Stealing His Princess (Kings of Conquest #2) - Adelaide Forrest Page 0,35
Holden checked on his watch so he didn’t notice the way my eyes widened.
He’d knocked on the door of the room. We’d been that focused on one another, neither Bristol nor I had heard anything. But, if the timing had been any worse, he’d have seen me sneaking out of his future bride’s room. My chest tightened, and I didn’t know if it was fear that he could have caught us or disappointment that he hadn’t. “Ah, so you’re on a search mission too!”
“Yep. Her father just wanted to talk to her. But I didn’t want him to be wandering around too much so I said he should just go on up to the room and I’d look around for her. So, I checked the music room, the library and even the ballroom. So far, no luck.”
“Busy. Maybe she’s back at the picnic and you missed her?”
“Perhaps. I still need to introduce the two of you. I’d really like my best man to meet my bride before the wedding, you know?”
I laughed, but it sounded fake to my ears. After all, I’d already met Bristol. I knew her well. Knew how she tasted, how she felt coming around me. I knew her more intimately than the man she was to marry. "I was going to introduce myself to her last night but something came up so I had to leave early. Anyway, I should go look for my sister. I’ll check the same areas you did. Library, music room, ballroom, right?”
“Right,” he agreed, and I cleared my throat, covering it up with a cough. I stuck my hands in my pockets to keep them from shaking. At the very least, I could be sure Bristol wouldn’t be in those places.
“I hope you find Bristol.”
"So do I. That girl just gets herself lost so many times. One time, she climbed up this tree in Theodosia while we were visiting because she was annoyed with me. Then she couldn't get down herself." He chuckled and leaned against the wall.
"Sounds stubborn-headed." I couldn't help it but I fell even more for the stubborn woman who had been that strong-willed little girl. I could just imagine her, cute little freckled Bristol scraping her knees climbing trees. Defying protocol.
I wished I could have been in the position to allow her to climb all her own trees. Just to be there to catch her if she needed me.
"She is. She really is. Damn if that I don't love the brat, and that worries me." He let out a shaky breath and looked down at his hands.
"What worries you?" I tried, really, I did. A part of me was so angry that this man didn't value what he'd been given to the extent that Bristol deserved it. But I wanted to understand the man who would soon have the right to call her his wife.
And it was not a small amount of guilt that had me acting like a friend rather than a man stupidly in love.
"That love will turn to resentment when we get married. Or even worse, that she’ll feel that way about me. We've known since we were young that we would get married, but all that evolved was a friendship. I look at her and see a sister. I look at her and think about what it would be like if I had been in love with her, it would be easier." He laughed, a low and mirthless sound. "Is that selfish?"
I couldn't deny that he cared for her. Even if the way he did was not close to the way I did. The sad fact was he was just as stuck as I was. "Not selfish, no. Have the two of you talked about it?"
He shook his head. "We’ve knocked at the fringes of that conversation but not really, no. We're both bound by duty, so what's the point of dredging up topics when it’ll just depress us both. I suppose our wedding day is soon enough for that." We were both silent for a moment. Both contemplating the same woman. "But you know what?"
"What?" I asked, looking down at my hands. Strong hands. Helpless in the long run.
"I'd support her. Whatever she wanted. For her happiness.” He reached up to rub the back of his neck and I watched the light spear through the window to highlight him. He was the light, who deserved her. Nothing like the darkness that pulsed around me.