Nik loosened his tie. “It doesn’t mean the threat is gone. Idas is dangerous. But this gives us some time to build up our forces in case negotiations fall through.”
Stella nodded. Glanced at her watch. “Good heavens, it’s almost six. I need to get dressed.”
Nik’s sister whipped out of the room, promising to meet them downstairs in an hour. Sofía got to her feet, her knees a bit weak with relief. “Congratulations. I’m sure that must take a weight off your shoulders.”
“For now.” He crossed over to her until he stood mere inches from her. It was the closest they’d been to each other since the night of their big blowout and it set her heart thrumming in her chest. “Thank you for what you said to me that night on the terrace,” he said quietly. “I needed to hear it. I needed the perspective.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “If we’re a team, that’s what we should be doing for each other.”
His gaze held hers. “Yes, we should. I want us to have a fresh start, Sofía. We need to end this impasse between us. We need to make this relationship work, for our sake and for our child’s. Things may not have begun under the most ideal of circumstances, but we decide where our relationship goes from here. I want it to be a good one.”
She pursed her lips. “But you still don’t believe me about the pregnancy?”
“Sofía,” he growled. “Let it go. The point is we need to move on. You said you want me to open up to you, to learn how to be in a relationship. I’m willing to do that. I’m willing to open up to you and learn to trust each other.”
“To a point,” she bit out. “That one thing will always sit there between us festering.” She crossed her arms over her chest and eyed him. “What’s your ulterior motive here, Nik? Do you want to fix us so you can move on with more important things?”
His face tightened. “I’m offering an olive branch here. It would be nice if you would accept it.”
“Why the sudden change in heart?”
“My parents’ marriage was a political one. Amicable enough in the beginning out of the respect they had for each other. My mother came from an aristocratic family—she knew her role. But the one thing she couldn’t handle were my father’s affairs. Not unusual for a sovereign, but my mother has a great deal of pride. It was her one stipulation and he broke it.
“Their marriage became a war zone,” he continued. “Our home became a war zone. I will not have that for my child. Our child.”
“But can you trust me? Truly trust me?” She fixed her gaze on his. “We need that above all else if this is going to work, Nik.”
His lashes lowered. “I will work on it.”
Her heart dropped. She had the feeling he might never trust her. Never let go of what he thought she’d done. But what choice did she have but to try to make it work?
She spun away toward the wardrobe in search of her shoes. “You need to get ready.”
“Sofía—”
“Not now, Nik.” She turned around and faced him, hands on hips. “Every reporter in Akathinia is waiting for me to step into that ballroom so they can analyze me from every angle. So that they can further expose my deficiencies and label me not up to snuff. So let’s just get it over with, shall we?”
His eyes widened, then narrowed. “The press will come around. You need to be patient and stop worrying so much about what people think. I saw the coverage of the charity event. You didn’t look like yourself at all. Stop hiding under that shell of yours and let people see you.”
“So they can dig their claws in deeper?” She rolled her eyes. “No, thank you.”
“I wouldn’t do that again if I were you.”
“Do what?”
“Roll your eyes.”
“Why? Because you’re a king?
“Because it’s disrespectful.” He stalked toward her. “What’s really bothering you?”
Her chin dipped. “I just told you.”
“How did the designing go today?”
“Not well. Nothing’s working. I threw them all out.”
He shook his head. “You can’t force it. You’re pushing too hard with everything. Give yourself some space. Take a day off.”
“It’s my sanity,” she growled.
“Good thing, then, I’ve set aside some downtime for us.”
“Downtime? Isn’t that an oxymoron for you?”
He ignored the gibe. “Things are in control for the moment. Idas will sign. Which means you and I are going away for the weekend where we are addressing all of this, Sofía. All of it. I can’t be fighting battles on multiple fronts.”