Page 32 of Royally Arranged

“I know it’s a lot,” Nova said gently. “And if you don’t want to do it, I understand.”

Her mother whipped her head around so fast it sent her hair rippling down her bare shoulders. She was watching her daughter like she was prepared to smack a palm over her mouth to shut her up.

Nova ignored her. She only had eyes for me. “I really,reallywould understand if you didn’t want to do this. When I sat in that meeting at your estate, I was terrified.” Her frown fluttered into place. I wanted to kiss it away. “You didn’t know me, I didn’t know you. I’m sure you thought I was as awful as my brothers. And I know you didn’t like the tentative peace treaty we all agreed on.

“You have no reason to want to be with me, not a single one.” She made fists on the table, and a wave of determination moved through the line of her jaw, making it harder. “If you give me a chance, I think we can make this work. And if it means that everyone you love, and everyone I love, can go on and live for years and years without looking over their shoulders in fear, isn’t it worth a shot?”

The entire table was silent. My heart was throbbing and I didn’t know whether it was from appreciation for her honesty or panic over the fact that I felt myself agreeing with her. If she was tricking me, she was doing a damn good job of it.

I was compelled to back down from the growing disgust inside me. “I want everyone to know that I’m not a fan of this kind of ambush,” I said carefully. “But I’m even less of a fan of my family or myself having our throats slit.” I looked at Nova, studying how still she was. How brave was this woman? Or was I just an idiot to believe her speech?

“I’ll do it,” I said. “I mean, you probably guessed that I would, since you aren’t really giving me many options. I’d planned to make amuchbigger deal about this and be much more difficult, but Nova ... let’s just say she’s more charming than I was ready for.”

Darla rolled her eyes. “Why am I even here?” she asked. “I could’ve avoided being embarrassed like this if Nova had just said that she had this guy wrapped around her little finger.”

“Darla,” Valencia warned.

Her daughter folded her arms. “Just let me know when I can bring my things over to the castle, I’m sick of that hotel room. And I should at least get something nice out of this trip for all my troubles.”

If I hadn’t been turned off by Darla before, I definitely was now.

“About that,” my father said. “I, too, would like to move into the castle. I expect that won’t be a problem?”

“Your son is about to become king.” Kurtis chuckled. “I don’t see anyone trying to bar you from entering the castle. It belongs to all of us. We’re all going to be one big, happy family now, aren’t we?”

His words turned my stomach. Under the table I gave Nova’s foot a slight kick, just to get her attention. It worked, and she rewarded me with a questioning smile. “You’re really sure about this?” I asked, as quietly as I could. It was for her ears alone.

She glanced around, then back to me. “Of course. I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t sure.”

Her confidence made my pulse throb. It drove me crazy wondering how much of her wanted this marriage with me, and how much of her was after something else. There were a lot of unknowns.

I waved my empty glass at the waiter. “Then I guess we should toast our inevitable engagement. Did you buy the ring already, too?” I asked, arching my eyebrows at Kurtis and his wife. “Write our vows while you were at it?”

Nova flinched. But my mother, her eyes lit up. “We might as well have some fun with this,” she said. “I’ll meet with the engagement photographer. And I definitely want to help with the wedding. Oh, gosh, we’ll need to invite everyone we can with such short notice. Your siblings would kill me if they missed this.”

The rest of the meal went by mostly in silence. No one really had anything to discuss, and it was obvious we were still on shaky ground. None of us were friends. All of us wanted something from each other.

And as I finished off the new drink the waiter brought me, I wondered if any of us would get what we were after.

- CHAPTER THIRTEEN -

HAWTHORNE

I’d seen the castle from a distance. It had felt like a painting, something that you never expected to come into full focus. The closer we got, the more magnificent the structure became. It was set back from the center of the city. I wondered why, until I noticed the right side faced the ocean.That makes it more secure from attack.There’d be no way for enemies to scale the cliff walls without the castle having an advantage.

I’d learned that in one of the many war-room-style meetings my father had had me sit through. It was strange to have something from a history lesson be so relevant now.

My car lifted dust as it maneuvered toward the long stretch of spike-topped gates. They were open for us. Waiting. People standing at roadside fruit stands, buying or selling, stared at my window as I passed. They couldn’t see through the tint, but they didn’t need to in order to know our caravan of fancy cars was important.

My town car was in the middle—Rush and more security had gone ahead. Behind me were vans with my luggage, as well as my parents’. They were back there somewhere, too; I’d asked to ride alone.

It might be the last bit of solitude I get for a while,I thought, dreading what was to come. Were the Valentines really going to move into the castle with us? They were taking this “one big happy family” shit too far.

When my driver pulled onto the flat stones in front of the giant arched doors, I sucked in a hard breath. Then another. I still struggled to believe this was happening. It was all so damn fast. Surreal.

The attendants must have thought I was waiting for them to open my door, and not that I was hiding, grasping at every last second I had in the back seat, because I saw a young man hurry over and yank on the handle. “Sir,” he said, beaming. “Welcome to Red Crown Palace. Let me help you out of there.” He stretched his arm out toward me expectantly.

I stared at him from inside the car. He stared back.

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