Page 111 of Scarred Crown

“A comment he made to me.”

The king doesn’t say anything.

He’s not going to make this easy for me. “I think if Alex knows, which is the reason you gave for not telling your boys, that Nick and Brice should be told as well.”

“They will be,” he says with a wave of his hand.

“When?”

“In good time.” He leans back in his chair and runs a hand down his face. “Now is not the time. The wedding. The coronation.”

“With all due respect—”

“Is that all you came for?” He rises and gestures toward the closed door.

“King George—”

“I do not need your counsel, Secretary Jensen. This is not your place.”

“It is my place. It’s become my place. Nick is my husband now. I can’t—I won’t lie to him.”

“I haven’t asked you to lie.” King George scoffs. “I’ve simply asked you not to tell him.”

“He’ll see it as a lie. Trust me. Believe me. He will not forgive me for this.”

“Of course he will.” King George comes around the desk to stand beside me. “He loves you. It’s been written all over that boy’s face for years. Every time he looks at you, it leaks out of him. He’d forgive you anything.”

Since I’m not about to get into what happened with Alex, I can’t directly disprove him. Despite how good things have been between me and Nick, I’m not sure he has forgiven me for Alex. Piling this lie about his father on top will set fire to us.

“He shouldn’t have to forgive me for this,” I burst out. “They need to know. You can’t hide this forever.”

“I know that!” King George matches my raised voice.

Normally, I’d back down and try to placate him. He’s not someone prone to yelling, but his booming voice only drives me to continue. “If you don’t tell them, someone else will.”

“Not you, my girl, not you!”

“If not me, then someone else. Social media, one of the doctors you consulted, a reporter—it only takes one leak for this to come crashing down.”

“You will not tell them. I forbid it. If anyone tells them, it will be me.”

“When?” I grab his hand and try to get him to look at me. He’s been avoiding eye contact. “Why not now? If Alex knows, the coronation argument is void. I know, and I’m telling you if I know and Nick doesn’t, he’ll never forgive me.”

He withdraws his hand from mine, but his anger seems to have dissipated. “I’ll tell them when I’m ready.” His voice is quiet as he ushers me toward his door.

“King George,” I plead.

“I’m not ready,” he insists.

When he gets to the door, he places his hand on it, whether to open it or keep it closed I’m not sure. I haven’t followed him to the door, but I go to him now, and I put my hand on his shoulder.

“I don’t want to tell them,” he whispers, and when he meets my gaze, there are tears in his eyes. “Once I tell them, the clock will start ticking.”

I can already hear it. Those words are impossibly cruel, and no matter how much I want him to tell Nick and Brice, I’m not capable of slicing him open.

“Once I tell them, we all change, don’t we?” He chokes out the words. “I’m afraid, Julia. I’ve never been so afraid.”

There’s nothing I can say. So instead, I wrap my arms around him, and I hold him while he cries.