Page 98 of Protecting his Secrets

Andrew’s expression softened further. “Thank you for your kind words. It hasn’t been without a lot of soul-searching and help from my family that I managed to do so. I hope we can help you do the same.”

Sally waved her hand. “I’m too old to change my ways now, but thank you for the offer.”

Andrew waved his hand towards the corridor. “Shall we?”

Emily asked some questions about the decoration as they walked, and Sally listened intently. Malachi dropped back and walked beside Nick.

“It seems to be going well,” he whispered.

Nick smiled. “They already love each other because of what we’ve told them, so I doubt there will be any problems. The main thing will be keeping an eye on your grandmother and making sure she doesn’t go walkabout.” He winked.

Sally glanced over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes at Nick, and he tensed.

“Did I forget to mention that she had supersonic hearing?”

Nick glared at him. “Yes.”

Malachi laughed and slipped his arm around Nick’s, resting his head on his shoulder while they walked. Reaching the royalfamily’s dining room, Andrew held the door for the women, and Nick grabbed it so the king could enter, and then they followed. The rest of the Sutcliffes rose from their chairs, and Sally gasped, her hand covering her mouth. Malachi stepped to her side.

“Are you okay?” he whispered.

She smiled, though it was a little shaky. “I’m just so glad to see the entire family so happy. It’s different seeing it on the TV, but in person, it makes everything much clearer.” She wiped her eyes, and he led her to the table where Andrew and Emily waited.

Andrew went around the table, stopping at each person and introducing them, even though Malachi’s family knew who they were. Then he led them to the chairs next to his and settled them in. Malachi and Nick took the seats at the other end.

“How long before they have to extend the tables again?” he asked.

Nick chuckled. “No idea, but soon, even this room will be too small.”

“Unless you add a ‘children’s’ table,” Malachi joked.

“Who would be on it?” Nick asked, his face alight with humour.

“George,” three voices said at once.

Malachi looked around Nick to see Oscar, Eddie and Kieren grinning at him. He snorted, covering his mouth before it became too loud. He glanced at the top of the table and received a glare from his grandmother, and he straightened and looked down at his plate, his mouth still twitching.

“That told you,” Nick whispered.

“It wasn’t just to me,” Malachi replied, and Nick glanced up the table before snapping his head back again, eyes wide.

“How does she do that?”

“Magic,” Malachi whispered. “It’s passed down, generation after generation.”

“What’s your magic power, then?”

Malachi raised his eyebrows. “If you have to ask, I’m not doing it right.”

He kept a straight face for several seconds before Nick’s flush cracked his composure, and he burst out laughing.

“You’ll pay for that,” Nick murmured.

****

A jingling bell announced Malachi’s entrance into Book Drunk. The scent of coffee and cake assaulted his nose in the most pleasant of ways, and his stomach rumbled. It was his own fault. He wanted to save his appetite for the coffee shop instead of eating at home with Nick. Plus, he’d been eager to get going that morning, and the choice to meet Felix and Jason at eleven o’clock in the morning was far too late by his standards.

He’d grown close to Felix in the weeks he’d been at Windsor Castle and with Nick. They hadn’t had anything to do with each other before that, only in passing at events occasionally. But since his almost assault had taken him into the realm of royalty further than he could have ever imagined, Felix had been talking to him, messaging and calling him to check up on him.

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