AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He tucks his hands into his tuxedo pockets and shrugs. “It’s a swanky event. There’s always tight security at these things.” Then he raises a brow. “Do you routinely crash galas?”
I blush and shake my head. “I actually came here hoping to see you. Well…to meet you, actually.” Then I remember something and frown. “Out there, you recognized me. How?”
My mother and I were so careful when I was younger to keep pictures of me off the internet, and I’ve kept up with that ever since, maintaining an extremely low profile out of habit more than anything.
“Well, for one, you look just like Kathleen.”
At the mention of my mother, my throat immediately tightens and tears spring up unexpectedly in the corners of my eyes. No one has said her name aloud to me in so long.
Alexander notices my reaction and frowns.
“I meant that as a sincere compliment. Your mother was beautiful, and you look just like her.”
“Thank you,” I manage, my words barely audible.
“Also…” He smiles cheekily, likely trying to turn my mood around. “I should come clean and admit that I’ve looked you up a time or two. It’s hard to find information about you, but it’s notimpossible. Emmett thinks I’m ridiculous, but I can’t help it. I’ve always been so curious.”
So we’re kindred spirits then. It feels good to know I’m not alone in my endless searches of the Mercier family.
The door behind him opens, and at once, the evening catches up to us. The noise from the red carpet floods the foyer, and his friends filter in, laughing and talking as they make a beeline for us, anxious to reclaim their prince. I take a hesitant step back, not quite sure where to go from here.
I wish Alexander and I were alone somewhere quiet so we could talk. I want to know everything about him, about Emmett too, and their childhood. I want to ask him how well he knew my mother, if they spent much time together as one big happy family before she and Frédéric divorced. I’ve imagined scenarios where things played out differently, a life in which we spent Christmases together, and birthdays, and quiet Sunday afternoons.
Alexander glances at his friends with a subtle grimace before turning back toward me. “Listen, tonight is…well, I wouldn’t have picked tonight to meet you for the first time. These events are more work for me than anything. The children’s hospital—”
I hurry to cut him off. “It’s all right. I completely understand.”
He sighs. “Good. Perhaps…it’d be best if you lie low tonight. There are so many journalists and photographers here…”
I nod to let him know I’m in total agreement. He’s not offending me in the least.
I’m not sure I’m ready for the repercussions if people here find out who I am. The limelight can be a finicky thing.
He looks behind me, his brows furrowed as if he’s formulating a plan. “Let me just get my friends situated, and then I should also probably make my way around the room or my father will have my head. Go to one of the bars inside and wait for me.” He shakes his head, unable to keep from smiling. “I can’t believe you’re really here.” Then his eyes widen in alarm. “Whatever you do, don’t leave before we can talk again.”
“Okay. I won’t,” I promise, unable to resist matching his smile with one of my own.
It feels ridiculous, but I wish I could hug him again before he walks away. Instead, I stay planted right where I am as he and his friends head into the ballroom.
Of the pair, Alexander has always seemed more outgoing than Emmett, and tonight confirms my suspicions about him. I sip a drink near one of the bars as I watch him work the room. He jumps from guest to guest, shaking hands, offering smiles, graciously taking photos with anyone who asks. His friends claim a table in the far corner of the room, drawing attention not for their rowdy behavior but for their beauty and intrigue. I wonder what it would be like to sit among them, to try to keep up with whatever conversation they’re having.
I’m on drink number two when Alexander finally breaks away to come find me. He nears, still talking to people he passes, but when his eyes meet mine, his expression changes. His public persona is replaced by someone much more approachable.
He waves to my drink. “What is that? Is it good?”
“Their signature cocktail for the night. It’s citrusy and sweet,” I tell him.
He nods and asks the bartender for one before leaning his arm on the bar and looking over at me. For a second, we don’t speak. He just takes me in, like he doesn’t quite believe his eyes.
I don’t know what I was expecting it to feel like to meet him. I grew up as an only child, lonely a lot of the time. I wonder how differently I would have turned out if Alexander had been by my side throughout my youth.
“You really do look like Kathleen.”
I smile. “And you take after your mother as well.”
“Have you met her?”
I shake my head. “I’ve only seen her in photographs. Is she still in France?”
