light, but there’s real curiosity in her eyes. Shrugging, I chuckle. “Dunno. I’ve just always had weird little ideas bouncing around in my head. Always have.”

“Even as a kid?”

“Especially as a kid. I used to entertain Lucky with these silly bedtime stories about a hamster going on epic adventures. Once, the hamster defended the Queen of England against a shark attack.”

Annika laughs, folding a tiny pair of baby socks. “That explains so much.”

“What, that I’m a creative genius?”

“That you’re an unhinged little gremlin,” she says sweetly.

I place a hand over my heart. “Wow. Straight to the chest.”

She smirks, but then her expression softens. “You should write some of them down, you know.”

I tilt my head. “What, like… seriously?”

She nods. “Why not? They’re good. You have a way of making things feel real, even the silly stuff.”

The compliment hits me harder than I expect. I look away, watching Lily wiggle beneath her play gym.

“I’ve just never really thought about it,” I say slowly. “No one outside of Lucky ever seemed to care.”

“Well,” she says, picking up another onesie and folding it, “I care.”

Her voice is quiet. Not pitying—just sincere.

Before I can say anything else, my phone buzzes on the table nearby. I glance over and sigh when I see the name.

“Burns,” I mutter. “Give me a sec.”

Annika nods, still folding laundry as I step into the entryway to answer.

“Hey, Senator,” I say, trying not to sound annoyed at his call. I’ve been working so many hours lately that it seems like all I see is him or Ana.

“Liam, good to hear from you,” Burns says, his voice polished. “There’s a gala Saturday night—Businesswomen of Thornville is hosting. You know Miranda Voss, right? She’s the chair this year.”

I lean back a little when I hear her name, some of the tension easing from my shoulders. Miranda. Yes, I know her. She’s been a big ally to our family the past few years. She’s a sharp, classy lady. Trustworthy.

Burns continues. “She mentioned you ought to bring your partner—said it’d be a great networking opportunity for her or something. I didn’t get much into it, but yeah, if you’d like, bring her along.”

That makes sense. She’s the one who helped Ana get connected to Ingrid, so it tracks that she’d want her there.

Still… I hesitate for a second. Ana’s been through enough lately. The idea of her being out in public again—surrounded by press, strangers, donors—it makes something in my gut clench.

But I’ll be there. No one’s getting anywhere near her without going through me first. “I’ll ask her,” I say.

Walking back into the living room, I glance over to see Ana waiting for me. “That was Burns,” I tell her. There’s a gala this weekend. Businesswomen of Thornville is hosting. MirandaVoss is chairing it, and apparently she mentioned you—said I should bring you along. Something about it being a good networking opportunity.”

Ana frowns. “Miranda did?”

“Yeah. Said your name specifically. I guess it’d be a chance to make connections, if that’s something you want to do.”

She hesitates. “I don’t know. Being out like that… it makes me nervous. What if someone recognizes me? What if one of my father’s men shows up—and Lily’s not with me this time?”

I crouch down in front of her, meeting her eyes. “If anyone so much as looks at you the wrong way, I’ll shut it down. Fast. You’re not alone in this, Ana. I’ll be right there the whole time.”

She studies me for a long second, like she’s searching for any crack in my confidence. When she finds none, she finally exhales.