Page 88 of Heavy Crown

Suppose I won’t be able to make that claim anymore. It isn’t my head that’s been steering this train straight into heartbreak station.

“I haven’t told Rory about Simone.” I keep my voice low.

“But she knows you cannot marry her. At least you had that much integrity.”

“Rory mentioned it?”

“Posey. Asked me if it was true. I confirmed.” Desmond meets my gaze. “Obviously, you’re a topic of conversation.”

I close my eyes and grimace.

“Are Rory’s feelings for you as strong as your feelings for her?” Desmond asks. “If you give up the throne, does she want what you want?”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I haven’t talked to her about it. I don’t—I don’t even know how to have that conversation when I’m not sure I can walk away from being king. That would put Nick on the throne.”

“Correct.” Desmond opens his little black book again. “The first time a king’s cock will be immortalized on the internet. I suppose there are worse things.”

“Good God,” I mutter. “He doesn’t want to be king. Brice says he doesn’t want it either.”

“If all of you step aside, succession falls on King George’s brother’s family.”

Desmond’s cold assertion does nothing to alleviate the anxiety bubbling inside me. Would Nick and Brice really reject the monarchy to that extent? Julia would talk Nick around, wouldn’t she? A reluctant king is better than a miserable one, isn’t it?

“You think I should talk to Rory?” The path forward is so muddled, I can’t see anything ahead of me.

“You choose the Crown, or you choose her. Given how you’ve been behaving, I think it’s reasonable for you to give her the whole picture. In the past, I wouldn’t have had to say this, but I’m going to, in case you need to hear it. Don’t wait until Friday night to make a decision. You’ve never been one to shy away from uncomfortable conversations before. Don’t be a coward when your happiness is at stake.”

He’s not pulling any punches today. I suck in a deep breath and gather the emails. “You’ve made some valid points.”

“Had you cared to listen to anyone, you might have heard them weeks ago.”

I give him a sharp look. “There’s only so much advice and criticism I’ll accept.”

“Agreed.” Desmond rises. “I trust you’ll respond to those emails.”

When Desmond opens my office door, Nick is there with his hand raised. “I was just about to knock. Alex,” he calls to me. “Take a half day. It’s my bachelor party. Brent is on the island, and we need to show him a good time.”

“Your bachelor party?” I raise my eyebrows. This is the first I’m hearing about a bachelor party.

“Okay, so not exactly. Julia didn’t think a real bachelor party with Brice in charge was a good idea.” Nick enters my office and gazes around. “Pre-drinking needs to commence soonish.”

“You want to start pre-drinking at—” I glance at the clock over his head. “Two in the afternoon?”

“By the time Brent gets here, it’ll be more like four or five. He’s stopping to see Posey first.”

I rock back in my chair. A piece of the picture is missing. “We’re hanging out here, drinking?” Last time I did that, I kissed Rory, and now I’m on the cusp of abandoning the monarchy all together. Bellerive can’t take another drunken episode from me.

“Here initially, yeah.” He gives me a sly smile. “And then we’re crashing Jules’s bachelorette at Wino Wine Bar.”

thirty-two

Rory

Last time we were at Wino Wine Bar, Brice and the rest of us were given what I thought was the VIP treatment. Whatever exists above the VIP level is what I’m experiencing now. For Julia, they’ve cordoned off an entire section and set up screens that allow us to see everyone else, but they can’t see us.

Julia made it clear to everyone when we arrived that her bachelorette party—no strippers, loud music, or drunken proclamations—is endorsed and paid for by the Crown.

“There’s a male strip club open tonight on the other side of the island,” Posey says, loud enough for Julia to hear once we’ve all had a few drinks.