Page 10

EMORY

I hear Aiden in the shower the next morning. Water hitting tile, then the gap in the sound that means he’s getting under the spray. I don’t hear anything else, because I slap an Aiden-scented pillow over my head and pray for an asteroid to hit the shower.

I wait until I hear him leave before I call my mom. She needs to hear about the marriage from me before she hears it from my dad.

When she answers, her face is way too close to the camera, as usual. She blinks her blue eyes behind her chunky blue glasses before her mouth creases in a smile.

“There she is. Have you been avoiding me? I haven’t heard from you in a week.”

I groan and bury my head in my hands.

“Annette, don’t poke her.” Gloria’s sharp voice comes from off camera.

She’s my mom’s better half, and when my mom is too close to floating off into the clouds, Gloria grounds her.

Gloria helped buy my first bras and let me try wine for the first time.

Mom made me take painting classes and learn how to ride the old horses they keep behind the house.

“Your father said you married the Prince boy.”

Shit.

“Dad talked to you?”

Her eyes soften. “Is it true?”

In answer, I raise my left hand.

Her eyes widen. “Oh sweetie,” she says gently. “Why?”

My eyes heat, and I press the backs of my hands to them. I’m not going to cry over this. But my mom’s concern cracks something open inside me that’s been close to breaking since last night.

“You know how it is in this world, Mom,” I say quietly.

“I do. It’s why I never wanted you to be a part of it.”

My mom has always provided an escape hatch for me. A path to the real world, beyond the Houses and the limbo the Hunter family is stuck in—one of them and yet not. I can’t deny that sometimes I’ve thought about it. Marriage to a regular guy, for love, kids, a simple life.

My chin wobbles.

Her face pinches. “Gloria, I made the baby cry. Come help me.”

Gloria’s unlined face appears on the screen. She’s sixty and looks forty, and she always tells me “women in my family look twenty until they look eighty,” and I tell her I wish I were her biological daughter instead of just her stepdaughter.

“What did you do now, Em?” Her eyes go to my hand, and she sits next to my mom. “Oh sweetie.” They share a worried look. “You married one of them?”

I take a shaky breath. My mom has never wanted to be part of the world of the Houses.

She felt it was a world without substance.

She wanted me to grow up around artists and poets and writers, like her and Gloria.

When I wanted to go to Hart’s Hill Prep, she questioned me in that gently probing way of hers before sighing and telling me she’d help me convince my father.

“I did.” I twist the wedding ring on my finger.

Mom’s gaze sharpens. “Your father told me you were in love with him. Is that true?”

Damn you, Dad. Not for the first time, I wish my parents wouldn’t be so damn friendly.

All the other kids of separated parents got to play their parents off each other, but not me.

I’m the product of a several-year stint when my mom says she was “still figuring herself out,” and my parents have stayed fast friends.

I can’t lie to her, though, so I swallow and avoid her eyes. “Don’t talk to Dad about it, okay? He doesn’t understand. He’s trying to split us up.”

Gloria scoffs. There’s no love lost between her and my father. They’re both far too hardheaded to get along. “Of course he is.”

“Your father is stubborn, sweetie.” My mom’s voice is gentle. “That’s where you got it from. Not from me.”

“Course not,” Gloria mutters.

I give my mom a watery smile. “He thinks I’m silly. After everything that happened with Harrison, he thinks I’m going to be taken advantage of. He doesn’t want me to be involved with Aiden or the Princes.”

“Are you?” she asks gently.

I blink quickly. Of course this is what Mom wants to know. She never wanted me with Harrison, and when he destroyed me, she was there to pick up the pieces.

“No,” I say, then again, “No. Definitely not.”

“I trust you.” She gives me a smile.

“Dad doesn’t.” I pick at a loose thread on the linen coverlet and avoid her gaze.

“Your father has a lot of pride, Em.” She sighs. “He used to want to belong. Before he met me.”

“He did? I didn’t know that. He was so mad when I asked to transfer to Hart’s Hill Prep. I heard the arguments you guys had about it.”

There’s a faint smile on her face. “It was the right place for you. He went there too, you know.”

My head jerks back and her smile grows. “He did? Dad hates the Houses.”

“He does, but sometimes we hate what we can’t have. He only went for a year. To hear him tell it, he got into fights all the time and was made to feel like an outsider.”

There’s a sinking feeling inside me. I know what that feels like and I know where this is going. Just like I know that if we don’t make them respect us, they never will.

“Let me guess—it was Aiden’s father at the center of it?”

“Ding, ding, ding.” She smiles again. “He’ll come around. You sure you don’t want me to talk to him?”

“No.” I shake my head. “Definitely not. He needs to get used to it.”

“Okay.” My mom sighs. “But I want to meet Aiden.”

“Mom, no.” The horror on my face must be obvious, because they both laugh.

“Why not?”

“Because—” It’s not a real marriage. I can’t bring myself to say the words, so I just groan. “Fine. We’ll come over for dinner.”

There’s a woman in the kitchen when I get downstairs.

She has her back to me, and she’s surrounded by platters of breakfast food, silver carafes, and a massive shopping bag from one of the local stores.

She’s blond, dressed in yoga pants, and tapping away at a laptop.

I’m wearing pajamas and my hair is going in seven directions.

“Are you a mirage?” I ask the back of the woman’s head. “Or—oh god—Aiden’s girlfriend? If so, I’m sorry. Blink twice if you need help.”

She bursts out laughing and hops off the kitchen stool.

She’s shorter than me and willowy but strong-looking, like the yoga pants aren’t just for show.

She looks like someone who could do one of those balancing moves on her elbows.

“I’m Sienna.” She stops in front of me, assessing me.

“Aiden’s sister. And your sister-in-law. Want a coffee?”

“Oh.” I blink at her, my sleepy brain catching up.

Of course this is Aiden’s sister. I’ve never seen her up close, but she has those same sharp hazel eyes and full lips.

On a woman, they’re even more stunning. “Uh, hi.” I circle warily to the other side of the counter.

It’s two versus one now. Two Princes, one Hunter.

Assuming my darling husband is still in the house, that is.

“Coffee?” she asks again. She tips her head toward the counter, where a silver carafe sits on a warming pad.

“I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I told the team to get decaf, regular, and dark roast.” She frowns.

“I would have married you, you know. For the land or whatever. I’d really rather not have a husband one day.

Here, wait, let me help you with the pastries. ”

She’s a whirlwind as she grabs pastries from the tray and sets them on a plate with the crest of House Prince in the center.

“Is any of this poisoned?”

She gives me a quick grin. “No, but I can’t make any promises where my brother is concerned. He stormed out of the house an hour ago. I can bite all the pastries if you want me to check.”

The thought of Aiden storming out makes me smile. I pour coffee from the silver carafe into a porcelain cup that matches the plate and grab what I assume is milk. I’m more of a tea person, so I dump in enough to make the taste bearable.

She puts her hands on her hips and stares at the pastries. “Should have gotten more pistachio. That’s the best one. But you can’t eat it before sparring. You’ll throw up. Or maybe you won’t.” She gives me an assessing glance. “You don’t look like a puker.”

“A what?” I say faintly.

“A puker. You don’t look like you puke. Sorry, Aiden and Tristan say we med students have some objectionable slang. You’re not like his last girlfriend. God, she was boring. She was definitely a puker.”

My head is spinning from Sienna’s jump from one subject to another. Should I pretend to be upset about his last girlfriend?

Before I can respond, she waves a hand in the air. “I know it’s fake. Or a business arrangement. Whatever.” She grins. “I have a hundred thousand dollars riding on this.”

I choke on my coffee. “Excuse me? You’re gambling on my marriage? And how do you determine who wins?”

She gives me a catlike smile. “Never you mind. And don’t be offended. It’s just a friendly bet. If you help me, I’ll give you a cut.”

The front door swings open, revealing Tristan Prince in a set of athletic clothes. “Sister. I can hear you undermining me.” He turns to me. “Sister-in-law.”

“Hello, Tristan,” I say, instead of ew, gross. I deserve an award. I am the picture of politeness and decorum this morning.

“Emory.” His smile is genuine. “I’m so glad you’re here. We’re going to take over the world together.” He winks at me, and I give him a confused smile back. This family is alarmingly invested in my life.

“Ready?” Sienna stands.

“What’s going on?” I look between the siblings, who are attired in all black.

“It’s tradition.” A woman’s voice follows Tristan as she strides into the room.

“I’m Katie. Head of security and the family’s personal bodyguard.

This is what we do every Monday.” My eyes widen slightly as I take her in.

She looks like Lara Croft 2.0. Pouty pink lips, chocolate eyes, and a body that looks like she could roundhouse kick you in the face and then carry on with her day.

She’s competent and dangerous in her black running gear, with an honest-to-god holster over her shirt.

I want to be her.

Sienna nods. “Mondays are for sparring. Katie and I practice most mornings, but Mondays are for everyone. Fridays, we have the family meeting slash strategy session. Sunday nights we have dinner.”

I look around at the siblings and Katie. They run an empire from this estate. Together. I never imagined that. I assumed Aiden did everything or ruled with an iron fist.

“Where’s his lordship?” Tristan asks.

“Planning my death,” I say.

They all laugh, like our animosity is endearing instead of concerning.

“That wasn’t a joke,” I say.

Tristan and Sienna laugh again.

Katie checks her watch. “Probably already at the gym. Let’s go.”

“Emory needs to change first.” Sienna grins and passes me the bag.

In it are brand-new workout clothes, each with the Prince family crest. I make a face but change into them. I’ll scratch it out with a marker or something later.

When we’re out in the sunshine, I finally take in the view I couldn’t fully appreciate last night.

The estate is bigger than I remember. Which sounds silly, because of course it’s huge. It’s over a hundred acres. But when Sienna starts pointing out the features, I can’t believe they have all of this here.

“Stables are over there. Polo field is behind them. There are some trails through the woods back there, but we can’t take the polo ponies.

They’re way too delicate. Oh, and Alexis and her team work out of that building.

” She points to an airy-looking white-washed cottage.

“I’ll introduce you to her. She’s the head chef.

Tristan managed to poach her from a Michelin-starred restaurant.

She doesn’t take requests, but her food is amazing.

” She leans in toward me. “Sometimes, if you’re really nice to her, she’ll let you take the leftover cookies home. ”

I can’t help the laugh I cover with my hand. I can’t imagine anyone denying Sienna anything. She’s a force of nature. She’s also not terrible. Maybe that trait isn’t Prince-specific, just Aiden-specific.

“There’s a secret garden.” She points.

I crane my neck. I can just make out a stone wall beyond the trees.

“It’s been locked for fifty years.” She grins at me. “None of us can find the key. Legend says that the true Prince family heir will unlock the garden.”

“Not Aiden?”

“Nope.” Her smile grows. “He totally tried the handle as a kid. Every year on his birthday. We all did. You can try it too.”

“I don’t—”

“Oh, come on.” She bumps me with her shoulder. “Welcome to the family.”

I don’t know what to say. I just blink at her. The first thought in my head is I never had a sister. I really wish I did.

“Thanks,” I say. My voice comes out scratchy. “So will I get to punch Aiden today?”

“Absolutely. And don’t thank me.” She grins. “You’re about to get your ass kicked.”