Page 122 of The Wrong Royal
“You are so beautiful,” he said.
My entire body was tingling. I felt warm and relaxed, safe in his arms.
“Sleep,” he murmured.
“We don’t need to go back to the house?”
He chuckled. “They were never expecting us to go back there.”
49
THEO
Iwoke to the sun streaming through the windows. Emilie was asleep beside me, her head resting on my arm. I moved my fingers, trying to get the blood flowing again. We had a late night, but I knew she wouldn’t want to sleep the day away. There was so much to see and so little time to do it in.
I gently shook Emilie awake. Her eyes fluttered open, and she blinked at me. I saw the confusion and then ultimately everything dawned on her.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” I greeted her with a soft smile.
Emilie yawned and stretched beneath the cozy blanket. “Morning,” she mumbled, her voice filled with sleepiness.
I could tell she wasn’t entirely awake yet, so I leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. “Time to rise and shine. I’ve got a little surprise for you.”
That seemed to rouse her a bit more, and her blue eyes met mine. “A surprise? What kind of surprise?”
I winked at her playfully. “We need to get dressed and go to the house.”
I brought our clothes in from the patio. We walked barefoot across the property and into the house. It was quiet. I imagined everyone was already up and about for the day. “How long do you need to get ready?” I asked.
“What am I getting ready for?” she asked.
I smiled. “Let’s say casual. Jeans. Shorts, whatever. Nothing fancy. I’m going to be wearing shorts. You are going to see me in my natural habitat, which includes being very casual.”
She laughed. “I can’t wait.”
I quickly showered and dressed. It felt good to be home and away from the uppity events that demanded formal attire or stuff I just wasn’t all that comfortable wearing. I sent Jack a quick text to let him know I would be out for the day.
I jogged downstairs and ran into my mother, who was on her way out. “Did you have a nice evening?” she asked.
“I did.”
“Jack, Astrid, Victoria, and Archie went out for the day. Astrid was worried about leaving Emilie, but we assured her it would be okay. I assume the two of you will be spending the day together.”
“Yes,” I said, grinning.
“Just be careful,” she warned. “I know we are very lax when it comes to the rules, but I’m afraid her parents would be very disappointed to learn we allowed you to spend time together without a chaperone.”
“Mom, I’m not a child. Neither is she. It may not be their way of doing things, but we’re the ones being told to get married. I think we can navigate this on our own.”
“I know, but they are traditional,” she said.
“I’ll do my best not to grope her in public,” I said, laughing. “We won’t create a scandal.”
“Good. I have to run out. Your father left this morning for a meeting in New York. Before it’s time to go back, I would like us to have some time with Emilie. The whole family.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” I said, nodding. “I’ll tell her.”
She left and Emilie came downstairs a few minutes later. She looked nothing like the princess I met a few weeks ago with her elegant gown and perfect hair and makeup. She was bare faced, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail with a pink ball cap. She had on cutoff jeans shorts and a blue T-shirt tied in the corner. Gone were the heels and instead she was wearing a pair of white sneakers.