Reluctantly Royal(39)

“Who will be here when the will is read?” He looked at me with serious eyes.

“I’m not sure. Who comes to the reading of a will?” I snorted. “A lawyer? Rachel will be here. Me and my father. I don’t know who else.”

“If he entrusted it to the queen, then she will have a representative present.” He narrowed his eyes.

“Rachel will be there. She sent Rachel to represent her interest.” I frowned.

“If she has taken the will in trust, either my mother or one of our family must be present.” He leaned back in his chair, his eyes half lidded. “I’m sure that my brother would be willing to step in.”

“The last thing I want to do is have more of your family involved in my drama.” I clenched my teeth. “Seriously. What is it with your family sticking their nose in my business? My granddad died. Lots of people die. Every day. Why are you guys not bothering them?”

“Because they aren’t you.” He lowered his voice. “My mother uprooted your family, changed your entire world, and feels responsible for you.”

“Is it that or the fact that my father is a drunk? God help us if we do something embarrassing.” I stood up. “I’ve been dodging his issues for years, cutting him out of my life, moving to a different country. The last thing I want is to have everyone standing around, staring at me with sad eyes. I just want to have a normal life. I was having a normal life. And then—then my granddad died. He died and he left us with a giant mess.”

“Meredith.” He said my name softly.

“No. Don’t you dare look at me like that.” I pointed my finger at him, ignoring the tears that were threatening to overflow. I was too tired, too sad, too broken. “This is like reliving my childhood all over. I’m covering for my father at a school dance or praying that he doesn’t show up to a parent-teacher conference slurring. Only it’s all there for the media to show the world. The embarrassing new royal family. And all because the one man that held us together died.”

“Meredith.” He stood up and walked slowly around the table. “This is why I’m here. Why mother sent Rachel. No one should have to deal with all of this on their own.”

“Having all of you here makes it worse.” I was shaking. Our calm, almost peaceful dinner was now a thing of the past. “Don’t you get it?”

“You’re embarrassed.” He said the words quietly. “You don’t need to be.”

I snorted and wrapped my arms around myself. “My father tried to deck me in front of a prince. Of course I’m embarrassed.”

His hands clenched at his sides and I wondered what was going through his mind as he stared at me.

“I need to go give Marty a bath. He’s waiting on me.” I took a deep breath. I couldn’t afford to lose control right now. I couldn’t afford to lose control at all.

“Let the nanny give him a bath.”

“It’s my job.” I lifted my chin and stared at him. “It’s not the nanny’s job to be his mother.”

“It’s the nanny’s job to help you when you need it.” He moved closer to me. “When my mother reinstated your title, she wasn’t just giving you your inheritance. She was bringing you into a world where much would be asked of you. For some, it might seem like winning the lottery, but the truth is that it isn’t always easy to wear a royal title. That’s why you have a cook, a butler, and a nanny. That’s why I’m here to help during a difficult time.”

I just looked up at him. I wasn’t sure I knew how to let other people help me.

“Go take a hot shower.” Gently he placed his hands on my shoulders and steered me toward the door. “Take a long hot shower and let other people help you for once.”

I let him guide me through the hallway and to the stairs. “Are you going home now?”

The light in the foyer was dim and his face was cloaked in shadow as he looked down at me. “No.”

“What will you do?” I shivered. I was more worn out than I had realized.

“Stay.”

With that one word, relief crashed over me. How could this man, whom I barely knew, make me feel safe?

“Thank you.” I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

He turned just enough so that I could feel his breath on my own cheek. “Get some rest, Meredith.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” I trudged up the stairs with a backward glance over my shoulder. He was watching me, one hand on the stair rail, but my barb had made him smile just a little.

I stopped by Marty’s room. He was sitting on his bed, playing his video game.