Page 123 of Prince of the Palisades

“I came prepared!”

Ajani matches my pace, not nearly as breathless as I am. She points to her sensible pair of Nike running shoes. Impressive on such short notice.

We’re on the tarmac now. The airport attendants offered an official royal car. But there wasn’t enough time to wait.

The engines are whirring. All luggage has been loaded. In the distance, the airstairs are still down. I see Reiss, flanked by two Royal Protection Guards, their backs to us.

I force one last burst of energy into my burning legs.

“Wait! Wait!”

The guards spin around, moving into defensive formation. A sweet-faced attendant at the top of the stairs frowns as I frantically wave my hands. Ajani catches me before I fall over and eat hot tarmac.

“Reiss Emile Dorian Hayes!” I shout until my throat goes raw.

He turns, eyes bulging. “Jadon?”

I stop in front of the guards. When they recognize me, they bow, parting from Reiss’s sides. Then, it’s him. Confused, but here and not angry and so,soclose.

“Sorry,” I gasp out, heaving. “Not much of a runner.”

Ajani snaps her fingers. In a flash, the attendant is down the stairs, passing me a cold bottle of water and a towel.

I dab sweat from my brow, then gulp half the bottle.Droplets dribble down my jaw. Over the front of my T-shirt. “How do people do this in the movies?”

“It’s fake,” Reiss says impassively. “No one does this in real life.”

I nod, swallowing more water. “I need to tell you something.”

He scowls. “And you couldn’t message me? Or…I don’t know. Maybe said it at the palace.In front of your parents.”

I grimace. “Maybe?”

He crosses his arms, unimpressed by the fact that I ran across a literal airstrip to reach him.

“I—”

The rest of the words don’t come. My chest aches from more than just sprinting. From three months of hell and regret and countless mistakes. From wanting something so bad, it’s going to destroy me if I can’t have it. If Reiss walks away.

But I can’t give up now.

He exhales an irritated breath. “Well? What is it?”

“You never asked me what I was afraid of,” I blurt out.

Reiss’s eyebrows wrinkle with confusion.

“For your film,” I tell him. “You never asked.”

“Why would—”

I cut in, urgent. Desperate. “For years, I’ve been terrified I’m not good enough. For my parents. Réverie. The whole world. I’ll never be the royal they expect.”

A frown overtakes his face.

“And I don’t care anymore.” I smile, weak at first. “No matter what, someone will always think I’m not good enough. But you—” My voice cracks, even through the grin. “I can’t stop caring about what you think.”

The corners of his mouth twitch up.

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