Page 78 of Royal Reluctance

Timothy has been… not Timothy since I’ve been gone. Or maybe this is the real Timothy and I’ve been too close to see what he’s truly like until now. It’s not that he’sbad, just… lacking. Maybe he’s always lacked and I never thought I deserved more? Or it’s not until I’ve come back here, sharing the same space as Bo and seeing just how much I mean to him, that I take a closer look at my relationship with Timothy.

And to be honest, I’m kind of finding it… lacking.

No one would be able to tell we are on the cusp of getting engaged by the way he talks to me on the phone. There’s noaffectionate banter, no loving comments, or sexy innuendoes about missing me.

Even when we’re FaceTiming and his face fills the screen, there’s nothing in his expression that suggests that I am the most important thing in the world to him.

Now, when I see the way Bo watches me…

The look his eyes, the way he touches me. The way hedoesn’ttouch me.

When we were together, I never thought I deserved his love, but these days…

I deserve to be the most important person to a man. Except for Tema, of course. She will always take precedence over me, and if the man doesn’t show me that he realizes how special she is, how lucky he may be to have her in his life—

Like Bo does.

It must be difficult to date a woman with a child, but Timothy never seems to struggle… but he doesn’t make much of an effort either.

Am I seeing him through Bo-fogged glasses or is this really how things are with Timothy and me?

I don’t know.

“These are the best waffles ever,” Tema announces mid-way through breakfast. She pierces one and waves it in the air. Maple syrup drips onto her plate.

“Then eat them and stop playing,” I tell her.

“Do you think the castle makes better waffles than Timothy?” It’s not my imagination; there’s a hint of mischief in Abigail’s voice.

“Yes,” Tema exclaims, then, “Sorry, Mommy, but these areroyalwaffles. I could eat them every day, but I don’t think I can do that with Timothy’s.”

“It’s okay,” I concede with a sideways glance at Abigail, who’s giving her plate a little too much attention. “They are really good.”

Abigail is Team Bo all the way.

“Are you ready, Mommy?” Tema demands a short while later. She has stacked her plate after eating every bite of her waffles.

I can get used to having breakfast made for me. Abigail does most of the cooking because she enjoys it more, but even she gets tired of the monotony.

She stayed at the castle last night and she was as excited as Tema for the waffles. Abigail also didn’t have any qualms to ask Mrs. Theissen if Spencer had left for work.

He had, which started Tema off about us going into town.

Today’s plan is to drop Abigail and Tema off at Abigail’s parents’, while I track down my sister in town.

“Let me finish my tea,” I tell her with a laugh.

“We need to stop at Coffee for the Sole,” Abigail says. “I’ve been dreaming of their coffee since we left.”

“You don’t drink coffee anymore,” I protest.

“Because I love Silas’s coffee so much.” She pretends to swoon. “It’s like he adds something to it.”

“It’s made with love,” I say in my own dreamy voice.

“I was thinking more like a drug.”

“Can I try some?” Tema wants to know.

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