Page 4 of Rags to Royals

“Oh my god, no!” Linnea exclaims.

“Damn right,” Jonah growls.

“Don’t be weird,” I tell him.

Henry just shrugs.

“Of course not,” Diarmuid says over the noise. “Obviously Astrid and Cian will marry and produce the heir.”

I freeze with my glass of wine halfway to my mouth.

He’s not worried about the throne.

He wants an heir to the family legacies. Both families.

Ours and…

Oh, shit.

All laughter immediately ceases and five seconds pass before Astrid and I speak at the same time.

“What?”

I look at Linnea’s younger sister. She’s staring at me.

Then we both look back to Diarmuid.

Suddenly everyone is on their feet, talking at once. Except for my mother and grandmother. And Astrid’s mother, father, and grandmother.

Clearly, they already knew about this.

And are pleased by the idea.

I look at Henry.

Now he actually seems stunned.

Ha. Something hedidn’tknow. And he didn’t keep this from me. At least that’s comforting.

Then I look back at the woman my grandfather wants me to marry.

She looks like she wants to throw up.

I sigh.

Just another crazy fucking day as an O’Grady royal.

Chapter 2

Cian

So, can I marry a woman that I really like—a smart, bold, funny, sassy, gorgeous woman—and have a baby with her to make both our families, especially our grandfathers (even if hers is deceased) insanely happy?

Or do I keep holding out for the woman I’m madly in love with but who I haven’t seen in a year and seven months because I can’t fuckingfind hersince she snuck out the morning after our weekend together, quit her job, and moved?

Okay, from what we’ve gathered, she quit her job and planned to move before she met me. It’s not like she left the statebecauseof me. Still, she’s out there somewhere and I can’t find her.

“How crazy would this be?” I ask Henry.