Royal Date (23 page)

She realized what she’d said a minute too late, probably from the expression on my face. “It won’t be a big deal for him, Kat. It will only be pretend. Just to help his country. He won’t want them. He has you.”

I had forgotten about Nico dating women on reality television. I wasn’t sure I could handle that. Or that I liked it. Or that I wouldn’t turn into a serial killer and murder every single woman on that show for wanting him.

“No, it’s good. It helps me to remember not to get too serious.”

“Don’t close yourself off to any possibilities. I don’t want you to miss out on something great.”

But how could I miss out on something that only existed in my mind?

“How are things going on the Salvatore front?” I asked Lemon as we walked down the hall toward the stairs.

“They’re not,” she sighed, sounding disappointed. “He’s full of himself. The kind of guy who thinks the sun comes up just to hear him crow.”

“So, he’s already hooking up with someone else?” I clarified.

“Well, of course. I am attracted to him. How could he not be a man whore? Besides, he didn’t want to look at pictures of my dogs. Said he didn’t like dogs. You know that I don’t trust a man who doesn’t like dogs. He doesn’t understand true loyalty and would probably hide behind you in a bar fight.”

“Yeah, personally, when I’m picking my friends, I like the ones who don’t make me cry myself to sleep.”

I gave her a pointed look, but I didn’t press the issue because one, it was over, and two, she’d make the same stupid mistake with some other guy in the near future and there was no point in lecturing her. “Did you tell him what a douchebag he is?”

“Of course not. My momma raised me right. I would never say it to his face—I just tell you behind his back. It’s called manners.”

We reached the top of the stairs. Below us there was a sea of people in the front hall, laughing and greeting one another. Servants ran back and forth, carrying luggage and coats. I saw Nico just as he saw me, and he waved me down.

I was glad I’d dressed up as everyone in the hall had on a suit or dress. “I want you to meet one of my best friends,” he told me, taking me by the hand and weaving his way through the crowd.

He stopped in front of a tall young man with blond hair and blue eyes. I recognized him, but couldn’t quite place him.

“Katerina MacTaggart, may I introduce you to His Royal Highness, Prince Alexander of England? Alex, this is Kat.”

That was how I knew him. My eyes went wide.

“Pleasure to meet you,” the prince said as he took my hand and shook it.

“You too, um, Alexander.”

“Alex, please. Only my grandmother calls me Alexander.”

That would be his grandmother, the actual queen of England.

I was gobsmacked. I had no idea what to say.

“This is my wife, Caitlin. Caitlin, this is Nico’s friend, Kat.”

And there stood one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen. Her makeup was perfect, and her long brown hair looked like she’d just had it blown out. “Nice to meet you,” she said, smiling at me.

“I watched your wedding,” I said, my mouth slightly agape. “My best friend made me get up at an hour that I wasn’t aware existed in the a.m.”

“You mean the one where I was upstaged by my sister’s bum?” Caitlin winked at me.

I only nodded. Probably had a stupid look on my face.

“How do you know Nico?” she asked.

“That’s kind of a long story, but we just met. What about you?”

“Oh, Alex and Nico were at Oxford at the same time and had a lot in common, so they quickly became best mates. That was when Alex and I started dating, so we’ve all known each other for a long time.”

They had a real-life Cinderella story. Caitlin was a commoner. Alex was a prince. The most famous and eligible prince in the entire world. And they’d somehow managed to fall in love and get married and have a baby.

Said baby arrived right then, presumably with his nanny. The woman handed Prince James to Caitlin. “There’s Mummy’s little boy,” she cooed at him, hugging him tight. Their baby was adorable. Big cheeks, bright blue eyes, wispy hair, and a smile that would charm anyone.

“I need to inspect my godson,” Nico said, reaching out for the baby. Caitlin handed him over, and Nico held James close, kissing the top of his little downy head.

The sight of handsome, sexy Nico cuddling, loving, and smiling at a baby was too much.

“Oh frak, I think my ovaries just exploded,” I accidentally said out loud.

Caitlin laughed. “You and every other woman in here,” she joked.

Both men were playing with the baby, talking to him and holding his hands.

“Might I ask what happened to your arm?”

I’d totally forgotten about my bandage. I didn’t feel like I needed to wear it any longer, but Dr. Franco had insisted I keep it on for two full weeks to reduce possible swelling. “Nico’s been beating me,” I said, forgetting who I was talking to.

She stared at me for a moment before she smiled. “Oh, you’re joking.”

I had just made a totally stupid and inappropriate joke to the future queen of England.

Caitlin looked at me, considering. “I think I’m going to like you very much. Nico has always had exceptional taste, and if he likes you, I know we all will. I’m going to make certain we’re seated together tonight at dinner.”

“Would you like to hold him?” Nico offered to me.

I held my arms out, and James came willingly. He was babbling and smacking his arm up and down. I loved the smell of babies, their soft hair, their delicate skin. I nuzzled my nose against his cheek, and he smiled at me, grabbing a fistful of my hair.

“He does love hair,” Caitlin said apologetically, untangling his hand. I didn’t mind, but she took him back.

“Can you imagine having your own children?” Nico asked in an amused way, like the concept of having kids was so far out of the realm of possibility for him. We stood and watched as Alex and Caitlin played with their son. My heart twinged when Alex leaned over to kiss his wife on the forehead, looking at her with so much love that it felt like a tangible thing.

“I used to think no. I didn’t want to bring up kids in a world like this.”

“You mean, the best it’s ever been in human history?”

I nudged him with my elbow. “You know what I mean. But then a friend of mine from college got pregnant, and her baby was due while her husband was stationed in Afghanistan. So I volunteered to be her birthing partner. Which was totally gross, by the way, but when that baby came out and they let me hold her, I decided then and there that I wanted a dozen. Kristi’s lucky I didn’t kidnap Madison and take her home with me. Because the thought did cross my mind.”

Nico had an unreadable expression on his face. “You never cease to surprise me.” What had I said now to make him react like that?

“I can show you to your rooms,” a servant announced to the royal couple.

“Alex, did you still want to see my plans for the new business center?” Nico asked him.

“Absolutely. Will you be all right?” Alex asked Caitlin.

“We can manage. Go.”

The two men walked off, leaving me alone with the princess. “You know they’re probably going to go play Xbox or something, right?”

“Of course.” She gave me a brilliant smile. “But they don’t get to see each other nearly as much as they’d like to, so allowances must be made.”

I saw Lemon walking by, and I grabbed her arm, pulling her close. “Lemon, come meet Caitlin.”

I’d never seen Lemon speechless before, but it had finally happened. She sort of worshipped Caitlin. After Marilyn Monroe, the princess was her favorite.

“Hello, nice to meet you,” Caitlin said, as she balanced James on her hip.

Lemon still just stood there.

“Alex always tells everyone to imagine him naked, and it usually breaks the ice,” Caitlin said.

“I think imagining your husband naked would only make things worse,” Lemon said, and the princess laughed.

Then Caitlin’s expression changed, her eyes narrowing and her mouth set. “I didn’t know she would be here.”

I followed her line of vision and saw Lady Claire Sutherland, again teetering on six-inch heels. The
Titanic
hit the iceberg and started to sink in my stomach.

“Hey,” Lemon said, “you think if we catch her we can make her give up her pot of gold?”

“I was thinking we’d end up with a chocolate factory tour.”

Realizing that we had been full-on snarking in front of the princess made us both fall silent. “It does make one curious,” Caitlin said.

“About what?”

“About whether Dr. Evil’s realized that Mini Me escaped.”

Then we all laughed, great big whooping sounds that drew the attention of everyone around us.

“I shouldn’t have said that in front of anyone else,” Caitlin apologized once we’d quieted down.

“I’d like to beat her stupid face in with a shovel, so I think I’m exactly the right person to say it in front of,” I told her. “What did she do to you?”

“That plastic, title-digging slag spent all of our university years chasing after both Nico and Alex, and trying to break Alex and me up. But I have to smile and put up with her because his family is friends with her family. Alex knows to steer clear of that one.”

“I don’t think Nico got the memo,” I told her. “She took a crack at me in Paris. I’m not over it.”

“Don’t worry about her,” Lemon said. “We’ve got her number now. She won’t try anything else.”

“I really should go and get James settled,” Caitlin said. “I will see you again this evening, right?”

We agreed to meet up at dinner and for the party afterward. We had to be united in the face of that kind of evil.

“There you go. Living proof,” Lemon said once the princess had left.

“Living proof of what?”

“That a prince and a regular person can get married and live happily ever after.”

I didn’t bother to dignify that statement with a retort.

At dinner, Caitlin had been true to her word and had me seated next to her. Unfortunately for us, Lady Claire was directly across from me, on Nico’s right. I hated the idea that I would have to sit across from her all night. I wondered who she’d bribed or threatened to end up there.

Nico helped me with my chair and leaned down to kiss me on the cheek. “You are the most beautiful woman in the room.”

That made my pulse flutter. He was obviously wrong, as I was sitting next to Caitlin, but I just smiled up at him. I had worn my new purple cocktail dress and liked the way it swooshed when I moved. I looked up to see Lady Claire giving me a dirty look.

I made a mental note not to leave any of my food or glasses alone tonight. Who knew what she’d try to get me with next.

Caitlin was a master conversationalist, and she asked me question after question about myself without being intrusive. Lady Claire kept trying to get Nico’s attention, but he was busy listening to my conversation with the princess. She made me feel so comfortable that it didn’t feel like I was making an effort at all. I had this feeling like I really could be friends with her.

Which was pointless because after this week I would never see her again. Except for in magazines and on television.

I saw Lady Claire move her left hand slowly across the table, and she leaned over. To where she had obviously put it on Nico’s thigh.

I wished the table wasn’t so wide so that I could kick her stubby legs.

But Nico grabbed her wrist and politely, but deliberately, put her hand back on the table. I looked away, so that he wouldn’t see me watching. When I looked back, he gave me a million-watt smile.

“He fancies you rotten,” Caitlin said to me in a low, conspiratorial voice.

“What makes you say that?”

“He hasn’t taken his eyes off of you since he sat down.” It was true. Even I couldn’t be in denial about the way he was looking at me. It was a glorious, fizzy feeling—too amazing to be contained in just one person. I felt like I should start helping little old ladies cross streets to settle the karmic debt of feeling this way.

“Tell me,” she said, putting her napkin on the table. “How do you feel about him?”

“I’m not so good with the feelings. I could get you a sarcastic comment. Or some snark.”