“It might be some time before she’s able to make it back to you, I’m afraid.” Damn him.
He’s afraid? Try facing losing the crown and the last of your father’s waning love and acceptance.
“Can I talk to her?”
“She’s asleep, but I’ll have her call when she wakes up.” Alec was protecting her and it pissed me off. “She is my wife, Alec. I have the right to speak to her.”
“She is and you will speak to her but let her sleep. She’s trying so hard to be herself and also appease you. It might be time for you to be happy with who she is. You did marry her, yet have you thought to consider who you married? You can’t make her change, Liam… I know that better than anyone. You can’t change someone from being who they were always meant to be. Think about it before you drag her back to Ireland. Think about who she needs to be your wife and queen and decide is that the person you married?” With that, he said goodbye and ended the call.
I spent the rest of the journey thinking of that… who was she? Avery had agreed to my terms but only because she had feelings for me. The idea of ending our short marriage and giving up the crown didn’t sound as horrible as losing her. The thought that Avery may never come back to Ireland, that I might not ever see our child grow up hurt me more than being thrown out of the monarchy. Sure, I could have her and our child erased. It had happened several times over the centuries. Avery would just disappear. Our grand wedding would drift away as an impulsive mistake. In a year’s time, we’d see my cousin crowned king and I’d quietly take Lucy as my wife, mending my ways.
All of it, no matter how horrific it seemed, was nothing compared to losing Avery. I couldn’t, I just couldn’t and wouldn’t let her go. She meant more to me than a damn crown.
With a force of conviction stronger than any I’d ever known, I threw open my the door, startling both Georg and James as I burst in on them sitting quietly.
“Get my father on the phone. I want the number coming from you, James, this is official business.” I wasn’t going to take shit from anyone ever again.
The monarchy be damned, I wasn’t going to destroy the woman I loved to make her my queen and I wasn’t going to lose her because she couldn’t be what they wanted. All of them be hanged, I didn’t care anymore.
Chapter 29
Avery
I had been at Kylie’s lake house for a week. The doctor came and visited me every other day and we had finally gotten the all-clear to return to Ireland. The baby and I were fine. When I got to the lake house after the runway show there was a chance I could miscarry, but with bed rest, sleep, hydration, and proper nutrition, I was finally out of the danger zone. After giving me a blood test, the doctor knew the gender of our baby. Part of me wanted to see the results without telling Liam, but I also felt like it was his right to know.
He called me several times every day to check on me and to try and recapture our intimacy. My love for him hadn’t waned, but I wasn’t really sure what I wanted. I loved the thrill of the runway and the press, and news of my success was intoxicating. But for as much overwhelming praise I was receiving, I was also getting a lot of hateful press in Ireland.
I was being called the “Pauper Princess” the “Runaway, Runway Bride” there were worse things that Kylie encouraged me not to see.
She had dealt with the press much more than I ever had, and she knew to block some things out. I took her advice after reading one article that called me a fake. Liam’s people were demanding that he not be considered for the throne because he was a playboy and our marriage was being lauded as a sham. Liam was named the Great Pretender Prince. I had to get back to him and make everything right. I had promised I’d be by his side and I needed to uphold that promise.
I loved fashion design and the fact that my stuff was blowing up was amazing, but when I felt the little life in my belly… well, I didn’t really feel the baby, but I knew he or she was there, I was called to a higher purpose. I needed my girls to help sort me out, so I arranged a meeting with Madison and Kylie for some real talk. My parents were no use, they were reading the headlines and were too worried for me to give me much good advice, so I sat down with the posse and we hashed it all out.