Page 79 of Royal Trouble
“There’s more,” she admitted. Might as well put it all out there. “I’m writing a book about Royals Gone Wild. It’s time I come clean and face the consequences of my actions. Marisa thinks it’ll sell quickly, and with any luck, I can use the advance to pay off your medical bills.”
Her mother’s reply came swiftly, and there was no masking her concern. “Are you sure you want to do that?”
No. Yes. Maybe?
But it was less about what she wanted to do and more about what she needed to do.
“I don’t care about the bills, Everly. I care about you. We can figure the rest out later.”
Tears stung her eyes. How could she have ever thought her mom wouldn’t have her back? “This is something I have to do. For me. Getting to know Xander, I’ve realized just how much pain I’ve caused…to myself and others.” It had taken a long time for her to realize the damage she’d done to herself, to recognize the dark stain it had left on her soul. Not to mention the bitterness in her heart. She wanted to be free of it once and for all.
“What about Prince Alexander?” her mother asked.
“What about him?” Hadn’t she been listening when Everly said they were done?
“I saw how you looked at him in those pictures.” She paused, letting her words sink in. “Do you love him?”
Everly worried her bottom lip. There was no point denying it. Her mother’s instincts were on point, and she knew it. “More than I ever thought possible.”
“Then you have to fight for him,” she said with renewed passion. “Don’t be like me. Don’t let your pride keep you from finding out if he loves you, too.”
“Mom, we said horrible, awful things to each other. I don’t think we can fix it.”
Her mom sighed wistfully. “You won’t know if you don’t try.”
Were they still talking about Xander or were they talking about her father? Her mother had always been tightlipped on their relationship, but maybe the time was finally right for both of them to be honest.
“Do you ever wish you’d tried with my father?” She didn’t condone cheating, and she’d always struggled with the fact that her mother had been involved with a married man, but Kate had made it sound like her parents had an open marriage. Was it actually possible her father had loved her mother as much as she’d apparently loved him?
“Every day, but ours was an impossible situation. He was locked in a loveless political marriage, and I was determined to give you a normal childhood here in the States. It wasn’t until I realized he could give you a better education than I ever could that I agreed to let him help with our expenses.” That last bit was said not with resentment, but with quiet acceptance. It was no secret Everly got her prideful streak from her mother, so it was no surprise she’d wanted to raise her daughter on her own. “Besides, I wanted you to have the opportunity to know the beauty of your birth country.”
She remembered the day her mother had told her she’d been accepted to Westbury. At the time, it hadn’t felt like a privilege; it had felt like a punishment. Being sent halfway around the world to attend a school with a bunch of stuck-up rich kids hadn’t held much appeal, but she couldn’t deny she’d had a first-rate education, and it had opened the doors of Columbia to her. She’d also met Lucy there, so it hadn’t been all bad, even if she couldn’t see it at the time.
“Like I said, ours was an impossible situation,” her mother continued gently. “You and Xander have a real shot. There’s nothing stopping you except your pride.”
Everly considered her mother’s words. Maybe she owed it to herself to find out, but what if Xander didn’t feel the same way? She wasn’t sure she could handle another rejection, but she also couldn’t move forward without closing this chapter in her life. And no way was she going to spend twenty-five years looking over her shoulder and wondering what if.
…
Xander steeled his resolve as he entered his father’s office, prepared for another battle royale. The last twenty-four hours had been excruciating, the royal family and palace press secretary scrambling to do damage control, which included postponing the announcement of the Blue and Gold Foundation. The palace had yet to issue an official statement, which was no surprise given they hadn’t actually discussed the issue. Oh, sure, there’d been lots of yelling and screaming yesterday about the bloody tabloids, the lack of verifiable proof the story was legitimate, and a gag order for the lab, but they had yet to discuss the crux of the problem.
Which was why Xander had brought the still-sealed lab envelope with him today.
He was tired of waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was bad enough he’d brought this mess down on Liam and Elena right before the wedding, when the eyes of the world were already trained on the palace and they were under intense scrutiny. Elena had handled it graciously, sayingfuck the papsin true New York fashion. He appreciated the sentiment, but it did little to ease his guilt. This wasn’t how he wanted the world to remember the royal wedding, but he’d weathered enough of these media shit storms to know that ignoring the problem wouldn’t improve the situation.
For once, he was early to a family meeting, and only Liam was present when he entered the office. Liam greeted him with a glass of whisky, and despite the early hour, he didn’t have it in him to decline. Just one wouldn’t hurt. Besides, he felt like shit.
He’d been up half the night replaying the fight with Everly in his mind, and he’d come to the only reasonable conclusion: he was a giant fucking arsehole. He’d lashed out at her without any real evidence of wrongdoing, trashing the fragile trust they’d built and smashing whatever chance they’d had at a future.
He threw back the whisky and poured himself another. Liam raised a brow but said nothing.
Good. He was in no fucking mood for a lecture this morning.
“Feeling better?” Liam asked, slipping into his usual seat across from the hulking Resolute desk.
“Not even close.” Xander collapsed into his own chair, envelope clutched in his hand. “But I figure the situation can’t get any more fucked, so I might as well drink.”
“I found the leak,” Liam said without preamble. Despite the enormity of the declaration, his voice was smooth and level, as dictated by his position as heir. “If you’re interested in the truth.”