Royal Games(9)

She collapsed on a barstool. “You know your plan to have the town be against Rafe? I think that’s going to be an uphill battle.”

I had the sneaking suspicion that she might be right.





Chapter 3

We helped close down the diner, and then I carpooled with Whitney to the town meeting. Whenever there was a meeting, almost everyone came and all the businesses shut down. There were so few forms of entertainment in our town that this constituted a night out.

They held the meetings in the church. Snow had started to fall, and Whitney and I said hello to everyone as we entered. I pasted a bright smile on my face as I watched people whispering to one another and looking at me. The word had definitely spread.

After the show there had been this long period of time where everyone tiptoed around me and acted strangely. Like they didn’t know what to say or how to behave. It was Max and his constant ISU jokes that got everyone back on track. But now with Rafe here . . .

Whitney found her mother and her children. Her mom babysat the kids while Whitney worked.

“My favorite little monsters!” I said as Meredith, Beau, and Gracie all started talking to me at once. They were four, three, and two, and I was devoted to them. As they climbed all over us and fought each other, I was struck with an intense and unfamiliar longing to have a baby of my own.

My biological clock shifting into hyperdrive was so random and unexpected that I wasn’t sure what to blame it on. I mean, I always assumed that someday I would find the right man and we would fill up the farmhouse with little ones. But that was always far in the future.

I worried that my baby-making parts were acting up in response to Rafe’s flawless genes. “You’re so lucky to be their mom,” I said.

Whitney seemed confused at my out-of-the-blue statement. “You know I love them, but nobody told me being a parent would be like that summer after high school when I did an internship for that advertising firm in the city. Most of the time I don’t know what I’m doing, I have to do all the crap work, and I’m not getting paid.”

Gracie had settled into my lap. I never told anyone, but she was my favorite. “You know you’d quit tomorrow and stay home with them if you could.”

“Yes, because they are adorable and precious and I love them more than my own life. But parenting is hard.”

I smoothed down Gracie’s bright blonde hair. “Everything worth having is.”

“Yep. Including your prince.” Whitney was far too smug.

“I wondered how long it would take for you to bring him up again. I had under five minutes in the pool. So I win.”

“If I’d known there was money on the line, I would have waited longer—and I’m not letting you change the subject again. Why won’t you let him explain?”

Gracie reached for my cell phone, and I let her play with it. Having occupied her, I turned to reply to her mother. “In case you were wondering where your nose is, I found it in my business.”

Whit frowned and started to respond, but then Rafe walked in with my aunt, drawing our attention. He was helping her walk down the aisle. Amanda usually picked Aunt Sylvia up for town meetings. I wondered what had changed.

Despite the snow outside, he wasn’t wearing a coat. Just a totally impractical cream cashmere sweater, and the light color of his sweater contrasted starkly with his black hair, tan skin, strong jawline . . . I shook my head, trying to clear it. Not able to help myself, I wondered how cold it got in his homeland. I’d only been to Monterra once, during this past summer. It was such a charming country, with little chalets that looked like gingerbread houses, and green as far as the eye could see. The surrounding mountains were so tall that they still had pockets of snow at each apex.

“All that chivalry is giving me goosebumps,” Whitney whispered, interrupting my memories. “I can’t imagine what it’s doing to you.”

It was making happiness and other unwelcome feelings rise up like a balloon inside me. I had to look away as I felt him seating Aunt Sylvia next to me. “Thank you for bringing me,” she said as she eased into the pew, leaning her cane against the pew in front of us.

I couldn’t help it. I looked.

“I am always happy to be of service,” he said, before raising his gaze to meet mine. “Good evening, Genesis,” he said.

“Um, hey.” Why did he make my skin flush like this?

Gracie peered up at him. “I’m two.” She held up three fingers.

He crouched down to be eye level with her. “I’m twenty-three. That’s too many fingers.” Gracie just smiled and then stared at him through her lashes. Even she wasn’t immune.