Page 8 of Rags to Royals

Or at leastoneof us needs to do that.

“Are you seeing anyone?” I ask Astrid.

“What?”

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

She shakes her head. “No.”

“Anyone at all? Someone who’s a really good friend who would step up and marry you out of convenience?” My gaze settles on Miles.

But Astrid is shaking her head. “No. I don’t want to be married at all.”

“You two couldn’t just fake it for a while?”

“Me and Miles?” Astrid asks, looking shocked.

“Yeah. You’re friends. People already speculate that you’re a thing. Couldn’t you claim that you’re together? Maybe even get married to make it official for a while?”

She frowns. “Define ‘a while’.”

“I don’t know.” I sigh.

I hate to say until my grandfather dies. That just sounds so bad. Plus, he could live another twenty years.

“It’s just an idea,” I say. “Diarmuid accepted Abigail for Torin. He accepted Linnea and Jonah together. If one of us is in love and committed to someone else, he can’t expectusto get married.”

Astrid and Miles look at one another. Miles rolls his eyes.

“How about you and Henry get married?” Miles asks, looking at me again. “That wouldreallyput a stop to all of this.”

I glance at Henry and give him a grin. “He’s got a point.”

“That would work except that they’d expect us to kiss each other in public and in front of them,” Henry says, looking bored.

“They would,” I agree, suddenly feeling lighter, because at least the four of us still have our senses of humor. “And we can’t do that. You’d never be able to go back to women.”

“Definitely my biggest concern,” he says dryly.

And I laugh. Things are going to be okay.

Astrid and Miles are grinning too, but after a moment passes, Astrid sighs. “Are you serious?” she asks me and Henry. “I mean, you could be very progressive. Step out as a bi-sexual member of the royal family. That would be cool.” She looks at Miles. “Or should we talk about it?”

“Well.” Miles rubs a hand over the back of his neck. “I don’t have a better idea.”

Neither of them looks excited, which is interesting.

I look at Henry. Pretend to be involved with Henry in a romantic relationship? I mean…it wouldn’t be a huge stretch. We already spend all of our time together, live together, like each other a lot, know each other very well. And I’m a royal-in-hiding in the US for the most part. A few people have figured out who my family is, but the number of people who see me on the street and know who I am is extremely tiny. Coming out as a couple with Henry wouldn’t affect my life much.

“What do you think?” I ask him.

“I’d do it,” he says. “But…” He blows out a breath. “Fuck,” he mutters. Then he meets my eyes. “I found her, Cian.”

I frown, trying to figure out what he’s saying. “You…” Then my eyes widen. “What?”

“I found Scarlett.”

I let that sink in.

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