Page 82 of Royal Trouble
Heartache at seeing him with his unit, knowing he’d lost several friends along the way.
Admiration for the athleticism—and, okay, the firm ass—displayed at the annual King’s Might Royal Charity Polo Day.
Oh, there were still plenty of tabloid headlines mixed in, but none of them carried her byline.
When the video transitioned to a grainy photo of them getting cozy outside Lucy’s wedding, her heart squeezed, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. She couldn’t believe he’d done this. Setting the mashup of their lives to her all-time favorite TV show was kind of epic, and it showed considerable effort. Surely he wouldn’t have gone to all that trouble if he still thought she’d betrayed him. Her heart hammered in her chest, and hope bloomed anew.
There’s still a chance.
The video continued for another few seconds, showing their whirlwind romance through a mix of images from the tabloids, as well as several crystal-clear shots that had been taken at the palace and on theCrown Jewel. Everly had never seen any of them, and she couldn’t help but notice how blissfully happy they’d looked together. Even on the boat when she was fighting the urge to vomit on him again.
The memory was a bittersweet reminder of what they’d lost.
She desperately wanted to get back to the way they’d been. Was this Xander’s way of telling her he wanted the same thing? It was probably best not to get ahead of herself, but that ship had sailed the moment she’d seen his name on the screen.
The video went dark as the song came to an end and a burst of light filled the screen with the wordNOWsuperimposed over it.
Okay, but what am I supposed to do now?
She chewed her lip and considered. Did this mean he wanted her to come to the wedding? Was he ready to try again? It wouldn’t be easy. They’d both made mistakes, and they both had things to apologize for, but if they wanted it badly enough, surely they could repair their relationship. Hell, they could even start fresh. So many thoughts swirled through her mind, she was having difficulty organizing them.
Which is why I need to stop listening to my brain and start listening to my heart.
Maybe if she’d listened to her heart and turned down the assignment fromOn Point, she’d never have gotten herself into this mess in the first place. But she’d been so busy wallowing in the knowledge that she’d never fit into this world of wealth and privilege, she’d sabotaged any shot she’d had with Xander. Despite the fact that he’d never asked her to be anything other than who and what she was. He was the one person who had accepted her from the beginning, and she’d been too focused on the past to see it.
She saw it now, though.
Yes, it had been wrong of him to accuse her of leaking the story, but how could she blame him for thinking the worst when it had been her original reason for staying in Valeria? And instead of explaining herself and talking it out like a rational adult, she’d gone totally off the rails, clinging to her insecurities.
I won’t make that mistake again.
The doorbell rang, and she raced to answer it, pulse thundering.
She yanked the door open to find Xander, looking as sexy as ever. He wore an elegant black tuxedo that had probably been custom made just for him, and he’d accessorized it with his usual arrogant smirk. The one that made her weak in the knees.
The sight of him brought her up short. Damn, she’d missed that smile. It had only been a few days since she’d last seen him, but she’d felt his loss keenly. There were so many things she wanted to say—things she’d rehearsed a dozen times in front of the mirror—but now that he was here in the flesh, her mouth dried up and all the carefully planned words escaped her.
Xander gave her a slow once over, and his blue eyes flared with heat as they locked on her lips. “Hello, Evie.”
…
With one look at Everly’s sweet face, Xander knew he’d made the right decision. The curve-hugging dress didn’t hurt, either, but this wasn’t about sex. He’d had more sexual relationships than he could count, but his relationship with Everly was different.Theywere different. With Everly, he wanted to know her mind, body, and spirit. A purely physical relationship would never be enough.
Not for him. Not anymore.
Christ, he’d missed her these last few days. Missed her smile. Missed her sass. Missed the sweet sound of her laugh and the sweeter taste of her lips. He wanted to take her in his arms and show her just how much he’d missed her, but that wasn’t why he’d come.
He had no business even thinking about touching her. Not after the way he’d behaved.
He’d been up half the night making the video mashup of their lives, and he was running purely on adrenaline at this point, but lack of sleep was nothing compared to the tension that gripped his chest like a vise. He’d never done anything like this before and didn’t want to fuck it up. He’d given Everly time to watch the video before he rang the bell, but he couldn’t tell from her expression if she’d watched it, let alone if she’d liked it.
Christ, he hoped she’d liked it. It wasn’t much as grand gestures went, but it felt right.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” he asked, a slow grin spreading over his face at her surprised expression. If nothing else, he’d caught her off guard.
A slow flush spread over her cheeks, and she gestured for him to enter. It was a much more favorable reception than he’d anticipated. God knew she would’ve been well within her rights to slam the bloody door in his face after the way he’d treated her.
She closed the door behind him and clasped her hands together in front of her, as if needing to keep them occupied. “What are you doing here?” she asked. “The wedding’s in a few hours. Shouldn’t you be with Liam? I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure best man duties include helping the groom prepare for the ceremony.”