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I blink once.Twice.Allowing his statement to sink in.
Giving myself a chance to formulate my response and make sure it’s done as a friend and not his chief protection officer.
As I’ve learned, the lines aren’t always that clear.
Especially when something of a personal nature has such a huge bearing on his status as heir apparent, like who he’s going to marry.
But he asked for a friend today.That’s what I need to be.
“And she said yes?”I scoff.
Anderson playfully punches me.“Of course she did, you prick.”
“I don’t know.”I shrug.“Thought maybe she’d like to explore her options for a little longer.See if there’s someone better out there.Should I talk to her?Let her know how much of a pain in the arse you truly are?”
He laughs, a smile unlike any I’ve seen in a while lighting up his face.“Pretty sure she already knows.”
I wrap an arm around him, giving him a quick bro hug.“Congrats, Anders.”
He pats my back.“Thanks, mate.”
“All joking aside, I’m happy for you.”I pull back, keeping a hand on his shoulder.“Truly.Nora’s a wonderful woman.She’d have to be to put up with all the shite that comes with dating you.”My expression falters slightly as I drop my hold on him.“Shedoesknow what she’ll have to put up with going forward, correct?Everything she’ll have to give up?Her job?Her life here in New York?Her anonymity?”
“Of course she does,” he reassures me.“I’ve been upfront and honest with her since the beginning.She understands as much as she can without experiencing it firsthand.”He chuckles under his breath.“I often feel like a broken record with how many times I’ve warned her about what her future would look like if she chose this path.If she chose me.She even accused me of trying to scare her off with my incessant warnings.”
“And yet she said yes.”It’s more of a statement than a question.
A wide grin lights up his face, eyes sparkling with barely contained joy.“She said yes,” he repeats, almost as if in disbelief.
It’s a far cry from the state he was in when he first met Nora.
And when he first lost Nora.
But sometimes we need to endure that soul-crushing loss to truly appreciate what we have.Kind of like I did with Esme.
“I’m happy for you,” I say again, giving him another hug.Then I pull back, hesitating slightly as I ask, “And your family?”
“What about them?”He tilts his head.
“Do they know yet?”
He shakes his head.“I want to keep it quiet for now, at least until I have a chance to go through the normal channels.”
I hate that Anderson and Esme can’t just fall in love and decide to get married like the rest of the world.They’re required to follow protocol and gain the king’s approval to marry.I can only imagine how Anderson’s grandmother will react to the news, especially with the referendum on the ballot this year.They’ve been saying a royal wedding could sway things.I doubt she anticipated the bride being an American commoner, though.
“I’ll keep this to myself until you’ve spoken with him.”
“That includes Esme.”He gives me a knowing look.
“You have my word.Not a peep to anyone until you say it’s okay.”
Content in my reassurances, he tips his bottle toward me.“Thanks, mate.”
I clink my beer with his, then take another long sip.I can’t remember the last time I sat at a bar with Anderson and had a drink like this.It was probably the summer before I was sworn into the guard.After that, I did everything in my power to keep the lines firmly drawn.
Not anymore, though.I’m now counting the days until I can erase the lines altogether.And not just with Anderson, but also between Esme and me.
Ireallycan’t wait to erase those lines.
