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“How are you?”
“Considering I just got ripped a new one by my father, I think I’m hanging in there.”
I couldn’t even look at Luc without being keenly aware of the small detail of my pregnancy that I was still keeping from him. How the hell was I supposed to tell him that after what had just happened?
“What did he say about Hailey?” I asked.
Luc’s expression was grim. “The king isn’t happy. He wants her out of the palace as soon as possible.” He turned his attention to Hailey. “I’m sorry how this turned out. I’d hoped to keep you in Edoria in a hotel, but at this point I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. I don’t think it’d turn out well for any of us if the king were to see you two together again.”
“Guess that means I’m packing my bags,” Hailey said. “Wait, I don’t even think I had a chance tounpack them.”
“Again, my apologies. I’ll have you booked on a first-class flight back to Seattle as soon as I’m done speaking with Ava.”
“Got it.” Hailey’s gaze flicked from me to Luc. “OK, I’m guessing this is a two-person conversation. Any place I can hang out here in the palace where I won’t risk getting thrown into the dungeon if anyone sees me?”
“I’ve got a place in mind where Ava and I can speak. You stay in here and relax, make sure everything’s packed and ready to go.”
Without even thinking about it, I hurried over to Hailey and threw my arms around her.
“Thank you so much. I don’t even know what to say.”
She hugged me back. “You don’t need to say anything. You need me, I’ll be here no matter what.”
We finished the hug, and I turned my attention back to Luc.
“OK, let’s talk.”
He nodded. “Come along.”
We left the room, silently walking side by side down the long hallway, all the way to the end. A pair of doors leading out onto a balcony were there, Luc opening them and letting me out first. The view from the balcony was gorgeous, looking out over the gardens all the way to the northern half of the city, the Alps rising in the distance. The air was a bit chilly, but nothing my sweatshirt couldn’t handle.
Luc walked over to the edge of the balcony, placing his hands on the railing and looking out, his back toward me. I could sense that he wasn’t quite sure where to begin.
“I’m sorry.”
“Good place to start.”
He turned. “I’m sorry about how things went down. I didn’t expect it to turn out like that. Truth be told, I wasn’t sure what I thought was going to happen.”
“He didn’t take it well at all.”
He let out a snort, shaking his head. “No kidding. I suppose part of me figured he’d be fine with anything that helped you work through your issues about your duties. Not so much.”
He turned and looked at me. His expression was a mixture of disappointment and frustration.
“I have to be honest, it feels like the ground is falling out from under me these days, like I don’t have control over anything. And it’s been like that ever since that day you yelled at me at the food truck…”
I grinned. “I didn’tyell at you, Luc. I gave you a firm hand. You know, made it clear how things work when you’re on my turf.”
He laughed, though his laugh was muted. “I suppose you’re right about that. When you came into my life, things changed in a way that part of me knew would never go back to normal. At first, I resented it, not wanting any part of my life to slip out of my control. The more time that went on, however…”
He came over to me, placing his hands on my shoulders. He gazed at me with those gorgeous, gray eyes. In those moments, I began to wonder if that was the time, if I wasn’t going to get a better opportunity to come clean about my little secret.
“All the same,” he went on, “you need to leave.”
I blinked hard. “What?”
He nodded. “I didn’t realize how selfish your father was going to be about all of this. But I realize it now.” He shook his head with regret. “Part of me wishes I’d lied, told him that I’d never found his daughter, never pulled you away from your life.”
