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“Dance?”
Alex squeezes my hand. “Don’t worry, I got you.”
He walks through the crowd, the picture of princely confidence. I smile and hold my head high. It’s not easy but not because I’m intimidated. I know deep inside we are all the same, royalty or not. No, it’s the dark feeling leaking out of my heart that has me feeling heavy.
Since we got here, our days have been filled with fun, sex, and… love. On my end, anyway. I’m sure Alex has plenty of other things on his mind, like fulfilling the King’s wishes and securing his own destiny.
A destiny without me.
He leads me to the center of the ballroom. As the people file in and encircle us, he takes me in his arms. My heart soars at his touch. I feel weightless for a second. Then the terrible anchor of the truth drags me down to earth again.
He twirls me expertly around the floor. Everywhere I look, people raise their glasses of champagne and call out their congratulations. If this were real, I’d be having the time of my life.
After the dance, Alex leads me to two throne-like chairs set up at one end of the ballroom. I carefully tuck in my skirt as I sit, and I cross my ankles to the side as the stylist instructed me during our two-hour royal behavior cramming session.
“Speeches.”
Alex doesn’t seem to move his mouth when the words come out. He’s staring straight ahead, and I quickly look in the same direction. Rule number 842 or something. Eyes forward at all times.
“The royal princes, son of King Francis.” His brothers are announced. The brothers who he thinks are just cousins.
“Prince Caesar.”
“You’ve always been like a brother to me,” and I can see from Alex’s earnest look that it means a lot to him.
Caesar passes the microphone to Prince Christian.
“The family story goes that I could never stand to see you crying, Alexis. Now that I see you here, I can tell that Isabella has brought you great happiness. If there are tears, they will be tears of joy, I’m sure. I’m proud to welcome her to the family and can’t wait to get to know my new sister.”
I feel tears welling up.
Christian is a true prince. He goes on and on, saying beautiful things about Alex and me. The more he talks, the worse I feel. Inside, I’m collapsing, but my spine stays perfectly stiff. My eyes stay forward like a sniper rifle. I don’t dare drop them.
What have we done?Lying to all these people.I should get up.I should walk right out of here right now. I should leave and stop my part in all this.But my body won’t obey my brain.
Do it,I scream silently. Get up and run out. Find Lily and don’t stop running until we are on a plane back to Texas.
I’m going to do it. On three. One, two –
“Stop!”
The crowd turns and then a path starts opening up. Janice, Alex’s adopted mother, the one who’s his aunt by marriage but not a relation at all, the one who hethinksgave birth to him, comes storming up the aisle they make for her.
As she passes, heads bow and some women curtsy.
She stops about twenty feet from us. Her eyes are on fire, and her nostrils are blazing. She looks like a horse that won’t be broken. And I know how dangerous those are.
“Stop this sham!”
31
ALEXIS
Ilook at Bella as our guests murmur in confusion. Her eyes widen as my mother makes her way forward, bottle in hand.
"Get behind Christian," I tell her.
Janice chuckles. "Are you trying to hide my future daughter-in-law from me? But this entire celebration is to welcome her into our family. But you've forgotten all about your dear old mother. I've barely seen you since you've come home."
