Page 48 of Royal Games (The Royals of Monterra)

But before anything could happen, Aunt Sylvia called out, “I’m home!”

I quickly disentangled myself from him, even though I didn’t want to leave his embrace. “In here!” I called out. The spell between us was broken. Because magic obviously had to have been involved to explain my behavior. I just couldn’t admit that the real magic was what happened every time he touched me.

“Are you going to tell her?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m going to tell her,” I snapped back. “But you need to leave.”

“I’ll go,” he said. “But this conversation isn’t over.”

I stopped him with a touch as he opened the back door. His forearm flexed underneath my palm. He looked hopeful, but all I said was, “You gave me your word.”

He nodded tersely and let the screen door slam shut.

“Was that Rafe?” Sylvia asked when she entered the kitchen. I said yes and bent down to pick up the postcard. She had a glowing smile on her face, one I hadn’t seen in a very long time. “Where have you been?”

“I went on a date with Max.”

“You did?” I yelped. When had this happened? How did I not know? Did Amanda know? For three blissful seconds I pushed John-Paul from my mind and focused solely on my aunt. I looked at the postcard in my hand and then shoved it into the back pocket of my jeans. I would show it to her tomorrow. I didn’t want to do anything to ruin her happiness tonight.

She nodded with a girlish smile as she opened the fridge to get out a cold can of Diet Coke. It was her one vice. Mine, obviously, was hoarding chocolate bars.

“Well it’s about time,” I said, sitting at the kitchen table, ready to get the scoop, to banish John-Paul and his postcard from my thoughts. “He’s been head over heels for you for years.”

She popped the top of her soda, letting the carbonation fizzle and snap. She took a small sip. “He’s asked before. I didn’t think the timing was right.”

“And now you do?”

“Some things have changed,” she said evasively. “I should have said yes years ago. You know, he warned me about Richard and I didn’t listen. I thought he was just jealous. Which he was, but that didn’t make him any less right.”

“I’m glad that you finally took a chance on him.” I felt like she was trying to tell me something, but she wasn’t being direct.

Until she said it. “I hope you’re smarter than I was and don’t make Rafe wait as long.”

And there it was.

So I changed the subject. “We should have a spa day.”

Her whole face beamed. “Yes! We haven’t done that in so long!”

We’d never actually gone to a spa and it was now technically nighttime, but we did our own in-home pedicures and facials. It would be an excellent distraction. “I’ll go upstairs and get my stuff.”

She glanced up at the black cat clock on the wall, his tail swinging back and forth. “It’s late and I’m worn out. Rain check? What we need to do is get a Christmas tree and put it up. How about tomorrow?”

We used to buy our tree and decorate the house the weekend after Thanksgiving, but we hadn’t managed that in years. It had turned into something we threw together at the last minute. Probably in part because Richard had left at Christmastime, and it always seemed to make her a little sad.

“I have a meeting with the bazaar committee after school and work, but we can do it after that.”

“It’s a date.”

“But probably not as good as the date as you just had,” I teased as I helped her out of her chair and up the stairs. “You’ll have to fill me in tomorrow.”

She promised she would, and after making sure she was settled, I went and got ready for bed, finishing off half a Twix bar before brushing my teeth. As I slid under my covers, I told myself I was fine. The darkness felt oppressive, like a thick, heavy, suffocating blanket, so I got up and turned on a lamp on my desk. My jeans were hanging over the back of the chair, the postcard sticking out. The postmark was from Washington, so John-Paul was still there. He wasn’t here. He just wanted me to know that I hadn’t been able to hide from him.

Nothing would happen, I told myself sternly. I was safe.

It took a long time, but I finally managed to drift off to sleep, repeating the words in my mind over and over again.

I was safe.

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