Page 72 of Awaiting
“Told who what?”
“I told Bexley how I feel.”
“You did?” he asked. “How did it go?”
“Not very well.”
“I’m sorry, Alex. Does she not feel the same way?”
“I actually think she might. She just doesn’t know what to do with it.”
“The crown?” Larry asked.
“I don’t know. But probably.”
“It’s a lot,” he said. “I got lucky that you were born first; made it easier to marry Margaret.”
“Margaret would’ve made a great Consort for you.”
“Of course, she would have. But it would’ve been a harder sell.‘Love me enough to give up everything and be the Queen Consort’is harder to say to someone than telling them,‘I’m the extra kid my parents had to have more than anything, and there’s no real pressure on you because you’ll be a Duchess with an estate, and not many people will care what you’re doing in your free time because all eyes will be on my sister, the future Queen, and whomever she marries.’Hell, once your kids are born, Alex, people will forget I even exist.”
“That’s not true,” she said.
“It’s a little true, but this isn’t about me. Do you think she can get past it?”
“The Queen thing? I don’t know. I don’t know that I want her, too, though. I don’t want someone to get past me being the future Queen. I’m hoping for someone whowantsthe job of Consort.”
“Maybe she isn’t ready for all of that yet. Give her time, Alex.”
“I don’t know how much of that I have left. Mother is still calling me, pushing Teresa on me and mentioning another eligible woman she knows who’s gay. It won’t stop until I’m married.”
“I’ll talk to her,” Larry offered.
“It won’t do any good. Even ifFathertried to talk to her, she’d still do it. Everyone knows she wears the pants in our house.”
Larry laughed and said, “That’s true. What are you going to do?”
“Give her time if I can,” Alex said. “But it’s hard, Larry. I can’t stop thinking about what it would be like if this were real, if we were really a couple and not just two friends going to a hockey game. We dropped her grandmother off at her new place this morning, and it felt so much like I was there as a member of the family.”
“Just give her some time, then, Alex. If she’s the one, this will work out. Thinking about dating the first-in-line to the throne of the most powerful monarchy in the world comes with a lot of worry, concern, and probably insecurity. She might just need to work through all of that.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” she replied but wasn’t actually certain that that was all of what was standing between her and Bexley. “I need to get some sleep, so I’ll let you go.”
“Hey, I love you. You know that, right?”
“I know. I love you, too,” she told him.
CHAPTER 22
Bexley sat at her counter and stared down at the full cup of coffee Alex had made for her. She hadn’t even taken a sip yet. Then, she looked at the cup in the sink and decided to place hers next to it and get some sleep. It reallyhadbeen a long day.
After she headed to her room and readied herself for bed, she noticed that she’d forgotten to bring in a bottle of water, which she always did before bed, so she went back out to the kitchen to grab one. When she turned back, she caught something moving outside her backdoor and noticed it was Alex standing on her small concrete patio. Bexley had been meaning to have a contractor come out to see if they could put in a real patio and maybe even get a hot tub back there, but she’d just always been so busy. Now, there was a Princess standing outside, with no security officers in sight, and it didn’t look like Alex was wearing a coat.
“Alex?” she asked when she slid open the door. “What are you doing out here?”
“I thought you went to bed,” Alex said without looking at her.
“I did. I came out here to get something. Alex, it’s freezing out here,” she said, reaching behind her for the blanket she had hanging over the back of the sofa.